Best Dog Food for Yorkies or Yorkie Puppies: The Right Way to Feed your Yorkie
The specific thing about Yorkshire Terrier dog breed’s nutrition, of course, is the little size of this cute animal. The puppy is, indeed, tiny, which makes it a tough task for the owner to consider how much is enough for a meal and whether there is no risk either for overfeeding, or for under feeding. Because in both cases, there could appear serious problems for the Yorkie. It is a well-known fact that Yorkie puppies are in general prone to various issues, diseases and chronic conditions of stomach and digestive system, which is why a Yorkie owner must be quite careful with what he or she gives to the puppy for eating, how often the nutrition meal courses per day are served, as well as the size of each portion. We are here to help you with all of these, because, the right feeding is the right start of taking care for such a delicate dog breed like the Yorkie puppy.
Table of Contents
Our Quick picks: Best Dog Foods for Yorkies
Basic facts to know about Yorkie’s nutrition
Now, let us list you the main specifications you need to know as a start for the proper Yorkie nutrition. Here are the top facts and pieces of advice to take under consideration:
How much food does a Yorkie need?
It is hard to tell the exact amount of food your Yorkie would need, because just like humans, dogs have their individual needs, too. Besides, it depends on your puppy’s age, as well as its size. There are Yorkshire terriers that are a bit above, respectively under the average size, which puts differences in the concrete average meal course size per day, too. In general, a little puppy requires more food in order to grow faster and properly, which is about 200 calories per day, while the adult Yorkie needs about 150 calories. Last, but not least, a senior dog needs about 100 calories per day.
How often to feed a Yorkie per day?
If the average adult Yorkie’s food per day should consist of about 150 calories, it does not mean you have to prepare two big courses of about 75 calories per meal. The thing is that, sometimes, the terrier will be very fed up with such big portions and two of them are too much for a day. The best alternative for a Yorkie owner is to divide the portions into three or four parts and to feed the dog per each 4-5 hours. If a single meal course is passed, do not worry, it is normal for a small puppy. However, two courses missed during the day are quite serious and can lead to health risks.
What are the top diseases that can be caused due to mistakes in Yorkie’s domestic nutrition?
Whether you are totally wrong in the way you feed your Yorkshire terrier, or there is something wrong in the food, itself, the threaten to have your puppy is always big. There are many diseases and chronic conditions that are described as common risks for Yorkie’s stomach or digestive system. Here are the most common health risks due to inappropriate nutrition to be careful about:
– Hypoglycaemia – appears when Yorkier’s body is not able to regulate the blood glucose consumed by the food, as well as when the food elements are not properly mixed considering the specific Yorkier’s needs. You will recognize the disease by the following main symptoms: drowsiness, fainting, seizures, depression, confused behavior and weakness.
–Legg-perthes – affects the joints in Yorkie’s hips and is caused by improper blood circulation due to irregular nutrition and wrongly selected food types. Sometimes, the only salvation for a dog with such diagnose is a surgery.
–Retinal Dysplasia is a very serious sight disease that might appear during any age, but usually it happens with age. Sometimes, an overfed Yorkie is at risk for such a disease, too.
–Chronic sensitive stomach is the most common chronic condition in Yorkies that are either overfed, or underfed. The poor food type that does not contain the most important nutrition elements can lead to poor stomachs, too. And now we are going to provide you with a short, but detailed tutorial as to what food agents and elements the Yorkie needs.
What are the best – dry or wet dog food products specifically for Yorkshire terriers?
Both food products are fine and recommended for your Yorkie, so it depends on the overall health condition the puppy is diagnosed with. In addition to this, though, vets recommend dry food to all dogs with teeth problems. Wet food will make their jaw just lazier and unable to get stronger. Still there are some recent conclusions made by scientists according to which dry food products are better than wet foods. So if you want to stick to the latest trends in Yorkie’s raising tips, let it be the dry food. If so and up to now you have provided only wet food to your dog, test how it will feel with some dry alternative. It is important for the dog to change its nutrition habits more slowly and smoothly. You know very well that any stress can be harmful for these delicate creatures. And if you doubt whether to go to the dry alternative or to stick to your favorite wet products, ask a vet to check your dog’s teeth to consider the best option specially for your case.
