What to feed a nursing Yorkie: a dog’s diet after giving birth

First of all, we want to address those who have recently become dog owners. Don't be fooled by the apparent simplicity of keeping a pet. You shouldn’t give him what’s left from your lunch, as this can cause serious health problems.

However, there are periods in an animal’s life that place special nutritional requirements. This includes pregnancy and lactation, as well as feeding puppies. At this time, nutritional deficiencies can become fatal. Today we will talk about what to feed a nursing Yorkie. We chose this particular breed because the adorable little ones are very demanding in terms of nutrition and at the same time capricious.

What is important to know

Today the choice is great. There are dry mixtures, canned food, as well as complexes of vitamins and minerals that can supplement and optimize the diet. At the same time, many owners decide that they will feed their pet only natural food. If you have high-quality ingredients and a balanced diet, you can use both professional food and regular food products. However, owners make a lot of mistakes, which end in contacting a veterinarian, or even in the death of the little creature.

Most often, when thinking about what to feed a nursing Yorkie, we try on his needs for ourselves. Based on this, non-compliance with the feeding regime occurs. But the worst thing is the delicacies from our table, which we accustom our shaggy pets to. Sugar and salt, sausage and candy are the best ways to kill a dog. And the most harmful thing is the bones. For some reason, it is believed that a dog cannot live without them. But in fact, it is because of the bones that most babies end up on the operating table, often without any chance of recovery.

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—Help for newbies

Basic Rules

If you have a Yorkie in your family, or you decide to seriously start breeding this breed, you should definitely consult a veterinarian and draw up an approximate diet for the week. It will need to be adhered to throughout the dog’s life, but you especially need to pay attention if you are wondering what to feed your nursing Yorkie.

So, the daily feeding rate depends on the level of physical activity. That is, the dog should not receive much more than it has time to spend. However, while the bitch is feeding the puppies, her need for proteins, fats and carbohydrates increases greatly. To fully feed 2-3 puppies, she needs to eat about one and a half times more than usual, even taking into account her predominantly passive lifestyle.

But despite all the rules, you need to focus on your pet. A healthy appearance, developed muscles and a shiny coat - all this indicates that the dog is eating normally. If she constantly looks into the kitchen, and after feeding she licks the cup for a long time, begins to lose weight, and her fur becomes dull, these are signs that her diet needs to be optimized.

Feeding newborn puppies

Yorkie puppies are born very small, from 85 grams to 120. For the first two weeks, their nutrition is the responsibility of the mother dog. It is important to monitor daily weight gain in puppies.

For the first two weeks, weight should increase by 5 grams every day, and in half a month - by no less than 10 grams daily.

If the dog that has given birth does not have milk, then to feed the babies you need to purchase infant formula and a special pacifier from a pet store. If this is not possible, you must make the mixture yourself. Goat's, sheep's or cow's milk is suitable for this, to which boiled mashed yolk should be added. The temperature of the mixture should be 35°, the feeding interval should be 1-2 hours.

be careful

Throughout the entire period of pregnancy, the load on the tiny dog’s body only increased. In addition, during the birth he spent a colossal amount of energy, after which he had to immediately begin producing milk and feeding the puppies. Therefore, the question of what to feed a nursing Yorkie becomes quite acute.

It is extremely important to maintain water balance in the animal's body. Tea with milk is ideal for this. You can add glucose to it to restore your energy supply. After giving birth, the dog's stomach is weakened, so diarrhea may develop. This once again suggests that it is extremely important to pay attention to the quality and quantity of feed.

Bones - benefit or harm?

To give bones or not is a fairly popular question even among experienced dog breeders. It so happened that we can’t imagine a dog without a bone. But experienced veterinarians assure that it is strictly forbidden to include them in the diet. There are good reasons for this:

Dental health. You should know that a puppy's baby teeth change to permanent ones at the age of 4-6 months. And their health depends on how good the food is. A dog is not a hamster; it simply does not need to constantly scratch its teeth or chew anything. A Yorkie in an apartment can sharpen its fangs on a silicone bone or a pig's ear.
Pet's life. As they pass through the gastrointestinal tract, undigested bone fragments can damage the intestines, large intestines, and other internal organs. In these cases, surgical intervention is provided.

Remember once and for all: giving bones to dogs is prohibited, take pity on your nerves and their health!

