# Diet advice



## Allyian (Aug 24, 2013)

Hey guys!

So I have a Chi named Piper, she's going on five months old, and she has become a bit of a picky eater. We made the horrible mistake of switching up her food to quickly and she got a bit sick.

The vet sent us home with a new kind of food, but she won't touch it at all. So I was doing some research online to see if there was anything else I could feed her, to kind of mix up her diet between the normal puppy food I give her so that she won't get sick of it.

I read that cottage cheese is good for dogs, but if I feed her some, will it make her sick like switching dog food brands did? Also, is cottage cheese something that is good for puppies, or only adult dogs?

Any help would be appreciated! Piper is the first small dog that I've ever had, so I worry that any step I take is the wrong one.


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

Welcome to the forum.
Firstly, where abouts are you? This makes a difference as to which foods are available.
What are you feeding her now? Some of the best marketed foods, often those with a hefty price tag, actually contain very poor quality ingredients, and a lot of dogs won't eat them. There are lots of good brands out there too though.
Cottage cheese is a low fat source of protein, but not something I would feed to my dogs. It is a dairy product and a lot of dogs are allergic/sensitive to dairy. It is not a natural food for dogs, and most cottage cheese has a lot of salt in.


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## Allyian (Aug 24, 2013)

Thanks!

I live in the US, we've been feeding her Pedigree Puppy food because that's what the breeder had her on when we got her. She does well on it, but she just doesn't really seem very interested in eating it recently.


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## michele (Jan 12, 2009)

I would get her off the pedigree food ASAP,worst dog food on the market,but you'll have to change over gradually otherwise they get an upset stomach


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## Allyian (Aug 24, 2013)

Thank you, any suggestions on what I should be feeding her? 

Also, I read that boiled chicken and rice are a good "human" food that is good for dogs to eat, but is that true? And if so is it good for puppy consumption?


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## Lindsayj (Apr 18, 2012)

Welcome to the forum! I also live in Alabama! What part are you in? I'm in the Birmingham area. If you're close to here I would recommend going to Hollywood Feed to buy your dog's food. They're big on selling the best dog foods out on the market. Generally, if you can buy the dog food at Walmart, then it's of poor quality. We feed Fromm. Other good brands are Orijen and Acana. These all would have to be bought online or in a specialty feed store. I feed a grain free food which I recommend. It's also not even that expensive if you really think about it. When we only had 1 dog a 4 pound bag would take us about 8 weeks to get through. The bags cost $16.99. So, that's only 30 cents per day. Totally worth it.

About 6 weeks ago we brought home Ella who was in a kind of bad situation. She was eating Purina with Ol Roy on top. Once she came home to us, we switched her to Fromm grain free. Her coat is completely different. It's now very shiny and healthy looking, and she's almost completely stopped shedding. She has much smaller poops which smell less. She has so much more energy. She just smells better in general. On a good food you don't have to bathe your dog near as much. She has less watering of the eyes. Also, on top of all that it's just simply better for her. I've seen first hand how different a dog can be just by switching foods.


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## michele (Jan 12, 2009)

Have a look here.
Chihuahua Diet and Nutrition - Chihuahua Forum : Chihuahua Breed Dog Forums


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## Allyian (Aug 24, 2013)

Lindsayj said:


> Welcome to the forum! I also live in Alabama! What part are you in?


Hello fellow Alabamaian! I actually live far east, right up next to the Georgia state line--out in the middle of no where. lol I love Birmingham though--I was actually up there a couple of weeks ago.

Thank you for the advice! I'm going to be getting her off of Pedigree as soon as I can, I had no idea that it was so bad for them. I'm going to be looking into the foods that you mentioned. Thank you!


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## Allyian (Aug 24, 2013)

michele said:


> Have a look here.
> Chihuahua Diet and Nutrition - Chihuahua Forum : Chihuahua Breed Dog Forums


Thank you!


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## 3 loves (Jun 25, 2013)

Lindsayj said:


> Welcome to the forum! I also live in Alabama! What part are you in? I'm in the Birmingham area. If you're close to here I would recommend going to Hollywood Feed to buy your dog's food. They're big on selling the best dog foods out on the market. Generally, if you can buy the dog food at Walmart, then it's of poor quality. We feed Fromm. Other good brands are Orijen and Acana. These all would have to be bought online or in a specialty feed store. I feed a grain free food which I recommend. It's also not even that expensive if you really think about it. When we only had 1 dog a 4 pound bag would take us about 8 weeks to get through. The bags cost $16.99. So, that's only 30 cents per day. Totally worth it.
> 
> About 6 weeks ago we brought home Ella who was in a kind of bad situation. She was eating Purina with Ol Roy on top. Once she came home to us, we switched her to Fromm grain free. Her coat is completely different. It's now very shiny and healthy looking, and she's almost completely stopped shedding. She has much smaller poops which smell less. She has so much more energy. She just smells better in general. On a good food you don't have to bathe your dog near as much. She has less watering of the eyes. Also, on top of all that it's just simply better for her. I've seen first hand how different a dog can be just by switching foods.


