What can Yorkies eat from human food?
Short answer: some things, but keep it plain, keep it tiny, and keep it occasional. This page lists the safe options, the dangerous ones, and how to prepare food that suits a tiny Yorkie's digestive system.
Originally from the legacy yorkiesa.com archive — Gareth's practical food reference, refreshed for South African owners. A persuasive Yorkie face is not a nutrition plan. Rich leftovers can cause problems fast, but a few simple foods can make good occasional treats.
A Yorkie's main diet should be complete dog food. Human food is for occasional treats, training rewards, or recovery meals — not the daily menu.
Which human foods are generally okay for Yorkies?
The table below comes from the legacy yorkiesa.com site and years of practical experience. These foods are generally safe for most Yorkies in moderate amounts, but every dog is different. Introduce one new food at a time, keep portions tiny, and stop if you see vomiting, diarrhoea, itching, wind, or discomfort.
| Food | Notes |
|---|---|
| Apple (no seeds) | Remove core and seeds; slice small |
| Applesauce | Unsweetened, plain; tiny spoonful |
| Apricot (no pit) | Remove stone; tiny piece only |
| Baby food (banana, carrot) | Plain, no onion or garlic |
| Banana | High sugar — tiny slice only |
| Biltong | Plain biltong only, no spice rubs or salt-heavy cuts; break into tiny shreds |
| Black olives (no pits) | Rinse to reduce salt; one or two only |
| Bread (plain) | Small crust or piece; no mould |
| Broccoli (small florets) | Cooked or raw, tiny amounts; can cause gas |
| Carrot | Crunchy and low-calorie; slice thin |
| Cauliflower | Small cooked pieces only |
| Celery | Low calorie; chop small to avoid choking |
| Cereal (plain, low sugar) | A few flakes only; avoid sugary cereals |
| Cheerios (plain) | Plain original, not honey or flavoured |
| Cheese | High fat — tiny piece, watch for lactose issues |
| Chicken (skinless, cooked) | No bones, no seasoning, no skin |
| Chicken broth | Low sodium, no onion or garlic |
| Croutons (plain) | A couple only; avoid seasoned kinds |
| Dried fruit (bananas, apricots, apples) | No added sugar or preservatives; tiny piece |
| Egg (cooked) | Scrambled or boiled; no seasoning |
| Green beans | Steamed or fresh; no salt |
| Lettuce | Crunchy but low nutrition; fine as rare treat |
| Liver (cooked) | Small pieces only; too much causes vitamin A issues |
| Nectarine (no pit) | Flesh only; tiny piece |
| Nut butter (plain) | No xylitol; tiny smear; high fat |
| Oatmeal | Plain cooked; no sugar or milk |
| Orange (no seeds) | A segment or two; acidic, not for sensitive stomachs |
| Pasta (cooked, plain) | A few pieces; no sauce |
| Peach (no pit) | Flesh only; remove stone |
| Peanut butter | No xylitol; tiny smear only; high fat |
| Potato (instant mashed, plain) | No skins, no butter or seasoning |
| Pumpkin (canned) | Plain pumpkin, not pie filling |
| Ravioli (canned, plain) | Rinse off sauce; one or two pieces |
| Rice (cooked) | Plain white or brown; gentle on stomach |
| Rice cakes (plain) | Low calorie; break into small pieces |
| Steak scraps (plain) | Lean, cooked, no seasoning; tiny pieces |
| Sweet potato (cooked) | Baked or dehydrated — also makes great homemade chews (see recipe below) |
| Tomato (no greens or stems) | Ripe red flesh only; avoid green parts |
| Tortellini (plain) | No sauce; one or two pieces |
| Turkey (skinless, cooked) | Bones and skin removed; no seasoning |
| Wheat germ | Tiny sprinkle on food |
Human foods that are dangerous for Yorkies
Some human foods are toxic to dogs, and a few mouthfuls can be enough to harm a tiny Yorkie. Keep these items well out of reach and never share them, even in small amounts.
