# not so sure about food, help?



## kurtsie

as some of you might already know, I got Runy past October, he was my birthday gift and he was almost two years old and a little skinny. I started feeding him Purina Dog Chow for small breeds cause the friend who gave him to me said that it was the food he was used to eat. i take Runy to the vet at least once a month just to be sure he's doing okay. he got sick about three weeks and he was taking antibiotics and i asked the vet if the food could be the problem because it has corn and other stuff that is not good for him and he said that i should deffinitely try to feed him something else cause that brand is like very comercial so that's why it's cheaper and not very quality. and also, i feel like he's not digesting the food well. 

He's been throwing up about once a week for two weeks in a row and the vomit is like bile with undigested or pieces of his food, so i was wondering, which food do you feed your chi with? or which brand do you think could be the best for him? i did my research and i read somewhere that hills and acana are like the best for chihuahuas but i'm not sure so i wanted to see some opinions from chi lovers. Runy and I would really appreciate it.


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## erinself

Fromm is a very good and affordable food. You can't get it at petco but you can get it from specialty pet stores. Some probiotics would be good to straighten his tummy out. Probably the antibiotics have him out of whack. Try some good plain yogurt with live cultures. Hope he feels better soon!


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## EmberLuvu

Some good, yet affordable brands include:

4Health, Taste of the Wild, Acana, Orijen, Wellness, Evo, Innova, Blue Wilderness, etc.

Fromm is also a good food.

4Health you can buy at roughly $1 a pound @ Tractor Supply Co, and you can get Kirkland at Costco for roughly $26 for 40lbs. 

There are lots of good choices. My top picks would be Orijen, Acana and Taste of the Wild, but all of them are great foods.


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## pupluv168

I feed Toby Fromm and I would recommend it to anyone. It is very affordable. A $14 bag lasts Toby roughly 6 weeks. And I've seen amazing results! Toby's hair loss reversed itself, he no longer gets diarrhea. He's more active and playful. All around much happier. He eats the Four Star Nutritionals grain free varieties. Fromm is a US company, family owned, has never had a recall. 

Acana is good too, although it is a bit more expensive. Orijen is made by the same company. It is veryyyyy expensive and often too rich for non- working breeds like Chis. 

Taste of the Wild, 4health and other Diamond made products are okay by I wouldn't personally feed them due to all the recalls. 


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## pigeonsheep

Wellness core here  both my furballs love it. As for another meal have been feeding a dehydrated brand called "I and love and you" mixed with some fresh boiled,boneless chicken breasts chopped fine at home. Purina bleh! I actually met this random couple on a walk who fed their yorkie ever since it was a puppy mighty dog which is something I would never give my furballs but the dog was going on 15 years old and it looked like it was a puppy, very healthy. I think some dogs bodies can take the supermarket food and some can't, it looks like it's can't and needs one of the better hollistic choices the members have mentioned. Those undigested food bits are,a sure clue that ur baby is not working well with that food and needs to be changed. Hope u find something ur pup likes!


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## KrystalLeigh

Check out the dog food advisor website to see what the foods you've seen locally rate in terms of quality.

Personally, I feed four types of grain free Acana, Ziwipeak, Weruva wet food and raw. 

It could be possible that your dog is reacting to something in the food, like a filler. I would try switching to a higher quality food and then go from there. 


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## kurtsie

thanks for all the recommendations! I'm definitely going to search for one of those today! also might take him to the vet, he keeps throwing up and he just got out of a stomach infection and i don't wan't him to pass trough a relapse  ... I've heard a lot about Acana and Fromm so i might try with those first but a friend also talked to me about Eukanuba and she also said that they have a special food for chi. any of you tried it with your chi?


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## pupluv168

kurtsie said:


> thanks for all the recommendations! I'm definitely going to search for one of those today! also might take him to the vet, he keeps throwing up and he just got out of a stomach infection and i don't wan't him to pass trough a relapse  ... I've heard a lot about Acana and Fromm so i might try with those first but a friend also talked to me about Eukanuba and she also said that they have a special food for chi. any of you tried it with your chi?


Stay away from eukanuba. It is a terrible food. 


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## kurtsie

pupluv168 said:


> Stay away from eukanuba. It is a terrible food.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com App


Really? so i guess that the fact that it has a breed specific formula is not really that good?


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## pupluv168

kurtsie said:


> Really? so i guess that the fact that it has a breed specific formula is not really that good?