I've learned alot about food on this forum. I wish I had seen some of this before my cookie died maybe it would have saved her. Anyway I have a new chi and am starting him off right.


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## Lindsayj (Apr 18, 2012)

Allyian said:


> Hello fellow Alabamaian! I actually live far east, right up next to the Georgia state line--out in the middle of no where. lol I love Birmingham though--I was actually up there a couple of weeks ago.
> 
> Thank you for the advice! I'm going to be getting her off of Pedigree as soon as I can, I had no idea that it was so bad for them. I'm going to be looking into the foods that you mentioned. Thank you!


Oh I'm so glad! I think people just really have no idea that these big name foods are so terrible. It's really scary to think about. 


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

Also check our dogfoodadvisor.com


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## Allyian (Aug 24, 2013)

One last question, which hopefully isn't stupid. If I boiled some rice and boiled some skinless chicken, could I give that to her without upsetting her stomach? 
I heard that was good for dogs, but I'm not sure if it's good for puppies. And if I switch directly from dog food, to that will it make her sick?

Thank all of you for your advice! It's been very helpful and very informative!


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## Allyian (Aug 24, 2013)

Thank you wicked pixie! That looks very helpful!

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## Allyian (Aug 24, 2013)

Lindsayj said:


> Oh I'm so glad! I think people just really have no idea that these big name foods are so terrible. It's really scary to think about.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com App



You're right, because I had no idea until now. Its very frightening.
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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

I wouldn't introduce anything new, although boiled chicken is pretty bland as is is rice if your dog can tolerate it. Any new food can cause issues, so always make changes gradually.
Keep her on what she is on now, decide what you would prefer her to be eating and introduce that food gradually. You shouldn't get an upset tum that way.


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## Allyian (Aug 24, 2013)

Wicked Pixie said:


> I wouldn't introduce anything new, although boiled chicken is pretty bland as is is rice if your dog can tolerate it. Any new food can cause issues, so always make changes gradually.
> Keep her on what she is on now, decide what you would prefer her to be eating and introduce that food gradually. You shouldn't get an upset tum that way.


Ok, thank you so very very much!!

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## zellko (Jul 3, 2013)

At most of the qualitly pet stores around here they will give you samples of the better quality foods. That was a real blessing after the $$$$$ we spend on foods he wouldn't even sniff. Don't forget to check dogfoodadvisor. I think there's a stickly for it. Great way to get educated quickly. Good Luck! You'll find lots of good advice here.


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## Allyian (Aug 24, 2013)

zellko said:


> At most of the qualitly pet stores around here they will give you samples of the better quality foods. That was a real blessing after the $$$$$ we spend on foods he wouldn't even sniff. Don't forget to check dogfoodadvisor. I think there's a stickly for it. Great way to get educated quickly. Good Luck! You'll find lots of good advice here.


Thank you! I think i will ask about samples, thats good idea! 

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## pacco-chi (Aug 19, 2013)

U could try royal canin chihuahua my described to me he says its the best its have alot of vitamines and its like a medicine and my chis how doesnt preffer dry food really like it

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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

Royal Canin is a mediocre food with a premium price tag. There are far better choices that are a similar price, or cheaper.


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## zellko (Jul 3, 2013)

I agree. The ingredient list they have on their website is NOT what is currently on the bags. Corn is now the first ingredient. Dogs don't need corn, it's just a filler. For the same price you can get much, much better foods. My little guy has become a new dog, energy, coat, no more dry skin on Vet's Choice tiny bites Health Extension. It gets 4 stars ondogfoodadvisor.com but it works for him and fits my budget. (Royal Cannin Chihuahua is only 3 stars and costs more!)
Lots of good info on this site about diet and foods.


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## Baby Girls Mom (Aug 30, 2013)

After reading alot on this site and talking to some of the clerks at Unleashed I decided to gradually switch Baby Girl to raw food

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## 2_FL_chis (Sep 10, 2013)

I feed my chis a raw diet. For convenience I use Natures Variety Instinct frozen.


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## Ellie's mom (Sep 6, 2013)

I just switched to fromm dog food because they weren't eating their food dry. They love this stuff and beg me for more! I got it at Hollywood feed


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