Good dog foods, specifically for a Chihuahua

[Crown_Royal]

So I’m trying to find a new dog food for my 8 year old Chihuahua (who happens to have had four teeth removed last year). We also have a large dog and if possible, would like to have them on the same food (7yo Lab x Husky).

We started out with both of them on Iams Lamb & Rice because that’s what our old dog with allergies had eaten. Neither of them liked it and were not at all excited about getting their dog food.

We then switched to Beneful, which both of them liked for a while, but the Chihuahua had difficulty eating the pieces. We typically make it more of a soupy mixture with warm water and either leftovers or wet dog food (specifically Alpo).

I read online that Beneful is very unhealthy for dogs, so I switched to Taste of the Wild (smaller pieces). We started out mixing the two together, and while the big dog liked it just fine mixed and by itself, the little dog picked around it and did not like it. My dad complained about the price of it compared to the cheap foods, mostly because the Chihuahua wasn’t even eating it.

We then got a sample of Bill-Jac dog food (which comes in Large Dog and Small Dog, which was nice) and both of our dogs LOVED it. Looked at reveiws online and read that it was unhealthy for dogs. Great.

So they are back with Beneful and our big dog eats it just fine, but the little dog picks out the good stuff and the red dog food pieces and leaves the rest (which the big dog then cleans up later).

I need to find a dog food that is both good for them, small enough for the Chihuahua (or comes in Large Dog/Small Dog bags), appetizing, and isn’t insanely expensive. Although I read that with a healthier/better dog food, you don’t need to feed as much of it so it kind of evens out. I would also like suggestions on wet dog foods that are healthy that I can mix in. And a question- if I can’t find a healthy dog food appealing to my Chihuahua, what are the downfalls of feeding her just a wet dog food?

Thank you!!

[Big_Tag]

My liltte chi Ninja eats Wellness small breed. She likes it and it makes a big difference in her digestive system, IMO.
My two are different sizes and my bigger dog eats something different; Blue Buffalo Wilderness Duck flavor or some such noise, but it’s pretty small, the chi certainly COULD eat it, I guess.

My vet told me not to feed my chi wet food bc they can be persnickety and then that’s ALL they’ll eat and if they aren’t chewers it isn’t good for them to have no crunch to their diet (although apparently my vet might be a dolt bc others here don’t agree with that), but I guess is yours is already missing teeth, wth.

[SLW]

Our chi’s eat the chi selection from this company: http://www.royalcanin.us/ For a canned food treat they eat a Cesar Millan band. Our old JRT nibbles on the chi kibble but also eats a purina dry dog food. However, all three dogs are experts at sneaking into the cats dry food which is a Sciene Diet product.

I don’t think it is fair to expect a chi to be able to eat the size kibble your larger dog eats. Also, the chi needs about 250 calories a day, tops. I think you would have to find a small kibble the chi can eat and see if that works for your big dog too.

With another JRT we owned (who passed away last year) we had to keep ANY dog food with red dye products in it away from him. Talk about a food allergy, that stuff would tear him up.

[PRS]

My little dogs, 8 pound yorkie, 6 pound pom, and 15 pound yorkieX are all on Blue Buffalo, small breed senior. It has very small kibble that they can all eat just fine. I do mix a small amount of canned food in with it and add water to make it kind of a gravy soup. They all look fantastic. My little yorkie in particular has always had very thin fur and smelly skin. He now looks sleek and healthy. He always had trouble gaining weight before but for the first time in his life he actually looks to be a healthy weight.

[wendy]

try the small bites EVO, either poultry or red meat formula. Extremely good ingredients, most dogs love it, the tiny pieces are easy for both small and large dogs to eat. Rated 5-stars by most nutritional advisors (unlike Beneful which is often rated as “utter junk” at 1 star).
EVO is very nutrient-dense at more than 500 kcal/cup vs. 360 kcal/cup of Beneful so yes, you feed less. As to price, you can pay $2.30 a pound for a high-quality food that you feed less of, or you can pay $1.20 a pound for a junk food that you will feed almost twice as much of. Which one is the bargain there? Especially if the better nutrition from the better food saves you money on things like poop bags and vet bills.

[RougeEmpire]

A dog aint gonna starve to death with a full bowl of food in front of him. Beneful and Bil Jac are JUNK. If your going to feed Beneful you might as well just toss an ear of corn down there in his bowl, infact I think a straight ear of corn might actually be healthier. Give them the good stuff (Wellness, TOTW, EVO ect) and NOTHING else. No treats (unless to give meds). The dogs arnt going to starve themselves to death. I hear this from people all the timne " i have to feed such and such (corn meal) brand because he wont eat anything else!". My response is BS! Take the dog out for a good long hard run, then let the dog chill out for an hour, THEN feed it. Almost all of them will scarf down the food.

