Premium food for Chihuahuas. The right diet for a Chihuahua: a breeder's opinion. What should be in the diet

The Chihuahua is a small and very energetic dog; due to its mobility, it spends a lot of energy, which must be replenished with food. First of all, it is worth understanding that it is necessary to compensate for energy consumption not the amount of food, but its components.

The Chihuahua's diet should contain mostly proteins, both animal and plant origin, as well as carbohydrates, fats and necessarily minerals (mainly phosphorus, calcium and vitamins).

Animal protein found in beef, veal, horse meat, chicken, fish, eggs, cheese, and dairy products. Fats present in cream, sour cream, butter and meat.

But not all of the above can be fed to your pet. The components of the diet are worth considering in more detail.

The Bengal cat breed is still rare in Russia:

Approximate daily diet for a Chihuahua

The diet of an adult Chihuahua should be approximately 60-80 grams food per kilogram of his weight.

Therefore, a dog weighing about two kilograms must eat 120-160 grams. Two-thirds of the diet should come from proteins, and the remainder from plant foods.

An adult Chihuahua should be fed twice: in the morning and in the evening. And in the meantime, you can pamper your pet with light food or let him chew on a special bone or biscuit.

Food must be warm room temperature, feed the dog hot or cold food unacceptable! Also, your pet should always have clean, filtered water freely available.

For example:

  • Morning– boiled lean beef cut into small pieces or boiled sea fish with the addition of rice or buckwheat porridge in a ratio of 3 to 1. Also not a large number of grated raw vegetables (carrots, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes) with the addition of a spoonful of olive or vegetable oil.
  • Day– you can arrange a light snack, for example, give some fruit. You can also feed kefir or low-fat cottage cheese. Sometimes it is acceptable to make a light omelet or give an egg yolk.
  • Evening– scalded with boiling water or boiled meat with the addition of stewed vegetables.

Feeding pregnant Chihuahuas and puppies

For pregnant and lactating dogs, the diet should be special.

First of all you need increase calcium content. That is, give more cottage cheese, apples, cauliflower and other foods high in calcium. Since during pregnancy the body is oversaturated with proteins, fish and meat must be excluded approximately 7-8 days before birth.

Chihuahua puppies starting from the 20th day of life It is necessary to add lean beef in the form of minced meat to the diet. On the first day it should be a ball of minced meat no more than two millimeters in diameter.

Gradually the portion needs to be increased. By the age of one month, puppies can be fed dairy products and porridge with meat. Already by the 40th day of life the components of a Chihuahua's diet should be the same as adult dog, the puppy is able to eat mother's food from her bowl.

Feeding with prepared food

If you decide to feed your pet food that is sold in specialized stores, then you can look at its daily intake on the packaging. There is a table with which you can determine the required amount of food based on the weight and height of your Chihuahua.

The food can be either dry or in the form of canned food made from meat products High Quality.

Dry food made in the form of small granules, it can be given in its original state or soaked in water.

Canned food for dogs More often they prefer to give it in its pure form.

Dogs like modern food to taste no less than natural food. By using ready-made food, you can be sure that your Chihuahua receives the necessary components of the diet in a balanced amount.

In addition, there is no need to provide additional vitamin supplements, since they are already present in the composition.

If there are remains of soft food in the bowl, you should definitely remove them after eating. Dry food can always be in a dog’s bowl; it is stored for a long time and does not spoil at room temperature.

There is a huge variety of companies producing dog food. If you care about the health of your pet, then you should choose only premium food from well-known manufacturers; they contain various complexes of minerals and vitamins. When choosing ready-made food, it is better to consult with Chihuahua breeders.

The Chihuahua is a very small, but active dog that expends a lot of energy. This should make owners think about the pet’s complete diet and understand what to feed their Chihuahua. The main thing in a dog’s nutrition is, first of all, the quality of food, and not its quantity. This means that it is necessary to maintain a balance and provide the animal with the most nutritious foods.

Despite its tiny size, do not forget that the Chihuahua is a full-fledged dog, and therefore a predator. And her diet, for the most part, should consist of protein foods. The basis is protein of animal origin, but the diet must also contain vegetable proteins, carbohydrates, fats and essential microelements - the presence of calcium, phosphorus and.

  • meat - beef, horse meat, veal, lamb, poultry;
  • fish;
  • eggs;
  • cheese products;
  • fermented milk products.

However, not all of them are suitable as food for Chihuahuas. It is worth taking a closer look at all the components of the menu of these dogs.

It has already been noted that meat for dogs of this breed is the basis of their diet. Chihuahuas can be fed lean meats - beef, veal, horse meat. It is not advisable to serve it raw; before serving, it can be boiled or doused with boiling water.

