My Yorkie won't eat!!! - YorkieTalk.com Forums

crowmtn · 09-05-2004, 06:26 PM

I have a 11 week old yorkie puppy. He is very healthy and of a normal weight. However, he doesn't choose to eat. I have tried canned food, dry food, cat food, even baby food. He simply won't eat it. I have been basically forcing the food down. I simply wipe a small bit of canned food onto the roof of his mouth so that he has to eat it. He does have the ability to eat both canned and dry food. He will occasionally eat very small bites independently (like once a week). I have taken him to the vet, they tell me to just keep trying. I thought he was just been spoiled and I decided he would eat when he was hungry, he didn't. He had a hypoglycemic induced seizure. The breeder told me if he doesn't eat every 4 hours to force him. I have been doing this for almost 3 weeks. Any ideas?

fasteddie · 09-05-2004, 09:30 PM

Yikes! Have you tried different brands of dry and canned food?

Have you tried cooking some food for him? Just try some chicken to start, and just boil it and cut it into small pieces. Or perhaps flavor the food a bit, maybe with a bit of sugar? That is odd that he doesn't want to eat at all.

Higgin's Mom · 09-06-2004, 05:54 AM

Try sprinkling a little parmesan cheese on his food, perhaps those boiled chicken bits that fasteddie suggests? Something is definitely wrong here......Did the vet check his tonsils? Sometimes they won't eat if their tonsils are swollen.....

I hope and pray he'll be okay soon.

Maddie-Rudy-Mom · 09-06-2004, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Higgin's Mom

Try sprinkling a little parmesan cheese on his food, perhaps those boiled chicken bits that fasteddie suggests? Something is definitely wrong here......Did the vet check his tonsils? Sometimes they won't eat if their tonsils are swollen.....

I hope and pray he'll be okay soon.

A couple of weeks ago Rudy quit eating and it was his tonsils, the vet gave him a shot and in one day he was better, I gave him antibiotics for a week. He is back to his bad self. I have heard of people scrambling an egg for there puppy. sometimes I think they are little toots and make us worry for nothing..........Cindy

crowmtn · 09-06-2004, 07:03 PM

Thanks for the ideas. I'll give them a try.

I will also check with my vet about tonsils. He looked him over pretty close but didn't say anything about tonsils.

CC's · 09-06-2004, 07:57 PM

2 suggestions....

Try putting the food directly on the floor. Some Yorkies don't like to eat from a dish. I don't know why. LOL

You may also ask your vet to do a chem. panel and bile acid tests for Liver shunt. Just to be on the safe side. This can be a symptom of LS.

Good Luck

fasteddie · 09-07-2004, 10:07 AM

Welcome to YT CC's. Good suggestions for crowmtn!

Cookie2 · 09-08-2004, 08:53 AM

Hi and welcome to YT!
I got my Yorkie when he was around 13-14 weeks old.I bought the canned food and dry food that the pet shop said he was eating. Well we got home and he didnt want it at all. He would sniff it once and didnt want any. I tried everything! I bought several brands of puppy dog foods.He would not go near it. I did however give him Nutri-cal at least 3 times a day everyday. He didnt even want much water. I wanted to pull my hair out I swear! I got his canned food and added water and sucked it up with a syringe and had to force feed him. It was terrible and there was a mess everywhere . I could only force feed about 1tsp at a time and then let him rest for 30 min.I did this at least 4-5 times a day and he would eat about 1.5 tsp each time total. I put it on the floor and and at least he licked some off but it was the size of a kidney bean amount! Finally I gave in and boiled chicken breast ,chopped it up into super tiny pieces and fed him out of my hand about 2 tbsp. He gobbled that right up! But after 2 days he didnt even want chicken or liver...nada! I went through this for over a month.It has taken me almost 2 months to get him to eat on his own.But now he sits impatiently while I mix his food. As soon as his little bowl goes down he runs.
All I can say is if your puppy has been checked by a vet ,which you say he has. The vet is right keep force feeding him and try everything. I was tired and pissed at the vet cause all he would say is " You are doing the right thing just keep doing what you have been doing and he will be fine. I thought he would be force fed forever. It was just like I had given birth. I didnt sleep well the first 2 weeks,taking him out of his crate in the middle of the night to go pee. I tried not feeding him until he was hungry. But that didnt work. I could tell he was soooo hungry but as soon as I would bring the food down he would sniff and walk away. So I guess what I wanted to tell you after this long story . This will pass and your pup will get the hang of it. I
reward my 5 1/2 month puppy everytime he uses the pee pad.So every time he pees on the pad he runs to me waiting for a treat. If he has an accident he gets no treat.They are very smart trust me! If I catch him doing his business on the rug I point to it immediately and say no! As soon as he sees that I point to it ,he runs off super fast and keeps staring at the poop he just did on the rug!
He has been doing well with paper training though and the accidents are much much less now.

Be patient and try cooking some chicken for him

Genie

crowmtn · 09-08-2004, 12:08 PM

Thanks so much for all the ideas.

I have gone to the syringe idea with baby food in it. He better get the hang of this soon, or I might faint!

