# What Do you Feed your Chi?



## AutumnLynn

Hey everyone!

I'm just curious to see what everyone feeds their Chi's?


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## Chiluv04

Mine eat Fromm kibble and Stella and Chewy's freeze dried raw patties and Carnivore crunch treats. Occasionally I buy Wild Calling canned to add to their meals for versatility. And I feed them twice a day around the same time.


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## SinisterKisses

Finley gets Orijen puppy, and Gizmo gets Orijen Six Fish. Both are mixed with Wellness 95% meat canned food of various flavours. Tink, unfortunately, has chronic pancreatitis and now has to eat vet food.


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## Wicked Pixie

I feed raw, mostly DIY prey model raw, but I do feed pre-made frozen occasionally (Nutriment)
My youngest two were raw-weaned, they have never eaten any processed food.


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## Onyx

I feed Primal Frozen Raw for breakfast and dinner, and Ziwipeak for lunch. Once a week I feed Orijen freeze dried and Orijen Tundra kibble, just to switch it up and because Onyx really likes Orijen.

I've also been occasionally adding some of Primal's raw goats milk. She goes nuts for that.


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## AutumnLynn

Most of those foods I have never heard of. Oh my I have some research to do! LOL

I know horse feeds like the back of my hand but now starting to get back into dogs as well and i'm lost on what's good and what's bad lol. 

My other dogs still live at my parents house and my mom always took care of feeding them.


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## Wicked Pixie

Dogfoodadvisor.com is a good place to start your research.
Regardless of what type of food you choose to feed the same criteria apply, go for a high meat content from named sources, (avoid 'animal derivatives' and other similar vague terms you want it to specify turkey or lamb or whatever) no grains, low carbs, and no artificial additives. (If you can't pronounce it and have no idea what it is, it has no place in your dogs food lol)


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## AutumnLynn

Wonderful!
Thank you, I had someone else tell me about that website as well so it's great to hear other people recommeding it as well.


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## SinisterKisses

This study is a good read, as well:

Company Researches 2,200 Dog Food Formulas And Finds ONLY 119 To Be Satisfactory


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## coco_little_bear

My chis eat a mixture of Ziwipeak (air dried raw), Natural Instinct (pre made raw) and homemade raw. I agree with what Stella said and also recommend using dogfoodadvisor for ratings. The great thing is that chihuahuas are so small, even the best foods are not _that_ expensive to feed them.


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## AutumnLynn

I am really lost when it comes to all this raw foods, I really need to research this stuff! And that is true! A 15 lb bag can lasts for months.


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## Wicked Pixie

If you are interested in raw we have a whole forum here devoted to it with some great stickys
It does require a little research, but it can also be really simple with the great pre-made options on the market now.


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## Littleface

Hi,We live in South Africa so the variety is very limited. I also consulted dog food advisor and then decided to feed Acana. My one dog was always super fussy in the past and only ate dinner and never breakfast. Ever since I started them on Acana he literally dances for his breakfast and dinner which make his mommy's heart very happy  
I also changed my cat onto Acana. He had skin acne and ever since the change the acne also disappeared. Good luck with your research!!


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## chula75

In the morning i feed my 3 chi's a rotation of either Petkind dry tripe, Acana or ONP powerfood kibble. I top it with small pieces of either sardines, boiled egg, raw bison, goat or rabbit which i order from Hare Today. For their 2nd meal i give them Stewart Raw Natural's freeze dried, which I also top with bits of raw meat. 3 times a week for their 2nd meal I give them raw beef, pork or goat meaty bones to chew on. The only supplement I use is Nupro silver. I might eventually take out the kibble.


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## Dorothy's Mom

I feed Dorothy a home-made diet. I make up batches of food and freeze it in small portions. She eats a diet that is varied from batch to batch as well as her snacks she gets.

She eats:

turkey
chicken
beef
brown rice
potatoes (in moderation)
pumpkin
bell peppers
apples
cheese
peas
corn
green beans

I basically feed her any whole foods she likes to eat with the exception of grapes, onions etc (stuff dogs should NOT eat). I also tend to stay away from cruciferous veggies as they cause her to be gassy.

I also keep her away from wheat and any processed foods. 

A home-made diet can be VERY good for your dog IF you understand canine nutrition and be sure to have their needs met.


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## jshiloh

Rango eats raw. About half the time I prepare fresh raw meals, and the other half I use freeze dried raw like K9 Natural or Stella and Chewy's. We do a fair amount of traveling and backpacking/camping, so having a freeze-dried option on hand is really convenient. He doesn't like it quite as much as the fresh raw (can't really blame him), but he definitely still enjoys it and I can feel good about his nutrition even when we're on the go without having to sacrifice convenience.


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## jenniferny

*What I feed and a vets recommendations for your pets diet*



AutumnLynn said:


> Hey everyone!
> 
> I'm just curious to see what everyone feeds their Chi's?


Here are three links that I think will help a LOT: 

 
Dr Karen Becker, DVM discusses Raw Diet, Part 1 of 3: 
https://youtu.be/Qx2YIIpF4cc

Dr Karen Becker, From Best to Worst- My NEW Rankings of 13 Pet Foods
From Best to Worst - My NEW Rankings of 13 Pet Foods

Dr Karen Becker, DVM, Raw Meat: The Completely Healthy 'Pet' Diet Your Vet Probably Vilifies
The Completely Healthy 'Pet' Food Your Vet Probably Vilifies

The Natural Dog, A Guide to Raw Diet and Health the Natural way
Raw Fed Dogs - Natural Prey Model Rawfeeding Diet

After you watch the Dr Becker videos, I recommend that you read the rawfeddogs.org site PAGE BY PAGE. It has all of the information on health, diet, nutrition, and diet as it relates to nutrition and health that you will need to keep your dog healthy and happy for its entire life.

