Will it hurt my Yorkie to eat cat food?

Question

My Yorkie is 11 weeks old. She is a very, very picky eater. I am worried about her. My mom's Yorkie used to eat the cats food every chance she could. Loved it! The vet told my mom it wouldn't hurt her but would put weight on her. Have any of you heard of this? Or do you have suggestions? She likes dry food best.

Zoe, my Yorkie is only 1 1/2 lbs. I have to get her to eat food or she can get low blood sugar. This could kill her. She has to eat something.

Answer 1

The vet has given you the right answer already why ask us?? Yes a dog can eat cat food with out anything more than extra weight being put on. BUT a cat can not live on dog food becase it is lacking in vitamins that they need.

Answer 2

Yorkie And Cats

Answer 3

I got my baby when he was 8 weeks old, he weighed a little less than a pound. I fed him regular dog food. Giving him, Cesars as a treat once every 2 days, and making him boiled chicken and rice on the other days. I am pround to say he never went into sugar shock, or got sick. He weighs 5 1/2 lbs now and is a year old. The breed has a very sensitive stomach, so I wouldn't give him cat food. Mine also likes fruits and veggies now because i incorporated them when he was a puppy (holistic).Good Luck! Yorkies are great! I can't wait to get him a playmate!!!!

Answer 4

Its not a good idea to give your Yorkie only cat food. Cat food is high in fat and is balanced with all the minirals and nutrience designed especially for cats. My dog is a mini foxy and she put on alot of weight when she was living with my mum and eating only cat food.

I would also suggest if you are going to buy supermarket dog food to get one that is specificly for small dogs like your little Yorkie.

An even better option is to have a talk to your vet. They will be able to suggest many different types of medicaly tested premium dog foods that will give your dog optimum health. This can get quite expensive though. Although small dogs dont eat much.

Another option is to cook for your dog. Go to the butcher and buy a few kilos of dog mince and cook it up with brown rice and frozen vegetables and to make it tastier you can add some gravy. Once you have cooked this up you can freeze it freezer bags in single portions. Just take one out every night and put it in the fride to defrost for the next day. It wont skink up your fridge like generic dog food will. Mix it with the dry food when you give it to her. She will love this food because it is more like 'people food'...lol

It is very important that she has other food other than dry food. Just like us she needs a variety of carbs, vegetables and protein. The dry food is great for healthy teeth though. If she wont eat anything else but dry food you should either give her the dry food after she has eaten her other food or mix it with her other food.

Also if she is being fussy try giving her room temerature food not cold.

IMPORTANT - Dont change your puppies diet suddenly. This can make her very sick. When I first got my foxy we were giving her canned puppy food and we later found out that the breeders were giving her dog mince. The vet thought that she might have parvo (which can be fatal in dogs). But it was because of the sudden diet chane so if you are going to chnge her diet intaduce her to these new foods slowly.

My little Missy made it through and I have had a great 15 years with her which is past her life expectancy, And I think alot of that has to do with her diet.

Good Luck

Answer 5

I have a very large dog and she loves to eat my cats food all the time. It does not hurt them and if you dog food need to gain a little weight then I would go ahead and let her have some of the cat food. In the end it might even be a little chipper if that is all she will eat for now. once she gets a little older you could try mixing in some dog food with the cat food and try to slow get her to eat the dog food instead.

Answer 6

Yorkies have very sensitive stomachs. It is not a good idea to feed her canned cat food, or any wet food for that matter. She needs a high quality dry food to help her with nutrients and with her teeth. Yorkies must have excellent dental hygiene to prevent early tooth loss. Switching her diet back and forth is not healthy for her. Find a high quality food and make certain that the first ingredient is NOT corn.

Answer 7

Cat food is not designed for dogs and not recommended BUT if you are that concerned, mix some cat food in with her regular food and as she eats that over the course of the next few weeks, start using less and less cat food. Also only give her about 15-20 minutes to eat and then take her bowl away until the next feeding time. She will learn to eat when it's time to avoid starving. And if you are worried about her low blood sugar and fear it's "off", you can put a dab of Karo syrup on her tongue and that will help regulate her blood sugar. We use the Karo syrup trick on many young pups for keeping their blood sugar regulated when they aren't eating right for any reason.

Answer 8

I also own a yorkie who also loves cat food. My vet told me not to let her eat cat food that it is to high in protein. My yorkie eat Iams small bites ( in a green bag). I also feed her per the vet, cheerios as a training treat.

Answer 9

well I have a yorkie... who wouldn't stay out of the cat food... I too was worried.. I talked to my vet he said that little dogs like this are very hyper and cat food is actually good for them.. he suggested that I mix it up with dog food so that he gets both... and both the cat and dogs are happy

Answer 10

Yes, cat food will irritate the stomach and intestinal lining causing diarrhea and possibly vomiting. Most dogs LOVE the taste of cat food, but its not good for them at all, I know this because I work at a veterinary office. If you are concerned that your dog is not gaining enough weight, try putting her on a higher protein diet preferably one your NEW veterinary doctor chooses for her. Good luck with the little one!!! Yorkies are adorable :)