Small cute dogs of this breed require special attention and care. Therefore, the owners of these dogs, bringing them home, immediately wonder: what to feed the Yorkshire Terrier. It is necessary to delve into the topic of nutrition immediately and clearly follow the rules, because the slightest mistake can cause illness or discomfort to the animal.
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General tips and tricks
It’s best if the food for the pet is selected according to his age, because in different periods of his life the needs of the dog’s body change. Do not forget about healthy supplements, vitamins. The manufacturer also divides their categories depending on how old the terrier is. But the owner needs to be prepared for the fact that York is very selective and demanding. And this is justified, because the pet at the instinctive level understands that his stomach is very sensitive.
The most important rule of nutrition for this dog is to maintain the right balance of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and fiber. Because an excess of protein threatens to provoke kidney disease, eating excess fats and carbohydrates will overweight, and a lack of fiber can result in disruption of the gastrointestinal tract.
How to feed a puppy of the Yorkshire Terrier
It is not worth taking the puppy from the mother before two months. During this time, the baby should consume breast milk. You need to start feeding the terrier 14 days after birth.
As an additive, dairy products are best suited:
- milk (goat, cow, sheep);
- natural cottage cheese;
- kefir.
If such feeding does not cause indigestion and other problems in the pet, you can gradually increase the frequency up to 2-3 times a day.
After a month, you can try to teach the puppy to meat. Poured with warm water and finely chopped, it must be offered to the dog. At the age of one and a half months, the puppy is already able to eat boiled meat. Up to three months, the pet should eat 6 meals a day: 2 times with dairy products, 2 times with meat and 2 times with mother's milk. Up to four months, the number of feedings should be reduced to 4 times, up to six months - 3 times and older than 1 year a teenage dog eats 2 times a day - in the morning and in the evening.
If the question is: how to feed a puppy of the Yorkshire Terrier in the conditions of a trip or in the absence of free time, then more adult dogs can be transferred to branded feeds of premium and super premium class. Some manufacturers (such as Royal Canin, 1st Choice, Bosh) offer ready-made meals with balanced microelements for Yorkies and small dogs aged 10-12 months. At this time, the sensitive gastrointestinal tract of the pet is already able to switch to such a diet and successfully assimilate it.
The right and healthy diet for an adult dog
Adult Yorkies are no longer so demanding and are used to a certain rhythm of life. But still, you need to feed an adult dog with quality and care. If you decide to transfer the animal from dry food to homemade food (or vice versa), then you should take this seriously. You need to add a new product very gradually in small portions, increasing them slowly. In total, the transition period should be at least two weeks.
Dry food
The modern rhythm of life dictates its own rules. Therefore, even the most loving and attentive owner of the animal can not always allocate time to prepare a separate menu for his pet. Manufacturers of animal feed come to the rescue, who produce special lines for a particular breed, taking into account its features and needs. Pets that consume dry food should definitely organize round-the-clock access to clean drinking water.
When choosing a dry food, it is better not to save and give preference to the feed of such companies as:
- Royal Canin;
- Josera;
- Purina;
- Bosh;
- 1st Choice.
As a rule, preferences are given to ready-made feeds, because they are stored for a long time, save the owner’s time and contain all the necessary vitamins and minerals for health and good appearance (coat, claws).
Wet Food For Yorkshire Terrier
In parallel with dry feed, wet ready-made feed lines are available. The advantages of this type of nutrition are that it is better absorbed and does not cause the animal such thirst as dry. But there is a small drawback of wet food - it does not clean the dog’s teeth, but, on the contrary, pollutes it. Dry because of its rigidity removes plaque and the remnants of soft food. Having chosen wet food, you need to regularly bring York to the groom to brush your teeth. In the opposite case, after some time, the pet may develop caries and other problems of the oral cavity.
It is good to use this type of food if the animal is sick. It is easier to chew, but give in to weakness is not worth it. It is important to accurately determine the serving size according to breed, weight and age. In general, we can conclude that optimal the food will be mixed - dry + wet food. But these two types of food should be strictly of the same brand, otherwise the terrier will get sick - he will have to be taken to the veterinarian.
How to feed a dog with natural food
Natural feeding of dogs should be varied, but meat is an advantage. It ideally makes up about half of all food. Next to it add about ¼ of porridge (rice, buckwheat, millet) and the same portion of fiber in the form of a grated apple, boiled carrot or zucchini. To replenish fat in the animal’s body, a couple drops of natural olive oil are added. Servings of York are calculated according to its weight. Per 1 kg of body weight is meant 2 tablespoons of food.That is, a two-kilogram pet at one meal should eat about 4 tablespoons.
It is advisable to cook the meat in the oven or cook without mayonnaise and spices. You can cut it into small pieces and fill it with water for several minutes, send it to the microwave. This type of treatment will destroy the parasites, but retain all the beneficial substances.
Once or twice a week, meat can be replaced with boiled fish. It is important to thoroughly clean it of bones, otherwise the baby risks choking on them. Also, every 7 days you need to treat your pet with a boiled egg, dairy products (kefir, cottage cheese), offal (liver, kidneys, heart). At home nutrition, it is worth buying a pet vitamins in a veterinary pharmacy and giving in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
What can not be introduced to the terrier in food
Despite the abundance of foods in York's diet, some ingredients should still be absent from his bowl. They can cause some disturbances in the work of organs and even diseases. You can’t give your dog anything that’s off the table, but it happens so often at home.
Those who value their pet, you need to consider that in the diet of the terrier should not be such ingredients:
- sweets (the animal should not eat any sweet treats, even if it asks strongly);
- seasonings;
- salt;
- pastries, bread;
- heavy meat (pork, lamb);
- meat, raw fish;
- raisins, grapes;
- onion garlic;
- seeds, seeds;
- alcoholic drinks.
This list needs to be learned from memory and in no case should your baby be fed these products. And it is better to hang this list on the refrigerator, so as not to forget.
Another important rule: Never, under any circumstances, mix dry food and homemade food for your pet. Some owners do this to enhance the taste, but make a blunder. These two types of food are digested in different ways, so they cause severe malfunctions in the body of the animal.
The better to feed an elderly dog
Eating the Yorkshire Terrier in old age is similar to the diet of an adult dog. Again, the choice is between purchased food and homemade food. In the situation with ready meals, everything is clear, the necessary substances are already included in it. If the pet eats food cooked at home, then some changes need to be added to it. Overweight animals need to slightly reduce portions in order to avoid heart and joint diseases.
The quality of the products from which it is prepared for York should be at a high level and include components that contain vitamins E and C, because they are natural antioxidants. In the diet of an old York in a sufficient amount, basic fatty acids should be present. They are found in poultry, fish, soy, corn. Some believe that with the age of the dog you need to reduce the amount of protein, but this is a cliche. Proteins have a positive effect on the functioning of the kidneys, they help the dog protect itself from infected agents and maintain muscle mass.
In general, the diet of York is simple. The duration of his life directly depends on the quality of food, so it’s important to learn all the nutritional rules once and to ensure that your pet has the right healthy food for life.
