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My Yorkie mix is overweight. How can I feed him with other dogs?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Yorkshire Terrier | Male | neutered | 5 years and 1 month old | 25 lbs

My yorkshire terrier seems to be over weight. He is a mix. It’s not bad enough to go see the vet or anything but i need some tips. I can’t feed him any less than we are now because he will go over and eat my other dogs food he left. It would be hard to feed them separately because the yorkshire terrier won’t eat with out my other dog by his side. He doesn’t get any table food and gets limited treats.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Ana M, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 25th, 2018

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Benji. Being over weight is one of the most common problems that I see in pets. So great job on recognizing this and wanting to be pro-active! If you need to feed your dogs together, supervise them at meal times so they can only eat their allotted portions. Measure each dog's food with a measuring cup so you know exactly what is being fed. The next big thing is adequate exercise. I would recommend at least one walk per day increasing as he is comfortable. A good goal is several miles per day depending on his current fitness level. If you are not making progress there are prescription weight loss diets that are very effective. I hope this information helps!

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    Answered By Lauren Kennedy, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 1st, 2018

    If your dog is overweight the two best things you can do to help him is put him on a calorie restricted diet and increase his exercise. A dog aid Amour’s size should not eat more than about half a cup of food per day. Try feeding him a “light” or “weight management” version of the food he is currently eating as these tend to have less calories. Also, avoid feeding him fatty treats and stick with low-calorie options like baby carrots sticks or pieces of his kibble for treats. You should also try and get in about 30 minutes of exercise a day. Some dogs require a prescription diet food if they are unable to lose weight at home on their own. If you try these tips for a couple months and none of the weight is coming off and it may be time to visit the vet, have some blood work done and make sure nothing metabolic is going on like an issue with the thyroid, and inquiring about a prescription diet food. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

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