Whether you're tempted to feed your pet table scraps or just looking to supplement his doggy diet, you'll find good foods and bad foods for Fido here.
We know it's best to avoid feeding man's best friend table scraps, but sometimes those puppy dog eyes can get the best of us and we can't resist throwing a little food off our plate.
But just because food is good for us doesn't necessarily mean it's safe for dogs.
Here's a list of dog-approved people foods, as well as some that should never be shared with your canine companion.
Keep in mind that every dog is different, so try these foods in small amounts, and if your dog has a reaction to any of them, consult a veterinarian.
Human Foods for Dogs
Human Foods for Dogs
1. Peanut Butter: Giving your dog an occasional dollop of unsalted peanut butter is a treat you can both enjoy. It's a great source of protein and healthy fats for dogs, and it's a perfect photo opportunity for you.
2. Yogurt: High in protein and calcium, plain yogurt is an ideal treat for dogs, especially if your dog is suffering from digestion issues. Make sure you choose yogurts that do not contain sugar or artificial sweeteners.
3. Oatmeal: Oatmeal is a good source of fiber, which is great for dogs with bowel irregularity issues, and is also safe for dogs with wheat allergies. Before serving to your pet, cook the oatmeal and do not add any sugar.
4. Chicken: If your dog needs more protein in his diet, chicken cooked without salt or spices is an easy addition to his regular food. It also makes a good replacement for dog food in case you run out.
5. Salmon: Dogs can benefit from omega 3 fatty acids too, so it's good to give them some cooked salmon in the food bowl for a shiny, healthy coat.
6. Broccoli: This vitamin-rich vegetable can be a great occasional nutrition boost for a man's best friend. However, it shouldn't make up more than 10 percent of a dog's diet, as it could cause gastrointestinal irritation.
7. Pumpkin: You can feed your dog pumpkin - raw or in a can - as a source of fiber and vitamin A. It is also a useful addition to diets for dogs that are experiencing digestion problems.
8. Green Beans: Nutritious and low in calories, green beans are a good option that will load your dog with iron and vitamins. Be sure to feed your dog only fresh or canned beans without added salt.
9. Cottage cheese: This bland food is high in calcium and protein, which can be a good addition to dog food. However, avoid it if your dog has trouble digesting dairy products.
10. Carrots: This vegetable is low in calories and high in fiber and vitamins. Also, the crunch of carrots can be good for dogs' teeth.
11. Eggs: If your dog needs a protein boost of energy, he adds a cooked egg to his food bowl for a healthy snack.
Foods not suitable for your dog:
1. Chocolate: You've probably heard that you're never supposed to feed chocolate to a dog, and there's a reason for that. Those delicious treats contain caffeine-like stimulants known as methylxanthines. If ingested in large amounts, chocolate can cause vomiting, diarrhea, irregular heartbeat, seizures, and even death in your pet.
2. Grapes and Raisins: Although this fruit is nutritious for you, it is toxic to dogs and can cause kidney failure.
3. Onions: They can make you cry and they can also make your dog sick by causing damage to his red blood cells.
4. Avocado: Avocado leaves, fruit, seeds, and rind contain a toxin called persin that can cause stomach upset and breathing difficulties.
5. Alcohol: Even drinking a small amount of alcohol can cause significant intoxication for a dog, which can lead to vomiting, seizures, and even death. 6. Foods with sugar: as in humans, they can cause obesity and dental problems, as well as diabetes problems.
Yorkshire Terrier is a small terrier type dog breed coming from England – it was developed in the Yorkshire County in the 19th century. The original purpose of the Yorkie was to catch rats in mills, but its used only as a companion toy-dog these days. This dog is preferred by many people suffering from animal allergies, as the Yorkie is believed to have a hypoallergenic coat. Even thou there is not a general consensus on this issue, allergists think the coat of this dog breed might be more suitable for certain allergic people. Yorkshire Terrier is loved by the masses due to its beautiful coat with long hair that needs a lot of attention. These dogs are pretty hard to train, they bark a lot and they love company. Many owners say they are like kids, you can’t leave them alone …
In this blog about Yorkshire Terriers, I will give you the basic information about this dog breed and the basic rules you need to know about keeping them. When I find a nice photo or video, I will post it here too. Please send me your Yorkie photos in case you own some and I will post them here. And if you run a site related to Yorkshire Terriers, please send me a link and I will publish it.
Huddersfield Ben – the most famous Yorkie
This is the dog that has set standards for Yorkshire Terriers and has defined the breed. He and his progeny have won numerous show awards and ratting contests and brought enormous popularity to the breed that was previously used for rat hunting.
