My Chihuahuas were brought up by me on Pedigree Chum Puyppy food, and have always eaten a mixture of tinned meats and Webbox Chub (they loved this) as adults, but I have recently weaned them onto a complete dried meal now, called Eukanuba Adult Small Breed.
Does anybody have any opinion of this food ? Should I be adding in any further supplements ? (I do give them Pedigree Chum Gravy Bones as treats).
They used to love their meaty meals and always used to tuck in eagerly at set mealtimes (twice a day), but with the dried food, they tend not to tuck in as excitedly and it just gets eaten as and when throughout the day, it does all get eaten but not as set meals times anymore, so now I just put the full daily quota in a bowl for them all to access at all times. But by doing this I am concerned that 1 of them may be getting more than another...
I am certain that they personally preferred the meat dishes, but I changed over as I feel that a complete food might be better for them in the long run, am I right ?
NB. Love the Show Victoria, I was shocked to see how badly behaved and nasty Jodie Marsh's Chi's could be, I have never seen behaviour like that in any of mine... It was wonderful how you worked with them and how much they changed, I hope Jodie is keeping up with the routines as she did give chi's a bit of a bad name....
I will be getting your book from my partner for Christmas, Are there any plans to bring out a DVD shortly ?
Food for Chihuahuas
Moderators: emmabeth, BoardHost
Remember the show with the lady who made gourmet meals for her dogs such as roast lamb, and then the family ate microwave dinners? Victoria put them onto a diet of rice, grilled chicken and vegetables along with kibble I think? (feel free to correct me). I have now adopted this - and am in the process of weaning my dogs off wet science diet canned food and wet chum, however I am using rice, cooked beef mince and mixed vegetables - my parents use pasta instead of rice.
I have a personal problem with Eukanuba in that they are made by IAMS, who have used animals for science testing.
I don't know opinions of complete kibble diets though - my dogs would hate it! My dogs look forward to their dinner every night, they know when it's dinner time, they sit waiting for it to be made into their bowls, and they REALLY look forward to their raw chicken necks for dessert!
So sorry that I can't help you with your actual question, I'm curious to see others opinions too.
I have a personal problem with Eukanuba in that they are made by IAMS, who have used animals for science testing.
I don't know opinions of complete kibble diets though - my dogs would hate it! My dogs look forward to their dinner every night, they know when it's dinner time, they sit waiting for it to be made into their bowls, and they REALLY look forward to their raw chicken necks for dessert!
So sorry that I can't help you with your actual question, I'm curious to see others opinions too.
Chihuahuas, being one of the smallest breeds of dog, do not need very much food. The key thing is understanding volume of food your dog can have. Kibble is ok, but it can be very boring for dogs. We give our Dal rice, vegetables, meat and occasional rib bones (only one per time we eat them though). Don't give a dog cooked chicken bones, as they splinter and can create a choking hazard.
thanks guys
Thanks for both your replies. I did see the show last season where the family spend £1000's on quality meals for their dogs whilst they lived on junk, I do remember now that Victoria suggested normal wet dog food, and that even putting it in the microwave for a split second and adding little bits of garlic helped the dogs to belive it was 'real' food.
I have kept Chihuahuas for some time, and I have always had control over exactly how much food each of my dogs get to eat, due to the size of their tums, so that they do not get fat. I am really more concerned about whether I did the right thing changing over from a diet of wet meat that they loved, to a dried complete food, which they obviously couldn't care less about (but DO eat it), and now it does mean that I don't have that control over their individual eating habits, which I am not happy about.
My vet is always raving about dried food, but I have never thought much of it myself, I can see how they would find it boring, but decided to change over to it as it does claim to have everything that they need.
After having seen the show tonight, with the 2 Spanials, I think it answered my question for me, dried food is just plain boring.which is understandable, and I think that as a result, I will go back to my previous regime of wet food, rather than the dried food, as it means I will have more control over how much each of them eats again, and I can also look forward to seeing their faces light up each meal time again...Which is important for me. WE also used to add in freshly cooked rabbit and chicken on occassions, and used to mix tuna and mackerel etc.. into their food once or twice during the week (being small dogs, they do need slightly more protein than larger dogs so the fish helps to keep that up). We have a doberman also, and when she was ill as a younger dog, our vet recommended rice and chicken to help her back onto a solid diet, and it worked a treat, so I do agree with you that rice and pasta are good for them too.
