# Trouble getting my Chihuahua to eat



## Scampers (Jun 20, 2006)

Hi,

I have a four year old tea cup Chihuahua, and I've had her for 3 1/2 years and I have always had a difficult time getting her to eat anything. But she has gotten even worse. She absolutely refuses to eat any dog food at all-- no matter what brand I try with her. She will only eat what I am eating. For example, if I'm eating chicken, then she will eat some of that. If I'm eating a beef steak, she will eat some that. If I'm eating cereal, she will eat some of that. But only just a little bit. She never seems to gain any weight. Her coat is shiny and her eyes are bright, and no ribs or back bones are showing, so she doesn't look unhealthy. I've been to the vet about this many times and the vet says I am spoiling her and then gives me some cans of various vet foods to take home and try on her, but she never eats them. And I always give in to her because I don't want her to go even a day without eating, so I let her eat my food.

Is this normal for tea cup Chihuahuas? Does anyone have any suggestions for me about what to feed her?


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## Clek1430 (Mar 7, 2006)

What foods have you tried? 
Since she is eating people food and not dog food have you thought about just feeding her the people food. I would do some research on how to go about feeding a balanced meal of people food and try her on that.


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## Krista (Dec 29, 2005)

There is no such thing as a tea cup chihuahua (just so you know) it's just a term breeders use to suck more money out of people ... and I think the vet is right, you are spoiling her. A dog that is not sick will not starve themselves, so when she gets hungry she will eat ^_^ Or you could just feed her people food, but make sure it's balanced and good for her, lots of people cook for their dogs and there's nothing wrong with that as long as it's all healthy stuff  I cook for Yoshi sometimes, but she still eats kibble sometimes as well. She really likes scrambled eggs, and fruits and veggies, and lots of other stuff.


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## appleblossom (Mar 10, 2005)

I have 2 giant chis & Ive never had any problems getting them to eat. What brands of food have you tried?


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## Gracie'smom (Jan 7, 2006)

My 1.5 year old Chi never ate well from when she was a puppy. I tried all sorts of different dog foods, nothing helped. I went to canned food at my vets suggestion, and she ate a little better, bit within a month or so her coat became dull and she seemed to have less energy. So, I did some research and started cooking for her myself. I cook for her once a week, and freeze it into individual meals so when it's time to eat I just pop it in the microwave.
She eats great now, and she's a healthy, happy girl. If you decide to go that way, just make sure you do your research. There are a lot of people foods that are deadly to dogs.


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## kimmiek915 (Oct 4, 2005)

I partially agree with your vet in that you are spoiling your baby too much. Sorry to be so blunt, but your baby will not die even if she doesn't eat for a day. I'm sure you already know this. My roommate actually has a dog that goes on strike once in awhile and refuses to eat. My roommate doesn't give in, and she doesn't give her any treats or anything until she eats her food. I think you're just giving in too easily. I personally think that your baby would benefit from eating dog food mainly, so if I were you, I would just not feed her until she gets so hungry that she eats. I mean if there's nothing wrong with your dog's health, she's not going to starve to death. Just try to be strong. My roommate always tells me, "stop being such a pushover!" This has helped me to stop feeding my baby so much people food. I'm not saying that all people food is bad, but for my dog at least, I think it's making her overweight. Anyways, good luck. I think someone else already mentioned this, but maybe you could look into the Raw diet? Maybe this would suit your baby...


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