# What do you feed you chi's on??



## Jazmin (Oct 1, 2011)

Hello,
Just wanted to see what people feed there little one's on.
I have only had my little boy less than a week and he was extremely quite when i first got him, shaking and everything. 
I took him to the out of hour vets later to discover he has an extremely bad ear infection. He is now being medicated for this and his ears are now sitting more on top of his head and he is also walking around alot more.

The women i got him off used to feed him on Royal canin and some "dry meat" in a white plastic tub with a clear film lid?
When i feed him, he sniffs it and doesnt really seem to be that into it..
I have spoken to a few people and they have said chihuahus's are very fussy with what they eat
I do not want to change his food and then have him not eat it but i dont want to buy him food he doesn't like.
Last night i went to the fish and chip shop and brought him a small sausage and he loved it!!
Any ideas??
Jazmin x


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## jan896 (Dec 9, 2009)

I feed Chico Primal RAW
PRIMAL pet foods

also Ziwipeak occasionally


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

I feed mine out of Stainless Steele or glass bowls and feed THK, ZP & Fromm.


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## Jazmin (Oct 1, 2011)

How much do they need per week?
I brought mine one of those double bowl's and i think they are too deep for him, going to buy him some of those bowls you normally give to cats...
Just not too sure what to feed him on.... xx


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## Dixie Belle (Apr 9, 2011)

I feed Dixie a 1/2 pouch Pedigree every morning and I keep her Puppy Chow healthy morsels out to self feed. She'll be a year old in March. Guess I'll stick to the Dog Chow dry or Pedigree.


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

It depends on what you're feeding them. When I feed THK, I feed about 1/4 twice a day. Not sure what you mean by what to feed him on.


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## Jazmin (Oct 1, 2011)

Food wise? :S
He has royal canin dry food and some other dry meat... but he doesnt seem to like it...
Im thinking of trying pedigree or taking him to the local pet shop and asking them what there suggestions are...
Thanks Jazmin


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## tulula's mum (Jan 4, 2010)

I feed mine on wainwright meat and royal canine dry, they love it. Tulula was really fussy we have tried the raw diet and they were fine at first then went off that, I still give them raw chicken wings. It's difficult to say how much, but it's not bowls full, when I first got tulula my vet said to feed her about a teaspoon of meat 5 times a day.


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## Jazmin (Oct 1, 2011)

Thats what mine is on now....


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## jan896 (Dec 9, 2009)

you might try these site for research.........

Dog Food Analysis

Dog Food Advisor


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## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

I agree with Jan. Choose some foods you'd like to try and check them on the sites she offered. I'd strive for a 5-6 star (each site has a different scale) food.

None of my chis have been fussy eaters. I'd not feed human food or you will create a fussy eater. Nor would I give sausage. Too high in nitrates, sodium and other things not good for our babies.


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## Jazmin (Oct 1, 2011)

Well my chi is 18 months old and i just wanted to treat him because he hasnt been eating properly.. 
He has also been poorly.. and hes got ear drops etc..
Im not planning on feeding him sausage everyday and he is already a fussy eater.. he will not touch human food apart from yesterdays sausage.. when i first got him someone adivised to give him some chicken.. and he wouldnt eat it.


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## jan896 (Dec 9, 2009)

Jazmin said:


> and he wouldnt eat it.


he WILL eat...... eventually...... he is just 'training' YOU.........:coolwink:
he is waiting for you to give in and provide yummy, but not necessarily good for him foods .... they can be 'cheeky' like that.....


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## michele (Jan 12, 2009)

I feed mine ziwi P and Accana and Arden grange is another good one,you could always soak it a bit to make a gravy


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## Jazmin (Oct 1, 2011)

I have noticed that he will eat it if i leave him all throughout the day but if he doesn't like it.. i would sooner give him something else...


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## MChis (Oct 13, 2009)

Seriously...pick a food your comfy with (the dog food advisor & dog food analysis website is a TERRIFIC place to find one!!) & offer him food twice a day for 10-15 minutes. If he doesn't eat pick it up & go about your day giving absolutely NO treats (people food or otherwise) & offer it again later on. A healthy dog will not starve itself & you will be please at how well he'll begin to eat after a day or so. 

We're watching my grandfathers Pom while my grandfather has a major surgery & she is incredibly picky. Only eats her kibble for him by taking one & eating it...taking one & eating it...through out the day. I don't work that way & I can't leave food out otherwise my dogs would have it gone in a matter of seconds. LOL I feed my crew a mix of premade raws (Stella & Chewy's, ZiwiPeak & Honest Kitchen) and prey model raw & the only food she didn't like was the Honest Kitchen (don't blame her as it's mostly fruits & veggies & she doesn't really need that). She has been here for a few days & she is eating her ZP right down when I offer it. I am not feeding her her kibble because quite honestly I don't want to deal with the gross kibble poo AND I don't have to time to bath her every time she poops as it sticks where as it doesn't with the raws. 