Ben was born in 1865 in the home of Mr. W. Eastwood, a dog breeder. His pedigree states that he was linebred – conceived in a mother – son pairing, just like his mother Lady was. That same Lady was a fourth generation descendant of Old Crab, who is, along with his mate Old Kitty the oldest recorded predecessor to the Yorkshire Terrier breed. Ben was sold to Mr. and Mrs. M.A. Foster who lived in Bradford in West Yorkshire, and in whose ownership he gained his fame.
Mrs. Foster is credited as the first woman to judge in dog shows in England, as well as being the person who brought this level of popularity to Yorkshire Terriers. She brought Ben to Manchester shows in 1869 and 1870 where he won second and first place, respectively. He was again shown in 1870 in Crystal Palace, where he won the first place, and the year after, also in Crystal Palace, when he was entered in multiple categories, he won the second place in Broken Haired Scotch or Yorkshire Terrier class, while the first and third place both went to his sons. During his career he earned a total of 74 prizes.
Ben was a very popular stud dog, and has fathered a great number of pups which became the foundation stock of the whole breed. Even though he weighted between 9 and 12 pounds all of his puppies competed in the up to 7 pounds class.
On the September 23rd 1871, when he was 6 years old, Ben was hit by a carriage and killed, leaving a now already famous breed without its most famous member.
Yorkshire terrier grooming tips
If you want your Yorkie to look its best it will require a lot of effort and some skill on your part, but the end result will be worth it. This article will outline the basics of proper Yorkie grooming, for shows or for your personal pleasure.
There are several things that need to be done before you bathe your dog. First of all, you’ll need to remove mats and snarles from the dog’s coat. You will do this by slowly running your fingers through your dog’s coat, whenever you feel resistance find the knot and carefully untangle it. Once you are done with this you can start lightly brushing your Yorkie’s coat. If you notice that the coat is matted that might indicate one of two things – either you’re not grooming the coat often enough or your dog has a soft coat.
If the latter is the case you need to groom your dog’s coat much more often that if it had the silk coat. This might require too much effort so you might consider shortening his coat to puppy cut; otherwise it might become impossible to properly take care of. Not only do soft coats mat at almost daily bases and frequent grooming might actually hurt your dog and cause him serious discomfort, they also collect dirt much faster, which combined with constant irritation from grooming creates ideal conditions for inflammations.
Yorkshire Terrier
You should also brush your dog’s teeth before bathing it. Tartar and various bacterial infections can easily develop if you don’t pay proper attention to your dog’s oral hygiene. If left untreated this can then lead to tooth loss and, eventually, digestive problems.
Once you’re done with the teeth check your dog’s ears, if you notice irritations consult your vet. If there is none, check the ear channels for hair, and if you find any remove it. If you want to, this might be the excellent time to clip the hair from the dog’s ears.
The last step before the bathing itself is trimming the Yorkie’s nails. Take care not to remove too much of the nail as that might cause bleeding, have some Quick Stop or some other clotting agent handy, just in case this happens. You can use clippers for this, but there are also good nail fails for dogs if you would be more comfortable using them than clippers.
Now on to the bathing. If you are using a modern dog shampoo you don’t need to rub it in its coat, just distribute it evenly along the wet fur. Leave it in to give it a chance to lift out the dirt and then rinse it until you are certain that there is no shampoo residue left, this is very important as left over shampoo can cause a lot of damage both to the coat and skin. After you’re done with the rinsing apply conditioner.
Dry your dog by wrapping it in a towel and holding it for a couple of minutes. If you need to, trim the excess hair from his feet and gently brush his fur. All you need now is a nice bow and you have a show-ready Yorkie.
Yorkshire Terrier health problems
There is a number of diseases and conditions that might afflict your Yorkie, if you want to prevent them from becoming too serious you need to monitor your dog carefully and consult the vet if you notice some early signs of these conditions.
Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) usually afflicts puppies that are 5 to 16 weeks old, because they lack the muscles needed to store glucose and regulate blood sugar. It is usually caused by irregular diet and too much time between meals, but it can also be caused by fatigue, cold environment, parasites, infections or stress. If you notice that your puppy lacks energy and coordination and it has become glassy-eyed these might be the symptoms of hypoglycemia. In more severe cases the dog’s temperature will drop and it might experience seizures or even go into a coma. If not treated in time by a vet it might even be fatal. You should generally take good care of your Yorkie’s nutrition as their digestive system is very sensitive and they react negatively to sudden and extreme changes in their diet.
One of the common and rather serious genetic disorders in Yorkies is Legg-Perthes disease, a condition which causes the degeneration of the thigh bone, usually due to the insufficient circulation to that area. It most often appears in young dogs, so if you notice that your puppy is limping consult a vet. A surgery is usually necessary to remedy this, and even though it might leave the dog with that leg shorter than the others it is usually effective.
Another condition that dog’s lameness might indicate is Luxating patellas, it is characterized by dog’s kneecap slipping out of its place. Depending on the level of severity it can either be left alone, or also surgically treated.