The healthy diet for a Yorkie is here:
In order to develop healthy organs, to be in shape and strong, all puppies need special cocktail of nutritive elements. These are the following mandatory food agents the product you buy from the store should consist of:
Proteins
Like all dog breeds and humans, Yorkies need proteins. They are supposed to also give the full complex of the necessary amino acids. They are important for the necessary blocks and carbon chains required to make glucose for energy. But there is one big BUT for the proteins a Yorkie can consume. Forget about all artificial or plant proteins that are not made of animal muscles, such as meat by-products and protein comes from grains. Last, but not least, the best food product is the one that is 40% made of proteins.
Fats
Choose both types of fats for your puppy: animal or seed fats. The necessity of fats comes from the main healthy nutritive formulas they contain: Omega-3 and Omega-6 that are significant to maintain your Yorkie’s long shiny coat. Fatty acids also prevent skin lesions, coarse hair, vision and learning problems.
Minerals, vitamins
Like all human beings, Yorkshire terriers require to be fed with proper amount of vitamins for the immune system and good minerals to keep body and organs healthy and strong. Like humans, puppies need enough vegetables and fruits that are rich in important vitamins and minerals. Also, they protect the body from anemia and many other bodily functions. That’s why a good amount of fruits and vegetables are vital in any dog food.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are healthy for the Yorkies, but only some certain types of them. For example, grains are not very suitable for the delicate Yorkie’s stomach. Avoid corn, as well as wheat products, which are extremely harmful as to the allergic reaction they can cause. Oatmeal, sweet potatoes, barley and brown rice, though, are amazing sources of healthy carbohydrates your Yorkie will appreciate. Without decent amount of carbohydrates in the food per day, a Yorkie will remain with weak muscles and will suffer from lack of energy.
Water
There is no living creature on the Earth that can survive without water. The Yorkshire terriers are also keen on water and if you forget to provide it to your puppy, dehydrations issues might be very serious for it. Without the necessary average amount of water dosage per day – 10 ounces – problems with proper digestion, skin health, flushes toxins and carries nutrients throughout the body might occur to your little dog. Fresh water is a must, so change the water that is consumed by the dog from the previous day, the next morning.
What are the worst food types you can give to your Yorkshire terrier?
There are many ingredients you need to avoid, when selecting the most proper and healthier food types for your dog. Of course, you can contact your vet, too, so he or she can tell you what your personal puppy should avoid or eat at most, depending on its individual growth and health condition. However, when visiting a store for dog foods, make sure to read the labels of any product you buy. There should be no sign of the following ingredients in the selected food products of yours:
• All low-quality grains. We have already discussed them, but let us remind you that they are harmful for the fact that they can make the delicate stomach of the Yorkie suffer and incapable to digest the ingredients properly.
• Artificial preservatives are very harmful for the dog in general, but the delicate Yorkie will suffer even more from them. Things like coloring agents or too much amount of salt and sugar might be also bad for the Yorkie’s immune system and proper metabolism. Allergic reactions are also possible due to these unhealthy ingredients.
• Food products with long-lasting expiry date are considered to be non organic at all, which means they can genetically harm your dog and eventually threaten the future generation of your 100% pure and genuine Yorkshire terrier family.
Our picks for Best Dog Food for Yorkies we strongly recommend
Below you will see our specially tailored list of the top recommended and healthy food products for your Yorkshire terrier.
Taste of the Wild Dry Dog Food
To be more specific, the product is made of various meat types: including bison, venison, lamb meal and chicken meal. The entire amount of animal protein per serving is 35% – the optimal daily dosage. It is affordable and made of real roasted meats that are rich in all the ingredients we were recommended you above (proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and etc). The additional supplements of the product – besides the meat – are extracts of vegetables and fruits – which make Taste of the Wild Dry Dog Food a real bomb of agents that will make your dog healthy and strong. There are various sizes of the packs – from 5 to 30 pounds, but it is a great idea to get the 30-pound budget-friendly and optimal amount of this delicious meal course of a Yorkie. Taste of the Wild Dry Dog Food has no signs of grains and we have already worn you to avoid them in your nutrition. Carbohydrates are 40% and most of it comes from sweat potatoes, peas and dried chicory roots. These are high-quality carbohydrate sources. In addition to these, the so-called important omega acids are also available in this product in form of fish oils, which are popular supplements for humans and dogs, as well. Taste of the Wild Dry Dog Food is well-moisture, making the processing of the food simple for the digestive system and delicate for the stomach and there are no salts, preservatives, coloring elements or sugars.
