# What to feed?



## Pixie's Mum (Oct 13, 2014)

I have so many questions I don't know where to start! Firstly I'm in Australia and I also have a small (18 months) Shitzhu cross poodle who I feed Eukanuba Veterinary Diet to as he has a very sensitive tummy, I also give treats like raw chicken necks and pigs snouts etc. I'm picking up my Chi in about 4 weeks which will make her 8 weeks when I get her and I have no idea what to feed her! The breeder is going to be feeding her and her litter mates from a can and some puppy milk which I really don't like, I'm more a dry food lover and will also give some cooked meals such as chicken and rice etc every now and then. I've never owned a chi so I don't know if I can do this! I also would prefer her to be on water as we are heading into Summer here, so I guess I'm asking.....is puppy milk from the supermarket necessary and can I feed her a veterinary dry food diet with the occasional cooked meal and raw treats and chews?


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## MMS (Aug 2, 2012)

Personally, I would never feed a veterinary dry food diet to any carnivorous animal, as they are mostly corn and other grains that dogs (and cats) can't use. Those vet foods are a serious rip off, and pretty much have all the same formulation anyway. As you're already comfortable feeding raw bits, I would suggest looking into feeding full on prey model raw. There are some great threads on here for it, and a very knowledgable community to help guide you. 

As far as kibble goes, I am not aware of what high quality brands are in your area, so I don't feel I can be of much help there, but I will say that canned wet food is generally healthier than kibble due to water content, since dogs (and cats) are designed to extract the majority of their hydration from their food (meat).


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

I agree with Marty. There is a website dogfoodadvisor.com where you can research anything and everything about dog food. Dry food vs. canned food vs. commercial raw as far as what you can buy to feed your dogs. Many people think because a vet suggests or sells a food it's good. You can learn much on that website about what ingredients are best for your dog--what is not good and why and how to read the ingredients. For example, the ingredients are listed in order that they are included in the food. I also don't know what is available in Australia as well as you will get many suggestions on food because people feed all kinds of different foods for different reasons. For me personally, I feed commercial raw. In your area I think it's easy to get Ziwi Peak because it's made in New Zealand, but I could be wrong. I think many commercial raw foods are cheaper than good canned foods. 

If you research and give some names of foods you come up with, I'm sure there are members that would be happy to tell you if they are good choices or not and why they feel that way.


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Congrats on the new puppy. Do your research and pick a good 4-5 'star' dry food for your puppy, if you want to feed dry. 8 weeks is a bit young for chi babies to leave their mom. Can the breeder keep her for another 2-3 weeks? I would ask the breeder for a little bag of what the puppy is eating, and slowly (at least a week) transfer her/him over to the new food. Good luck!


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

I agree with everything Marty and Tina said and recommend dogfoodadvisor.com too. Raw is the best in my opinion so if you want to stick to a dry food, I would recommend Ziwipeak (which is an air dried raw food). That's what I personally feed as well as homemade raw.


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

Whatever you eventually decide to feed, keep your Chi puppy on what the breeder has been feeding at least until she has settled in. Moving is stressful enough without having to cope with a diet change at the same time. It is vital that she eats regularly as tiny puppies are prone to hypoglycemia, so offering her food he is familiar with will help.
8 weeks is extremely young to be leaving her mother BTW, most chi pups are still suckling at that age, so she may well need the milk replacer.


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## Pixie's Mum (Oct 13, 2014)

Thanks so much everyone, your help is really appreciated! I've looked on the pet food advisor site and I am able to get Cannidae here and it's a 5 star dry food so I'm going to go with that as well as the raw food.


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## zellko (Jul 3, 2013)

If Ziwipeak is outside your budget there are still many foods much better than the corn filled vet diets that cost the same or less. I would check out what's available in your area and then look on dogfoodadvisor.com for their ratings and use a 4 or 5 star food. If your brands are different, you can still learn a lot on the site to become informed about ingredients to avoid.


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## Pixie's Mum (Oct 13, 2014)

I've just had a look and I can't buy Ziwipeak where I am in Australia but I can buy it online so I will do that and give some to the breeder to start the puppy on before I get her home.


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

I hope you are pleased with the choice of Ziwi Peak. Based on what Stella has said, I think that would be a good idea to get her used to it before she makes the transition to your home. It looks very much like very small, flat squares of a fairly soft beef jerky. I wouldn't see why a bit of puppy milk couldn't be added to it if the breeder feels she would benefit from that. If not, I always add a bit of warm water just because it is always good for them to have water for hydration. I got Lulu at 9 weeks. I had Nutrical for her blood sugar, but she was not on any puppy milk at that time. I also recommend the Nutrical only as a backup between meals if you are worried about signs of hypoglycemia, but if you give Nutrical you should also try to get her to eat a meal.


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## Pixie's Mum (Oct 13, 2014)

Thanks so much for the suggestions everyone! I've been reading everything I can get my hands on as I've never owned a Chihuahua before! I'm worried about hypoglycaemia but have read that small frequent meals help too, she will be with me all day as I work from home so I'll be able to keep a close eye on her. I've ordered some dry and wet Ziwipeak so will get the breeder to start her on this as soon as it arrives and she is able. I've also read a suggestion to take the breeder a toy or blanket to get the litter and mother's scent to help puppy's settle at night, so I've ordered her a lovely Kong Teddy which is probably bigger than her!


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