My Chihuahua won't eat dog food, WHAT DO I DO!!?!?

[[ Invader Mario ]]

I have a little 3 pound Chihuahua who hates dog food. Ever since we got her as a puppy she refused to eat it unless we held her and fed it to her. eventualy she refused to the point of near starvation and we had to rush her to the vet. she ate dog food a little after that and then she found a piece of human food on the ground....now we cook chicken and rice for her >_< We've bought every dog food ever but she won't take it. Is there a way I can train her to eat dog food? Is there a dog food out there that she might actually like? Or am I stuck cooking?  

[Kalise18]

mix some gravy with the dog food and let it soak so it wil taste better for her. I hope this helps.  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

ok, first of all, you shouldn't cook the food. Since dogs are meant to digest meat raw and cooking kills a lot of the nutrients. Secondly, it's actually healthier to feed a dog raw "people" food, then cheap processed dog food. But you have to make sure he's getting all the nutrients he needs, which means mixing in things like blueberries and pears. I honestly don't know enough about it to give you directions but you can look up B.A.R.F diet on google (Bones And Raw Food). You can try giving your dog different kinds of food. It's best to change every once in a while, but gradually, so as not to upset their tummy. But ultimately it's a case of your dog being stubborn and if you want to feed dog food, you have to be strict. Put him in his crate with his food. No play time, or attention until he eats it. If he doesn't. fine, don't give him human food because he's learned by turning up his nose at his food he gets something better.  

[grungette]

my chihuahua would not drink water when she was a puppy. she would drink milk. to get her off milk, we put a little water in her milk. each day, we put more water until she was on full water, no milk. you should do that. try putting a little dogfood in her rice or chicken. each day put more and more, until it is dogfood with a little rice/chicken. it works about 90% of the time, and they barely notice the change! if it doesnt work the first time, try putting less dogfood in her rice/chicken each day. you might want to start woth a little pinch of dogfood, if it is canned. if it is dry dogfood, just put one peice in there, and each day add one more, gradually lessening the rice/chicken.



chihuahuas are awesome!  

[grungette]

this isnt my best idea, but you could also try to cook something so gross that your dog will not eat it, and then put dogfood next to it. she has to choose if she wants to eat and hopefully she will choose dogfood.  

[The Monkee Wizard]

have you tried dry dog food with a bit of milk see if that will help  

[Uzumaki_Rukia]

have you tried giving him/her cat food? it sounds odd, but it works! smile  

[A Story Worth Telling]

Uzumaki_Rukia

have you tried giving him/her cat food? it sounds odd, but it works! smile

Cat food has a higher level of protein than dog food, since cats are much more strictly carnivorous than dogs. Dogs have different nutritional needs than dogs.

Go to Petsmart or somewhere like that. Bring your dog and explain your problem. We asked for advice when my cat started to refuse food, and they found one that tempted her--even though, as we later found out, she had oral cancer! I'm convinced they extended my precious baby's lifetime, may she rest in peace.

I would not suggest giving in to your chi's demands. I have a chi, and they are MANIPULATIVE. Trust me, that is three pounds of smart dog who is intent on getting her way; she knows exactly what she's doing. If you must feed her some people food, use it to supplement a doggie diet, and avoid things like chocolate, onions, and garlic.

Good luck finding your dog a diet that makes her happy and fulfills her nutritional needs! Rice and chicken alone are not going to be healthy for her.  

[Kaylenne]

I had the same problem with my puppy. What finally got him to eat was Chicken broth and vegetables added to the dog food. No onions No garlic Never any grapes. If that doesn't work lean ground beef with no grease or seasoning and brown rice is good for them. If you need more recipes for the puppy let me know I have a full book of recipes I can share with you. Good Luck  

[imderanged]

I have a dog like this. As long as the dog is healthy and there is not some underlying health problem causing poor appitite, then Tough Love is your answer, I'm afraid. Get a GOOD quality dog food (wellness or canidae or something, not some supermarket brand) Put the dog in a room by itself while it eats so it wont be distracted or if she has a crate, feed her in there. After a half an hour, take the food away. if she doesn't eat, try again tomorrow. She will eventually eat. A healthy dog wont starve itself.  

[dusk_diamonds]

get small breed pedagree, and mix water or gravy, just to soften it up. the problem, i beleive, is she doesn't like hard food. try puppy formula for a while. that might help, too.  

[dusk_diamonds]

A Story Worth Telling

Uzumaki_Rukia

have you tried giving him/her cat food? it sounds odd, but it works! smile

Cat food has a higher level of protein than dog food, since cats are much more strictly carnivorous than dogs. Dogs have different nutritional needs than dogs.

Go to Petsmart or somewhere like that. Bring your dog and explain your problem. We asked for advice when my cat started to refuse food, and they found one that tempted her--even though, as we later found out, she had oral cancer! I'm convinced they extended my precious baby's lifetime, may she rest in peace.

I would not suggest giving in to your chi's demands. I have a chi, and they are MANIPULATIVE. Trust me, that is three pounds of smart dog who is intent on getting her way; she knows exactly what she's doing. If you must feed her some people food, use it to supplement a doggie diet, and avoid things like chocolate, onions, and garlic.

Good luck finding your dog a diet that makes her happy and fulfills her nutritional needs! Rice and chicken alone are not going to be healthy for her.

actually, in that last part, garlic is good for dogs. not too much, though. it keeps away the worms. they have garlic pills at Wal-Mart that you can give to ur dog, and take urself. not only does it keep amay the vampires, it help with preventing certain health issues.but...chocolate, onions, grapes.  

[Cutie499]

Wet dog food my Papilon wont eat drie food 2 but he loves canned food.(Dont give dogs cat food it might make them constipated or give then the s.hitz)  

[loner wolf 777]

your chihuahua might have allrgies if you had to take it to the it could be to the bowl or food try useing a different bowl or food  

[KiwiColors]

If you haven't tried other dog foods already, you can try giving the dog food such as cooked steak. My pit bull doesn't like her food raw (shes too spoiled from my dad barbequing steak and such and feeding her)

What you can do is give your dog steak and mix it in with the dog food. That works with my dog. Sometimes she will eat her dog food if she realizes she isn't getting anything else. But otherwise we mix her dog food with rice or chicken or meat.

good luck! ^^