Yorkshire Terrier Feeding Guide

Hello, pet parents! Welcome to my ultimate guide on feeding Yorkshire terriers.

In this guide, I will cover how much to feed a Yorkshire Terrier, how often to feed your Yorkshire Terrier, when to feed your Yorkshire Terrier, what foods to feed your Yorkshire Terrier, what foods to avoid feeding your Yorkshire Terrier, and other questions you may have about your Yorkshire Terrier’s nutrition.

You can read the article to the end, or go through the table of contents below and jump to the section that answers the questions you have on your mind.

Yorkshire terrier is one of the smallest breeds of dogs in the world and as such special attention is needed when it comes to their feed. I will go into details from my personal knowledge working for a vet on every feed question you might have.

Yorkies are not very active dogs, due to their petite stature, however, even small breeds like Yorkies need specific feeding plans or schedules to grow optimally and stay healthy.

Let’s jump into the article.

Yorkshire Terriers Nutritional Requirements

Yorkshire Terriers are not naturally big eaters due to their small size and are known to have a sensitive digestive system. Feeding your Yorkies low-quality will surely be detrimental to their health and cause Fever, Diarrhea, and fever.

Your Yorkshire terrier meal when they are in their growing phase should majorly consist of 30-35% protein as puppies and as adults 25-30% protein, 8% fats as puppies and as adults 5% fats; fiber, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.

Your Yorkshire terrier’s source of fiber should come from nutritious vegetables like broccoli, carrots, cabbage, and sprouts, while its source of protein must come from animal flesh like fish, chicken, turkey, beef, and organ meat. Its source of fat must come from vegetables and fish oil.

Nutritional Requirement for a Yorkshire Terrier Puppy and Adolescent

The diet of a Yorkshire terrier puppy and adolescent should consist of 30% protein, 8% fat, and 6% fiber. Yorkie meals are relatively very small and as such must be packed with nutrients to grow optimally.

Nutritional Requirements for an Adult and Mature Yorkshire Terrier

The meal plan for mature and adult Yorkshire terriers should consist of 25–30% protein, 5% fat, and 4% fiber. This is the active stage of the Yorkie’s life; nutrients in the feed will be used for energy generation.

Nutritional Requirement For Senior and Geriatric Yorkshire Terriers

The food your pet will eat at this stage of life should ideally consist of 30–35% protein, 8% fat, and 7% fiber. Yorkshire Terriers at this stage of life need a more significant percentage of these nutrients in their meal to prevent certain health issues that may arise as a result of old age.

Factors Affecting The Feeding Of Your Yorkshire Terrier

There are some factors that will affect the diet of your Yorkshire Terrier, such as the size of the breed, its age, its activity level, and its underlying health conditions.

Let’s take a quick look at those factors before we jump into the quantity of food to feed your dog.

Size consideration

The average length of a Yorkshire terrier is 8 to 9 inches from the sole of its feet to its shoulder. The weight of the Yorkshire terrier is around 4 to 7 pounds.

Their size plays a major role in their calorie needs, and they usually need 100–200 calories per day, depending on the growth phase.

Age consideration

Yorkies of different ages require different amounts of nutrients. Because the dog has a faster metabolism and is growing during the puppy stage, nutrients are more important.

The adult stage requires fewer nutrients than the puppy stage because the dog is done growing and has a lower metabolism. Food should be easily digestible and converted into energy for the dog to be active at this stage.

Senior Yorkies have the slowest metabolism among all the stages; they require nutrients to remain healthy.

Activity Level

Yorkshire terriers are not highly active because of their size. Still, they require enough exercise to stay in top physical and mental shape. Adequate nutrition is needed to keep your Yorkie healthy and maintain its energy level.

Cheap food that is of low quality should not be fed to your Yorkie, as they have a sensitive stomach. Feeding your Yorkie cheap and low-quality food can cause severe malnutrition and other severe health problems.

Health Consideration

Yorkshire terriers are prone to certain health conditions, which should be taken into consideration in their diets if you wish to manage or prevent those issues.

Some health issues that affect your dog’s breed include bronchitis, lymphangiectasia, cataracts, portosystemic shunts, chronic diarrhea, and vomiting.

Some of these health issues can be controlled or prevented with proper nutrition and the avoidance of certain foods that can trigger them. If your Yorkie is having any of these symptoms, you should consult your veterinarian.

