Does my spayed Yorkie need special wet food or can she keep her brand?

What an adorable pair of dogs!! No, I would not look into a weight management food just yet. As long as you give her a healthy diet, exercise her daily, and do not give her too many treats or any human food, she can maintain her weight. I have a 10 year old spayed Chow Chow, and I have never had to use a weight management food on her. Just keeping healthy eating habits and daily exercise is enough. I hope this helps!

Most commercially available canned foods are still balanced diets. As long as Zoey is eating a food formulated for growing puppies, she should still be meeting all of her nutritional needs. However, being a small breed dog, she is naturally more prone to developing dental issues as she ages. Dry food is a bit more abrasive to the teeth, which will help to decrease tartar formation. You can try mixing a small amount of dry food with her wet food to try to tempt her to eat it. Otherwise, be sure to brush her teeth daily to maintain oral health. Be sure that you are feeding a high quality brand of food (Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Royal Canin are some of my favorites), and keep Zoey on puppy food until she is 1 year old. Anytime you change flavors or brands of food, mix the old and new foods together over 5-7 days for a slower transition to decrease the incidence of vomiting and diarrhea. Wet food should be just fine provided that you stay on top of brushing her teeth. :-) I hope that all goes well!

Hello. Yes, it is a good idea to continue with this food after her ideal weight is reached. If she continues to lose too much weight, you may need to switch her to a maintenance type diet, but most dogs will do well to stay on this one. Thanks for us using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I would try her on a dry food for small dogs. The pieces are small and easier to chew than the dental diet, and usually tastier also. There are several excellent small breed foods now so check out ones that are available in your area. Giving some caned with the dry food is fine. Chewing on sterilized dental chews may be all she needs to minimize any future dental problems. I've used them and they really keep down the tartar buildup and dogs love chewing them. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Molly.

I would not recommend to change her food. Instead I would watch her closely for any signs of illness. Sometimes the slower eating is the result of an oncoming illness. Rarely is it a puppy being picky (although this can happen). Instead add a little warm water or a table spoon of boiled white rice. Be careful about changing around food too much. That behavior can create a very picky eater. If you do decide to change her food, Eukanuba and Hill Science Diet are both great foods. I hope this helps Maia!

Great question! In general, there should be no reason that you would need to change her diet after her spay. She may not be as hungry as usual this evening since she may be sore and still a bit sleepy from the anesthesia, so I would suggest feeding her about half of her normal dinner tonight. Starting the following day, it should be fine for her to go back to her normal amount of food :)

Have Pebbles examined by your veterinarian to diagnose any medical causes such as intestinal parasites, malabsorption or maldigestion issues. Once she is cleared medically, you can try increasing the amount of food being fed. Switching to a "hotter" (higher protein) food should be done gradually to prevent gastrointestinal upset. Canidae, Acana, Orijen, Taste of The Wild and the Royal Canin line are all premium diets. The website www.dogfoodadvisor.com is an excellent resource for comparing diets.