What to feed a chihuahua? Proper diet and nutritional habits of a dog

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

These little dogs are very popular all over the world. There is hardly anyone who will remain indifferent to these tiny and cute creatures. Many believe that the modest dimensions of dogs mean only one feeding per day. This opinion is extremely erroneous. Little friends need frequent and balanced meals. Therefore, every future dog owner should know everything about what to feed a Chihuahua and how to regulate his diet.

Important nuances of feeding

Quality pet food is the key to his he alth and good mood. A complete Chihuahua diet should include the vitamins and minerals necessary for its development. You can feed your dog with natural products or ready-made food, which is sold in pet stores. If the choice fell on feeding live food, care should be taken to supplement the diet with mineral supplements. Even if the pet's menu is finely balanced,it will be very difficult to calculate the right amount of vitamins in his food. Therefore, you need to add special tablets to meat and cereals that will make up for the lack of nutrients.

If there is no time for daily thoughts about what to feed a Chihuahua, you can choose the option of eating ready-made dry food. This is very convenient, since it is already well balanced with all the necessary trace elements, it is stored for a long time and is easily dosed. The required daily portion of food is always written on the package. When determining the daily rate of food, you should always pay attention to the weight of the dog. This rate should be divided into several meals. If you pour the entire portion into the bowl at once, the Chihuahua's stomach will not digest it properly and the dog will experience discomfort. When thinking about what to feed a chihuahua from pet store products, you need to choose only premium food.

Chihuahua feeding routine

Doggy food should be at room temperature, and the water in the drinker is always clean. You need to change the water daily, rinsing the bowl before each replacement with a soapy sponge. Chihuahuas can be very picky and picky about their food choices. Therefore, you should not indulge their desires to eat something delicious from the master's table. When feeding prepared food, do not mix their diet with natural products.

Veterinarians recommend feeding an adult Chihuahua 2-3 times a day. The puppy needs to eat more often - from 6 to 8 times a day. After each meal, the bowl of food must be cleaned. A few hours later, when it's time for the next feeding,a hungry dog will eat the entire portion of the food offered. If she persistently refuses to eat, you should contact the veterinarian - perhaps the pet is sick. The doctor always knows how much a Chihuahua eats during an illness. Therefore, he will quickly determine the cause of the ailment and help to improve the pet's appetite.

Food and water bowls should not stand on the floor, but on a special stand that adjusts to the level of the animal's chest. Thus, the dog's spine will not be subjected to unnecessary stress.

He althy and natural foods for Chihuahua

Every dog's diet should contain proteins, carbohydrates and vegetable fats. Also, the body of a chihuahua needs mineral and vitamin supplements no less than a human. Every day, the pet should eat meat, which can be replaced with fish or liver several times a week. Many owners of these dogs doubt whether a Chihuahua can have a liver. However, these doubts are completely groundless. The liver is a very he althy product that is loaded with a huge amount of nutrients.

How to feed natural food to your pet

Before you feed the Chihuahua chicken fillet, it should be boiled. The rest of the meat can be given raw to the dog. No need to give your little friend chicken eggs more than once a week. They should only be served boiled. From cereals it is recommended to give preference to rice, buckwheat or millet. You can mix cereals with fermented milk products: fermented baked milk, homemade cottage cheese,kefir or natural yogurt.

Vegetables for a Chihuahua must first be boiled. Some owners doubt whether a Chihuahua can eat raw carrots. Yes, it is quite possible to give the dog this raw vegetable, chopped on a grater. Fill the carrots with sour cream or sunflower oil. Fruit for a dog must be selected only the freshest. To make it more convenient for the dog to eat them, you need to cut them into small cubes. The he althiest fruits for a Chihuahua are bananas and apples.

What not to feed your pet

Not all natural foods are suitable for feeding little friends. Among the prohibited foods for chihuahuas are the following foods:

• Fatty fish and meat. Fat negatively affects the dog's digestion, so the meat for feeding should be lean. For a Chihuahua diet, it is advisable to choose beef.
• Pollock. This variety of fish disrupts the normal process of assimilation of foods containing iron. It also provokes the appearance of urolithiasis.
• Sausage. Due to the huge number of harmful additives, this product is not recommended for human consumption even.
• Nuts. They, like pollock, will contribute to the appearance of stones in the urinary tract.
• All types of legumes. Will only cause cramps and bloating.
• Paprika. Increases the risk of possible gastritis.
• Bow.
• Whole milk. Many owners do not even think about whether a Chihuahua can have milk. While it causes pain and flatulence in the dog's stomach.
• Varioussweets. Ice cream, sweets, chocolate - all these harmful foods are very attractive to dogs. Do not give in to the temptation to please the dog with delicious treats. Such food will give them stomach pain and digestive problems.