I can see how much my dogs must miss their nice wet meals, when I place a boring bowl of dried up biscuits in front of them, bless....
I really wonder now why I did change over, as they do say 'if it ain't broken!, don't try to fix it), in fact, my vet always says what wonderful condition my dogs are in, I just thought for a split second that i was doing them a favour with this complete diet..
Thanks Guys, I think this has made my mind up, but any more opinions on dried complete food would be appreciated...
I have kept Chihuahuas for some time, and I have always had control over exactly how much food each of my dogs get to eat, due to the size of their tums, so that they do not get fat. I am really more concerned about whether I did the right thing changing over from a diet of wet meat that they loved, to a dried complete food, which they obviously couldn't care less about (but DO eat it), and now it does mean that I don't have that control over their individual eating habits, which I am not happy about.
My vet is always raving about dried food, but I have never thought much of it myself, I can see how they would find it boring, but decided to change over to it as it does claim to have everything that they need.
After having seen the show tonight, with the 2 Spanials, I think it answered my question for me, dried food is just plain boring.which is understandable, and I think that as a result, I will go back to my previous regime of wet food, rather than the dried food, as it means I will have more control over how much each of them eats again, and I can also look forward to seeing their faces light up each meal time again...Which is important for me. WE also used to add in freshly cooked rabbit and chicken on occassions, and used to mix tuna and mackerel etc.. into their food once or twice during the week (being small dogs, they do need slightly more protein than larger dogs so the fish helps to keep that up). We have a doberman also, and when she was ill as a younger dog, our vet recommended rice and chicken to help her back onto a solid diet, and it worked a treat, so I do agree with you that rice and pasta are good for them too.
I can see how much my dogs must miss their nice wet meals, when I place a boring bowl of dried up biscuits in front of them, bless....
I really wonder now why I did change over, as they do say 'if it ain't broken!, don't try to fix it), in fact, my vet always says what wonderful condition my dogs are in, I just thought for a split second that i was doing them a favour with this complete diet..
Thanks Guys, I think this has made my mind up, but any more opinions on dried complete food would be appreciated...
Just in relation to cooked chicken bones - I have read ABUNDENT pages saying that ANY cooked bones can splinter - so my dogs only get raw bones now, they don't get any spare ribs, chops bones, etc. Has anyone heard differently?
And Troyser I do understand what you're saying - the Science diet is supposed to be a "complete diet" also, where you need less biccies coz it's so 'full of goodness' and you don't need anything else.... but I just think it's too boring - I like variety in MY food, so I try to give my dogs variety without going overboard
And Troyser I do understand what you're saying - the Science diet is supposed to be a "complete diet" also, where you need less biccies coz it's so 'full of goodness' and you don't need anything else.... but I just think it's too boring - I like variety in MY food, so I try to give my dogs variety without going overboard
Thanks Leigh, I appreciate your input, its back to the variety of wet foods for my pooches! (over a few days weaning of course)
In terms of bones, I have never ever given my chihuahuas bones of any sort, raw or cooked, as I would be too scared of what might happen, I prefer rawhide etc.. for them. (but I have to admit they do love nibbling on the remains of cooked corn on the cob though, don't know if anybody has ever tried these for their dogs, they are really solid and good for chewing on)
My Doby loves the smoked knuckle bones from the pet shop. They make a bit of a mess, and she dosn't get them on a regular basis, but I have never had one splinter in 10 years so i feel confident that they are ok, but I wouldn't give any to my small dogs. She does love the dried crackling and jerky though...
Thanks a lot...
In terms of bones, I have never ever given my chihuahuas bones of any sort, raw or cooked, as I would be too scared of what might happen, I prefer rawhide etc.. for them. (but I have to admit they do love nibbling on the remains of cooked corn on the cob though, don't know if anybody has ever tried these for their dogs, they are really solid and good for chewing on)
My Doby loves the smoked knuckle bones from the pet shop. They make a bit of a mess, and she dosn't get them on a regular basis, but I have never had one splinter in 10 years so i feel confident that they are ok, but I wouldn't give any to my small dogs. She does love the dried crackling and jerky though...
Thanks a lot...
