Hi,
I own a Yorshire Terrier. He's not even a year old, and he is already 7.5 pounds. A fully-aged yorkie should only be 7 pounds, yet he has already surpassed this weight in less than a year. I try to feed him dog food, but he has become so used to human food it's ridiculous. Everyone in my home gives him treats and scraps. He is extremely picky with his food, and he even has a stash somewhere in the house if I refuse to give him human food! I don't know what to do. Does anyone have any stories of their dogs who have gone through the same thing? Is human food enough to cut my dog's life short? I really need some true horror stories to show my family that this is a seroius thing.
2007-02-06 15:25:08 · 8 answers · asked by Mirko F 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
I understand you totally! My dog is begging as I'm typing this answer! I know its hard but only give him dog food and dog treats. I feed my dog wet mixed with dry for breakfast and dinner then a few biscuits throughout the day. A little table scrap now and the, but try to break the family's habit.
You can also take your dog for longer walks to burn off some of that flab. Good luck!
2007-02-06 16:40:06 · answer #1 · answered by moobiemuffin 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We sometimes confuse food with love. It is NOT a loving thing to share people food with dogs unless it is a specific recipe designed for canines that may use some human food ingredients like chicken or rice etc. Some stats say that dog cancer rates go up if their main diet source is processed human food like table scraps and treats. High quality dog food is always the way to go and keep it consistent. Human food is also awful on their teeth. If your dog goes for a day with no people food he will be more than ready to start picking at his dog food. Don't let his cute little eyes hypnotize into thinking you are cruelly starving him. Do what is best for him and kick the human food now by completely ignoring his insistence that he MUST have it. Our yorkie loves his dog food and eats like a trooper at the exact same time everyday and we never give him people food (ie. junk) for his little self (some fruit and veggies are great though) and he is one healthy monkey. A small healthy monkey at 3.5 pounds but none the less... That being said, he is always VERY interested in what we humans are eating but we just don't go there. Also, yorkies have notorious weight issues as they age so make sure that diet and exercise are right for this little guy. Good on you for realizing there could be a problem that you can prevent! If you can't bring yourself to change he won't change, but at the very least, cook recipes designed by dog health experts rather than processed,, addictivly intense flavours designed for the human palette.
Best of luck. You can do it!
2007-02-07 01:05:29 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Hey there,
I own a Yorkie/Silky terrier mix and I can TOTALLY feel your pain. I'm going through the exact same situation. Maybe it's part of their breed?Who knows. He HATES dog food, loves human food, and gets scraps from all members of my family. He could be completely STARVED for food yet he won't touch dog food!The only thing that temporarily helped was when I put fresh,boiled chicken, or steak mixed with his kibble.But then that got him constipated, even after I added some olive oil to the mix. Sorry buddy, it's not really an answer, just wanted to let you know, you're not alone on this one!!!Let me know if you find the answer!!
2007-02-06 23:46:55 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
I couldn't find any stories but I found a whole lot of reasons and "what dogs shouldn't eat" kinds of sites. Hope this helps. :)
http://www.geocities.com/ttownvet/feedingscraps.html
http://www.lanningenterprises.com/dog_food__what_not_to_feed
Question:
Can I feed table scraps to my dog?
Answer:
Absolutely not. Your dog should be fed a well-balanced dog food. Table scraps will more than likely upset your dog's intestinal tract. Grease can even kill necessary enzymes in the intestinal tract needed for proper absorption of nutrients.
http://dogs.about.com/cs/disableddogs/a/poison_food.htm
Also if you are strict about no scraps, then he will have no choice but to eat his dog food. You and your family have to be firm, even when those cute little eyes are begging. Just say "No, it's for your own good". You'll thank me later.
2007-02-06 23:30:46 · answer #4 · answered by raz p 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Gimme a break! He's spoiled rotten! If everyone stopped feeding him, he would have to give in and eat his dog food. He's a terrier and he's totally manipulating you! And yeah, if he eats human food all his life, he may not live to the fullest of his years, but it's your choice, not his.
2007-02-07 00:03:03 · answer #5 · answered by Redawg J 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
DEFINITELY malnutrition and obesity are concerns...and eventual early death from the health problems that go with it. Yorkies are NOTORIOUS for being picky eaters and expert manipulators-and remember, a dog that size only needs 1/2 cup of food PER DAY, so one bite of people food WILL spoil his appetite.
OOOH.... someone saw "purina" in the website and gave me a knee-jerk thumbs down---whoever you are, you are a moron.
2007-02-06 23:31:15 · answer #6 · answered by lizzy 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Would you give your child chips and chocolate bars for meals everyday? I think not! This is what you are doing to your pet. Please consider you pet's health as you would your own children. Hope this helps!!!
2007-02-07 02:14:57 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
yes but you can get another one and do it again, mabe go for a record of some-kind
2007-02-06 23:38:59 · answer #8 · answered by buddy d 2 · 0⤊ 5⤋