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Dry Adult Dog Food
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Dry Adult Dog Food is another suitable choice for your Yorkie. The full size of the pack is 15 lb and it is very easy to be found both: in physical stores and on the Internet. Blue Buffalo Life Protection Dry Adult Dog Food is well-known for its special function to support the delicate body and typical needs a small puppy might have (like your Yorkie). This is why many consumers prefer to stick to Blue Buffalo Life Protection Dry Adult Dog Food without changing it, considering the fact that the manufacturer has included all the food ingredients and elements the Yorksire terrier personally need. Thus, in order to provide the necessary dosage of energy, the product contains only healthy carbohydrates with no grains, as well as about 25% proteins per serving. Plus – the fats are in average amount to make the digestive system work properly and the availability of bones and meat produced from organically grown chickens is a guarantee for a really proper Yorkie’s nutrition. There is also a small amount of fish meat, which is healthy for its fish oil. There is, indeed, a big amount of carbohydrates in Blue Buffalo Life Protection Dry Adult Dog Food, but they are sourced only from potatoes, peas and brown rice.
Natural Balance L.I.D. Sweet Potato & Chicken
Meet one more amazing alternative for dry Yorkie dog breed food: Natural Balance L.I.D. Sweet Potato & Chicken is made of a small amount of food ingredients, but this should not be worrying you. On the contrary: this means you can be sure what your puppy is actually eating. Well, Natural Balance L.I.D. Sweet Potato & Chicken provides your puppy a big amount of well-processed real meat of chicken plus sweet potatoes for the carbohydrate dosage you need for more energy. This product has 0% grains or other low-quality carbohydrates and the size of each piece is measured considering the delicate size of the Yorkie’s teeth. There are no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. Natural Balance L.I.D. Sweet Potato & Chicken has become very popular recently and today, it is able to remove the leaders on the market for Yorkshire terrier food quite easily. We will be happy to see it, because this product is indeed worth it to be tested and determined as one of the best in the industry.
Wellness Complete Health for Small Breeds
Here is one more good food product for the Yorkie’s delicate stomach and digestive system: Wellness Complete Health for Small Breeds. The real meat is not just provided and finely processed here, but the special SMALL BREED FORMULA contains turkey, oatmeal and salmon, too. On the other side, there are no preservatives or coloring agents to cause allergic reactions to your cute Yorkie. We like the fact that it is a very high qualitative product, but it is widely spread in the world and you are always able to order it online, too. The price is average, competitive and not very costly. You will not find the popular fish oil here, but the flaxseed oil isn’t a bad source of omega 3 and omega acids, either. To provide the necessary amount of energy daily, Wellness Complete Health for Small Breeds has about 13% carbohydrate made of sweet potatoes, while the proteins are above the average 28%. Soy is strictly avoided here and the company guarantees no low-quality carbohydrates to be added to your small dog breed everyday meal.
Wellness CORE Small Breed
Wellness CORE Small Breed is determined as the luxurious food for small breeds by some Yorkshire terrier owners, but we need to be honest with you: this product isn’t that expensive at all. Besides, the high quality of its finely and authentically listed ingredients worth it every single penny. Wellness CORE Small Breed contains of only premium, all natural ingredients with no wheat, corn, soy, meat by-products, or artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. This American dog food product is really rich in proteins since it has Glocusamine and Chondroitin, which promote bone and joint health. Let’s not forget that Yorkies are popular with their weak joints, which is why we believe this product is really suitable for you, if you have such a puppy at home. What is different about Wellness CORE Small Breed is that it works for the better hair and coat, too. There are no harmful grains like corn or soy in the product. You can buy the product online, because mainly, it is spread in USA market only, if you live on other continent. You will definitely not going to make a mistake if you choose Wellness CORE Small Breed.
Feeding your Yorkie properly is, indeed, the first important step you need to plan and arrange in your growing plan. Like a small kid, this puppy is unable to evaluate the food it’s consuming, so it is fully in your hands and you need to be a loving parent all the time. However, overacting is not a good thing, either, so if you believe that giving too much food to your puppy will somehow excuse you either from the little attention you give it, or some other weak point in your raising schedule, you are wrong. Overeating is not good for any living creature and since the little Yorkies are so sensitive about any anomaly or problems in the digestive system overweight and overfeeding must be strictly avoided. If you need additional guides as to how to feed your Yorkie, you can always contact us for additional help or to make a consulting visitation to your vet’s cabinet. Good luck and do forge to properly feed your Yorkie, today!