The breed specific formulas that companies have are just marketing ploys so that unsuspecting people will think they are feeding what is best for their dog. 


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## kurtsie

pupluv168 said:


> The breed specific formulas that companies have are just marketing ploys so that unsuspecting people will think they are feeding what is best for their dog.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com App


wow, thanks for the info! i'm gonna go out later this afternoon to see which food i can find for him so i wanted to be sure before buying the wrong one... the problem is that it's very hard for me to find good quality food around here. I'm not from the states so the most common dog food around here is commercial food like purina and eukanuba but i'm gonna try to go to every possible place to find a good food for my dog, after all he deserves the best


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## Wicked Pixie

There is now a British dog food rating site, whichdogfood.co.uk
All the brands are available in the UK, but some will need to be ordered online. If you have to buy locally, see what is available near you and then check it out on the site. It isn't as detailed as dogfoodadvisor, but it is a good place to start.


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## kurtsie

Wicked Pixie said:


> There is now a British dog food rating site, whichdogfood.co.uk
> All the brands are available in the UK, but some will need to be ordered online. If you have to buy locally, see what is available near you and then check it out on the site. It isn't as detailed as dogfoodadvisor, but it is a good place to start.


Thanks! I'll definitely try it


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## kurtsie

I went shopping today but couldn't find a lot so i'm gonna keep my search tomorrow but I wanted to ask first: What about hill's? Is it good?


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## Rach_Honey

Hiya, no hills is awful!  

In pet shops you should find - Arden grange, James wellbeloved, barking heads, canagan - all do grain free versions, but the JB and BH ones are packed with carbs potatoes etc, not good if your pups intolerant or has an issue with weight gain - not sure about the other 2, you'd need to check.

If you wanted to order your food online (definitely works out cheaper than in stores if you buy in bulk) - check out Eden, Acana, Fromm, taste of the wild. All great foods! 

X


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## Rolo n Buttons

I feed Canangan but I'm in England so don't know if that's available elsewhere. All natural and grain fee etc 


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## Wicked Pixie

The best kibbles that are UK made (high meat, quality ingredients, grain-free and low carb) are Eden, Canagan, Simpsons Premium and Applaws. Whichdogfood has a buy locally option, so you can see if they are available in your area.
There are other non-kibbled options too.
K9 Naturals and Ziwipeak are dried raw complete diets, or look at feeding raw. If you choose the DIY raw route you can buy everything you need from the supermarket/butchers. Complete pre-made raw dietssuch as Natural Instinct, Honey's and Wolf Tucker are stocked by some pet shops, but most people have it delivered direct from the company.


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## maj

I did feed royal canin which they liked but thanks to rolonbuttons i now feed canagan the chicken variety which has glucosamin and chrondroitin in - 2 wonderful ingredients for helping trachea growth - it took them a week to get used to it but now they love it - i would be worried though if he keeps throwing up thats not normal no matter what he eats


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## Wicked Pixie

There is no excuse to feed a poor quality diet, there are so many good feeds on the UK market now. It's just a matter of finding one that suits both your dog and your circumstances.


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## JessicaLynch

I recommend fromm. I have a chi and a chi mix and I bought their first bag around April 11 and they still have over half the bag left. Since changing from science diet they went from eating two bowls to one to one and half bowls a day. I only pay 12.71 including tax for the 4lb bag of grain free.


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## Wicked Pixie

I have heard so many good things about Fromm, I don't think it is available in the UK though.


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## Wicked Pixie

Look what I just found! Last time I searched Fromm in the UK nothing came up.
Complete dry dog food & holistic dog food, dog collars, waterproof dog beds & huge range of pet supplies | Postal Pets Products
This site has several of the varieties and only £4.50 delivery. Do all the Fromm varieties contain grain though?


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## pupluv168

Stella, the four star nutritionals line has several grain free varieties. I think I remember Melissa saying she couldn't get the grain free in the UK, though. 


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## Wicked Pixie

Ah, they say on that site that the 4 star Nutritionals line is coming soon!


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## pupluv168

Wicked Pixie said:


> Ah, they say on that site that the 4 star Nutritionals line is coming soon!


That's awesome! It is amazing 


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## kurtsie

thanks for the new recommendations! Good news are that after eating a few times some grass, he stopped throwing up! I'm still making the food change though, i want him to have the best and he totally deserves it  unfortunately i couldn't find Canagan but i did find Fromm! i consulted my vet and he told me that i should start the change one step at a time.


