Chihuahua Information Center
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My Chihuahua Puppy Won't Eat!
What Do I Do?
Having a Chihuahua puppy is a huge responsibility; they are so tiny and fragile! If you find that your Chihuahua puppy won't or can't seem to eat, it is time to quickly jump into action so that your puppy can be healthy and grow up strong. Since this puppy is extremely small, even 1 day of not eating can severely affect its health.
One of the reasons why a Chihuahua puppy may have difficulty eating is if the dog was taken from its mother too early. This is what is called Early Weaning Syndrome and can severely affect a puppy that is trying to grow. A puppy should never be taken from its mother before the age of 8 weeks. 10 weeks is optimal. Unfortunately, in the race to sell puppies, a breeder, store or individual may sell a Chihuahua puppy before it is the proper time. When at all possible, do not buy or take a puppy until he or she is old enough. When the dog is forced to stop drinking its mother milk, this can cause major problems.
A Chihuahua puppy may also not eat, or not eat enough because of a medical issue. Before you take matters into your own hands, a good owner must bring the puppy to a vet to have a complete medical checkup. There are many medical reasons why the dog may not be eating, including stomach and intestinal problems. If present, this must be address or no matter what you do, the puppy will have issues.
Having a Chihuahua puppy is a huge responsibility; they are so tiny and fragile! If you find that your Chihuahua puppy won't or can't seem to eat, it is time to quickly jump into action so that your puppy can be healthy and grow up strong. Since this puppy is extremely small, even 1 day of not eating can severely affect its health.
One of the reasons why a Chihuahua puppy may have difficulty eating is if the dog was taken from its mother too early. This is what is called Early Weaning Syndrome and can severely affect a puppy that is trying to grow. A puppy should never be taken from its mother before the age of 8 weeks. 10 weeks is optimal. Unfortunately, in the race to sell puppies, a breeder, store or individual may sell a Chihuahua puppy before it is the proper time. When at all possible, do not buy or take a puppy until he or she is old enough. When the dog is forced to stop drinking its mother milk, this can cause major problems.
A Chihuahua puppy may also not eat, or not eat enough because of a medical issue. Before you take matters into your own hands, a good owner must bring the puppy to a vet to have a complete medical checkup. There are many medical reasons why the dog may not be eating, including stomach and intestinal problems. If present, this must be address or no matter what you do, the puppy will have issues.
How You Can Help
Once you have determined that your Chihuahua does not have any medical reasons for not eating, the answer will most likely be that he or she was weaned too soon. You will need to start from the beginning and essentially play the part of the mother! You must obtain some droppers. Depending on the size of your Chihuahua, a clean and new eye dropper may do. You will need to feed your puppy from the dropper.
What Do I Feed Them?
The best liquid to feed a puppy will be a milk replacer. There are countless brand name milk replacer; it is best to purchase one from a reputable and well know dog food supplier. Goat milk also is acceptable.
Puppies will drink a lot of milk; therefore, whenever your Chihuahua wants to drink you must allow them to. A dog in this condition must have a human to care for them around the clock until they are able to eat on their own. You should cuddle your Chihuahua puppy while feeding them, so that they feel safe. Once your puppy is about 10 weeks old, it will be time to slowly introduce regular dog food.
Do keep in mind, that a Chihuahua should be feed dog food that is formulated for small breeds. This type of dog food will be made to be more easily digestible for its tiny system. While still feeding from the dropper, you can begin to experiment to see if the puppy will drink from a bowl. Keep the size of your Chihuahua puppy in mind. The bowls must be very shallow and easily accessible. All dog food and water should be kept in the same area so that the Chihuahua will be able to learn where their food is and always be able to depend on knowing where to go for nourishment.
When you are first trying out dog food, it is best to have a dry food that is very tiny nuggets and add just a bit of wet dog food mixed in. Do not expect your puppy to suddenly begin eating a ton! This will be a very slow process. As time goes by, your Chihuahua puppy will learn to eat regular dog food.
A healthy, growing puppy will eat from 1 to 2 cups of food per day. If you find that the above methods are not working and your puppy is not receiving the proper nutrients and calories to be health, another visit to the vet must be made as soon as possible.
Looking for more information? Try our search:
Once you have determined that your Chihuahua does not have any medical reasons for not eating, the answer will most likely be that he or she was weaned too soon. You will need to start from the beginning and essentially play the part of the mother! You must obtain some droppers. Depending on the size of your Chihuahua, a clean and new eye dropper may do. You will need to feed your puppy from the dropper.
What Do I Feed Them?
The best liquid to feed a puppy will be a milk replacer. There are countless brand name milk replacer; it is best to purchase one from a reputable and well know dog food supplier. Goat milk also is acceptable.
Puppies will drink a lot of milk; therefore, whenever your Chihuahua wants to drink you must allow them to. A dog in this condition must have a human to care for them around the clock until they are able to eat on their own. You should cuddle your Chihuahua puppy while feeding them, so that they feel safe. Once your puppy is about 10 weeks old, it will be time to slowly introduce regular dog food.
Do keep in mind, that a Chihuahua should be feed dog food that is formulated for small breeds. This type of dog food will be made to be more easily digestible for its tiny system. While still feeding from the dropper, you can begin to experiment to see if the puppy will drink from a bowl. Keep the size of your Chihuahua puppy in mind. The bowls must be very shallow and easily accessible. All dog food and water should be kept in the same area so that the Chihuahua will be able to learn where their food is and always be able to depend on knowing where to go for nourishment.
When you are first trying out dog food, it is best to have a dry food that is very tiny nuggets and add just a bit of wet dog food mixed in. Do not expect your puppy to suddenly begin eating a ton! This will be a very slow process. As time goes by, your Chihuahua puppy will learn to eat regular dog food.
A healthy, growing puppy will eat from 1 to 2 cups of food per day. If you find that the above methods are not working and your puppy is not receiving the proper nutrients and calories to be health, another visit to the vet must be made as soon as possible.
Looking for more information? Try our search:
