On the other hand, if she is frustratingly finicky over what she likes to eat - some days liking the food you give her some days not - it is likely she is bored with getting the same food too frequently. Try rotating the food types. We like to give a balanced meat and vegetable meal each day but occasionally she enjoys a couple of slices of cooked chicken (pack of slices meant for human consumption - free-range source at no extra cost).
Natural Eating Pattern
Chihuahuas do naturally eat less than many other breeds (not surprising considering their size) but what is not necessarily appreciated is that they will nibble on small unnoticed (by us) morsels all the time. Some experienced dog breeders recommend that you make available fresh dry dog food on a daily basis, and moist dog food every second day (fresh water should always be available of course). The amount they wish to eat will vary daily but an example would be roughly half-cup a day of dry dog food for a 2 Kg (medium sized) Chi. She probably won't eat more than she wants anyway.
Over Eating
It is often said that the bigger problem tends to be that Chi’s can over-eat, but this tends to be as a result of owners giving them human food. So what's the definition of human food? Most human food is what dogs are OK eating anyway - yes, except for processed foods containing high sugar or salt content. In addition, watch out for your Chi regularly eating your cat's food - this is because many types of cat food are too high in fat. Also, giving your Chi the wrong type of treats is difficult for an owner to resist but they then develop a liking for sweet titbits, and the result of all of this is putting on too much weight.
Try to encourage small but balanced meals, and when you are tempted to give treats start introducing these as tiny pieces of fruit. If you have already given other less healthy treats fruit may be less welcome but persevere by gradually increasing the amount of fruit and reducing the none healthy titbits. This does not mean your Chi must become a vegetarian, just try to substitute for the sugar and salt where these are becoming unhealthy.
Commercial Dog Food
Now here is the scary bit. If you are feeding your pet commercial dog food – be careful! There are several research papers indicating that because dog food is not regulated in the same way as human food, the content can be shockingly poor to positively dangerous for your pet. Dog Food Secrets by Andrew Lewis is a "no holds barred" look at this topic.
The gist of what Andrew Lewis is saying is that commercial dog food often contains problem levels of chemicals and preservatives, along with euthanizing drugs, used on the slaughtered animal (he discusses much more than this).
So you think to yourself – I'm OK because I know I get dog food that says free from these things. Unfortunately the legislation that touches on this subject only requires that the dog food producers ensure they don’t add these chemicals, if that is what they are stating, whereas drugs etc are usually present when they receive the carcasses!
So is this another conspiracy theory? We have attempted to check the details ourselves but must confess that it was proving like quite a task. On the other hand we couldn’t find any authoritative proof it was a scam either. On balance it is looking like what Andrew Lewis is saying could be mostly right. Nevertheless, we are not trying to promote his book (although not expensive) because we aren’t 100% sure. The easiest path here is probably assume it is and don’t buy the usual commercial dog food.
Dog Food Recipe
Sandra Dean, a Chihuahua Breeder, gives the following recipe if you would like to make your own Chihuahua food. "Start with a small amount of lean beef, chicken, turkey, pork, or lamb and roast or grill the meat. You can sauté or pan-fry the meat, but try not to add any fat when cooking. When the meat is fully cooked, add a similar amount of a cooked starch like boiled potatoes, noodles, or cooked rice. Next, add a cooked vegetable. Most dogs prefer sweet vegetables like carrots or peas. After the mixture cools, feed it to your Chihuahua and watch the food disappear!"
See Sandra's Make Your Own Chihuahua Food
See also our article Human Foods that are Poisonous on our Poison Prevention page
What are a Chihuahua's sleeping arrangements?
Chihuahuas prefer the protection of a "family" or group of other Chi's when they need to sleep. They tend, therefore, to be a little unhappy sleeping on their own. If you only have the one Chi she will be vary aware of her vunerability, and may find it difficult to sleep. She will not likely identify with other pets in the house - if you're thinking she might settle with your easy-going cat - forget it!
Without the protection of other Chi's she will likely identify you (or owner) as the one to offer her protection as she sleeps, and will make obvious signs that she wants you to be with her.
What this tends to mean is that most Chi owners with a single Chi will bed them down on their own bed at night. If you think this is not what you want to do then think twice about getting a Chihuahua because she and you are likely to be unhappy with attempting other arrangements.
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