Feeding bones
I use a pair of scissors to snip off the soft bits at the end of a cooked chicken bone, the soft part that is easily snipped off with scissors and simply cannot do them any harm. My dog LOVES it, it is a treat for her, she gets so excited and always KNOWS when I am snipping away at some chicken bones for her!! I discovered a friend doing this for her small dog so I happilly copied her!! You just have to apply common sense - feel the pieces crumble and you will know that it is entirely safe.Troyser wrote:Thanks Leigh, I appreciate your input, its back to the variety of wet foods for my pooches! (over a few days weaning of course)
In terms of bones, I have never ever given my chihuahuas bones of any sort, raw or cooked, as I would be too scared of what might happen, I prefer rawhide etc.. for them. (but I have to admit they do love nibbling on the remains of cooked corn on the cob though, don't know if anybody has ever tried these for their dogs, they are really solid and good for chewing on)
My Doby loves the smoked knuckle bones from the pet shop. They make a bit of a mess, and she dosn't get them on a regular basis, but I have never had one splinter in 10 years so i feel confident that they are ok, but I wouldn't give any to my small dogs. She does love the dried crackling and jerky though...
Thanks a lot...
I also have a pair of plant secateurs (stainless steel blades) that I use in the kitchen for cuttting up a whole raw organic chicken into pieces. Troyser, if you WANT to try giving your little dog raw chicken bones for nutritional variety, try using a pair of secateurs to snip the small pieces of soft raw chicken bones so that the pieces are tiny, the size of a pea. It would be unlikely pieces of raw bone this small can hurt your dog. Watch her closely and see how she chews. (Chickens bred for human consumption have such a short life, they are so young and their bones are still so small and soft when they end up on a supermarket tray)
Where feeding bones are concerned, I am adamant that every dog is different. I gave my G. Shepherd certain parts of cooked chicken bones even though I was aware that this is highly frowned upon by any responsible dog carer. Why did I take the risk? Because I knew my dog... my dog was a thorough chewer, she chewed every last grain of rice before swallowing it, even in old age she did this. On the other hand, I have seen some dogs gobble their food, in fact, suck their food up like a vaccum cleaner. These dogs I wouldn't even dare give a soft raw brisket bone to because there is the chance a lump of the bone could become lodged if swallowed and the dog could well choke. There are rules and guidelines to follow but you have to KNOW your dog very well and understand the level of risk in what you feed them. Every dog is different, even dogs of the same breed are individuals despite having breed characteristics.
Troyser please be careful with the cobs from corn on the cob, they have been known to cause obstructions and dogs have had to be operated on to remove them. If you are putting your dogs back on a wet diet you would be better to feed them something like nature's menu, Feeding your dogs pedigree chum is like giving them McDonald's or Burger King every day. I also agree with Leigh in that Eukanuba or Iams ( same company ) are both made made by Procter and Gamble who don't have a very good reputation when it comes to animal welfare, some of the experiments they have done on animals are quite horrific
Hi Nik Thanks for your info about feeding Chicken bones re: snipping off the soft bits. I may give that a go with my doby, but I still would prefer not to try these on my chi's. We used to have our own free range chickens up until the bird flu scare when we decided it was best for us and our dogs not to have them as we couldn't face having them locked up, I prefer not to buy chickens from the supermarket as they have not had a good life and are pumped with chemicals that makes you wonder what you might be feeding to your dogs... Had I realised the reputation of Eukanuba(Iams) I wouldn't have bought this in either so thanks everybody who has pointed out the drawbacks there!
Chinaski, thank you for your cautions about corn on the cobs, I hadn't realised that they could cause such problems, but i will definately bear this in mind. We used to feed the remains of the cobs to our chickens, but not having these now we just by accident gave one of our chi's one to play with one day and she loved it so that is how we ended up giveng them to our dogs, I have to say though that it has only been on one or two occassions, and thankfully with no dire consequences....
I used Pedigree Chum to bring the pups up with, basically just to initially wean them onto a wet food from milk formula, and to be honest they did do very well on it, but then I introduced other wet food instead as they grew.
To wean my dogs back to a wet food from the Eukanuba, I have started to moisten the dried food down with water to try and make it more appetising, and have started to add in a small amount of wet food initially. They seem to be enjoying this. The wet food I am using initially is Chappie (any views on Chappie? it does claim to be vet recommendewd on the tin), but I have ordered some nature's diet and am just waiting for it to arrive..