Portosystemic shunt is a genetic disorder which causes the portal vein to develop irregularly. That is the vein that transports the blood to the liver in order to be cleansed, by this malformation of the vein the blood is prevented from being purified and consequently slowly poisons the dog’s vital organs. Symptoms of this disorder are various, as almost everything can be influenced by polluted blood: the dog might suffer from learning and coordination impairments, stunted muscle development, poor appetite and a number of other symptoms. The only way to treat this condition is surgery.
Most dog breeds suffer from some type of eye related disorders and Yorkies are not an exception. Distichiae is a condition marked by the irregular growth of eyelashes. They can grow out of the glands at the edge of eyelids and cause severe irritations and inflammations of the eye. Depending on the exact position of the eyelash it can be manually or surgically removed.
This is, regrettably, not the end of the list. Some of the other conditions that are often afflicting Yorkies are: cataracts, lymphangiectasia, keratitis sicca and bronchitis. They are a small and delicate breed and as such require your constant care, monitoring and protection. The best advice would be to consult your vet and get a full list of symptoms you should look out for.
Yorkshire Terrier puppy care
If you want a beautiful, happy and healthy dog, you must take great care during its infancy and developing stages. First of all, make sure to fed him only with the best quality dry food; this is not an area in which you want to be thrifty. Improper feeding in this stage could cause serious health problems later on, such as insufficiently strong muscles or bones. Puppies should be getting three meals a day, at least two of them being dry food. If your dogs show such preferences feel free to occasionally feed them vegetables or fruit, vitamins they gain from such nutrition can only do them good. You can give them treats, but try not to do that too often as it might disrupt their diet.
You shouldn’t wait more than 6-8 weeks to call in the vet and have your puppies vaccinated, once they receive their first vaccines, they will probably continue to receive a series of further vaccinations till they are 4 months old. This is a crucial part of their development and mustn’t be ignored. Your vet will tell you what vaccinations they need to receive, how often and for how long.
Make sure to follow the growth of their teeth, it is not rare that Yorkie puppies retain their puppy teeth. Even if you don’t intend to enter them in shows, you should monitor their teeth grow when they reach 5 months of age. Regular teeth development is not only important for their appearance, but also their ability to properly chew, and in turn, digest food.
Yorkies are usually either extremely easy or extremely difficult to potty train. If it turns out that the latter is the case be patient and do not lose your temper. If not before, once they reach 5 or 6 months of age they will have learned this important lesson.
Yorkshire Terrier characteristics and appearance
Yorkshire Terrier (also known as just Yorkie) are one of the most popular companion and show dogs, which is not the least bit surprising when one considers their tiny stature, playful nature and beautiful long coats.
They usually don’t weight more than 7 pounds, minimal weight or height are not prescribed by show standards. Yorkies have small, compact bodies, and seeing that they were originally bred as work dogs supposed to catch rats, they are much tougher than their appearance might indicate.
They have long, straight hair and no undercoat, meaning that they don’t shed as much as most dogs, in fact their hair is constantly growing and only falls out when broken or vigorously brushed, this is just one of their features that makes them ideal house pets. Their hair is also famous for being hypoallergenic, meaning that they less often provoke allergic reactions in people who are usually sensitive to dog hair. Their coat on the back is dark grey to steel blue, while the fur covering their head, chest and legs is somewhat lighter tan. Yorkies can have various other coat colors and still be considered purebred, but it is not recommendable to breed these dogs as their different colors might be an indication of genetic defects that can have adverse effects on the puppy’s health. Similarly, their coats needn’t be straight; Yorkies with wooly fur are not uncommon, and aside from being more difficult to care for, their wooly fur is a similarly negative sign as the different fur color.
Yorkshire Terries have a small, flat head with teeth that are forming a scissors or level bite, overbite or underbite are considered to be irregularities. Their eyes are not too large but usually seem intelligent and full of life. They have small ears which are constantly erect; any other position will probably disqualify the terrier from competition. If they are to take part in a show, they mustn’t weigh more than 7 pounds. They are usually 8 or 9 nine inches tall. Their tails have traditionally been docked, but this practice is constantly encountering growing level of opposition and is no longer universally practiced.
They are usually friendly and playful dogs, but this can, as is universally the case, depend on their training and the type of attention they have been getting from their master. Sometimes they will be accepting of strangers and other dogs, but at times they can also be surly and unwelcoming. It is, however, generally true that they are independent, intelligent and quite brave. These features, especially the independence and (sometimes even careless) bravery stem from their terrier ancestry. They at times seem to forget their size and initiate a confrontation with a significantly larger dog, often putting themselves at considerable risks. A series of trials has determined that they are quite intelligent, out of 132 breeds that were tested in these trials they occupy 27th place. They have also been shown to quickly understand and adopt new commands, which makes them easy to train and adapt to living indoors.
