# how to "fatten" up your Chihuahua in a healthy way?



## QueenVikki

Hi Everyone!

Just adopted my first Chihuahua from a rescue last week! She is adjusting superbly and everyone who meets her instantly falls in love with her! She's incredibly sweet and quietly follows me around all day. 

She was adopted from a rescue who found her living on a chain outside- tied to a fence. YES- a 2.5lb Chihuahua tethered to a fence in the yard! My baby survived and is left with the physical scars of missing fur on her neck.

My question for all you experienced Chihuahua owners is what is the best way to "fatten" her up? I know some dogs are naturally thin and have high metabolisms. I am very concerned that she is underweight and the vet said that she is on the naturally thinner side but could gain a pound or two.

She only eats when I hand feed her and she eats her kibble (currently no-name brand from rescue) which I have her slowly switching to the high protein, grain free- Innova Evo. I also boil chicken and cut up small tiny pieces for her to eat. She is good eating soft treats (but no milkbones). 

Is there anything you have done to make your chihuahua gain a little bit of weight (in a healthy) way?

Thanks so much!!!!


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## michele

Welcome to CP,i'm in uk so i'll leave the food question to somebody else,bless her she sounds adorable and so glad you gave her a loving home at last


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## Wicked Pixie

Welcome to the forum. 
Little and often is the way to go, small regular meals of high quality food. LS will be the person to ask, she is also fattening up a rescue Chi.


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## jesuschick

Congratulations to both of you!

She needs protein. No fillers. You do not want her getting full on filler.

Cottage cheese and/or scrambled eggs would be good choices for her. Scramble the eggs in a bit of coconut oil. Depending on how you cook the chicken, you could be removing a lot of the nutrients. She needs nutrients right now more than ever.

I have 2 with really high metabolism. One eats as much as my others who weigh more and I am having trouble keeping weight on her. If I feed her more at her two meal times, she just goes potty more. I agree with feeding little bits nice and frequently. 

Get VERY high quality treats. Stella & Chewy's or Ziwipeak would be good choices. Again, no filler or junk ingredients.


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## AussieLass

Hi and welcome! Google ZiwiPeak, it's fabulous food, and just the smell of it is fattening  It appears expensive, but you only feed the tiniest amount.

Chicken bones are wonderful, especially wings, necks and carcasses.


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## proudpeyotemama

I'd suggest using ZiwiPeak as a treat, and not boiling the chicken. If you just give her raw chicken breast it will have more nutrition for her, as well as be more appealing and better for her teeth. I give my girl cottage cheese daily as a "middle meal" because I found that she gets very thin on the two-meals-a-day program. Good luck with your new girl! She's a cutie!


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## OzChi

I agree with proudpeyotemama on not boiling the chicken. Raw meat is extremely nutrient dense, its what dogs were made to eat. When I switched to raw feeding my boy he put on weight really quickly and I had to cut his portions back after a month (and he was an active 6 month old at the time). I do ZiwiPeak for breakfast and a raw meal at night. To fatten her up try fattier cuts such as chicken thighs with all the fat left on or ground beef with a high fat %. Try her on the chicken first and slowly introduce her to other meats so she doesn't get an upset stomach. You can still do the EVO for one meal but don't feed the raw and EVO together as they digest differently (not an issue with mixing ZP and raw). Good luck with her, you have done a wonderful thing saving her from a horrible life and i'm sure she will reward you in so many ways.


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## Mona Lisa's Smile

I like Dr. Harvey's food to fatten up the kids....it comes in a grain free for small breeds if you don't want any grains.

You just add boiling water and let it sit for 10 minutes...and then you add your own protein. I rotate my proteins weekly..chicken, lamb, beef, turkey. You also add your own oils and rotate them too.

The dogs love it!!!!!! I only give it to them for dinner, but twice a day will put some weight on them.

One of my dogs had blood work done recently. the vet said the numbers were all PERFECT!! YAY!!!!!


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## QueenVikki

Wow thanks so much for all the advice! I switched her food to Solid Gold Barking at the Moon (she was on Solid Gold originally) and she seems to really enjoy it! I will look at Ziwipeak (I saw several people recommending it in an earlier forum).

Thanks so much!!!


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## bella2013

She may or may not like the ZiwiPeak. I know my girl won't even pick up a piece in her mouth to try it. I've tried hand feeding it to her and putting it in her bowl and not giving her anything else and she won't eat for several days and she's very tiny and I can't risk putting her into a hypoglycemic fit, so I have to give in and give her kibble. She was on Purina Little Bites and I've since switched to Nutro Ultra Small Breed. It's grain free and she really loves it. So, I'm hoping she will start gaining some weight.


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