Gosh it isn't easy is it? there are so many different types of food on the market, each claiming to be the best, just by changing over to a dry food and realising that my dogs found this completely boring, has left me quite confused....
So long as my dogs are happy and healthy, I will stick with a wet food, and I hope they will enjoy the natures diet when it arrives...
Thanks again
Chinaski, thank you for your cautions about corn on the cobs, I hadn't realised that they could cause such problems, but i will definately bear this in mind. We used to feed the remains of the cobs to our chickens, but not having these now we just by accident gave one of our chi's one to play with one day and she loved it so that is how we ended up giveng them to our dogs, I have to say though that it has only been on one or two occassions, and thankfully with no dire consequences....
I used Pedigree Chum to bring the pups up with, basically just to initially wean them onto a wet food from milk formula, and to be honest they did do very well on it, but then I introduced other wet food instead as they grew.
To wean my dogs back to a wet food from the Eukanuba, I have started to moisten the dried food down with water to try and make it more appetising, and have started to add in a small amount of wet food initially. They seem to be enjoying this. The wet food I am using initially is Chappie (any views on Chappie? it does claim to be vet recommendewd on the tin), but I have ordered some nature's diet and am just waiting for it to arrive..
Gosh it isn't easy is it? there are so many different types of food on the market, each claiming to be the best, just by changing over to a dry food and realising that my dogs found this completely boring, has left me quite confused....
So long as my dogs are happy and healthy, I will stick with a wet food, and I hope they will enjoy the natures diet when it arrives...
Thanks again
I am a new member and have really enjoyed reading the posts - especially regarding diet. I have two 7 month old beagles who up until recently have been fed on Bakers Complete dry food but they had constant upset stomachs and the Science Plan dried food was recommended to me. Their stomach problems have improved dramatically on this but they don't seem to be at all excited at feeding times and I'd like to spice up thier diet without upsetting their stomachs again. Any tips would be much appreciated.
Hi BeagleSuz I am new here too and it's nice to see someone else who has beagles. We have an 11wk old beagle pup who seems to be doing fine on the breeder's rceommended diet, the breeder says she has tried every brand of wet and dry food available and she reckons Royal Canin dry food is definitely the best. It's not readily available as they make so many varieties, but any decent pet shop can order it in for you.
Currently, our pup is on Royal Canin Medium Junior, he stays on this til he's 1 year old and then goes onto Medium Adult. He is fed three times a day with a couple of spoonfuls of water mixed into the dry food, and then a teaspoon of natural live yoghurt on top of the food - he loves to lick it off, I'm sure he thinks it's ice cream! We were told to give him tiny bits of carrot and broccoli as training treats which won't make him put on weight, he seems to like this and chews them well. The breeder also says she gives her adult dogs 'Sunday Dinner' ie. cooked meat and veg once a week and they love it.
We were told that if he ever gets diarrhoea, we should feed plain boiled rice and chicken until it's sorted. And I wouldn't suggest giving cheese as I gave a tiny bit as a treat and immediately regretted it when he passed wind!
Hope this helps,
best wishes
Allie
Currently, our pup is on Royal Canin Medium Junior, he stays on this til he's 1 year old and then goes onto Medium Adult. He is fed three times a day with a couple of spoonfuls of water mixed into the dry food, and then a teaspoon of natural live yoghurt on top of the food - he loves to lick it off, I'm sure he thinks it's ice cream! We were told to give him tiny bits of carrot and broccoli as training treats which won't make him put on weight, he seems to like this and chews them well. The breeder also says she gives her adult dogs 'Sunday Dinner' ie. cooked meat and veg once a week and they love it.
We were told that if he ever gets diarrhoea, we should feed plain boiled rice and chicken until it's sorted. And I wouldn't suggest giving cheese as I gave a tiny bit as a treat and immediately regretted it when he passed wind!
Hope this helps,
best wishes
Allie
Feeding is a nightmare isnt it!!!
My Shihtzu has been on bakers and pal complete biscuits most of her 5 years until she was very ill early on in the year. £500 vet bill later she had a stomach infection - due to intolerance of the food. This also led to a urine and throat infection and it was pretty touch and go for a few days.