Porridge must also be present in the diet of a tiny pet. It can be buckwheat, rice, corn or rolled oats.

Absolutely any vegetables are welcome, both heat-treated (steamed is best) and raw. In the latter case, in order to increase their digestibility, the vegetables can be chopped on a fine grater and seasoned with low-fat sour cream or vegetable oil. Among all vegetables, carrots are especially useful for Chihuahua dogs. Carotene, which this vegetable contains in large quantities, has a beneficial effect on the condition of the coat.

You can give your little pet fresh fruit as a treat. Among them, it is better to give preference to apples and bananas.

There are a number of foods that can be included in a Chihuahua’s diet, but you should do this no more than once a week:

  • Meat by-products - heart, tongue, liver, lung, kidneys - can be given to dogs, but only in boiled form.
  • Chicken meat is given to the pet no more than two to three times a month, exclusively boiled, since raw chicken may contain dangerous virus salmonellosis. Before serving, it is necessary to remove all bones from the meat, since Chihuahuas can choke on small fragments and remove the skin. Chicken meat should be introduced to dogs' menus with caution, as it is considered quite allergenic.
  • Fish - sea ​​fish You can offer your pet more often – twice a week. It is worth choosing low-fat types; it should be boiled or steamed, thoroughly cleaned of bones.
  • Eggs – one egg per week is enough; it is given to the pet in the form of an omelet or boiled and chopped. Can be served on its own or added to other foods. Raw eggs not recommended.

Prohibited Products

Chihauhuas are special pets that need diet adjustments. What other dogs need is strictly prohibited from being given to these:

  • Raw meat - only boiled, or, as a last resort, scalded with boiling water. It is forbidden to give pork (neither raw nor boiled).
  • All confectionery products - chocolate, sweets, waffles, etc., must be completely excluded from the diet, since their consumption entails various health problems - impairment of activity digestive system, destruction of tooth enamel, as well as development.
  • Fried and fatty - junk food not only for this breed, but also for other dogs and even for humans.
  • Milk – in some breeds it causes a laxative effect, and Chihuahuas also belong to this category of pets.
  • Pollock and river fish - for many reasons they should not be on a dog's menu.

In addition, this group of products also includes nuts, onion, all legumes, salty and spicy dishes.

An example of the daily diet of an adult Chihuahua

The amount of food for this small breed is calculated as follows - from 60 to 80 grams of food per 1 kilogram of body weight. Thus, a two-kilogram pet will need an average of 140 grams of ready-made food per day. 65-70% of them should be protein in composition, the remainder consists of all other components.

The answer to the question of how many times a day to feed a Chihuahua is 2 times, divided into morning and evening feeding. And during breaks, it is permissible to treat your four-legged friend with various delicacies - special bones, rye crackers, dry biscuit-type cookies.

The food must be warm, and the pet must have round-the-clock access to drinking water.

A dog's menu might look like this:

  • Morning feeding - lean meat (preferably beef, veal) or fish (steamed or boiled), cut into small pieces, with the addition of porridge cooked from rice or buckwheat. The ratio of products should be as follows - three parts meat to one part cereal. You can supplement the dish with grated raw vegetables - zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, seasoned with a teaspoon of sunflower or olive oil.
  • Daytime snack - you can give your dog only one product - fresh fruit, kefir or yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese. Sometimes it can be an egg omelet or yolk.
  • Evening feeding - meat cooked or cooked in boiling water with stewed or steamed chopped vegetables.

Features of nutrition of dogs bearing offspring and puppies

Naturally, a pregnant animal needs a special diet, as does a nursing mother and her little children. First of all, it is necessary to increase the amount of calcium-rich foods in your pet’s diet - cottage cheese, cheese, apples, cauliflower, rolled oats.

Since during pregnancy a process of protein oversaturation occurs in the dog’s body, it is necessary to remove all meat and fish foods from the expectant mother’s diet a week before giving birth.

What to feed a Chihuahua puppy? From the age of three weeks, puppies can be given meat as food - minced meat from lean beef or veal. For the first time, its quantity should not exceed one pea.

Gradually, the portion must be increased, and within a month the puppy will be able to eat porridge with meat and kefir.

Ready-made food for Chihuahuas

If the owner decides to feed the pet with special food, then this definitely makes the task easier. There is no need to painstakingly calculate the required rate; just look at the table indicated on the package. Using it, you can easily determine the portion for one feeding, knowing only the weight of your little pet.

