Last updated on May 24th, 2021 at 01:57 am
Chihuahua owners often mistakenly choose the wrong dog food for their pet, simply
buying what they find on their local store’s shelves. With so many choices there, it’s no wonder they become so confused, especially since some of these brands carry the label of “premium.” However, if your concern is to get the best dog food for Chihuahuas, it’s important to take a close look at these foods. In doing so, you’ll find that there’s a lot of junk in these foods and not much nutritional value for your chihuahua. While this doesn’t mean you must buy your dog’s food from your vet, it does mean is you have to use caution in what you do feed your dog.
As you look at the ingredients in the dog food you’re considering buying, make sure the following ingredient are kept to a minimum if they’re used at all:
- Food dyes
- Preservatives
- Filler products (e.g. corn, low-quality grains)
- Corn and wheat gluten
- Sugar
- Corn syrup
- Animal fat
Best food for Chihuahua
Knowing what to avoid in your dog’s food is only half the battle. It’s also important to look at some of the beneficial ingredients your pet’s food should include. What you’re searching for is the right balance of meat, vegetables, and overall nutrition. Since these aren’t typically found in the foods your local stores sell, you’ll have to look elsewhere. Typically, this means you’ll have to pay for shipping, but this is a small price to pay for your pet’s health and well-being.
The first ingredient you’ll want to find is meat. You want 40% meat content, whether it’s chicken, beef, fish or lamb. Otherwise, there isn’t enough to meet their needs. Since it’s difficult to know just how much meat is in a bag of dog food, make sure it’s listed in at least 3 of the top 5 ingredients.
Secondly, your dog needs plenty of vegetables. This is where your dog gets most of his vitamins and minerals he needs. You’ll want to watch for the healthier vegetables, which include carrots, peas, sweet potatoes, squash, zucchini, and broccoli. Make sure there aren’t many filler vegetables (e.g. potatoes) listed in the ingredients. Your dog’s food should consist of about 40% of healthy vegetables, which means you should read about them right after reading about the meat when looking at the ingredients in a dog food.
Now you understand 80% of your dog’s food should consist of meat and healthy vegetables, there’s about 20% of the ingredients left. This 20% should consist of starches like pasta.
Best Dog food for Chihuahua Puppies
Bringing a new Chihuahua puppy home is a great experience. However, you’re probably wondering what you should feed him. The best dog food to feed your chihuhua puppy is a high-quality dry dog food that’s been formulated specifically for small-breed puppies. However, since your Chihuahua’s small size makes him especially prone to hypoglycemia, you want to pay particular care in finding and feeding not only the right brand, but the right amount of food each day.
One of the best dry foods to feed your Chihuahua puppy is Royal Canin. It has plenty of
highly digestible protein, which also helps reduce your puppy’s stool odor and amount. Another nice, exclusive aspect of this food is it’s small size and shape makes it easier for your puppy to chew. It’s also highly palatable, which is great if your puppy has a fussy appetite. Essentially, there are three reasons why this dry puppy food will satisfy your pet’s appetite:
- The food is carefully chosen so it has an exceptional aroma and flavor
- The food is just the right size for your puppy’s miniature jaw
- The food offers an appropriate fiber content and high quality carbohydrate source
This food also helps support good digestion because it has highly digestible proteins. These proteins, coupled with the right amount of fiber and high-quality carbohydrates are important as your puppy grows. While you’ll find all these things in Royal Canin for Chihuahua puppies, you’ll also find probiotics and an exclusive complex of antioxidants (vitamins E and C, lutein, and taurine), which help develop his natural defenses. Overall you’ll find full, complete, balanced nutrition within this food.
What to Feed Your Adult Chihuahua
Once your Chihuahua is 8 months old, it’s time to transition to adult dog food by mixing
Royal Canin for Chihuahua puppies with Royal Canin for adult Chihuahuas. Start by adding ¼ adult dog food on the first day, then increasing by another ¼ each day until the transition is complete (this is day four).