Yorkshire Terrier Feeding Amount

Your Yorkshire Terrier, just like any other dog breed, will require different amounts of food according to their stage of development. According to nutritional requirements, the amount of food required by a puppy differs from that required by an adult.

On average, feed your puppy Yorkshire terrier 0.25 to 0.5 cups of food that has 100 to 200 kcal per day; feed your adult Yorkshire terrier 0.5 to 0.625 cups per day that has 200 to 250 kcal per day, according to its activity level; and feed your senior Yorkshire terrier 0.33 to 0.5 cups per day that has 135 to 200 kcal per day.

I will provide you with charts below to help you plan your dog’s meals from its puppy years to its senior years. However, this meal plan is not one-size-fits-all. It’s just a general guideline that should be followed based on your dog’s needs and recommendations from your vet or dog nutritionist.

How Much To Feed Your Puppy Yorkshire Terrier

For your puppy and adolescent to grow into healthy adults, the meal should be high in protein and low in fat, which can be obtained from animal meat.

A Yorkshire Terrier puppy should be given 0.25 to 0.5 cups of food per day that contains 100 kcal to 200 kcal of nutrients based on its age, weight, size, gender, and physical activity.

The feeding requirement of your puppy is given in detail in the charts below:

Age	Daily FoodQuantity (Cups)	Kilocalories(Per day)	Protein	Fats
2 – 5 months	0.25 – 0.33	100 – 132	30 – 35%	8%
6 – 9 months	0.33 – 0.4	132 – 160	30 – 35%	8%
10– 12 months	0.4 – 0.5	160 – 200	30 – 35%	8%

Because of the Yorkie’s small size, these feeds are small in quantity, but following the guidelines above will aid in bone development and muscle growth, as well as strengthen their immune system to fight off common bacteria and viruses that can cause health complications.

How Much To Feed Your Adult Yorkshire Terrier

The nutritional requirements of an adult Yorkshire terrier differ from those of a puppy. The diet of a mature Yorkshire terrier should have a lower percentage of proteins and fats to prevent obesity.

A mature and adult Yorkshire Terrier puppy should be given 0.5 to 0.625 cups of food per day that contains 200 to 250 kcal of nutrients based on its age, weight, size, gender, and physical activity.

The chart below will give you an understanding of the daily consumption needs of adult Yorkshire terriers and help you with their meal plan.

Age	Daily Food Quantity(Cups)	Kilocalories(per day)	Protein	Fats
1–6 years	0.5 – 0.625	200 – 250	25-30%	5%

How Much To Feed Your Senior Yorkshire Terrier

Senior Yorkshire terriers are generally less active than their younger counterparts due to fragile bones and joints. This means their meals will contain lesser quantities of calories, protein, and fat.

Geriatric Yorkshire terriers often have a host of health issues, like a sensitive stomach, and tend to be picky eaters when it comes to commercial dog food and their favorite kibble.

Senior and geriatric Yorkshire Terrier puppies should be given 0.33 to 0.5 cups of food per day that contains 132 to 200 kcal of nutrients based on their age, weight, size, gender, and health issues.

The table below gives you some details about the meal plan for the older Yorkshire Terriers.

However, you must still ensure that they get the essential nutrients they need.

Age	Daily Food Quantity(Cups)	Kilocalories(Per day)	Protein	Fats
8 years and above	0.33-0.5	132 – 200	30-35%	8%

Senior Yorkies, because they are mostly inactive at this stage, will require fewer calories than at other stages of growth. However, you should still consult your vet or pet nutritionist to be on the safe side.

Yorkshire Terrier Feeding Frequency

Your Yorkshire Terrier’s meal frequency will vary the same as the feeding amounts, which are heavily dependent on its age. Below is a list of how often to feed your Yorkshire Terrier:

How Often Should You Feed Your Yorkshire Terrier Puppy?

· 2 months to 3 months: Yorkie this age can be free-fed

· 4 months to 12 months: they should be fed three to four times a day at equally spaced intervals

How Often Should You Feed Your Adult Yorkshire Terrier?

You should feed your adult Yorkshire terrier three times a day at evenly spaced intervals.

How Often Should You Feed Your Senior Yorkshire Terrier?

You should feed your senior Yorkshire terrier two times a day, unless given a specific schedule by a vet.

Yorkshire Terrier Feeding Schedule

• Yorkshire Terrier puppies should be free-fed or fed in the morning, afternoon, evening, and night due to a faster metabolism in comparison to their adult colleagues

• Adolescent Yorkshire Terriers should be fed in the morning, afternoon, and evening to help them transition properly into an adult.