Dogs “LOVE” the junk food because its so LOW in nutrition that they just eat and eat and eat because they are essentially starving for nutrition! When a dog (or cat) is fed HIGH QUALITY pet food with NO corn meal, wheat or soy they will eat LESS of it! This is really the hardest thing for people to get through their heads. So maybe before your dog was eating 5 cups a day of cornmeal-crap food but when switched to high quality MEAT BASED food they stop eating after only 3 cups. Its because they are FULL and their body has what it needs. More is does NOT mean better. If your Chi eats HALF as much (nibbles) of the GOOD stuff its actually ten times BETTER than your Chi gorging himself on corn meal.

[Crown_Royal]

Thank you everyone! I will follow up on the suggestions. I did read that Beneful and Bill Jac are both crap which is why I asked. Will cut out all treats and give straight dog food.

[SaveTheOtters]

I agree that if you leave it out the dog won’t starve :].

If you would still like a better quality food that doesn’t break the bank (I’ve heard) chicken soup for the dog lovers soul dog food is good quality and less expensive than some other brands, I’ve never investigated though.

[Tazzie]

This is what I have been using for a few years and really like it. Of 3 long-coat chichis one of them has a funny stomach and this food sits with him well.
http://www.eukanuba.com/en-US/product/small-breed-weight-control.jspx

Lots of other good suggestions on this thread too.

[JB]

I wouldn’t even leave it out for them to choose, not unless there was a health reason for them to need free choice access.

Put the food down, give the dog 20 minutes, 30 tops, to eat it, then take it away, not to be returned (fresh food) until the next meal.

[betsyk]

Our Yorkie eats one of the Nutro products for small dogs - can’t remember which one - and is also an apathetic eater. Our solution is to feed her in her crate, without competition from our other dog, and after a certain amount of time if she’s not done, she comes out and the food stays in. She can eat it later or our big dog will spend all day sneaking the kibbles out through the bars of the crate! If she’s hungry at mealtime, she eats, and if she’s not hungry, she doesn’t eat - just like the division of responsibility for feeding (human!) toddlers.

We feed Chicken Soup to our cats and have seen HUGE improvement in everyone’s coats and attitudes since switching. Can’t speak for the dog food but I’d try it if they weren’t already on the Nutro.

[wendy]

And a question- if I can’t find a healthy dog food appealing to my Chihuahua, what are the downfalls of feeding her just a wet dog food?

absolutely none. Wet foods are always far superior nutritionally; the reason most people don’t feed them is cost. However, with a tiny dog, that problem tends to be minimal. A good compromise is to mix wet and dry foods together, which usually produces a more palatable result for any dog.

Here is a good dog food rater. For any dog I’d start out with the 5-star rated foods; if for some reason the dog can’t tolerate or you can’t find any of the 5-star rated foods, you can try the 4-star ones. I wouldn’t touch anything rated 3-star or lower, why bother?
and judging the “cost” of a food by the cost per bag is incorrect- calorie content varies wildly. Many of the foods that appear to be cheaper per bag are actually more costly to feed on a daily basis.

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/brand/

[Lifting_Chickk]

EVO Small Bites and Satin Balls

I just wanted to put another thumbs up out there for EVO Small Bites.

I recently picked up an 8lb IG off of Craigslist who was in need of smaller kibble and better nutrition! (dry skin, dull coat, a little thin, even for an Iggy!)

I’ve put her on EVO Small Bites and she is able to handle the small kibble just fine. She is a finicky eater though, and in an effort to help with her potty habits I’m trying to encourage her to eat two meals a day, rather than picking at a piece here and a piece there all day long. (makes timing potty breaks nearly impossible!)

So, I found the recipe for “Satin Balls”. Holy cow, you’d think it was Dog Candy. It’s a great supplement to dry kibble and is fed raw.

•1 lb cheap hamburger (for high fat %)
•1 and 1/3 cups Total cereal
•1 and 1/2 cups uncooked oatmeal
•1 egg (*boiled in the shell for 30 seconds)
•6 Tablespoons wheat germ
•2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
•2 Tablespoons unsulphered molasses
•A pinch of salt
•1 package Knox Joint gelatin
(unflavored gelatin can be used instead)

Mix together well like you were making meatloaf.

I rolled the mixture into little 1/2" size balls and feed three in the am and pm with her 1/4c of EVO. So far, so good, her coat is starting to glow and the raw supplement is really spiking her appetite!

Good luck with your pups.

[S1969]

@Alvin

i have tried different food for my chinchillas,Their digestive systems need hay and grass to function correctly. Chinchillas naturally eat grasses, leaves, twigs etc. I also tried Dog food for them and it is also good for them

LOL chinchilla, chihuahua…same difference,

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