Also, don't let your Chihuahua food be too hot or too cold. After preparing meat or fish for a dog, you need to remove all the bones from them so that the pet does not choke.

What should be the daily diet

When compiling a daily diet, it is worth remembering that the daily dose of food is 50-80 g per 1 kg of dog weight. An adult Chihuahua, who weighs about 2 kg, should eat 100-160 g of wholesome food per day. The daily dose must be divided into 3 parts, so that 2/3 are proteins. The rest of the diet should contain plant foods.

Those who decide to feed their pet natural food can stick to the following menu:

• Breakfast: low-fat cottage cheese mixed with finely chopped herbs and fruit.
• Lunch: boiled fish or porridge with vegetables.
• Dinner: boiled lean meat with stewed vegetables.

In the evening, it is better to feed Chihuahuas with light food that is quickly digested. If you feed your dog right before bed, the food will not have time to digest in the stomach. Then the pet can suffer from bloating and gas all night long.

Feeding a pregnant Chihuahua

No wonder so many people are breeding these beautiful creatures. A pregnant chihuahua must eat according to a special regimen that willpromote the growth and he alth of her babies. The first month of bearing offspring does not require dietary adjustments. Then more raw meat and egg yolks can be added to the Chihuahua's diet. Do not forget about the required amount of vitamins A, B1, E, D. They must be given to the dog from the very beginning of pregnancy.

If the litter is supposed to be large, you need to supplement the Chihuahua menu with calcium, and also try to feed plenty of fermented milk products. Sea fish will become a source of valuable protein. It must be cooked until all the bones are soft.

Feeding the dog ready-made food

Not all owners have enough free time to cook what the Chihuahua loves several times a day. Therefore, many choose dry food for her nutrition. This is an excellent solution, since you do not need to supplement the dog's diet with vitamins and minerals - they are already included in the food. It is easy to dose it to the daily norm, store it in reserve, and it does not deteriorate at all in the heat, as is often the case with natural dishes. Having poured some food into the bowl in the morning, you can safely go to work without worrying that the pet will eat the missing product after a few hours.

There are a huge number of different dog foods on the market. Of these, you need to choose only one that is suitable for dogs of small breeds. You can not take cheap feed with a poor composition. When thinking about what to feed a chihuahua, it is advisable to consult a veterinarian to choose the best and highest quality.food option for your pet.

What you need to know about dry food

Feeding dry food not only provides your pet with all the necessary vitamins and minerals, but also prevents the formation of tartar. Gnawing hard granules daily, the animal prevents the development of gum disease. You just need to choose the optimal size of the pellets and make sure that the Chihuahua dog likes their taste.

Dry food contains many useful substances that activate the immune system and form its protective properties. Thanks to the variety of ready-made dog food, you can choose the food that best suits the needs of your little chihuahua. Do not succumb to advertising and buy the most popular food. Usually it is not of good quality. Manufacturers who produce a truly useful product do not need extensive advertising for their product.

Canned Chihuahua food

With either of the two possible food options, owners sometimes feed their Chihuahua dogs with canned food. They are convenient to take with you on a trip, they do not take up much space in your travel bag, you do not need to dose a portion or worry that the dog will not like the food. Chihuahuas simply love canned food and will always be happy to try such a delicacy.

This food, like dry food, is saturated with all the necessary vitamins and nutrients. Therefore, you should not worry about the balance of the Chihuahua's diet. Of course, this condition can only be met ifif canned food is not cheap, and its production is fully approved by the association of veterinarians.

What supplements does a dog need

When feeding natural food, care should be taken to ensure that the dog receives all the vitamins and minerals necessary for a he althy life. Ordinary foods contain insufficient amounts of nutrients. Therefore, the Chihuahua diet should be supplemented with the following supplements:

• Vitamin A. It is found in large quantities in the liver and fish.
• Vitamin D. It is abundant in chicken yolks and meat.
• Vitamin C. To replenish it in the Chihuahua's diet, you need to add more greens and vegetables.
• B vitamins. It can be obtained from raw meat.

If the dog does not get enough nutrients from food, you can make up for their deficiency by taking vitamins that can be bought at a veterinary pharmacy. Tablets must be dosed strictly according to the instructions and mixed with the pet's food.