My little girl Diamond was 7.05 pounds when I got her.  She is 3 years old and a rescue dog.  To me she looked skinny with her tummy caved in.  When she had her surgery for pyometra she weighed 10 pounds.  Now she is about 9 and to me she looks fine but everyone else thinks she should lose a pound or two.  I put the question to my Vet when she was at 10 pounds and of course he asked what she ate.  I told him I chopped up a little dab of meat and mixed it with 1/4 cup of dog kibble and fed it to her once a day.  Of course he then asked what else she eats during the day and I had to admit she eats a little of our breakfast (usually cream of wheat) and a couple bites of our lunch (usually has some type of wheat product in it) and that's all.  Except maybe in the evening when we have a snack she might get a bite or two.   So he said cut down on the amount of kibble I give her at her dinner time.  Just want to ask WHAT do you feed a Chihuahua?????
Thanks in advance.

I think that, all-in-all as long as your Chi is in his/her best health, thats all that matters to me. My friend's Chi is 11months old and weights like 3.5 lbs. Little tiny Chi and looks skinny (real skinny, with its stomach looking all caved in). But my friend says her chi eats like 3 times a day and her chi hardly gains any weight. On the otherhand, my chi hardly eats throughout the day and yet he gains weight.

Just a question,.. is your chi a mixed breed? Usually, I thought pure breed of Chis weight under 6lbs. ..Just a question.

As for what I feed my Chi. I feed him Iams mixed with chicken broth and turkey sandwich meat. Maybe a handful a day. More, if he finishes his bowl. He gets so finicky as to what he eats. Only times I'd feed him any of my food is when he hardly eats his own food for the day. But, I encourage (if thats possible) or force him to eat his own food. Reason behind the whole chicken broth and turkey meat and whatever else is to tempt him into eating his own food, lol. Sometimes I would have to spoon feed him. It can get frustrating lol.

Just feed her right amount of food and make sure she gets some exercise on daily basis. I take my Chi to the dogpark as much as I can, for socialization with other dogs and people, and most importantly for his exercise.

Hope this helped. xD

My Peanut's still a puppy, so what I feed him will be different than what you would feed yours, but I thought I'd chime in here anyway. ;)

 

I'm in the process of switching him over to California Natural puppy kibble from Eukanuba small breed puppy kibble.  I've also started using a supplement and darned if I can come up with the name off the top of my head!  I'll post again this evening from home with the name.  The reason I'm using the supplement is because Peanut's been getting dry skin with dandruff-like flakes. 

 

Right now we're free feeding him, but I'm reserving the right to switch over to scheduled feedings if he starts putting on too much weight.  Not overly concerned now, though, because he's a puppy.  The last couple of weeks he's really thinned out and his body's lengthened out.  We go to the vet on Thursday, so I'll have a weight then.  I'm thinking he's about 4 pounds.

 

For treats we use pieces of carrots and Newman's Own organic treats (small size).  We never give him a whole treat - we just break off a small piece.  No people food other than the carrots for him!

hi all! There are purebreed Chis that weigh over 6 lbs. this 6lbs is specified by AKC for show dog quality-not pureness of breed. Of course it does help to be as close to breed type as possible. The bigger Chis are known as Deer-type as opposed to Apple-Head.  My dogs free feed on Beneful and get treats. They also benefit from a dog door allowing them to go out into the yard when they want.  They spend alot of time outside when its nice-playing and running around. Not sure if its just my dogs but they run and run in the house. Looks like they are running circles and there is the tail-chasing and play sessions with me and dad.Each dog is different-adjust  feeding to fit the dog.

Mine is also the Dear Head Chi.  I would love to let her out on our patio when the sun is out but there has been a Hawk out on our fence twice and a pet writer for our local  Newspaper told me that because of her size and color she resembles a jack rabbit and I would need to be with her when she is on the patio.  Unfortunately I can't stay out there with her as much as I would like and can't leave her there alone.  She eats about a tablespoon of Cream Of Wheat in the morning and 1/4 cup of dog kibble with a little bit of chopped meat for dinner.  We are really trying to cut back on any treats during the rest of the day although I do give her a half of Foster & Smith's freezed-dried LiverSnax after she takes her afternoon walk. I think she needs more exercise but all she does once in the house is curl up and sleep.  She never had toys so doesn't know what to do with them (especially balls).  Every once in awhile she will take her tiny pink mouse and shake it a couple times then she is tired and goes to sleep.

The supplement I'm giving Peanut is The Missing Link for dogs.  The bag says 1 teaspoon a day for dogs up to 20 pounds, but since Peanut isn't even 1/4 of that weight, I'm giving him 1/4 teaspoon a day.

Nikita wrote: The supplement I'm giving Peanut is The Missing Link for dogs.  The bag says 1 teaspoon a day for dogs up to 20 pounds, but since Peanut isn't even 1/4 of that weight, I'm giving him 1/4 teaspoon a day.

 

You mean the "Weakest Link"   ...LOL, J/K I'm just in the humorous mood today.

"Both British and American breed standards state that a Chihuahua must not weigh than 6.0 lb (2,7 kg), however the British standard also states that a weight of 2-4 lb (1-1,8kg) is preferred and that if two dogs are equally good in type, the more diminutive or smaller is preferred. The Federation Cynologique Internationale ( FCI ) standard calls for dog ideally between 1,5 and 3,0 kg ( 3.3-6.6 lb ), although smaller ones are acceptable in the show ring. However pet-qualitty Chihuahuas ( that is those bred or purchased as companions rather than show dogs ), can and do range above these weights to 10 pounds ( 4,5 kg), or even more if they have large bone structures or are allowed to became overweight. This does not mean, however, that they are not purebred Chihuahuas, it only means that they do not meet the requirements to enter to a conformation show." I found this information on: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/chihuahua_(dog)

I have 2 chihuahuas.  My female is an 8 pound purebred and my male is a 2 3/4 pound purebred.  They eat the same thing.  One is just tiny.  My vet recommended giving my chi's green beans out of the can (no salt) and they love them.  They also love canned carrots (no salt) and my Butterscotch loves raw cucumbers.  The vet said the raw veggies wouldn't hurt them at all.  Just wanted to let anyone know that is interested.  FYI. 

Lucy is free fed dry kibble with out corn. She also has doggy treats and loves to eat bites of apples and other fruits, and if a grasshopper gets in her way watch out they are her favorite snack.

^Lol,.. grasshoppers? Have you actually seen Lucy eat them?... wow! Recently, I have been feeding Echo all kinds of veggies & fruits. I'm really surprised his been eating them all. He's usually REALLY picky as to what he eats. So far, I've fed him carrots, turnips, lettuce, green beans, cabbage, pears, apple, grapes,... lol, I know there are more, but I can't think 'em all at the moment. I make sure I don't feed him too much of it. Don't want him to get sick from eating something he isn't used to.