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## Wicked Pixie

Just mix a few of the new kibbles in with the old, and slowly decrease the amount of the old food until he i entirely on the new.


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## kurtsie

Wicked Pixie said:


> Just mix a few of the new kibbles in with the old, and slowly decrease the amount of the old food until he i entirely on the new.


thanks! i started doing that and it's kind of funny how he searches just for the new food, if he picks one of the old kibbles he throws it away and keeps searching!  i guess he'll be on the new one very fast!


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## pupluv168

I think you'll be happy on Fromm. Toby had chronic stomach issues and was itchy and losing fur. When I switched to Fromm he made a complete turnaround. He's never looked as good as he does since he's been on it. He's been on it since December and I don't think I will ever change 


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## Wicked Pixie

Given a choice, most dogs seem to know what is best for them  Just keep an eye on his poos, if everything is normal, continue with the changeover. If he gets the runs, stay at the same amount for a few more days.


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## kurtsie

I've been feeding TOTW for almost a year already. I started with the salmon formula but about two months ago i changed it to the bison one. He loves it but he kind of gained a lot of wight. I'm assuming it has to do with the food so I'm thinking on getting him back on the salmon formula or changing to Earthborn since it's the second best option i get around here. Any thoughts on it? 

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## Chiluv04

kurtsie said:


> I've been feeding TOTW for almost a year already. I started with the salmon formula but about two months ago i changed it to the bison one. He loves it but he kind of gained a lot of wight. I'm assuming it has to do with the food so I'm thinking on getting him back on the salmon formula or changing to Earthborn since it's the second best option i get around here. Any thoughts on it?
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App



I know what you mean about the weight gain. I just recently switched from Totw back to Fromm. The thing I liked about Totw is that it has more proteins, where as Fromm has a bit more fruit and veggies than protein. I also started topping their food with Stella and chewy's freeze dried duck, and they love it. We recently got samples of Primal. So I'm really interested in seeing the results of how the dogs do on Fromm in addition to freeze dried.


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## kurtsie

Chiluv04 said:


> I know what you mean about the weight gain. I just recently switched from Totw back to Fromm. The thing I liked about Totw is that it has more proteins, where as Fromm has a bit more fruit and veggies than protein. I also started topping their food with Stella and chewy's freeze dried duck, and they love it. We recently got samples of Primal. So I'm really interested in seeing the results of how the dogs do on Fromm in addition to freeze dried.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I've heard so many good comments about Fromm, unfortunately no one sells it near me and paying for the shipping costs almost twice the price of the food. Earthborn, TOTW and Royal canin are my only high quality food options. 

I was going through Earthborn's web and it says that the primitive natural formula (turkey and chicken) has about 38% of proteins and meadow fest (lamb) has 26%. I guess those are good numbers right?

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## Wicked Pixie

If he is doing well on the TOTW apart from the weight gain, i would stick with it but cut back on the amount you feed.


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## kurtsie

Wicked Pixie said:


> If he is doing well on the TOTW apart from the weight gain, i would stick with it but cut back on the amount you feed.


I was feeding him not more than a cup per day with the salmon formula and I've kept the same amount with the bison one. That's why i find the weight gain weird but my guess is that the bison formula has more proteins than the salmon one. 
I mean, he's not overweight but he's almost getting there. Should i feed half cup per day? 

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## Wicked Pixie

It is possible higher in fat, you can compare the calorie content on the bags.
I would just cut back by a few kibbles, maybe a fifth or sixth less than he is getting now.


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## LadyDevlyn

kurtsie said:


> I was feeding him not more than a cup per day with the salmon formula and I've kept the same amount with the bison one. That's why i find the weight gain weird but my guess is that the bison formula has more proteins than the salmon one.
> I mean, he's not overweight but he's almost getting there. Should i feed half cup per day?
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App



Wow. A cup a day? Romeo eats about 1/3 cup per day and Candi eats 1/2 cup. They are on Natures Variety Instinct. Romeo tends to chunk up quick. Lol. 


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## Chiluv04

kurtsie said:


> I've heard so many good comments about Fromm, unfortunately no one sells it near me and paying for the shipping costs almost twice the price of the food. Earthborn, TOTW and Royal canin are my only high quality food options.
> 
> I was going through Earthborn's web and it says that the primitive natural formula (turkey and chicken) has about 38% of proteins and meadow fest (lamb) has 26%. I guess those are good numbers right?
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App



Have you ever heard of Merrick? Before my decision to switch back to Fromm, I had thought about switching to Merrick. I used to use Merrick years ago, and it is a fabulous food! Spectacular reviews on dog food advisor and dog food analysis. The only reason I didn't switch is because my two boutiques don't carry it. And I believe firmly in supporting small businesses as I have built up several rewards with my two local boutiques. A couple months ago I wrote merrick, and they sent me two coupons for $3.50 off. It's a great 5 star food that's not as popular as it truly should be. 


