Easy Yorkie Care: Tips for Raising a Yorkie Puppy
Feeding Tips for Yorkshire Terriers
1. When a Yorkie is hungry, you might notice its abdomen is sunken, dipping slightly below the level of its sternum. New pet owners can learn to recognize this by feeling their Yorkie's belly after a meal; it should feel full and膨起, possibly even parallel or slightly above the sternum. By observing these changes, you can gradually determine the right amount of food for your furry friend.
2. Yorkies can have difficulty digesting foods high in fat, so it's important to avoid overfeeding them with such foods. Additionally, certain seasonings can impair a Yorkie's sense of smell, so they should be avoided. Sweet treats, snacks, and sugar can easily lead to obesity, inadequate calcium absorption, and dental problems, which are not beneficial for Yorkies.
3. Picky eating or inadequate nutrition can disrupt a puppy's metabolism, leading to low blood sugar, a thin body, and poor ability to maintain body temperature. Imbalances in water and salt metabolism can cause mild diarrhea, which may then lead to hyponatremia, acidosis, and a decrease in organ function.
The most apparent issue is often gastrointestinal disorders. Dogs may experience thinning of the intestinal mucosa, shortened villi, atrophy of digestive glands, reduced gut motility, and a decrease in digestive enzyme activity, leading to diarrhea and gastrointestinal infections. These issues can also weaken the dog's immune system, resulting in a decrease in protein synthesis and atrophy of immune organs like the thymus, lymph nodes, tonsils, and spleen. The body lacks various immune activators, and both cellular and humoral immunity decline, making the dog more susceptible to infections.
Tip: Click "Why Are There Fewer People Raising Yorkshire Terriers?" to learn more about the potential drawbacks of owning a Yorkie.