Anyway...if I can get this picky little Pom to eat food w/o being picky ANYONE can. You just have to have the right mind set & not feel sorry for them because they're not eating properly. Don't treat them no matter how much they aren't eating because doing that would only make their problem last longer. The quicker you get your mind set straight...the quicker he'll respond & start eating regularly.  Good luck!!


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## 20887 (Mar 16, 2011)

I feed mine prey model raw and ZiwiPeak, with the occasional Stella & Chewy's. You really just have to stick with one type of food until they are eating regularly. No treats. I switch up the flavor of my dogs' food every meal or so now that they will eat whatever I give them, but I wouldn't recommend doing that at first.


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## Jazmin (Oct 1, 2011)

Today i have been to the pet store and brought royal canin complete adult mix. The women told me he shouldnt be eating both of them as the meat will give him the "poos" she suggested i stick to the complete biscuits because also it is good for his teeth...


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## MChis (Oct 13, 2009)

"Biscuits"/Kibble WILL NOT HELP HIS TEETH!! ARGH I hate when people tell others this!! LOL It's quite the opposite...it makes it worse!! Meat will not give him the poos...unless you give only chicken w/o bone than YES because there is nothing to firm it up! If you want something better for teeth than go with prey model raw! Or at the very least Stella & Chewy's. ZiwiPeak isn't bad either (not as good as the first two). Kibble creates tartar build up which is why most dog have horrible teeth by 2-3 years old. My oldest dog(s) are almost 4 & have NO!! tartar build up on their teeth...at all!! Whats that tell you....?


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## 20887 (Mar 16, 2011)

Yeah, I wouldn't listen to the woman at the pet store. Kibble is not going to make his teeth better....


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## Audreybabypup (Sep 14, 2010)

Jazmin said:


> Hello,
> Just wanted to see what people feed there little one's on.
> I have only had my little boy less than a week and he was extremely quite when i first got him, shaking and everything.
> I took him to the out of hour vets later to discover he has an extremely bad ear infection. He is now being medicated for this and his ears are now sitting more on top of his head and he is also walking around alot more.
> ...




I feed Audre Lyn on the raw diet. She has been on it since the day I got her. I got her as somewhat a rescue. The lady wasn't feeding her mom so basically sudrey and her little bro and momma were all skinny and hundry  the momma and brother have been rescued too  but Audrey LOVES her raw. She also gets some egg, sardines and mackeral, and plain yogurt added to her diet, and salmon oil. I'm very pleased with the result of the raw diet. I have given her some kibble as a meal here and there but its rare. And when I do, I wellness or Blue buffalo wilderness.


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## MChis (Oct 13, 2009)

I just have to post this pic...it really shows what a difference diet makes in a dog! We feed a rotation of prey model raw, ZiwiPeak, Stella & Chewy's & Honest Kitchen. Sometimes each day is different, sometimes they get the same thing for 3 weeks at a time but that is what we have rotated since we got Maya. Maya was fed a run of the mill "big box" store kibble before we got her... And her teeth are 100 times better too though you can't see in the pic.  

I took this pic 1 1/2 yrs later but she looked that good 3-4 months after we got her...that is just when I took the pic & put this little thing together.  She got darker pigment, fur on her ears (as opposed to scabs), bigger & brighter eyes (due to her being properly hydrated), no more tear stains, her coat color is brighter & her coat is fuller. Just an all around healthier looking dog...


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Great picture comparison Heather. You can see a huge difference in tear staining as well!


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## MChis (Oct 13, 2009)

Brodysmom said:


> Great picture comparison Heather. You can see a huge difference in tear staining as well!



Yes! I had just come back to add that in & saw your reply. LOL Lots of little things added together makes her look like a completely different dog (IMO).


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## KayC (May 3, 2005)

I feed Zoey Ziwipeak for her dinner main meal and Orijen for snacks, no tear stains. She won't eat from a bowl so she is fed on a small plate


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## PabzOr (Oct 17, 2011)

We feed our boy PabzOr on raw meat/bone/organ mix of various meats including chicken/beef/bison/llama and lamb. Funny little guy really doesn't like turkey for some reason though. I also alternate between feeding him the MBO patties and "dinner" patties which contains the MBO plus various vegetables and kelp or barley or alfalfa powder. He also gets rib bones occasionaly, and always has a large selection of hide type bones or nylabones to chew on at any given time.

I am not 100% sure on this but I strongly believe that the raw food diet helps out with our allergies. When we first got him we had mild allergic reactions to him. My girlfriend and I are both allergic to dogs, but now we get absolutely no reaction to little pablito at all. They stopped after a couple weeks of having him in our house. We can rub our faces in his fur and get no reaction at all. It's AWESOME!


