Starving Chiwawa?

Question

A starved chiwawa came to my house 2 days ago.His back bone,butt bone and ribs are showing.Im gonna keep the dog but can not take it to the vet for 2 days.I know people gonna say take it to the vet today but my choice is to keep the dog and feed it and keep it hyderated and take it to the vet in 2 days or throw it back out the door.Well I cant do that so the vet will wait 2 days.My question is what is the best dog food I can feed this little guy till I get him to the vet.He loves come and get it but is there another food that will help him put the weigh on faster? Ok I asked my question now I have a statement.For all of you jerks who gets a puppy because it is so cute are idiots.Stop and think about how big the dog will get.How you will train it.Think of the cost of vet bills.My neighborhood is full of neglected dogs.Some starving,beaten,sick and homeless.Do not ever get a puppy just because it is cute.If you can not keep the pup take it to a shelter.There is no kill shelters.

Im getting alot of helpful info from you people.Thank you.I would like to state that I live in the country in Texas.The is no humane society here.No laws on pets.( around Madisonville TX)People gets one pet after the next.How would I get a shelter going out here and dog laws? The closes shelter is 45 miles away.

Answer 1

You should get the dog a canned, "wet" food. These tend to be richer and contain more calories and nutrients than the dry, which the little dog needs right now. You're absolutely right on people owning and neglecting dogs. My next door neighbor got a puppy for her son a few years ago, but when the "cute" wore off and the family had to go to work, school, etc. and didn't have adequate space for the now-grown dog the poor thing became neglected. He spends most of his days inside a small, fenced in area now with little attention. A person should only get a dog if they truly want an adult dog and have the proper resources and time to care for it.

Answer 2

You can give the dog boiled chicken and rice, or some high quality canned food. I would try to go to a specialty pet store and buy Bill Jack frozen dog food. You can call stores to make sure they have it. My grandpa would give this to his dogs if they got sick and lost weight after they were better to fatten them back up. I would just give it small portions about every 1/2 hour at first to make sure it is keeping the food down. A dog that is starving will sometimes eat until it makes it's self sick. You can also call your vet tell them you are bringing the dog there in 2 days, but that you would like to know what kind of food would be best to give it. They should give you some suggestions, and might have something there you could buy for it. I think you did a good thing by rescuing this pup, and have nothing bad to say about the fact you can not take it to the vet for 2 days. You was not planning on this pup so you should not have had a sick dog fund, but if you do keep the dog I would start one. You never know when it will need a vet. The dog does not sound as if it is in extreme need of a vet, but in need of food and TLC. I would feed the dog and watch it. If the dog gets worse you may need to take it in sooner, but if it keeps food and water down and is not hurt I do not think 2 days is a big deal, but please keep that appointment even if the dog looks better. I would say it needs its shots, wormed, and who knows what else the owners sound like they were horrible people. Good Luck and I think you did a great thing.

Answer 3

The worst thing that you can do for a puppy or dog that is thin is to give a lot of food. Small amounts at a time is best and only give the amount recommend for the breed otherwise you will give the dog diarrhea and that will in turn make the dog more dehydrated. Any food that you give will more than likely be a food change and will give some diarrhea you can't realy escape it at this point, however giving the puppy canned food of any kind will help her. As long as its not the cheapest you will be fine. Make sure to get her de-wormed when you do take her, the Vet will most likely recommend this but if not request it. Even if she doesn't have any it will not hurt her to be dewormed and better to be safe than sorry later. Make sure that the dog stays warm and if you wanted to be really nice you could have a heating pad on low with a towel on top of it so that his body won't be buring off fat to keep it warm.

Answer 4

Bless you for taking this poor baby in! I wish I could hug you for it.

As for food, there are a couple of ways to go. Yes, wet food is the best way to nourish and re-hydrate at least some. I am not familiar with Come and get it, but if he is eating this I suggest you add wet food to the dry kibble rather than just switching as it _could_ cause diarrhea otherwise. What _I_ would do is do some home cooking for him. It is very simple and for such a tiny dog it won't take much. This is a recipe my vet gave me for one of the dogs we've had. The ingredients are equal portions:
skinless boneless chicken
carrots
green beans
place in pot, add enough water to totally cover ingredients, boil until you can moosh it easily making sure that the water does not completely boil away and the whole mess burns. Do not drain. Do NOT add ANY seasonings, including salt. Mush this all up and let cool totally. Ladle out no more than 1/2 cup of mush, add about 1/4 C&GI kibble to the mush, and stir in. The reason I am saying such small amounts is because I am concerned that he may eat so fast that he may puke, exacerbating his dehydration. In fact, half those amounts at any one time might be better. Feed him several times a day, always making sure that he is also drinking water. If it appears that he is not drinking enough, you could try stirring a spoonful of mush into a small bowl of water to see if that will entice him to drink more. My big concern is to make sure he doesn't eat or drink too much too fast at any one time.

Right now one of your concerns is a stomach made sensitive by starvation. If cooking is not an option, go for strained meat baby food. In dog food, if you can get to a pet store as opposed to a grocers, get Nutro Natural Choice canned puppy food. If they have a puppy formula for sensitive stomaches, get that. If it is a choice of one or the other, go for the puppy food. Use it in similar fashion to what I said about the cooked mush.

