Feeding your Chihuahua

[Home]   [Dangerous Foods]   [ Essential Liver Cake]
[Breath Biscuits]   [No Flea Biscuits]  
[Cheesy Chihuahua Pizza]   [Therapeutic foods]
[Feeding Chart]   [Herbal Remedies]   [Helpful hints]
[Anatomy]   [Things That Can Harm your Chihuahua]

Feeding your Chihuahua is often a frustrating for the owners of fussy dogs. I know some owners will write and say "my dog won't eat anything but chicken". The fact is your dog

WILL eat 'dog food' with the correct introduction. You must be tough (on yourself!). All my dogs were eating chicken with a mixer biscuit, and all the table scraps they could eat. My vet told me that this is why our dogs get skin problems, bowel problems etc they are not getting a balanced diet, dogs are omnivores which means in the wild they would eat a mixture of foods including berries and vegetation. Dogs will not starve; they eat when they are hungry. I would have argued against this a few years ago, but with careful planning I have proved it can be done. You can change your dogs eating habits, dogs aren't fussy, and humans are!

I would like to mention to any breeders that I have overcome Milk Fever, problems through a balanced diet I now have incredibly healthy happy dogs. Changing your dog's habits takes patience and preparation. Here's how I did it. If you use the following method I can assure you success. If you fail can virtually guarantee it won't be the dog's fault but yours for giving in to quickly!

Start by mixing half usual food and half new complete food, in the dinner dish, do this for a few days, slowly over the next week or two reduce the old food and increase the new food. Do not add extra old food this is the biggest mistake. The day will come when you will be leaving only new food, You will probably think your dog hasn't eaten but please stick with it, and they WILL eat when they are hungry. NO TITBITS until you have the diet cracked. My dogs now are all on science and hills, and they love the food scraps from the tables as treats not a meal.

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Age	Number of Feeds Per Day
Puppies - Weaning to 3 months old	Four times a day
Puppies - 3 to 6 months old	Three times a day
Puppies - 6 to 12 months old	Two times a day
Normal active adult	One to Two times a day

Dangerous foods

There are a few foods that can give your Chi some problems.

• Dark Chocolate - This is toxic to dogs, and can kill your Chihuahua. Don't even give them tit bits now and again, as the toxin in chocolate slowly, builds up in the body over a period of time till it poisons them. There are many doggy chocolates on the market they are a much safer and healthier option.
• Onions - Do not get your dog onions again this acts as a toxin and can make your Chihuahua very poorly
• Bones - Everyone knows about chicken bone are bad for dogs, this is because they splinter and can perforate the bowel. I know the most of us would feel safe giving beef bones but I had a very scary experience with Tinkerbelle She was in great pain one evening after munching on a large beef bone bought at the pet shop. When I took her to the vet later that evening (in pain) she had become impacted (badly constipated) due to the bones, she needed an anesthetic, and an enema, we went home much better but £100.00 poorer. My vet told me that 80% of all Bowel problems are caused by bones, and to avoid them where possible.

Therapeutic foods

• Apples - good for bad breath.
• Garlic: - good for ridding worm and fleas (but bad for breath.). It is also very good for arthritis and rheumatism etc (see herbal remedies).
• Cod Liver oil - Good for a Shiny coat & healthy skin.
• Brown rice - Is good for upset tummies and digestive problems.

Good luck remember your dog will thank you for it.

Recipes for essential Treats,

I had never made home made biscuits or treat for my dogs other than giving them scraps from meals. All that changed a few weeks ago when I was given a recipe for homemade Liver cake. I was give some liver cake for Tushka when I was in the ring apparently it drives then wild. Guess what it WORKS. For thosde of you that have been following little Tushka and our journey to stardom then you may remember how difficult it has been to get tushka excited about the ring, well liver cake has changed that. She is attentive alert and full of the joys of spring what a pleasure. After requests from a few visitors to put the recipe on the site here goes.

Essential liver cake
Ingredients
l lb liver l lb flour (may be whole wheat) 2 beaten eggs Optional: 1 tbs. garlic powder/2 cloves of garlic
Preparation
Put liver in blender or food processor and pulse until liquefied. Add remaining ingredients and blend well. Pour into microwave container and cook on high for 20 min. Slice into squares immediately, and remove. Package.

Here are some variations I have found. I havent tried them yet so let me know what they are like

Liver cake 2 .
Ingredients
Liver--This can be any kind, chicken, turkey, calf, beef. Whatever you can find and your dog likes. Drain and rinse it before cooking 1-2 tbs. Garlic Powder.
Preparation
Put liver in a saucepan or Dutch oven and cover well with water. Add garlic powder and bring water to roiling boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until liver is cooked throughout. Remove from pan and dry on paper towels before packaging. Can be frozen for about 3 mo. Will keep in refrigerator for 2-3 days. To freeze all liver--put individual pieces on a cookie sheet and place in freezer until it is hard. Then remove and place in a container. If you put all the liver pieces in a container and then freeze them, some pieces will stick together. This way, you can get out a few pieces at a time. To thaw, put in the microwave for about 1 min., depending on the power of your unit. If you're going to a show, put in cooler and place in your pocket about 30 minutes before showing. It will thaw quickly.

Liver Recipe 3
If boiled liver is too crumbly, after draining and patting dry, slice into even pieces and place on a cookie sheet. Bake in oven on 350 deg. for about 20 minutes, until liver is dry but not burned. This also can be frozen for about 4-6 mo. and will keep in the refrigerator for a few days.

Now for something completely different
Bad Breath Biscuits
2 c. brown rice flour
1 T. charcoal
1 large egg, slightly beaten
3 T. vegetable oil
1/2 c. chopped parsley
1/3 c. chopped fresh mint
2/3 c. milk
Preheat oven to 400. Combine flour, salt, and charcoal. In a medium bowl, combine egg, oil, parsley, and mint; mix well. Slowly stir in flour mixture, then add enough milk to make a dough the consistency of drop biscuits. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough about 1 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake 15 minutes or until firm. Store cooled biscuits in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

Chewy Chihuahua pizza
Crust:
2 cups cake flour
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup olive oil
1 egg
1 cup water
1 tsp. baking soda
Mix all ingredients together. Knead on a lightly floured surface. Spray a regular sized, 12 " pizza pan with nonstick spray. Next, spread the dough to the edges of the pan, forming a lip around the ends. Set aside.
Sauce & Toppings:
1 tomato
1/2 cup tomato puree
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. orgegano
1/2 tsp. basil
2/3 cup cooked rice
In a food processor, blend tomato, tomato puree and garlic. Spoon the mixture over the pizza crust. Sprinkle the cheese and spices evenly over sauce. Cut the pizza into slices with a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 25 minutes. Take out and sprinkle rice evenly over pizza. Return to oven and bake 25 minutes more. Yield: one 12 inch pizza (for your dogs!!!!!!)

No Flea Biscuits
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 cup wheat germ
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup brewer's yeast
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease or oil 2 large baking sheets. In a large mixing bowl, stir together oil and garlic. Combine other dry ingredients in a separate bowl and slowly mix into the oil-garlic, adding broth gradually to keep mixture moist. Roll out on floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness and cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Bake on prepared baking sheets for 20-25 minutes or until brown around the edges. Allow to air dry for 2 hours and store in plastic bags.

We hope you enjoy making these treats for your babies let us know if you have any other secret recipes to join these.