• Adult Yorkshire and Senior Yorkshire Terriers should also be fed in the morning and in the evening unless stated differently by your vet or pet nutritionist.heavily

As a general rule, you should feed your Yorkshire terrier a few hours before going to bed in the evening, so they have enough time to digest the food before going to sleep.

In total, we shouldn’t spoil our companions with treats as they may grow too attached to them. Treats should be heavily used as a reward when training your dog.

The Kind Of Food To Feed Your Yorkshire Terrier

The food you feed your Yorkshire Terrier should specifically cater to large breeds and contain the required nutrients necessary for a strong and healthy dog.

The kind of food to feed your Yorkshire terrier includes dry dog food, wet dog food, a home-cooked diet, and biologically appropriate raw food to ensure your dog eats a balanced diet.

Let me touch on these few points to help you understand what to feed your dog:

Dry Food: Dry dog or kibble is a portion of commercial pet food made by grinding and mixing up ingredients like meats, grains, and nutritional additives, which are then shaped into little kernels and cooked at high temperatures to remove the water content. Dry dog contains more carbs, less fat, less water, and sometimes less protein, and is often recommended by vets due to its lower cost, dental health benefits, convenience, weight loss support, and playtime perks.

Wet Food: Wet dog food, or canned food, is made by mixing up and cooking the ingredients before adding or extracting varying amounts of water. Unlike dry dog food, wet dog food contains more water, fewer carbs, more fat, and often more protein. They are recommended by veterinarians due to their high water content, taste, ease of eating, and high nutritional profile.

Home-Cooked Diet: Home-cooked diets are a great option for pet parents who are not into commercial dog food and want to go the extra length to prepare a meal for their furry companion. Feeding your dog a home-cooked meal gives you control over its nutrition and can put your mind at ease knowing that you are always giving your dog the best care.

The BARF Diet: (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) is a diet that includes raw meat, raw eggs, crushed animal bones, fruits, vegetables, probiotics, and other natural ingredients. BARF diets are used as a substitute for processed foods with preservatives. However, consult your vet before feeding your pet a raw diet to avoid health complications from harmful substances.

Food To Avoid Feeding Your Yorkshire Terrier

There are certain human foods, fruits, and vegetables to avoid feeding your Yorkshire Terrier because these foods contain toxins that are harmful to your pet that could lead you to frequent trips to the vet.

Human food to avoid feeding your Yorkshire Terrier includes chocolates, coffee, gums, peanut butter, candies, cooked bones, etc.

The Fruits and vegetables to avoid feeding your Yorkshire Terrier include grapes, avocado, garlic, onions, etc.

You should always check the ingredients on the food label to see if these ingredients are present in the food. Or you can simply consult a vet or pet nutritionist to check the ingredients with them.

When To Transition Your Yorkshire Terrier From Puppy Food To Adult Food

Transitioning your adolescent Yorkshire Terrier from puppy food to adult food should be done delicately and gradually. Puppy food contains more calories and nutrients than adult food to meet the nutritional requirements at that stage of life.

However, feeding your adult puppy food will fill them with more protein and fat than their body requires and will lead to obesity due to the high fat content the body doesn’t need for optimum growth.

Why Your Yorkshire Terrier Not Eating

Your Yorkshire Terrier will not eat if it has one or a combination of the factors listed below:

illness, dental problems, teething, medication, separation anxiety, time of day, spoiled food, stress, and picky eaters.

If you notice any of the above or consistent diarrhea and vomiting, you should take your dog to the vet as soon as possible.

Why Your Yorkshire Terrier Is Always Hungry

Yorkshire terriers tend to have a healthy appetite, so it can feel like they eat a lot, but for their size, they do not, and it all boils down to activity; a more active dog is likely to be hungrier than an inactive dog.

Frequently Asked Questions on Feeding A Yorkshire Terrier

Final Thoughts

Yorkies are adorable pets, and special care should be taken when feeding them because of their size and sensitive system.

Options such as dry, wet, raw, and homemade diets are all great for them. You can free-feed your Yorkshire terrier as a puppy, but you have to draw up a strict plan as they go on. It is also essential to know what foods are healthy and should be avoided, as some are toxic.

However, if you desire more information on how to take care of your Yorkshire terrier, you should contact the nearest vet for information on essential nutrients, and you can also see a pet nutritionist for a regimen schedule for your pet.