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## Jazmin (Oct 1, 2011)

awww!!  i'll keep him on royal canin at the minute but i may change it soon... xx


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## Teddybear (Oct 17, 2011)

im in UK and have been told that "Burns" are very good food for Chi's


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## Stephanie3378 (Sep 27, 2011)

Chloe eats Solid Gold Wee Bit. She'd eat anything, though. She tries to eat my bf's mom's Chi's food (usually some crappy brand) and my bf's Boxer's food (Halo Spot's Stew). Maybe take him with you when you buy the food. Let him sniff a few bags and see if he has any interest in any of them.


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## Mel's chi's (Jun 2, 2011)

I would check out the RAW FOOD forum threads here...great info on the best way to feed your dog (IMO). I have done this for 12 years and have very few vet visits other than the routine ones. My vet started me on this way of feeding long long ago....good luck with whatever way you choose though!


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## Munchii (Mar 22, 2011)

I feed Chloe on Orijen. I've heard its the best uk dog food, being 70% meat, 30% veg and 0% Grain.
Try and get a grain free dog food, as lots of dogs have gluten allergies. x


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## Jazmin (Oct 1, 2011)

Surely you would know if your dog had a gluten alergy? Next time i will be taking him with me when i buy it...


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## catz4m8z (Aug 28, 2008)

My lot have Burns mini bites in the morning and raw mince in the evening, with the odd raw chicken wing as well.
(Im not sure of how many of the products mentioned are even available in the UK though.)


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## Jazmin (Oct 1, 2011)

catz4m8z said:


> My lot have Burns mini bites in the morning and raw mince in the evening, with the odd raw chicken wing as well.
> (Im not sure of how many of the products mentioned are even available in the UK though.)


I know! same here, i live in the UK and i was thinking of things that i could go to like, "Pets at home" to buy and things like that? When your walking round a store its ok looking but they all say the same and the idea of the packaging is to get you to buy it? Where as i just wondered if anyone could recommend anything. Mine eats things like sausage and stuff but thats only treats!  otherwise he has royal canin!


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## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

I'd REALLY encourage you to research good options and make your decisions before going to the store. Packaging and marketing can be so deceiving! Some packages show fresh meats on the package and then barely have any meat in the product.

This site is an unbiased site and you can search foods by brand or search 5 star foods and brands will come up:
Dog Food Reviews | Dog Food Ratings


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## Blue Chi (Oct 12, 2011)

I used to feed my dogs Science Diet. When I got our Boston puppy a couple years ago I started researching dog foods. I quit using Science Diet. I now use Blue Halo, Wellness Core, and Taste of the Wild. I switch brands ever so often. I'm actually looking into raw foods like Stella and Chewy's, Ziwipeak, and Honest Kitchen. So we'll see how that goes!

Like others, I really encourage you to research dog foods. You've been given some great links.


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## Maia's Mom (Oct 13, 2011)

I'm getting my Chi puppy on Saturday, and I have looked into many foods for her and have finally decided on Wellness Small Breed Puppy. My daughter's 8 month old Chi is a very picky eater. We had to change his food a few times, and our vet surprisingly told us to try Royal Canin chihuahua 30. I would rather have him on a better food, but he wouldn't eat the Blue Buffalo or Wellness.......


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## Kaila (Nov 10, 2009)

I feed Teddy out of stainless steel bowls. He gets Fromm canned food and Ziwipeak (venison flavor) from a bag. He is 2 years old and weighs 5 lbs. I free-feed the Ziwipeak and give him 1/3 of a can of Fromm twice a day.

It's true that Chihuahuas can be very fussy eaters, but the best thing you can do (in my personal opinion) is to not give in to that at an early age. Obviously making sure that a small puppy is eating regularly is important, but I wouldn't continuously change foods until they finally eat. I think that this trains them that if they don't like what it's in their bowl, mom or dad will find them something better! It trains them to be picky.

Instead, find a food that you think is nutritionally good and warm it up a little in the microwave (this works best with wet/canned food). Then pretend to eat the food straight out of the bowl while your pup is watching (sort of like picking up little bits with your fingers and bringing it to your mouth without sticking it in-- you don't even have to touch it if you don't want to, you can just pretend), and shortly after that hand-feed some to your pup. Watching you pretend to eat it will make the food seem a lot more interesting, and getting fed from your hand will encourage him to eat. Warm food also smells better and starts the salivation and hunger response in dogs.

If this doesn't work, then honestly I would be worried about a medical issue decreasing his appetite. Or you can give up at that point and switch foods if it seems like he absolutely won't touch it because he's picky.


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## 23083 (Sep 22, 2011)

Pico is a Chi mix who weighs 7.5#. We feed him 1/4c. Wellness Small Breed kibble twice a day.
I would stay away from Pedigree. IMHO


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