Now she is on chappie tins and complete kibble - but shes getting bored. I darent give her anything else as it makes her ill! I've tried her on the natures diet but she doesnt like it.
My Shihtzu has been on bakers and pal complete biscuits most of her 5 years until she was very ill early on in the year. £500 vet bill later she had a stomach infection - due to intolerance of the food. This also led to a urine and throat infection and it was pretty touch and go for a few days.
Now she is on chappie tins and complete kibble - but shes getting bored. I darent give her anything else as it makes her ill! I've tried her on the natures diet but she doesnt like it.
Emma
Have you tried her out on raw foods?
You might find she is better on those - if you DO want to try it, just pick one raw food and try that for a couple of weeks. Work up from there.
Do read up on BARF feeding first though, its relatively easy to do, although granted it takes a little more work than feeding complete foods - the bonus is i find its better for the dog and you will never again have that 'fussy bored of food' dog problem!
Em
You might find she is better on those - if you DO want to try it, just pick one raw food and try that for a couple of weeks. Work up from there.
Do read up on BARF feeding first though, its relatively easy to do, although granted it takes a little more work than feeding complete foods - the bonus is i find its better for the dog and you will never again have that 'fussy bored of food' dog problem!
Em
Hrm....
Food grade bone meal, or minced bone so that its all crushed up.
How to find the balance, errrrr i havent a clue, 'parts' like chicken wings contain pretty much the idea meat to bone ratio and thus the phosphorus to calcium ratio.
Start feeding raw meat and adding bone meala nd you could get it way off which is why i prefer to do it the easy way!
BARF feeding does not have to be meticulously balanced at all, the idea is to get balance over time not every mouthful. Somedays my dogs get tinned fish and chicken wings, sometimes its tripe and vegetables. Its never the same thign day in day out and they get the widest range of foods available, making sure there is a high percentage of RMB's, ie chicken wings, turkey wings, lamb necks, lamb ribs, chicken carcass, whole rabbit etc.
Not had a problem yet with any of my dogs with RAW bones but have had and have witnessed no end of problems with cooked ones, pet shop ones and the like.
There IS absolutely a risk - but theres a risk to everything we do or dont do, including feeding complete kibble (dogs have choked to death on it, dogs have contracted salmonella and ecoli from it)... and feeding commonly regarded as 'safe' products such as raw hide chews.
You just have to weigh up which risk is the one you are happy with.
If you do want to feed raw withotu feeding whole bones then i think you will need to do LOTS more research, both on the net and in the library, books by Billingshurst, Shulze (sp), possibly Pitcairn...
Personally if that risk was one that worried me id feed chicken wings but bash them well with a hammer first, break up the bones small, they are still covered in a protective layer of meat, so the risk there is minimal but the correct ratios are maintained.
Hth
Em
Food grade bone meal, or minced bone so that its all crushed up.
How to find the balance, errrrr i havent a clue, 'parts' like chicken wings contain pretty much the idea meat to bone ratio and thus the phosphorus to calcium ratio.
Start feeding raw meat and adding bone meala nd you could get it way off which is why i prefer to do it the easy way!
BARF feeding does not have to be meticulously balanced at all, the idea is to get balance over time not every mouthful. Somedays my dogs get tinned fish and chicken wings, sometimes its tripe and vegetables. Its never the same thign day in day out and they get the widest range of foods available, making sure there is a high percentage of RMB's, ie chicken wings, turkey wings, lamb necks, lamb ribs, chicken carcass, whole rabbit etc.
Not had a problem yet with any of my dogs with RAW bones but have had and have witnessed no end of problems with cooked ones, pet shop ones and the like.
There IS absolutely a risk - but theres a risk to everything we do or dont do, including feeding complete kibble (dogs have choked to death on it, dogs have contracted salmonella and ecoli from it)... and feeding commonly regarded as 'safe' products such as raw hide chews.
You just have to weigh up which risk is the one you are happy with.
If you do want to feed raw withotu feeding whole bones then i think you will need to do LOTS more research, both on the net and in the library, books by Billingshurst, Shulze (sp), possibly Pitcairn...
Personally if that risk was one that worried me id feed chicken wings but bash them well with a hammer first, break up the bones small, they are still covered in a protective layer of meat, so the risk there is minimal but the correct ratios are maintained.
Hth
Em