4 month yorkie

Question
Our 4 month yorkie gets fed at 6am and at 4pm but he eats his food really fast, so fast he hardly chews it. Is this bad and how do we correct this? I feed him about 1/4 cup daily of Science Diet. Is he still hungry if he keeps going to his bowl?

Answer
Hi Anna-

I would recommend feeding several small meals throughout the day. Puppies need 3 meals a day and small puppies 4 or 5 is really more beneficial if possible.

In all honesty, I think if you switch him to a higher quality food with more protein in it and less inferior grain fillers (like corn and wheat) you will be better off. Science diet is, if you will forgive me, a horrible food- I hate it with a passion because they have managed to make themselves look good by having vets recommend it. Unfortunately, science diet has "donated" millions of dollars to vet schools around the country to guarantee these endorsements. Vets spend very little time in vet school on nutrition. I'm on my third year, and so far all we have done is a two week course during my second year first semester. It covered nothing substantial.

In reality, science diet is a far inferior food, in in the case of some formulas, down right dangerous.

My recommendation would be a food such as Canidae, Wellness CORE, Taste of The Wild, Innova EVO, Blue Wilderness, etc. Just make sure the protein level is ok for puppies. (Some formulas like EVO red bites has too high of a protein level for young puppies, and will say so on the bag. Its not *as* big of a deal because you have a small breed puppy, but I would still be cautious. I would look for a food with a minimum of 34% protein, and no higher then 40% until he reaches a year old)

I do not know how much your yorkie weighs, but lets say its 5 LBS. A high quality food should only require about 1/2 a cup a day, a little more if your puppy is very active. So you are feeding an adequate amount, I just don't think your dog is getting enough nutrients out of his food. Try giving him 1/8 a cup of good food 4 times a day if possible.

Eating too fast can be a concern, and if you do go with small frequent meals, it might be a good idea to use the food as training treats and let him eat one or two at a time. You can also place the kibble in a Kong or a food ball and let him play and work to get the kibbles out, which will slow him down.

Good luck, and congrats on your new puppy!