For such crumbs it is available in the form of small granules (the larger the pet, the larger they will be), which can be given dry or pre-soaked in a small amount of water. It is preferable to give canned food in the form in which it is.

Food made using the latest technologies attracts pets no less than natural products. In addition, manufacturers take into account the balance of nutrients calculated for a specific type of dog and their condition (elderly, young, large, small, bearing puppies, etc.) Therefore, you can be sure that the pet will receive everything necessary for its growth and full development. With this type of feeding, the dog does not need additional vitamin and mineral supplements, since they are already included in the food.

After your pet eats food, only the food remaining in the bowl needs to be removed; dry food can remain there constantly. It does not deteriorate and can retain its properties at room temperature. This is convenient if you don’t have time to wait until the dog is completely satiated.

There are a lot of different companies specializing in the production of dog food. And if you want to give your pet the best, you should opt for well-known brands that are tested by large breeders and belong exclusively to the premium category. This type of food is made from high quality products and enriched with necessary additives. In addition, you can consult with experienced Chihuahua breeders about food. Whatever the owner chooses for his beloved pet, it is important to maintain a balance in nutrition.

Feeding a Chihuahua has its own characteristics due to the small size of the dog. The Chihuahua is the baby of the dog world and eats several tablespoons of food per day. Therefore, any owner can afford to provide high-quality food for such an animal.

What to feed a chihuahua? How many times and how to do it correctly? Chihuahuas, like all decorative breeds, are prone to being picky about food on the one hand, and to gluttony on the other. Moreover, both of these reactions to feeding can alternately appear in one dog.

  • To protect the puppy’s growing body from intestinal diseases, it must be fed strictly according to the clock. From 2 to 3 6 times a day, up to four - 5 times a day, up to six months - 4 times a day, up to a year - three times a day. An adult Chihuahua eats in the morning and evening, for example, at 7 and 19 o'clock or at 8 and 20, but not before bed. For an older dog, over 11 years of age, feeding once a day is usually sufficient.
  • In order not to raise a pet that is too picky about food, by and large, you need to make sure that he does not even know that there is other food in the world other than what is in his bowl. That is, you cannot treat your dog with any goodies.
  • If the owner decides to feed the Chihuahua with natural food, then he must take into account that it is necessary to provide regular nutrition with the following products: boiled beef, calcined cottage cheese, boiled vegetables with the addition of vegetable oil, offal (liver, kidneys, lung), rolled oats or buckwheat, boiled egg, boiled sea ​​fish.
  • An adult dog should be provided with a diet that contains a balance of meat (and offal), cereals (rice, buckwheat, oatmeal) and vegetables in the proportions: 30% to 40% to 30%. Vitamin and mineral supplements and kefir, cottage cheese, and fruits are also necessary. An adult two-kilogram animal requires about 100-150 grams of the full diet per day.

What should you not feed your Chihuahua?

It is strictly forbidden to ever give your Chihuahua: fried, salty, hot, sour foods, including sweet bell peppers. All this causes . You should also not give any sweets (buns, pies, cakes, cookies, candies, etc.) that lead to obesity.

Nuts disrupt metabolism bone tissue and the bones become brittle, and in bladder stones are formed. Chihuahuas should not be fed peas and beans, as well as pork, horse meat, lamb, rabbit meat, lard, any canned food (stewed meat, fish), raw fish, rutabaga, cabbage, radishes, turnips. Adult animals do not need milk, cream, sour cream, fatty cottage cheese and cheese in their diet.

Feeding your Chihuahua dry food

A good alternative to natural products are high-quality ones. It is important to choose one feed manufacturer, and it should be sold everywhere in your area. A change in food supply and being forced to try other foods will negatively affect the health of the Chihuahua.

It should be moistened with hot boiled water and cooled to room temperature before eating. At the same time, soaked food cannot be stored for more than 10 minutes or reused.

A puppy up to 6 months old is fed 20 grams of dry food per meal, from six months to a year - 30-40 grams, and an adult - about 60 grams. With this amount of food eaten, it depends less on the dog’s weight and more on its mobility.

Regardless of whether the dog eats natural foods or dry food, the Chihuahua will always benefit from a bite:

  • cucumber,
  • tomatoes,
  • watermelon,
  • melons,
  • apple,
  • pears,
  • strawberry,
  • grapes,
  • black currant, etc.