After having 4 human children, he is requiring more than they did, I swear. I keep telling myself, this is a front loaded job. If I spend the time and do it right now I will reap the rewards for many years.

I heard an idea I am going to try for potty training. They took one of the huge dog crates and opened it up and put it upside down. Then you put the 2 door ends together. This basically makes a confined area with 2 seperate sides and a plastic bottom. You put their food and bed etc on one side and then the potty pads on the other. After about a month, they recommend moving the bed side and the puppy should go to the potty side on his own. I am going to give it a try. I bought 2 huge crates, one for each level of my house. Sorry about the length! I'll keep you up to date. Thanks again!

ChristineMozart · 09-13-2004, 09:38 PM

I have the same problem with my 6 week old. He doesn't eat that much and when he does it's only in the morning/afternoon. The man at the pet store who sold him t use advised us to buy this high-calorie paste in a tube, for dogs, obviously. I just put 2 to 3 drops at a time on my finger and have him lick it off.

mmyorkies · 09-15-2004, 06:56 PM

That must be nutrical or nutristat. That is supposed to help with the appetite and supplies vitamins that are needed. It is also good for helping to prevent hypoglycemia in the puppies.

Cookie2 · 09-18-2004, 09:32 AM

Did you say 6 weeks? OR did you mean 16 weeks old? I havent heard of any person letting go of a yorkie pup younger than 8-10 weeks old.
If your yorkie isjust 6 weeks old then he will probably eat very,very little and might not want to eat at all.The paste is Nutri-cal and its great for them . I keep a tube of it in my purse/carrier always. So far I've been using the same tube for about 2 months and there's still about 1/4 tube left. As my Yorkie has gotten older I dont need to give him nutri-cal every day.

Gen

ChristineMozart · 09-18-2004, 10:27 PM

Actually, when I took him to the vets for his shot last Tuesday we found out he was born July 9th making him just over 8 weeks : )
Yes, the Nutr-cal is great for puppies http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/ima...lies/smile.gif

BenjaminsMom27 · 05-02-2007, 05:58 PM

I just got my little Benjamin on saturday. He is a 10 week old teacup. He doesn't seem to want to eat unless i hand feed him..
The breeder gave me these sweet liquid vitamins to give him and he licks it all up so one day in a rush i put it on the plate with his food... now its the only way i can get him to eat... The vitamins will be gone soon.. i suppose i'll have to try some of these techniques...

Good luck

SJK1113 · 05-02-2007, 07:14 PM

Have you tried hand feeding him some of his dry dog food? Sometimes when they're little, they will eat that way. I would try some boiled chicken or rice or maybe a little cottage cheese.

09-05-2004, 06:26 PM	#1
crowmtn Yorkie Talker Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 15	My Yorkie won't eat!!! I have a 11 week old yorkie puppy. He is very healthy and of a normal weight. However, he doesn't choose to eat. I have tried canned food, dry food, cat food, even baby food. He simply won't eat it. I have been basically forcing the food down. I simply wipe a small bit of canned food onto the roof of his mouth so that he has to eat it. He does have the ability to eat both canned and dry food. He will occasionally eat very small bites independently (like once a week). I have taken him to the vet, they tell me to just keep trying. I thought he was just been spoiled and I decided he would eat when he was hungry, he didn't. He had a hypoglycemic induced seizure. The breeder told me if he doesn't eat every 4 hours to force him. I have been doing this for almost 3 weeks. Any ideas?

09-06-2004, 07:03 PM	#5
crowmtn Yorkie Talker Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 15	Thanks for the ideas Thanks for the ideas. I'll give them a try. I will also check with my vet about tonsils. He looked him over pretty close but didn't say anything about tonsils.

09-08-2004, 08:53 AM	#8
Cookie2 Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 1,568	I went through the same thing,here is what I did Hi and welcome to YT! I got my Yorkie when he was around 13-14 weeks old.I bought the canned food and dry food that the pet shop said he was eating. Well we got home and he didnt want it at all. He would sniff it once and didnt want any. I tried everything! I bought several brands of puppy dog foods.He would not go near it. I did however give him Nutri-cal at least 3 times a day everyday. He didnt even want much water. I wanted to pull my hair out I swear! I got his canned food and added water and sucked it up with a syringe and had to force feed him. It was terrible and there was a mess everywhere . I could only force feed about 1tsp at a time and then let him rest for 30 min.I did this at least 4-5 times a day and he would eat about 1.5 tsp each time total. I put it on the floor and and at least he licked some off but it was the size of a kidney bean amount! Finally I gave in and boiled chicken breast ,chopped it up into super tiny pieces and fed him out of my hand about 2 tbsp. He gobbled that right up! But after 2 days he didnt even want chicken or liver...nada! I went through this for over a month.It has taken me almost 2 months to get him to eat on his own.But now he sits impatiently while I mix his food. As soon as his little bowl goes down he runs. All I can say is if your puppy has been checked by a vet ,which you say he has. The vet is right keep force feeding him and try everything. I was tired and pissed at the vet cause all he would say is " You are doing the right thing just keep doing what you have been doing and he will be fine. I thought he would be force fed forever. It was just like I had given birth. I didnt sleep well the first 2 weeks,taking him out of his crate in the middle of the night to go pee. I tried not feeding him until he was hungry. But that didnt work. I could tell he was soooo hungry but as soon as I would bring the food down he would sniff and walk away. So I guess what I wanted to tell you after this long story . This will pass and your pup will get the hang of it. I reward my 5 1/2 month puppy everytime he uses the pee pad.So every time he pees on the pad he runs to me waiting for a treat. If he has an accident he gets no treat.They are very smart trust me! If I catch him doing his business on the rug I point to it immediately and say no! As soon as he sees that I point to it ,he runs off super fast and keeps staring at the poop he just did on the rug! He has been doing well with paper training though and the accidents are much much less now. Be patient and try cooking some chicken for him Genie