Handbook from the first days

What can you feed your Yorkie in the first week after giving birth? It must be nutritious but low-fat food. It is extremely important to allow the digestive system to recover. The most important and necessary products will be high-quality sources of protein, which we will talk about a little later. If you feed your pet dry food, then it is best to choose a high-quality premium product that is designed specifically for puppy dogs. It already contains all the mineral supplements and vitamins that the tiny body so lacks for recovery.

If you have not yet decided what you can feed your Yorkie and are leaning towards natural products, then you cannot do without additives. Vitamin-mineral mixtures will not allow the body to become empty, but the most important thing is the health of the mother herself. Without this, it will be impossible to raise viable offspring. However, it is best to consult with a doctor managing the pregnancy, because each body is individual.

Dry food for Yorkshire Terrier

The intense rhythm of modernity sometimes does not allow you to cook your pet separately. Then commercial dry food in bags comes to the rescue. It is easy to use, time-saving, hygienic and balanced.

Owners of the Yorkshire Terrier breed are strictly recommended to ignore dry food of the economy level.
Don’t buy it when it’s cheap: underneath flashy commercials hide unscrupulous producers who can use raw materials from sick or dead livestock. The result will be saturation with empty, low-quality food, antibiotics, pesticides, and flavor enhancers.

The best dry food for a Yorkie will be premium food containing a high percentage of meat composition and the daily requirement of essential microelements and vitamins. Among the brands recommended by dog handlers are Hills, Proplan, and Mera Dog. The assortment offers species for small breeds during certain periods of life: youth, old age, lactation.

If you have to change the brand, consult a dog trainer, he will give recommendations to avoid an allergic reaction and help you choose the right diet.

Natural diet

This is one of the most pressing issues. Many people ask veterinarians about how to properly feed a Yorkie natural food. There is a lot that speaks in favor of natural foods. Nature itself gives us a hint. Wolves and early canines ate natural meat, as well as semi-digested grain and herbs from the stomachs of their victims. However, they did not suffer from vitamin deficiency or health problems. However, it must also be said that the lifestyle of these animals was seriously different from that led by our sofa pets. In addition, wild meat has a richer and more balanced composition than its supermarket counterpart.

An undeniable advantage, which is noted by all pet feeding experts, is that natural food is easier to digest and assimilate. It does not contain salt or other harmful impurities. At first glance, it seems that meat for dogs is expensive. However, truly high-quality and natural professional food will become a much more significant burden on the family budget. Although Yorkies are so small that feeding them is not difficult.

Feeding a nursing Yorkie is somewhat complicated because the dog's tiny size does not allow it to eat too much. As a result, the owner has an additional responsibility - to choose only the most valuable food products, so that a small portion will cover all nutritional needs.

Natural feeding also has its disadvantages. Meat can cause an allergic reaction. In addition, the owner has additional responsibilities for heat treatment and cooking. Again, meat is not a balanced diet. It is necessary to supplement it with vegetables and grains.

List of useful

Fruits should occupy a small part of the diet. They do not need to be given every day and not all of them. The following will be beneficial for your dog:

Apples

In our latitudes, this is the most common and appropriate treat for your pet. They contain vitamins A and C and are a valuable source of fiber. Good for digestion. At the same time, the content of proteins and fats in the fruit is low, so it can be treated to older dogs without fear.

Another advantage of apples is that they rarely cause allergies. And thanks to the large number of varieties, you can choose exactly the taste that your pet likes: sweet, sour, sweet and sour.

Pears

Not very sweet and ripe fruits are useful. Another inexpensive, like an apple, and healthy fruit. It is characterized by a high content of fiber, vitamins C and K, and the microelement copper.

Veterinarians say that regular consumption of pears reduces the risk of a heart attack in an animal by about half. They also rarely cause allergies, and dogs usually enjoy crunching on pears. Almost like a bone, only sweet!

Plums

Unlike apples and pears, they should be given with caution: overripe plums cause stomach and mental upsets in dogs (due to the alkaloids they contain). But a small amount of unripe seedless fruits will help diversify your diet.

Papaya

An exotic fruit that is difficult to imagine in a dog’s diet. But in vain: it is very useful. Papaya has the property of improving digestion and eliminating problems with the gastrointestinal tract. In veterinary pharmacies you can find tablets with papaya extract.

Important : when feeding this fruit, you must take precautions!

Choose ripe fruits without any foreign smell or waxy coating. It is worth making sure that the papaya has passed a health inspection.
You can feed your pet small, peeled pieces. In large quantities, the fruit can cause an increase in blood sugar and cause constipation.