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## Chiluv04

And I also agree with Stella, about feeding a little less if the Totw if your dog is doing good on it. I only switched from Totw 2 wks ago, and actually Kendall and Bailey are finishing up the last of it. If it weren't for Braxton getting completely bored with it I wouldn't have made the switch, as I prefer the extra protein content taste of the wild has, in comparison to Fromm. Kendall and Bailey always got 1/4 cup twice per day, and now they get a bit under, as they are quick to bulk up as well. 


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## Chihuahua Mommy

Depending on if where you live carries it,i feed Dallas the Merrick Grain Free chicken and sweet potato dog food and it has made his fur so much softer!


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## kurtsie

Wicked Pixie said:


> It is possible higher in fat, you can compare the calorie content on the bags.
> I would just cut back by a few kibbles, maybe a fifth or sixth less than he is getting now.


Just checked and it definitely is higher. I usually feed him three small meals, I try to divide a cup in three but i guess I'll try to feed him 1/4 per meal now.






LadyDevlyn said:


> Wow. A cup a day? Romeo eats about 1/3 cup per day and Candi eats 1/2 cup. They are on Natures Variety Instinct. Romeo tends to chunk up quick. Lol.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App



Awww it sounds like Romeo is really into it lol. 

I thought it was too much but he's not as small as the other chis. I've been feeding him a cup since he started with TOTW salmon formula, he liked it but i guess it was too fishy for him so he used to leave some of the kribbles on his plate. But then i changed it to the bison formula and he really liked it and he finished his food way too fast so i started feeding him three small meals, like dividing a cup in three small portions. I guess I'll try with 1/4.






Chiluv04 said:


> Have you ever heard of Merrick? Before my decision to switch back to Fromm, I had thought about switching to Merrick. I used to use Merrick years ago, and it is a fabulous food! Spectacular reviews on dog food advisor and dog food analysis. The only reason I didn't switch is because my two boutiques don't carry it. And I believe firmly in supporting small businesses as I have built up several rewards with my two local boutiques. A couple months ago I wrote merrick, and they sent me two coupons for $3.50 off. It's a great 5 star food that's not as popular as it truly should be.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Actually, I've never heard of it. But i did my research and it's such a shame no one near my area sells it because it seems to be of very high quality.
A very small part of people in my country worries about their dogs and which food to feed. The purina food brand and eukanuba are the most popular, that's why i have a hard time finding food for my little one.






Chiluv04 said:


> And I also agree with Stella, about feeding a little less if the Totw if your dog is doing good on it. I only switched from Totw 2 wks ago, and actually Kendall and Bailey are finishing up the last of it. If it weren't for Braxton getting completely bored with it I wouldn't have made the switch, as I prefer the extra protein content taste of the wild has, in comparison to Fromm. Kendall and Bailey always got 1/4 cup twice per day, and now they get a bit under, as they are quick to bulk up as well.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


The proteins topic seems to be what most people bring out when recommending fromm. He seems to really like the bison formula of TOTW so i guess I'll keep it until he.gets bored. It's always good to know that there are other options though. 






Chihuahua Mommy said:


> Depending on if where you live carries it,i feed Dallas the Merrick Grain Free chicken and sweet potato dog food and it has made his fur so much softer!


No, we don't get that one here  but who knows, hopefully in a future. People around here don't care much about food but small petshops are starting to realise that at least a small amount of dog owners look for high quality and mostly grain free and holistic dog food.