Most vets push commercial pet food on their clients telling them it is what is best, or it is all your pet needs, or raw diets are bad and dangerous.
Please remember this. Many/Most vet programs DO NOT have a required course on nutrition. The ones that do, the course and the text books are written by pet food companies, and many times the course is even taught by a pet food company representative.


What you need to remember, is that commercial pet foods MUST have the ability to sit on store shelves for months or years and not go rancid. The only way this can be accomplished is to cook the food at EXTREMELY high temperatures for long periods. The effect this has on ALL of the nutrients is that it completely destroys them! THEN, the pet food manufacturers add fillers that your pet does not need and many times can not even digest to increase their profits. This is where a LOT of pet allergies come from. Next come the synthetic vitamins to replace the ones destroyed during the cooking. The problem is that they are synthetic and your pet can usually only absorb about 10% of the vitamins at best. Then come the artificial flavor enhancers(to make the food taste good) and the artificial preservatives and other chemicals, not one of which is digestible by, good for or beneficial in any way to your pet.

Would you feed your family McDonalds every day for every meal??????? 
Feeding commercial pet foods, whether kibble or canned, is the equivalent to feeding McDonalds to your pet at every meal.

My four little guys have been Raw Fed for years. Since they have been eating a Species Appropriate Raw Diet they have not once needed to see the vet because they were sick. My vet hates that I feed a Species Appropriate Raw Diet because the only time he sees my guys is for a routine checkup or shots!!


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## woodard2009

S&C Absolutely Rabbit, PRimal Duck, ZP Beef, and raw human grade beef. Just added Orijen Tundra into the rotation because the six fish has salmon which she's allergic to.


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## 2chimomma

Thanks for the info


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## Thia

I'm in the process of tweaking their diet. When we first got them we could t afford the best foods so I fed them the best of what we COULD afford and supplemented with homemade. Now we can afford the best, so I at first got Blue Wilderness until I read all the mixed reviews etc online so decided to try something else. Our local pet store carries Performatrin which is a little cheaper so I can add some raw pre made to it now too, as well as homemade for supplementation. Leo has a sensitive stomach and Luna is finicky so we will see how it goes. I'll keep at it until I figure it all out.


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## Thia

Hey we have a winner they both are eating it! Yayyy!


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## nytetears

I feed my guys Taste of the Wild dog food for a dry kibble. They also get 1/2 a pack a day of Cesar's because tia has trouble going to the bathroom and the lower quality food helps to get her moving.


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## MMS

My lab can't do full raw, and it would be all out war at my house if all the dogs didn't get the same thing to eat. 
So I feed a rotational diet of 
raw (no chicken due to allergies)
high quality kibbles (zignature, acana, farmina... I try to switch up both brand and main protein each bag - all grain free, no chicken; I try to avoid potato, and am always on the lookout for something new and good)
dehydrated (usually grandma lucy's pureformance)
canned (Hound and Gatos, only very occasionally, when I can find it on super sale)


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## Tink

I feed my two high quality grain free kibble.

There are lots of grain free choices out there these days (didn't use to be so that's a big improvement) and I cycle through the different 4 - 5 star brands, and the different flavors within each brand.

I like that I can choose whether their primary protein source is fish, fowl, beef, venison etc., and that I can give vary the choice. So every time I buy more (and I only buy the 4 - 5 pound bags so that it stays fresh) I'll choose a different flavor. They have a really good tolerance for the changes in the food, so I don't ever have to slowly introduce the new stuff. As long as It's grain free, they tolerate the changes easily and with no fuss. One day it's this band, the next day it's the new brand with no segue, and no stomach upsets or throwing up or anything. I guess I'm lucky in that regard.


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## Moonfall

I feed Acana. I switch between a couple of the flavors but prefer the pork one. The only singles flavor I can't feed is chicken (one of my dogs has allergies). 

They do awesome on it. It's definitely expensive, but it's one of the best and I will only give the best to my babies.


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## Momo

I feed mine Acana but I'm trying Orijen this time, after that I might try one of the other 5 star foods.

For chews/snacks I get tendons, chicken feet and pig ears from the butcher and dehydrate them myself. We also give him jerky or freeze dried treats.


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## CaptainF

I am in the process of finding out, by trial & error, what agrees with Captain Falcon. I make his food, & currently this is working well: I boil turkey hearts in water, then add summer squash (given to me), then brown rice. Towards the end I put in raw oatmeal to make texture right. 
The other recipe is similar, but instead of the organic turkey hearts, I use chicken meat (all white & canned) from Costco. This is already cooked, so I add it to rice & veggie. 
I will add kibble frequently. 
I have to be careful to feed him no more than 1 cup a day. His heavy meal is in the morning, & he may have a light snack of blueberry or apple + yogurt, later on.


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## Onyx

I feed Farmina Pumpkin dog food now. Ziwipeak no longer worked for Onyx anymore. Not sure why but it was making her extremely unbearably itchy. Tried slowly adding it back into her meals but nope, itching would start up again. Oh well, I'm very happy with the results on Farmina and Onyx is obsessed with the taste so it's a win win. She actually stays lean on this food too, typically it's almost impossible to keep the extra weight off her.


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## DaveBoy1810

*Sam's Club Rotisserie Chicken*

My boy eats Sam's Club Rotisserie Chicken


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