Watermelons

In the summer, this huge berry will perfectly complement the drinker: it contains up to 92% water. There are also vitamins A, C, B and B-6, potassium. If the watermelon is homemade, guaranteed without nitrates, then it can be given with rinds (but without seeds).

Bananas

They are a stumbling block: some dog breeders claim that bananas are not allowed for animals, while others freely feed them to both adults and puppies.

Bananas are high in potassium, copper, fiber and vitamins, so they can be given periodically. But not in large quantities and unripe: the abundance of sugar makes a banana a harmful, but welcome treat for a dog.

Melon

A safe, but absolutely devoid of nutrients, treat. Melon is a great way to quench thirst in the summer, and to make it more healthy, you can mix the melon pulp with a spoonful of honey (if the dog is not allergic to it). In large quantities it can cause a laxative effect.

Persimmon

There are enough useful elements in persimmon (vitamins C, PP, E, A and trace elements: calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, manganese, magnesium, iodine, copper), and all dogs without exception like it.

But don’t get carried away: it causes stomach upset. This property can also be used for benefit by feeding persimmon to your pet if there are problems with stool.

We recommend that you read separate articles about mango and pineapple for dogs.

What should a basic diet include?

Meat. These are beef and turkey, chicken and rabbit. If the dog is not used to chewing hard pieces, you need to prepare soft minced meat. A similar technique is used if your pet has dental problems.
Offal. These are the liver and heart. However, you need to be careful because they cause diarrhea. They must be fed in boiled form.
Fish is what you must feed your Yorkie after giving birth. However, river water should not be given (due to the high risk of infection with worms). Therefore, oceanic is used. It is best to prepare a tender soufflé, in which case small seeds will not pose any danger.
Dairy products are a must for a lactating bitch. This is low-fat yogurt and kefir, live yogurt, prepared at home yourself.
Egg. Veterinarians often argue about this product. Egg yolk is very useful and necessary during lactation, but it is a strong allergen, so it should be given only once or twice a week.
Cereals should also be eaten every day. Rice and buckwheat are best. They need to be cooked until tender, but viscous porridge is not suitable for a dog’s stomach.
Vegetables are essential components of a healthy diet. You can feed anything except boiled potatoes and raw cabbage. But you need to pay attention to the fact that beets cause diarrhea; you should not get carried away with them in the first weeks after childbirth.

How to give?

Firstly, precautions. New fruits should be given in small quantities, not exceeding 1 tsp. After the treat, you should wait a day. If itching, nervousness and other strange symptoms do not appear, the dose is increased 2-3 times. Another day has passed and no problems have appeared? Great, the animal can continue to feed the fruit.

There are a number of rules for feeding fruit:

Fruits must be washed. Most (except apples and pears) are peeled.
Bones should not be given under any circumstances.
The treat is cut into small pieces.
It is useful to mix fruits with cottage cheese and grated vegetables. But with fermented milk products - you can’t.
If the dog refuses to eat the fruit, rub it into the porridge. But if the trick didn’t help, you shouldn’t force it.

Some may find it strange to give your pet fruit like this, “on a plate,” peeled and washed. But this will help keep him healthy.

Prohibited Products

When talking about what to feed your Yorkie after giving birth, you need to immediately make a list of what should not be given under any circumstances. These are sweets and legumes that cause severe bloating. Bread - only in exceptional cases, in the form of crackers. Make sure that spices and flavorings, even of natural origin, do not get into your food.

From the first day a dog appears in the house, not to mention the period of pregnancy and lactation, exclude any sausage products, as well as food from the table. Raw and fatty meat, lamb and pork, economy-class food - all this must be removed and under no circumstances given to the animal.

Sample menu for the week

When developing a diet for your Yorkie, you need to focus on the list of allowed foods. This will make it varied.

Table with a menu for one week for a Yorkie over one and a half years old with two meals a day:

When organizing natural food, you need to focus on the age and physical condition of the Yorkshire Terrier. The number of servings of food consumed by the pet throughout the day depends on these indicators.

Balanced ratio of products

It was developed by experts in the field of veterinary medicine and dietary nutrition of domestic animals, so you must definitely listen to their authoritative opinion. The most optimal ratio of products is 50% protein, that is, meat and fish, cottage cheese. You can use boiled chicken and turkey, as well as offal. In addition, set aside 25% for vegetables and 25% for cereals (rice or buckwheat, boiled in salted water). For a nursing bitch you need to buy special vitamins and minerals.