The nutritional precision of this dog food corresponds with the nutritional needs of your adult chihuahua dog while its exclusive miniature jaw size makes it easy for them to eat. The adult formula will also continue reducing their stools and its odor and also has the intense flavors and aromas they enjoy (great for their continued, fussy appetite). The main difference is the adult chow has nutrients that helps your dog maintain their healthy coat thanks to its high content of Omega 3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA), Omega 6 fatty acids and biotin. This really is the full, complete, balanced nutrition your dog needs. It also has L-carnitine, a moderate amount of sodium, and antioxidants to support your dog’s heart health so he can live a long, healthy dog.
Best dog food for Chihuahua With Allergies
Sometimes Chihuahuas are predisposed to allergies. When this happens, it’s important
you feed them “hypoallergenic” dog food. This is dog food that’s specifically formulated with a low risk of creating an allergic reaction. Here it’s important for you to feed your dog a premium, organic dog food such as Wellness Simple Natural Limited Ingredient Dry Dog Food.
The key to this food is it doesn’t contain any unnatural protein ingredients (e.g. cow hooves, chicken beaks, lamb skin, bone meal, which typically are what your pet is allergic to. They’re also 100% natural and grain free (no gluten or wheat). Nonetheless, they still contain plenty of protein and flaxseed for your dog’s healthy skin. All of this makes them easily digestible for dogs with allergies.
What to Feed Your Chihuahua With Arthritis
Senior Chihuahuas (12-years-old and older) are prone to developing arthritis. As such,
they need food with a lower fat content and a higher fiber content. Protein levels should stay the same unless your dog is also having kidney problems, which requires a low protein diet. Some senior dogs will have problems eating dry dog food, though, which is when you’ll want to add a warm, low-sodium broth to soften it a bit. Even then, the best food for older Chihuahuas is Wellness CORE Natural Grain Free Dry Dog Food, Small Breed since it’s a 100% natural, protein-rich, grain free dog food especially meant for small breeds like yours. This food is nutrient-dense, without any meat by-products or fillers. It also contains antioxidants, omega fatty acids, probiotics, and flax so your dog is healthy and his skin and coat are well too.
What to Feed Your Chihuahua Who Needs to Gain Weight
The type of dog food you feed will significantly impact how much he weighs. Since high-quality dog food such as Wellness CORE and Royal Canin, has better ingredients it fulfills your dog’s nutritional needs. This is a great starting point for making sure your dog is at the right weight. Make sure you’re feeding dry dog food too as this has more carbohydrates, which stimulates weight gain. If your dog isn’t gaining or maintaining the right amount of weight, you can also try feeding him Royal Canin puppy food. While he won’t eat more, his caloric intake increases and this can help. You can also add Wellness CORE Natural Grain Free Wet Canned Dog Food, Caru Stew, or a pump of Grizzly Salmon Oil All-Natural Dog Food Supplement to his food. There are also some dog foods specifically made for your dog to gain weight, such as Eukanuba Premium Performance 30/20 dog food, which contains plenty of protein and fat to promote lean muscle. However, you need to make sure this is your last resort as it’s typically very difficult to change dog foods.
How to Feed Your Chihuahua
Now that you know what to feed your dog, it’s a matter of how to feed him. Puppies need one ounce of dry dog food per pound of body weight. When he’s under 3-months-old and weighs less than 2 pounds you should free-feed them, but after that, you should only feed your Chihuahua what he can eat within a 30 minute time period. By the time he’s 6-months-old he should eat three or four meals a day. Then by the time he’s 1-year-old he should only eat twice daily to keep a constant metabolism throughout the day.
Precisely how much you feed your dog is somewhat of an art form. While you want to start by following what the information on your dog food suggests, which is typically based on your dog’s weight, you’ll need to adjust this according to how much he’s actually finishing. For instance, if he eats everything in one sitting then appears like he’s searching for food all day, you’ll want to feed him more unless he’s underweight (never feed diet food because it’s junk).