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My Chihuahua will not eat any dog food I give her, what else can I do to feed her?

She is about 1 year old and she is a very picky eater. She begs when I have food at the table, but I do not want to give her table food. She is a rescued dog and I have no idea what her previous owners fed her. She really does not like dog food, and I have tried almost every brand.

You can stop buying new kinds of food (thank goodness, right?) and stick to your guns with just one. She will not let herself starve – when it's her regular mealtime, set down her bowl and don't pay any special attention to her. If she doesn't start eating within 2 minutes, up comes the bowl and you wait until next mealtime. No treats and no human food! Be sure to tell your family – if somebody is sneaking her treats, it will make things much harder.

Sounds like it will be easy to stop the begging too – just ignore her completely when she begs. "What dog?" – Never give her attention and/or food while you're at the table and this too shall pass.
Good luck!

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 16th, 2008 at 8:02 am and is filed under Chihuahua Rescue. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  • Misa M

    You can stop buying new kinds of food (thank goodness, right?) and stick to your guns with just one. She will not let herself starve – when it's her regular mealtime, set down her bowl and don't pay any special attention to her. If she doesn't start eating within 2 minutes, up comes the bowl and you wait until next mealtime. No treats and no human food! Be sure to tell your family – if somebody is sneaking her treats, it will make things much harder.
    Sounds like it will be easy to stop the begging too – just ignore her completely when she begs. "What dog?" – Never give her attention and/or food while you're at the table and this too shall pass.
    Good luck!
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  • bay bay

    I HAVE ONE TOO. HE EATS DOG FOOD SOME. BUT I GIVE HIM CUT UP HOTDOGS. VEIENNAS. GOOD LUCK
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  • Kirsten __ x

    well just trick her … eat your food … but have a bowl of dog food nearby and when she begs for food give her that … she will eat when she gets hungry … but if not then just feed her meat like chicken, beef … whatever she likes !!
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  • JeN

    Dogs will NOT let themselves starve. Put down fresh dog kibble of good quality twice a day, leave it down for 30 minutes and then pick it back up. If she doesn't eat it – too bad! Once she gets hungry she'll change her tune, it just takes an owner who is firm enough not to give in and give table scraps ;)

    [In response to a previous answer, hot dogs are a BAD idea. The oils will rot the teeth and invite infection into the gums, and as the dog gets older the pancreas becomes less tolerant of such rich food which leads to pancreatitis and diabetes. Dry dog kibble is the best thing to feed your dog, it is less damaging to the teeth, and is balanced for their digestive system.]
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  • Gems

    likely hood is her previous owners fed her tbale scraps.

    i would either leave dry food down all the time and ginore the begging (dont give her anything else) or put food down for 5mins then if she doesnt eat it, pick it up and do it again in 2 hours.

    Once she realizes thats all shes getting she will eventually eat. NO healthy dog will truly starve itself…its not heard of for a healthy adlut dog of chihuahua size to fast for up to 5days…

    personally as a chihuahua owner knowing how picky this breed can be, i wouldnt give in now if you do youll be giving in to her all the time.

    you COULD try a good quality wet food (my guys like merrick) as a dressing (put a bit ontop of her kibble) to try and entice her to eat, but beware she may expect it everytime.
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  • Cheekydelight

    Who owns who? LOL… your dog will eat if it is hungry.. be firm that all that is needed and dont give in to her.. you only have to give in once and you've rewarded her for her fussiness. I know it sounds harsh but pick a quality brand & stick to it and in time.. she will eat when she needs to.
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  • refugio

    Presumably since she is still alive, and not skin and bone, she is eating enough. Better just stick with one kind of dog food. Chihuahuas are quite small and don't need to eat a whole lot. Take her for walks and see if her appetite and mood don't improve.
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  • Lindsey C

    i have a Chihuahua. He dosen't barley eat any dog food. Chihuahua's don't need lots of food they almost live off water. We have a huge water bowl for my dog and we have to re-fill it everyday. He also eats table food. I guess it's okay to give it to them. My dog loves table food and whines while i cook dinner.
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  • strawberryred0128

    my dogs were very picky then the vet told us to add a little of their water from their water dish into their food to make it a little wet, also try to add in canned dog food into their stuff,

    my aunts try boiled chicken and rice when their dogs just can;t stand their food, its okay for them helps with their digestion
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  • Michelle J

    I had the same problem with my dog. I was so worried that I started hand feeding him. BIG mistake. Stick to one dog food. I give my dog canned and dry mixed together. Leave it there for 30 minutes if he doesn't eat it take it away.

    Under no circumstances give him table food. Even if you do that once he'll think if he acts this way he'll get more. Eventually he will eat the dog food. Just make sure that he is drinking his water. He'll be fine.
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  • mrsdeli

    Here is a recipe my vet gave me for my dog. I don't like the by products in dog food…he would throw up. This combo gives the dog all the same nutrition as dog food. I make enough for a week. I keep it in the fridge so the dog has no idea that it is actually table food. He does not beg at the table.

    Brown either 93% lean chopped meat, chopped turkey or chopped chicken with some broth…add mixed veggies. I get the frozen bagged that has green beans, carrots, corn, lima beans, and peas. Mix in pre cooked brown rice.

    I mix Beneful healthy weight crunchies with some of the wet food.

    FYI my dog started this diet at 3 yrs and is now 14 and still acts like a young dog.
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  • greyhound mummy

    one of my greys was like that for months..she went 2 and bit days once without food and i couldnt do it anymore ..now all 3 of my dogs are on a raw det and they are doing great, they will not touch dry food and i did actually read on a web page ages ago that contry to belief dry is not good for your dogs teeth..it basically said that "we as humans eat biscuits and crackers etc and after our mouth and teeth dont feel fresh and clean and its the same for a dogs teeth2…so if i was u id try raw or home cooked xx…i, like u tried EVERY single dog food on the market to no avail but im proud 2 say my 3 are raw feeders..yes raw meat with all the yucky stuff and not a kibble in sight xx
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  • Pedro’s Mommy

    My Chihuahua WON’T eat raw….is that odd? I just started my minibull on raw, and gave my chihuahua some, and he’ll just kind of lick it a bit, then leave it. I can’t leave it too long or else it’ll go bad! Is this normal?

  • jan

    This is the best and makes the most sense comment,
    because both of my chi’s get sick when they eat dog food, yuck!

    Bella has seizure’s and Teddy throws-up, I don’t now what is
    in it but it does not agree with there systems at all.

    anyway I cook for them like babies that you want to be healthy. what’s funny, is just as your vet mentioned,is exactly what I had been doing all along, but was wondering if I could do more and I guess the answer is no, because I had also been giving them Nutri-Cal for dogs (they also get sick with that).
    Now I am satisfied I will keep on doing what i have been doing. Thanks for the encouragement!!!

    Just using common sense when feeding babies you love.

The Chihuahua Manual