If you have any questions, please email me. You can do that from my profile.

Again, bless you for taking in this poor baby. I love you for it.

I saw that you were asking about starting a shelter where you are. I betcha that the Humane Society &/or the ASPCA would be glad to give you lots and lots of info. See links below.

Answer 5

Feed it a little at a time, several times a day. This would be easier on its stomach than one or two huge meals. Do Not give such a small dog regular-sized dry dog chow. It is too big, too hard for tiny breeds. If you must feed it dry food, get small sized kibbles or "puppy" chow so that its teeth are protected somewhat. With all the problems you are facing now, you don't need a broken tooth! You won't fatally harm the dog if you wait for two days, unless there is something drastic wrong. But since it has made it so far, chances are that there isn't anything drastic wrong. So go ahead and feed it several small meals a day until you see the vet.

Answer 6

For all you suggesting to feed the dog as much as it can eat, you have possibly given a suggestion that will kill it. A dog that is in the condition you described and your not exaggerating, has been with out food for so long that if you start stuffing it full of protien and fat rich food its going to go into shock and you are going to make it sick very very sick and even kill it. To give it rich foods will only throw the balance of the dog way off, its elctrolytes and its sodium and calcium levels will be all askew and you are going to have one poopy, vomity dog on your hands. A dog that is that thin should be gradually fed.
Supply as much water as he will drink, you must feed him several small, very bland meals, with little fat in it.
my suggestion is cooked rice, tuna, and some raw or cooked white meat chicken. Also go to a pet store and buy puppy milk replacer, and give a SMALL SMALL amount of it to the dog, and sprinkle a little over the food that you are feeding. I do mean small portions about 4 to 5 times a day. The dog will gradually bulk up. hes not going to put on a extreme or noticable amount of weight before going to the vet, but hes also not going to get sick and die on you in the 2 days you are waiting to get there. Keep him away from all other dogs, a dog in this condition can and will have worms probably so you dont want to pass it to other pets. DO not feed him wet or canned food or suffer the craps all over your house.

ADDITIONAL INFO: I ran a shelter for several years I didnt start it but I have ideas and info but not enough room to type it all if your intrested send me an email I can give you suggestions. Best to get a group of people together that share same ideas and some sponsors together,

Answer 7

If the dog is dehydrated, the best way to "rehydrate" him is to have the vet give him fluids. They do this by giving the fluids under the skin or intravenously. Dehydration is dangerous and can cause the vital organs to shut down....it's downhill from there.

That being said, you can ask the vet what to do in the meantime, which food/foods would be best to feed him. If he's starving, he'll eat anything, but you have to be careful because you don't want him to eat fast then vomit. That would be disasterous given his state already.

Call the vet and see what you can do in the meantime for the dehydration. You may be able to give him unflavored Pedialyte solution to help add electrolytes. I'm sorry to keep focusing on the dehydration, but that is something that is life threatening, especially in such a tiny dog as a chihuahua.


Good luck to you both. Keep us posted on his progress.

Answer 8

Thank you so much for taking this precious dog in!! For right now, I would feed it whatever it will eat and as much of it as you can, people food included. YThis dog has been starved and he needs to be pampered. We found 2 dogs a couple of years ago that were almost at the point of death, they were so skinny and starved. My son has a vacation house in the mountains and they had been dumped there. They had probably been there a few days before we found them. Their first meal that we gave them was Chicken McNuggets and boy did they eat!! In just a couple of days, their bony bodies were fillin out and in a week, they were very healthy and happy little dogs. We recently rescued 3 pups that had been dumped on our road. I think we found them right after they were dumped and they were in good shape. Very friendly little pups too. We figured there were kids where they came from and they had been played with a lot. We have vetted them and are looking for homes for them. So I agree 100% about people getting the animals and needing to be responsible for them. It is so sad that they get them while they are small and cute and once they get a little bigger, they just toss them aside. Hope the little guy in your care does okay.

Answer 9

Bless your heart for taking in that poor stray. Come n Get it is not the best food for any dog, but will certainly do until you get him checked, and get the appropriate kibble for him..Just feed him what you have on hand, for now.
As he has been starved, his system isn't used to quality foods, so you are likely doing the best for him this week. You don't want him to gain too quickly, but a gradual gain is safer..Otherwise you could risk pancreas disease.
when you run out of the Come n Get it, you can get a better balanced food for him. I would recommend Canidae, Innova, Wellness, Natural Balance, or Solid Gold, as these are all made from high quality ingredients, and will be sure to lengthen the life and health of all of your dogs. You can find those brands at any local pet supply.
I have found that feeding the premium kibbles is a big savings! Yes, they cost more per bag, but less per month. Dogs need less and eat less, and you are not paying for their poop (fillers) by the pound. They also will have fewer health issues, so it saves on vet expense as well.

Answer 10

I suggest feeding the dog as much dog food that it will eat and keep lots of water for it, until you can get it to the vet. And for the other statement that you made, I totally agree, but it's action that counts not just opinions being stated aloud. I suggest joining a committee supporting your statements. Get involved is the best answer!

AND no don't take the dog to the shelter or let it just go, 2 days away is not long if you are going to take the dog to the vet. It needs someone like you who cares. ;)