How to get a Yorkie to gain weight

A lot of dogs prefer wet canned dog food but this is not the best choice since it does not promote healthy teeth and gums and can cause runny stools. So, you'd be wise to never teach your Yorkie what canned food is. If it's too late for that, you can mix a bit of canned food into a dry kibble to offer a compromise. 

Aside from mixing canned food with dry kibble, there are other ways to make kibble more appealing or more tolerable for dogs that have trouble eating hard kibble (due to tooth loss or other issues). Kibble can be soaked for a short time in warm water (just a minute or two, but this can be longer for Yorkies with few or no teeth remaining) or low-sodium chicken or beef broth can be drizzled over the kibble. 

It can also help to warm the food; many Yorkies find this much more appetizing than room-temperature food and most will outright refuse to eat chilled or cold meals. Meals can be warmed in the microwave; keep in mind that small meals typically need 10 seconds or so to warm up and the food should be stirred well to prevent hot spots. 

Grain-free dog food in the past: A grain-free diet was usually a quick recommendation for dogs with known or suspected grain allergies. However, in most cases the actual trigger was certain grains with high levels of gluten, specifically wheat or rye. But, going completely grain-free averted any gluten as well as low-grade fillers (like cereal by-products, middlings, etc.), so in general dogs did really great on these diets. Allergies lessened or resolved and they were ingesting few or no fillers. 

Recently: There have been some concerns regarding grain-free diets and a possible link with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) which is a serious heart disease. Breeds not prone to DCM were developing the disease and were found to be eating mainly grain-free meals. 

In December of 2018, Lisa Freeman DVM, Ph.D., DACVN, announced, via a study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, a suspected link between not just grain-free dog foods but more specifically those that fall under a BEG diet. BEG stands for boutique brands with exotic meats (non-traditional proteins like kangaroo, alligator, and ostrich) along with being grain-free and with peas, legumes and/or potatoes as one of the top 5 ingredients. 

In June of 2019, the FDA released an alert. In analyzing data, they identified 16 brands of grain-free dog food that showed up in their database of DCM incidences 10 times or more. They are, in alphabetical order, just the grain-free formulas of: 

• 4Health (32 reports)
• Acana (67 reports)
• Blue Buffalo (31 reports)
• California Natural (15 reports)
• Earthborn Holistic (32 reports)
• Fromm (24 reports)
• Merrick (16 reports)
• Natural Balance (15 reports)
• Nature’s Domain (29 reports)
• Nature’s Variety (10 reports)
• Nutrisource (10 reports)
• Nutro (10 reports)
• Orijen (12 reports)
• Rachael Ray Nutrish (10 reports)
• Taste of the Wild (53 reports)
• Zignature (64 reports)

From 2014 to April of 2019, there were 524 case reports of DCM with mostly dogs and several cats that were eating grain-free formulas. Just specifically with Yorkshire Terriers, there were 4 cases:

1. A 6-year-old male Yorkshire Terrier that was eating Zignature Kangaroo kibble 
2. An 8-year old female Yorkshire Terrier that was eating Zignature Kangaroo canned food
3. A 1-year-old male Yorkie mix that was eating Castor & Polloux freeze-dried nuggets
4. A 9-year-old female Yorkshire Terrier that was eating Acana Light & Fit and Acana Small Breed Adult

Going forward, there will be more data compilation and many more studies. Right now, there are no recalls of grain-free brands. Most veterinarians are recommending that breeds prone to DCM do not eat grain-free dog foods and if they must due to allergies that the protein base is a traditional meat and not an exotic meat. 

If you are wondering if your Yorkshire Terrier should be on a grain-free food or be eating grains, this should be discussed with your dog's veterinarian and will be based in part on your particular dog's health history. In the meantime, there are some points to consider: 

• The Yorkshire Terrier is not a breed that is prone to DCM; the list does include the Afghan Hound, American Cocker Spaniel, Boxer, Dalmatian, and mainly larger dog breeds. 
• However, seeing as there were few reported cases of DCM with Yorkies, adding in some healthy whole grains should be considered. 
• If you believe that your Yorkie is allergic to grains, it may actually be a matter of a gluten sensitivity. Wheat contains very high levels of gluten and if that is kept out of the diet, your Yorkie may do very well with grains that are gluten-free such as rice (brown or white), oatmeal, and quinoa (technically a seed). Barley, though it does have some gluten, tends to also be very well tolerated. 
• If you opt for grain-free, choose a recipe with traditional proteins (to avoid exotic meats). Options include chicken, turkey, beef, duck, lamb, or fish. 

Recommendations for both grain-free and kibble with healthy grains are next. 

An ideal body condition is essential in supporting your dog’s health. While it’s more common for dogs to need to lose pounds to achieve a healthy weight, some dogs need to add a few.  

A dog could be underweight for a variety of reasons. They may be recovering from an illness or injury, a recently adopted former stray or maybe they’re simply not food-motivated.  

If you’re wondering how to get a dog to gain weight, don’t worry; with special care and nutrition, like dog food for weight gain, underweight dogs can get back to a healthy weight. 

How Can You Tell if Your Dog is Underweight

The most obvious way to tell whether or not your dog is underweight is to look at the prominence of their bones. Can you see your dog’s ribs, spine and pelvic bones with no evidence of fat?  

Do the bones at the base of their tail protrude? Does your dog have low energy? Has their coat lost its shine? If so, they could be underweight and in need of increased nourishment. Visit your veterinarian right away to determine whether there’s a medical cause for their low weight.  

How to Help Increase Your Dog’s Weight

After your veterinarian confirms your dog’s low weight is not due to a medical problem, ask them how to safely help your dog gain weight. They may recommend adding more calories to their diet.  

The best dog food to gain weight will be complete and balanced for their life stage, energy-dense, nutritionally balanced and include high levels of key nutrients, with plenty of calories and protein.  

Also, look for a highly digestible dog food formula, which allows for easier absorption of nutrients. This can also help improve their overall health while supporting healthy weight gain. 

Another way to help your dog gain weight may be giving them more opportunities to eat throughout the day. If you normally feed two large meals per day, try offering three or four smaller meals instead.  

You can also try leaving the daily serving of dry food out all day, which allows your dog to eat whenever they’re hungry. This method works best with dogs with smaller appetites and in a single-dog household. Dogs who quickly gobble up their food could eat too much at once and experience digestive upset.  

How to Help Picky Eaters Gain Weight 

If your dog is a picky eater, try enticing them with a wet dog food topper. Add a scoop of wet or canned food to his dry kibble to boost flavor and moisture—and some extra calories. Be sure to follow the feeding guidelines on the packages unless your veterinarian advises otherwise. If they still refuse the food, you may need to switch to a different dog food formula to gain weight. 

How Much Food Do Dogs Need to Gain Weight?

The amount of additional calories your dog needs will depend on the ideal body condition of their breed and their current health and weight. Your veterinarian may suggest feeding more than the recommended amount on the package until your dog reaches a healthy weight.  

Once your dog achieves a healthy weight, follow your veterinarian’s guidance for scaling back on calories. You may need to simply scale back the quantity of the food or you may have to switch to a different formula to prevent them from gaining too much weight. You can continue feeding the nutrient dense dog food after your dog has achieved a healthy weight, as long as your dog is active, gets plenty of exercise and maintains their ideal body condition.  

Less active dogs may need to switch back to a lower-calorie formula once they reach their ideal body condition. Continue to monitor your dog’s weight gain regularly and see your veterinarian if the weight loss persists.  

Learn more about puppy and dog nutrition and much more from our pet experts on our Pet Expertise page.