09-08-2004, 12:08 PM	#9
crowmtn Yorkie Talker Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 15	thank you and potty training idea Thanks so much for all the ideas. I have gone to the syringe idea with baby food in it. He better get the hang of this soon, or I might faint! After having 4 human children, he is requiring more than they did, I swear. I keep telling myself, this is a front loaded job. If I spend the time and do it right now I will reap the rewards for many years. I heard an idea I am going to try for potty training. They took one of the huge dog crates and opened it up and put it upside down. Then you put the 2 door ends together. This basically makes a confined area with 2 seperate sides and a plastic bottom. You put their food and bed etc on one side and then the potty pads on the other. After about a month, they recommend moving the bed side and the puppy should go to the potty side on his own. I am going to give it a try. I bought 2 huge crates, one for each level of my house. Sorry about the length! I'll keep you up to date. Thanks again!

09-05-2004, 09:30 PM	#2
fasteddie *YT 6000 Club Member* Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 6,238	Yikes! Have you tried different brands of dry and canned food? Have you tried cooking some food for him? Just try some chicken to start, and just boil it and cut it into small pieces. Or perhaps flavor the food a bit, maybe with a bit of sugar? That is odd that he doesn't want to eat at all.

09-06-2004, 05:54 AM	#3
Higgin's Mom YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 852	Try sprinkling a little parmesan cheese on his food, perhaps those boiled chicken bits that fasteddie suggests? Something is definitely wrong here......Did the vet check his tonsils? Sometimes they won't eat if their tonsils are swollen..... I hope and pray he'll be okay soon.

09-06-2004, 07:57 PM	#6
CC's YT Addict Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 402	2 suggestions.... Try putting the food directly on the floor. Some Yorkies don't like to eat from a dish. I don't know why. LOL You may also ask your vet to do a chem. panel and bile acid tests for Liver shunt. Just to be on the safe side. This can be a symptom of LS. Good Luck

09-07-2004, 10:07 AM	#7
fasteddie *YT 6000 Club Member* Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 6,238	Welcome to YT CC's. Good suggestions for crowmtn!

09-13-2004, 09:38 PM	#10
ChristineMozart Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 69	I have the same problem with my 6 week old. He doesn't eat that much and when he does it's only in the morning/afternoon. The man at the pet store who sold him t use advised us to buy this high-calorie paste in a tube, for dogs, obviously. I just put 2 to 3 drops at a time on my finger and have him lick it off.

09-15-2004, 06:56 PM	#11
mmyorkies No Longer a Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 357	That must be nutrical or nutristat. That is supposed to help with the appetite and supplies vitamins that are needed. It is also good for helping to prevent hypoglycemia in the puppies.

09-18-2004, 09:32 AM	#12
Cookie2 Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 1,568	Did you say 6 weeks? OR did you mean 16 weeks old? I havent heard of any person letting go of a yorkie pup younger than 8-10 weeks old. If your yorkie isjust 6 weeks old then he will probably eat very,very little and might not want to eat at all.The paste is Nutri-cal and its great for them . I keep a tube of it in my purse/carrier always. So far I've been using the same tube for about 2 months and there's still about 1/4 tube left. As my Yorkie has gotten older I dont need to give him nutri-cal every day. Gen

09-18-2004, 10:27 PM	#13
ChristineMozart Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 69	Actually, when I took him to the vets for his shot last Tuesday we found out he was born July 9th making him just over 8 weeks : ) Yes, the Nutr-cal is great for puppies http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/ima...lies/smile.gif

05-02-2007, 05:58 PM	#14
BenjaminsMom27 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: May 2007 Location: New York Posts: 51	I just got my little Benjamin on saturday. He is a 10 week old teacup. He doesn't seem to want to eat unless i hand feed him.. The breeder gave me these sweet liquid vitamins to give him and he licks it all up so one day in a rush i put it on the plate with his food... now its the only way i can get him to eat... The vitamins will be gone soon.. i suppose i'll have to try some of these techniques... Good luck

05-02-2007, 07:14 PM	#15
SJK1113 No Longer a Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: usa Posts: 2,150	Have you tried hand feeding him some of his dry dog food? Sometimes when they're little, they will eat that way. I would try some boiled chicken or rice or maybe a little cottage cheese.