Whichever dog food option you choose: feeding natural products or dry rations - this will not harm your finances! After all, a baby Chihuahua requires only 100-150 grams of food per day. So, take the feeding rules seriously and your pet will delight you with its health for many years! And finally, watch the video about

Everyone knows that representatives of this breed are the smallest dogs in the world. In 2007, the miniature Boo Boo, who measured only 10.16 cm at the withers, was even officially included in the Guinness Book of Records with this figure. But this does not mean that these animals can eat anything. Active and temperamental kids consume a lot of energy, which they must replenish regularly. Not every food from our dinner table will be good for them. After all, people often consume a lot of salt, sugar, fatty or spicy foods. Such a diet can easily harm your pet, lead to the formation of stones, and disorder. intestinal tract, disruption of metabolic processes. What can you do to avoid accidentally harming his little body? Let's try to understand a little about this difficult problem for a beginner.

What is the best food for a Chihuahua?

If you have enough money to buy ready-made high-quality food, then this option is best suited for a beginner amateur who has little knowledge of veterinary medicine and nutrition. When choosing the best food for Chihuahuas in the store, experienced dog breeders pay attention to the manufacturer. The following brands received good reviews: Acana, Bosch, Eukanuba, Hills, Pedigree, Royal Canin. When buying a puppy, be sure to ask the breeder what the baby had to eat before. Maybe you shouldn’t change your diet dramatically, and you can continue to feed your pet the same brand of food.

Feeding puppies is a rather delicate task. Some babies are terrible gluttons and will have to regulate their diet. Other animals can be too capricious and owners have to tinker with them a little. It is best to give food to your pet at specific times and in small portions. If a 2-month-old baby should be fed 6 times a day, then you can gradually reduce the number of meals every month, bringing them up to 3 times for a 6-month-old puppy. A one-year-old Chihuahua needs to eat twice a day. You should absolutely not give food to your dog too late; it is better to move the last meal to 8 or 9 pm.

In addition to dry food for Chihuahuas, you can include others in your dog’s menu. healthy foods. It is better to boil the potatoes and serve them in their jackets without salt. Cereals are served to these kids in the form of porridges. Kefir, low-fat cottage cheese and fermented baked milk are also suitable for Chihuahuas, they contain a lot of calcium. They will eat beef, chicken, and lamb with pleasure, but it is advisable to exclude pork from the dog’s diet. Be careful not to get any small bird bones into the bowl. Fish is suitable for your pet when boiled, and always without bones. A variety of fruits - bananas, apples - will be very useful for them. They contain pectin, various vitamins, microelements, and remove toxins from the intestines. The Chihuahua's diet must be balanced. If your dog’s main food is ready-made food, then it should already contain all the elements necessary for the animal’s body and useful material. In this case, there is no need to buy additional vitamins or other nutritional supplements for your pets.

The number of feedings depends on the age of the dog and energy value ready-made food or natural products that you give her. In ready-made diets, the amount of fats, proteins and carbohydrates is strictly selected, so with this diet the puppy is satiated and receives all the nutrients it needs.

Nutritional features of puppies:

  • The diet of a Chihuahua under the age of 12 months should be high in calories and include proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals;
  • number of meals: at 2-3 months of age - 6 times a day, at 3-4 months - 5 times, 4-6 months - 4 times, 6-12 months - 3 times, after a year - 2 times a day;
  • it is advisable to adhere to the feeding schedule and give food to the small pet by the hour;
  • over the age of 4-5 months, it is better not to give food to the puppy at night; the last meal should be scheduled no later than 7-8 pm.

The daily intake depends on the weight of the puppy and the type of food. Dry or wet ready-made food is indicated by the manufacturer (as a rule, premium, super-premium and holistic canned food consumes less than economy class diets).

For puppies under 2 months of age, breast milk is the optimal diet. If the bitch does not have milk or the puppy has already been weaned from its mother, it must be fed with cow's or goat's milk every 4 hours. After reaching one month of age, you can try introducing natural products - scraped raw meat (a small amount of product is scraped off a frozen piece of beef and given to the pet). You can also give a small amount of cottage cheese, boiled meat, vegetables, porridge (buckwheat, oatmeal). Once a week you can give a boiled egg and liver. Fish can only be given from the sea, no more than once a week. Be sure to ensure that the animal does not come across any bones!

You can start giving ready-made food to Chihuah puppies from 3 months, choosing canned food for dogs of dwarf breeds.

It is recommended to provide food from one manufacturer, possibly with different recipes (with different flavors of meat, fish, seafood). Dry food begins to be introduced into the dog’s diet at the age of 6-7 months (they are useful for chewing muscles and cleaning teeth from plaque, and have a balanced composition).

What to feed a Chihuahua over 12 months old

Adult dogs are fed natural products or ready-made dry food, canned food for small breeds. Ready-made diets have a number of advantages, because... contain all the nutrients necessary for the development and growth of a pet - proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.