Toxic — never give these
- Chocolate — contains theobromine, toxic to dogs
- Grapes and raisins — can cause kidney failure
- Onion and garlic — all forms (raw, cooked, powder)
- Alcohol — even small amounts are dangerous
- Caffeine — coffee, tea, energy drinks, cola
- Xylitol — artificial sweetener in gum, sweets, some peanut butters
- Macadamia nuts — can cause weakness and vomiting
- Cooked bones — splinter and can perforate the gut
- Mouldy or spoiled food — can cause serious illness
Risky — use caution
- Dairy — high fat, can cause pancreatitis, gas, diarrhoea
- Fatty braai scraps — too rich for tiny digestive systems
- Biltong with spice rubs — too much salt and seasoning
- Salty snacks — crisps, pretzels, salted nuts
- Rich sauces and gravies — high fat, high salt, often contain onion/garlic
- Sugary treats — cakes, biscuits, sweets
- Raw meat (if not used to it) — can cause digestive upset if introduced suddenly
- Any new food in large amounts — introduce one at a time, in tiny quantities
Preparation tips from the legacy site
🥩 Meat preparation
Do not overcook meat for your Yorkie. Lightly cooked or raw meat retains more nutrients and is easier on a dog's digestive system than charred or heavily processed meat. Raw meat can be very good for sick dogs — it is easily digestible and nutrient-dense.
Important: Raw and cooked diets should not be mixed at the same meal as they digest at different rates. If you feed raw, keep the whole meal raw. If you feed cooked, keep it cooked. Mixing can cause digestive upset.
🥦 Vegetable preparation
Dogs have a shorter digestive tract than humans and cannot digest most vegetables whole or in large chunks. It is best to put vegetables through a food processor before giving them to your Yorkie, or cook and mash them thoroughly.
Chopping finely or pureeing releases the nutrients that would otherwise pass through undigested. This applies especially to carrots, green beans, broccoli, pumpkin, and sweet potato.
Grains in small amounts are fine
Grains should not make up a large part of a dog's diet, but plain rice, oatmeal, pasta, and bread are generally fine in small amounts. Plain cooked rice is especially useful for settling an upset stomach.
Homemade sweet potato chews
From the legacy site — Gareth's simple recipe for Yorkie-safe chews. Far better than commercial rawhide or processed treats. Sweet potatoes are digestible, low in fat, and give your Yorkie something satisfying to chew.
Sweet potato chews — full recipe 🥔
Prep time: 5 minutes | Total time: ~3¼ hours | Oven: 120°C / 250°F
Ingredients:
1 x sweet potato (the orange type)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 120°C (250°F).
- Wash the sweet potato well.
- Cut lengthwise into quarters (for a Yorkie-sized piece) and then into slices about 1 cm thick.
- Place on a baking tray in a single layer — do not overlap.
- Bake for about 3 hours. This leaves them chewy. Bake a bit longer if you want them crunchy.
- Cool completely before giving one to your Yorkie. Store leftovers in an airtight container.
Warning: Supervise any chew. Even a soft chew can be a choking risk for a tiny dog. Break into smaller pieces for very small Yorkies.
Common questions about Yorkies and human food
Can Yorkie puppies eat human food?
Very limited amounts, and only plain, soft, easily digestible foods. Puppy digestive systems are more sensitive than adult dogs'. Stick to their puppy food as the main diet and introduce any human food extras very sparingly, one at a time.
Can rescue Yorkies eat human food?
Rescue Yorkies may arrive with digestive issues, food sensitivities, or an unknown diet history. Keep extras minimal and predictable until you understand what suits your individual dog. Bland, simple foods like plain rice and chicken are safest as you learn what works.
How much human food is too much?
If your Yorkie starts refusing normal meals, has loose stool, gains weight, or develops digestive upset after extras, you are offering too much. Treats and extras should make up no more than 10% of daily intake — and for small dogs, that 10% is very small.
Is biltong safe for Yorkies?
Plain biltong with no spice rubs, in tiny shreds, can be a safe protein treat. However, many South African biltong cuts are high in salt or coated with spice that can upset a small dog. Read the ingredients, and offer a shred the size of your fingernail, not a piece the dog has to work on.
What should I do if my Yorkie eats something dangerous?
If your Yorkie has eaten chocolate, grapes, raisins, xylitol, or any other known toxin, contact your vet or an emergency animal poison helpline immediately. Do not wait for symptoms — some toxins take hours to show effects, and early treatment matters. Keep the packaging or ingredient information to show the vet.
Build a complete feeding approach
Human food is one part of the picture. Good feeding also means steady meal routines, choosing the right dog food, knowing when appetite changes matter, and understanding what to do when things go wrong.