The Yorkshire Terrier is a fairly popular breed of dog. Miniature animals feel great at home, love their owners. Caring for them is quite simple. The main condition is a proper diet. If the pet first appeared in your family, it is best to consult a veterinarian.
Pregnancy and childbirth is a difficult period in the life of an animal. It is necessary to try to do everything to make him comfortable and cozy, to help establish lactation and gain strength. How to feed a nursing York? This is one of the main issues. Let's try to answer it as accessible and understandable as possible.
Breed features
The Yorkshire Terrier, care of which does not require any special effort, is a rather unique breed of dog. Due to its miniature size, it is ideal for living in an apartment. Standard York weighs no more than 4 kilograms, height does not exceed 15 cm. It is worth noting that you need to pay attention to these parameters when buying an animal. Tiny pets can have health problems.
The hair of the animal is quite long, silky and straight. In order for it to have a characteristic shine, you need to use special shampoos, add vitamins to food, and visit hairdressers for dogs. If this is not possible, it will be enough to comb the animal at least 2 times a week.
A characteristic feature of the breed is a long bang. It must be stabbed, so as not to spoil York's vision.
Puppies at birth have a black color, during the life of the coat changes color, gray, red hairs appear.
The Yorkshire Terrier, the care of which gives owners complete pleasure, appeared in our country in the 19th century. Pocket dog immediately fell in love with aristocrats and wealthy people.
Issue price
The breed of dog Yorkshire Terrier is quite popular in families without children. The fact is that experienced dog breeders do not recommend getting this pet for those people who have kids under 6-7 years old. Since the animal is small, the child can squeeze, throw, or even step on the dog.
The Yorkshire Terrier, whose price is quite high, gets along well with other pets, cats for them are best friends. But they do not tolerate rodents.
The cost of a puppy depends on several significant factors:
- pedigree of parents;
- health status;
- the availability of vaccinations;
- documents;
- are there any achievements at exhibitions.
You need to pay close attention to these parameters when buying an animal of the Yorkshire Terrier breed. The price of a puppy can range from 500-3000 dollars. An adult can cost up to $ 10,000.
Pros and cons of the breed
If you decide to purchase a York, you must first weigh all the pros and cons of the breed. Of the benefits include:
- easy to train;
- not angry, gets along well with a person;
- miniature, you can carry with you, in a word, a pocket dog;
- energetic.
Among the shortcomings can be identified:
- requires careful handling, fragile enough;
- the coat is long, thick, special care is necessary;
- likes to run actively in the morning;
- training is necessary, otherwise the pet becomes uncontrollable.
Choose dry food
After the desired pet appeared at home, the question arises, what is the best way to feed York. Here the choice is only for the owner of the dog. The diet should be balanced. If you have acquired an adult, you need to feed the first time as breeders did so that the animal does not experience stress.
After several weeks, it is necessary to make a choice in favor of dry food or natural food. If you want your pet to eat specialized feeds, choose only premium ones. In their composition, they are more natural, fortified, include all the necessary nutrients. And most importantly, they lack soy, dyes, chemicals, nitrates.
Proper, balanced food is the key to health
Many people think that the best food for York is natural foods. This is so, but there is one “but”: no food from the table! Cooking for your pet will have to be done separately. The fact is that the digestive system in humans and dogs are different. What is beneficial for some is detrimental to others.
How to feed a nursing York? This is a separate topic for discussion. The menu will not fundamentally differ from the usual daily. The main thing is that it is balanced. To do this, protein, carbohydrates and fats should be supplied in equal proportions. Only in this case, the food is completely absorbed.
The big mistake is to feed the dog only meat, an excess of protein entails obesity and kidney disease. Diversify the menu with porridge, fish, vegetables.
Remember, food (except vegetables) must undergo heat treatment. This is especially true for meat and fish. Untreated foods can cause serious illnesses, from helminths to intestinal infections.
Also do not forget about dairy products. Low-fat cottage cheese, fermented baked milk, milk are recommended to be given once a week.
The Yorkshire Terrier dog breed is popular with breeders not only because of the small size of the animal, but also because of its unpretentiousness in food.
Bones - benefit or harm?
Giving bones or not is a fairly popular question even for experienced dog breeders. It so happened that we can never imagine a dog without a bone. But experienced veterinarians assure that it is absolutely impossible to include them in the diet. There are good reasons for this:
- Dental health. You should know that the puppy’s milk teeth change to permanent teeth at the age of 4-6 months. And their health depends on how good the food will be. A dog is not a hamster, it just doesn’t have to bite its teeth constantly. York in the apartment can grind fangs on a silicone bone or pork ear.
- Pet's life. Passing through the gastrointestinal tract, fragments of undigested bones can damage the intestine, large intestine and other internal organs. In these cases, surgical intervention is provided.
Remember once and for all: giving dogs bones is forbidden, take pity on your nerves and their health!
Stop products
Each owner of York should know the list of prohibited products that may adversely affect the health of the animal:
- sharp bones;
- sweets;
- river fish with small bones;
- raw eggs;
- smoked sausages;
- citrus fruits and fruits;
- seasonings;
- lamb, pork.
Food should be served in small portions of room temperature. If the dog has not eaten food for 2 hours, throw it away. Thus, you will protect the animal from various bacteria and microorganisms.
Another important rule - do not feed the dog from the general table. Very often you can observe the picture when the animal sits and begs for food from the owners. It is not right. The pet should know that he has his own bowl for food.
Pregnancy York
After it becomes known that the mini-York girl is pregnant, her diet needs to be slightly adjusted, since in many respects the health of future puppies depends on the correct food received during this period.
You can not overfeed the animal, otherwise there is a risk of miscarriage. Eating should be at least 4 times a day. It is very important that the menu contains dairy products, vegetables, quail eggs, beef meat, veal liver.
The amount of carbohydrates is best reduced to a minimum. Completely exclude rice, pastries, flour products, sugar.
It is better to give food well cooked, it is advisable to twist the meat through a meat grinder, cut the vegetables into small cubes or strips.
During pregnancy, York does not need to introduce new ingredients into the diet, trying and experimenting is not the right time.
How to feed an animal after childbirth
How to feed York after childbirth is a fairly popular question. Experienced breeders assure that the pet does not show any interest in food for the first few days after whelping, the appetite is weak. But precisely in this period, the animal needs strength more than ever to establish the process of lactation. After all, the health of puppies will depend on this.
The main rule: food should be soft and non-greasy. It can be fermented milk products (cottage cheese, yogurt), liquid cereals, soup on lean meat broth. The first time you need to put food is next to the place where the York with the puppies lies. There should be clean filtered water.
You need to offer food in small portions, not more than 5 times a day. Often in York after the birth there are problems with the digestive tract. Diarrhea can begin suddenly. In this case, it is better to offer rice, a decoction of oak bark. Mandatory is a consultation with a veterinarian.
How to feed a nursing York is a simple matter. The menu will not be very different from the daily. If the dog prefers food, it is better to purchase a special one for nursing pets.
You will also need a special mineral supplement, which includes a complex of vitamins and other beneficial substances. You can buy it at a pet store or veterinarian. Before buying a consultation with a doctor is required.
Many breeders wonder how to feed a nursing York. These dogs are absolutely unpretentious in food, so your pet will not need anything supernatural. Feed your animal balanced. Use only premium food - and then the dog and future offspring will be healthy.