What other kind of dog food can I feed my Chihuahua?

Question

I've feed her dry dog food and she'll only eat it for a day or two. She's starting to lose weight because I'm trying to refrain from feeding her table food. I've tried wet dog food and that only worked for a day or two.

Answer 1

Has she been to a vet lately to see if she has anything wrong that makes her not want to eat? Or has she just always been a picky eater?

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Do you give the dog any snacks and treats? Cut out the extras, only give the dog it's dog food until it learns that it should eat dog food.

Call the dog to you, put the bowl down, and pick it up 15 minutes later regardless if he has eaten or not. Offer the food to him in this manner 2-3 times a day. A dog will not starve itself. It will learn that the food you give him is his food that he should be eating.

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On choosing a good dog food:

Read the ingredients on the food you buy. Go with a high quality dog food. A grain should not be in the first couple ingredients ingredient (corn and such are mainly fillers, dogs don't digest it well). Avoid foods that have a lot of "by products" listed.

Here is an article about byproducts:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=ingrd

And an article on what ingredients to avoid:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients

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There is no single food that is "best". For example, some dogs thrive on grain-free foods, while grain-free is too rich for other dogs. What you want to find is the high-quality food that *your dog* does best on. (I recommend feeding dry food instead of wet. It's healthier for the gums and teeth.)

Some GOOD foods are :
* Merrick - http://www.merrickpetcare.com/
* Solid Gold - http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/
* Canidae - http://www.canidae.com/
* Timberwolf - http://timberwolforganics.com/
* Orijen - http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/orijen/
* Wellness - http://www.omhpet.com/wellness/
* Chicken Soup brand - http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/
* Blue Buffalo - http://www.bluebuff.com/
* Innova - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/innova.asp
* Innova EVO - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/evo.asp

Or check this website for good foods: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
(I recommend only feeding foods rated 4, 5, or 6 stars. Anything 3 stars or less, I would stay away from.)

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Stay away from grocery stores brands. They are low-quality foods chalk full of fillers, preservatives, dyes, etc.. (Grocery store foods are those like Beneful, Old Roy, Alpo, Pedigree, Purina, etc.)

Beware "premium" foods. "Premium" does not mean good nutritionally, and is not a nutritionally high quality food. It has the same types of ingredients as grocery store foods, just a bit better quality of those not-so-good ingredients. (Premium foods are those like Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, etc..)

Another thing to be wary of: A lot of vets will recommend what they sell in their office. They get profit from the brands they keep on their shelves, that's why they push it. Truth is, vet schools don't focus a lot on nutrition. It's not saying that a vet is a bad vet because he recommends those foods, a lot of vets just are told "this is good food", so they pass the message along without proper nutrition knowledge. Also, some dog food brands (like Hills) support vet schools, so vets have heard of it from the time they start college, which makes them think it's good as well.

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Higher quality food may seem more expensive at first, but it evens out. The higher quality the food, the less fillers eaten (and therefore the less poop comes out the other end). Your dog eats more to try to get the nutrition it needs, and most of the food just passes right on through. Also, it will make your animals healthier, so you save money on vet bills in the long run.

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"Big box" petstores like Petco and Petsmart rarely have quality foods. (I do believe that PetCo sells "Solid Gold" and "Natural Balance" brands and Petsmart sells "Blue Buffallo", which are all higher quality foods, but most of the foods aren't.)

Also, grocery stores and Walmart aren't good places to buy food either.

Your best bets for getting quality dog food are:
- small, locally owned petstores
- dog boutiques
- farm supply stores

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When switching foods, do it gradually. I do this over about a two week timespan:
25% food A, 75% food B
50% food A, 50% food B
75% food A, 25% food B
100% food A

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Another option is you could try raw and see if she likes it better than kibble. If you decide to do raw, you need to do research to determine what amounts (based on the weight of your dog) of what things (meat, organ, bone) you need to feed your dog. It is **imperative** that you do the research so your dog gets proper nutrition on this diet.

Here's a place to start your research:
http://www.dogster.com/forums/Raw_Food_Diet/thread/431875
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Answer 2

purina is crap, do not feed it. pick a good quality dog food. you will have to check the ingrediants on the food. meat should be the first ingrediant, as well as most of the top 7. you will more than likely have to go to a private dog shop for these foods, most are not available at petco/petsmart. if she still wont eat just dry, try somethign called lamb loaf 9made by natural balance). we give that to dogs that wont eat at my kennel and most love it. i do no recommend white rice, if you want to feed rice, then feed multi grain. you can also try freshly made veggies, like carrots and beans. or you can try raw diet.

Answer 3

Merricks is a great dog food. It smells like human food and has great ingredients. I feed my cat Merricks & Science Diet. He's a spoiled Kitty and my friend feeds his Purebreed Grerman Shepard Merricks as well.

http://www.merrickpetcare.com/
http://www.merrickpetcare.com/store/

Here is a blurb form there site.

"Our holistic can entrées read like a menu at a five star gourmet restaurant and are unique to say the least. These meals combine the fine quality of human grade ingredients from the protein sources that we use as the number one ingredient to the fresh vegetables and fruits that we add to all of these special dishes. If you read our ingredient panel, you will notice that we did not forget any of the details and that these meals are loaded with nutrition.

The specialty of our foods here at Merrick is the details and one of those details is the apples we use. We use Fuji, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith and Red varieties to give our meals the special Merrick touch, and we pair them with the entrée that they compliment best. After all, this is a five star menu, right? We make our cans especially for your pet right here at our plant in Texas, and we would love for your canine companion to have a taste of the good life today. Give us a try and treat your dog like royalty."

Answer 4

Check into the Canidae or the Wellness.

Answer 5

Try white rice its good for dogs and helps them gain weight.

Answer 6

All I've ever fed is Purina

Answer 7

purina it keeps them strong and healthy