Character

Of course, each individual is unique, but there are some character traits that are common to all of them. Most often they are active, smart, attentive and can get what they want.

They are easy to train, but at the same time independent, which is why when training you need to first establish contact with them and set your own rules before the dog does. Families with small children should not have them, because they can accidentally squeeze them too hard or drop them, and these creatures are very fragile. They get along well with other pets, but hate rodents.

To read: Louisiana Catahoula leopard breed: a pet with origins from red wolves

Representatives of this breed are very emotional, passionate and capable of chasing any small rodent or bird encountered on a walk. They are courageous and cocky, but they are wary of strangers. They are characterized by tenderness and affection, they have common sense and some stubbornness, they are cheerful and good-natured. However, despite all his kindness, if you offend a Yorkie, he is ready to bite, so the best solution is to treat them calmly and affectionately. Try to protect him from stress, otherwise he will become nervous and start mischievous; besides, stress is bad for your health.

Diet

Based on the weight and age of the dog, it is calculated how many times you need to feed your Yorkie. The scheme is quite simple: 1 tablespoon of food is required per 500 g of dog weight. That is, a terrier weighing up to 2 kilograms should receive about 4 tablespoons of food. The frequency of feeding is twice a day. However, for a lactating bitch, two additional meals of the same amount are introduced. Additionally, once a day you need to give a tablespoon of apple as a dessert. If the dog has not eaten the entire amount of food in 20 minutes, then it should be removed and not offered again. Vitamin and mineral supplements should only be purchased on the recommendation of a veterinarian.

Small breeds

Small breeds require special treatment: various poisons and allergens affect them much more strongly. If a huge Alabai calmly swallows a couple of unhealthy pieces of fruit and ends up with an upset stomach, then the Chihuahua can be seriously poisoned, even fatally.

Therefore, you should choose 100% safe fruits for them, feed them in small pieces and avoid getting crusts and seeds. Let’s stipulate: a “small piece” for a dog weighing 1.5-2 kilograms is a piece the size of half a finger.

There is an opinion that only apples are allowed for small dogs. In any case, “controversial” fruits like bananas or plums should not be included in their diet.

Treats

Every owner wants to pamper their pet with something tasty. However, you need to think now exclusively about the benefits for your pet, and even better, ask your veterinarian what to feed your Yorkie, other than food. You cannot use professional food as a treat. Make a choice in advance - either natural products or ready-made ones. To relieve yourself of guilt, keep fruit on hand. Yorkies enjoy eating bananas, apples, and peaches.

These dogs eat marine invertebrates with great pleasure. This is shrimp and squid, rich in iodine and other beneficial substances. You can stock up on sugar bones, but be sure to make sure that your Yorkie cannot tear off and swallow any pieces that might contain sharp edges. In this case, chewing veins will be a safe entertainment for him. You can buy similar pressed wires at a veterinary store; they come in the shape of bones.

What fruits can Yorkies eat?

Fruits can be given to Yorkshire Terriers almost without exception. Berries are given to Yorkies without seeds, and dense berries (currants and gooseberries) are pre-kneaded. Yorkshire terriers can (and love) strawberries, peaches, apricots, cherries; Yorkies can (and should) also be given apples, as a very valuable source of vitamins.

Dried fruits are very useful, especially raisins and dried apricots. Dried apricots can act as a laxative on some Yorkies, so give them carefully, a little at a time, to find out which fruit to give to your Yorkie. This is the most useful mineral supplement, as well as a treat for training.

Preparing for childbirth

Arrange in advance with the veterinarian about his arrival for help at any time of the day, if suddenly complications arise during childbirth and you cannot cope on your own.

Be sure to prepare for the birth of your puppies by being with your dog throughout the entire process. When a Yorkie gives birth, a person is required to help, and the following things may be needed:

clean diapers;
oilcloth;
hydrogen peroxide, brilliant green;
alcohol;
scissors;
threads of different colors - mark puppies;
strong threads for pulling the umbilical cord;
scales;
notebook and pen;
warmer;
cotton pads.

The terrier should have a comfortable bedding on which the girl will give birth. It is recommended to lay an oilcloth under it, and a diaper on top (during childbirth, a lot of fluid and blood are released, the oilcloth will protect the floors).