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## Chiluv04

kurtsie said:


> Just checked and it definitely is higher. I usually feed him three small meals, I try to divide a cup in three but i guess I'll try to feed him 1/4 per meal now.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Awww it sounds like Romeo is really into it lol.
> 
> I thought it was too much but he's not as small as the other chis. I've been feeding him a cup since he started with TOTW salmon formula, he liked it but i guess it was too fishy for him so he used to leave some of the kribbles on his plate. But then i changed it to the bison formula and he really liked it and he finished his food way too fast so i started feeding him three small meals, like dividing a cup in three small portions. I guess I'll try with 1/4.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Actually, I've never heard of it. But i did my research and it's such a shame no one near my area sells it because it seems to be of very high quality.
> A very small part of people in my country worries about their dogs and which food to feed. The purina food brand and eukanuba are the most popular, that's why i have a hard time finding food for my little one.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The proteins topic seems to be what most people bring out when recommending fromm. He seems to really like the bison formula of TOTW so i guess I'll keep it until he.gets bored. It's always good to know that there are other options though.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> No, we don't get that one here  but who knows, hopefully in a future. People around here don't care much about food but small petshops are starting to realise that at least a small amount of dog owners look for high quality and mostly grain free and holistic dog food.
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App



It sounds like Totw is the best option for him. Maybe try switching up the flavors every month to help keep him from getting bored. 😊


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## kurtsie

Chiluv04 said:


> It sounds like Totw is the best option for him. Maybe try switching up the flavors every month to help keep him from getting bored. 😊
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I'm pretty sure he thinks the same lol. That's actually a great idea! Thanks!  

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## Chiluv04

kurtsie said:


> I'm pretty sure he thinks the same lol. That's actually a great idea! Thanks!
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App



You're welcome! Another thing you can do is try a few squirts of grizzly's salmon oil. He may gonnle his food right up then! Or try coconut oil. Both oils have tremendous health benefits. I like the coconut oil best because it smells so sweet 😊and dogs seen to love it!


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## kurtsie

Chiluv04 said:


> You're welcome! Another thing you can do is try a few squirts of grizzly's salmon oil. He may gonnle his food right up then! Or try coconut oil. Both oils have tremendous health benefits. I like the coconut oil best because it smells so sweet 😊and dogs seen to love it!
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Thanks! I got some coconut oil, he tried and loved it!  I was wondering how much is okay to give him? 

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## Chiluv04

kurtsie said:


> Thanks! I got some coconut oil, he tried and loved it!  I was wondering how much is okay to give him?
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App



Awe that's so awesome! I love coconut oil. My dogs went nuts for it when I first bought it. And now they're over it lol. But I still use it to massage them when they get baths, and it's great for their paws. And there are tons of health benefits!


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## Chiluv04

About a quarter sized amount, either in his bowl or I used to warm a teaspoon under hot water, scoop it up and it would melt in seconds. I found that my dogs liked it better melted rather than in their food bowls. 


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## kurtsie

Chiluv04 said:


> About a quarter sized amount, either in his bowl or I used to warm a teaspoon under hot water, scoop it up and it would melt in seconds. I found that my dogs liked it better melted rather than in their food bowls.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


he's in love with it, and he also prefers it melted. is it ok to give it to him daily or should i leave a day or two in between?


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## Chiluv04

kurtsie said:


> he's in love with it, and he also prefers it melted. is it ok to give it to him daily or should i leave a day or two in between?



That's great he loves it. You can give it to him daily, maybe just once per day 😊


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## kurtsie

Chiluv04 said:


> That's great he loves it. You can give it to him daily, maybe just once per day 😊
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I give him once daily and he always ends up asking for more! It's so funny he even does a dance  so i was thinking that maybe i could give it to him twice a day in a small portion but we'll see. Lol. 

Thanks so much for your help and advice 

I was wondering if you could help me out with something else. I feed him TOTW but it's sold out right now and they won't get the new shipment until April's third week. Which leave me with only two options. I could get EARTHBORN'S COASTAL CATCH or ACANA CHICKEN BURBANK POTATO. Now the problem is that my Runy is some kind of a picky eater so he's not really that much into fish :S but it's the only one that comes in the 2.5 kg presentation. Since Runy LOVES chicken i thought Acana could be my best option but Acana comes in the 15.5 pounds only. I would go for acana but i don't know how good it could be to get Runy the big bag cause it would last him almost four months! Will the food get bad from the storage or do you guys think that it could work good for him??

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## zellko

Royal Canin Chihuahua isn't very good either and way too expensive for the quality.


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## Rocky33

Just wanted to say thank you for this very informative thread! For a new person, it would be a valuable "sticky."

I went through a lot trouble to find a food my new dog would eat and finally settled on Whole Earth Farms adult dry food (Merrick) which he loved immediately compared to the others he picked at or wouldn't eat at all. They have a grain free option too if you need that.

I used dogfoodadvisor.com and some other dog forum suggestions to narrow my list to 3 quality affordable (to me) foods. Whole Earth has small pieces too which is nice for small dogs.

But these suggestions give me some great options to switch things up sometimes.


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