How much should I feed my Yorkie?

by Mason
(South Carolina)

I feed my 12 week old Yorkie 3 times a day but she always cleans her food bowl clean...

Then she sniffs around the food bowl as if looking for more food. What should I do?






Hi Mason
Feeding three times a day should be sufficient at 12 weeks old, but perhaps you're not giving her enough kibble at each feed.

Start with the recommended feeding amounts on the bag of puppy food you're using (and make sure it's a good quality food especially formulated for small breed puppies). If she cleans her bowl in a few minutes, give her a little more at the next mealtime. The aim is to give her enough that she has a few pieces left in the bowl after 10 minutes or so.



Puppies go through phases and stages. Sometimes they seem hungry all the time, at others they just don't want to eat much. It's pretty normal, and is part of their growth and developmental stages. As long as they seem happy and healthy otherwise it's nothing to worry about.

However, if you haven't already had your puppy de-wormed I would suggest taking her to the veterinarian and asking him to do that for you. Many puppies have worms and these can cause excessive hunger as the worms get most of the nutrition from your pups' diet. They can also cause health problems if left untreated.

Best of luck with your new pup.