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. The best liquid to feed a young puppy will be a milk replacer. There are many high quality brand name milk replacers, your veterinarian, who knows your Chihuahua the best, will recommend which formula will best fit your little Chi's needs.
Puppies will drink a lot; 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 6-7 weeks old, it will be time to slowly introduce regular dog food.
Helping a 8 Week and Older Puppy Eat
Once a Chihuahua is old enough to eat dog food, what really should be fed to a Chi is home cooked food. Manufactured dog food is loaded with additives, food coloring and worst of all...fillers. Even the highest quality manufactured dog food has fillers, it just has less than cheap brands. These fillers are just that: they are "empty" ingredients, which have absolutely no nutritional value at all. They do make a dog feel full...however the body will not absorb any fillers (as they do not really contain anything the body needs) and they are expelled right back out again.
A Chihuahua will eat much better and have a better appetite for home cooked foods, as the ingredients will be yummy "real" food ingredients and prepared to be delicious. Most of the ingredients for excellent recipes are foods that you already have at home...and you can save a lot of money. Larger portions can be made, to freeze servings so that you do not need to cook each day. Read more...
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.
Note: Odd eating behaviors is just 1 of the many elements in the emotional well being of your Chihuahua. To see where you can find 286 pages of information on Chi physical and emotional heath, click here to find out.
