feeding your chihuahua can be a real challenge for some novice sitters. If you have noticed that your chihuahua dog has stopped eating or suddenly shuns his usual food, it is cause for concern. There are many causes that can cause loss of appetite: from a simple whim to a he alth problem. To find out, we will need to analyze the rest of the clues or signs that the dog gives us. Thus, depending on the cause that we find, we will be able to find the fastest and most suitable solution.
In this article on our site we will explain why a chihuahua doesn't eat, detailing the various causes that explain this behavior and some solutions. Even so, remember that it is always advisable to visit a veterinarian to confirm good he alth if the situation continues over time.
Why doesn't my chihuahua want to eat dry food?
To find an effective solution, we must first know why our dog has stopped showing appetite Usually the problem is not that the chihuahua do not eat anything, but what you do not eat is your feed. This is essential to find out if what is happening to the dog is that he is taking advantage of a learned behavior to get a more appetizing food or if what is happening is something more serious.
To differentiate an organic problem from a whim we must carefully observe its behavior. If the dog asks for human food but doesn't want his, that's a clear sign that it's a whim, not a he alth issue. When dogs are unwell, they are usually not hungry and will not accept almost any food. If your chihuahua is a "picky" he will show a lot of drive for tasty food.
On the contrary, when a chihuahua is ill due to some illness, we usually see various symptoms that indicate that something is wrong. If your chihuahua is sad, with symptoms of illness such as fever, vomiting or diarrhea and does not want to eat his food or other food, he is probably sick. That's when you have to visit the vet as soon as possible to find out the cause and promptly start an effective treatment, a better prognosis will depend on it.
We will review the ways to identify the cause of loss of appetite in the chihuahua dog:
- If the Chihuahua shows no interest in dry food, but does show interest in human food, the cause is surely a learned behavior.
- If your little friend doesn't eat anything all day and is sad, it's probably due to a illness.
- Also check the other causes that may cause lack of appetite to see if any coincide with what may be happening.
My chihuahua doesn't want to eat or drink and is sad
As we have pointed out in the previous section, various symptoms can alert us and indicate that the Chihuahua is ill, which explains why your appetite decreases. Therefore, before taking any step, we must make sure that the dog is he althy.
But when should we worry? If the Chihuahua has always eaten well and suddenly stops showing appetite or it decreases and appears discouraged, we should start to show concern, since the loss of appetite it is one of the first signs of illness in dogs.
We will go to the vet if the chihuahua is not eating or drinking and shows any of the following signs:
- Lack of appetite
- No water intake
- Weightloss
- Lethargy
- Fever
- Oversleepy
- Tremors
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Depression
A dog exhibiting these symptoms is likely to have an illness. The most common is gastritis, gastroenteritis, the presence of internal and/or external parasites or an infection. Likewise, there are many other causes. The most important thing is to visit the vet to find out why the chihuahua is not eating and is sad.
Another aspect that could also occur is that they have pain or discomfort in the mouth Chihuahuas are prone to developing tartar and oral problems, so an annoyance of this type can cause your little one to stop eating. Check for ulcers, bad teeth, swelling, objects between the teeth or any other strange signs in his mouth that could cause pain.
If you verify that your little dog has one or more of the symptoms described or you are not sure where his lack of appetite and sadness come from, we recommend that you visit the vet to solve the problem as soon as possible and your chihuahua eats like before.
My chihuahua doesn't want to eat dry food, but he does want other food
The most common thing is that this tiny race suddenly decides to stop eating because it has become bored with its daily feed and wants to get something more appetizing with one of its best weapons: blackmail. He knows that, if he doesn't eat his dry feed, you will offer him another meal, like that wonderful day when you changed his feed for another more appetizing type of food, such as wet food, pate, sausage, cooked ham, or chicken.
This is a serious mistake, since we will enter a loop of fights where the intelligent chihuahua knows very well how to use his weapons to get tasty food. For this reason, it is important to educate our dog and teach him what his food is and the times for taking food.
How to make my chihuahua eat his croquettes? - STEP BY STEP
If we have visited a veterinarian to rule out a possible pathology, it is most likely that we are facing a learned behavior. Here are some tips for retraining your chihuahua:
You can try introducing chicken broth (without onion and without s alt), wet dog food or small pieces of homemade food together to his feed to motivate him to eat the croquettes. Decrease the dose at each intake until he eats only his feed, without an appetizing companion.
This solution may not be effective, as the Chihuahua may only decide to eat the pieces of food or lick what he likes. If this first technique doesn't work, start to set specific feeding guidelines and agree with all household members to follow the same steps:
- Offer him his bowl with the usual amount of food for approximately 15 minutes at each of his daily feedings. If the dog doesn't eat, take the food away.
- After this first step, we will not choose to give him the feed from our hand, accompany him with some human food that he likes or insist that he eat.
- Completely ignore the chihuahua calls for attention that will appear below and throughout the day. This is the most difficult step and in which your tiny dog knows that you will fall. Therefore, it is very important that you do not get carried away and that all the members of the house stand firm without giving him another food or you will not get anything.
- If the chihuahua lasts a whole day without eating, we will give him some food that he likes to prevent low blood sugar, because such small dogs should not go more than a day without eating. It is important that he stays hungry, because without hunger he will never go to the feed and will always hold out for us to take this step.
- The exercisewill also help motivate the dog and increase his appetite. Therefore, maintain a proactive routine with established times for both walks and meal times.
- Repeat the process as many times as necessary until the dog understands and gets used to it.
- Finally, remember that it is occasionally advisable to change his diet to motivate him and enrich his diet, so from time to time, like one day a week, we can offer you wet or homemade food.
You may also be interested in our article on the amount of food for a chihuahua.
Other causes and solutions that explain why a Chihuahua does not eat
There are other possible reasons why the Chihuahua has stopped eating, without this implying a whim or illness. Here are some other causes to be aware of:
- Food of poor quality or in poor condition: this can cause the dog to reject its feed and develop he alth problems and deficiency of nutrients, vitamins or proteins. Chihuahuas should eat a special feed for small breed dogs. Take care of his diet and check the composition of the feed you offer him to know if it is adequate and of good quality.
- Boredom or lack of interest: It is also possible that your exquisite chihuahua is not motivated by the food you give him simply because, as it can happen to us humans, he doesn't like it. Try gradually introducing a new quality feed to see if this is the problem.
- Diet change: Changes in diet can cause the Chihuahua not to accept the new food and even cause digestive problems. For this reason, the Chihuahua's diet should be changed gradually, mixing the old feed with the new one until finally you only keep the new one.
- Alteration in your routine: Any change in your daily routine can cause stress or mood swings that affect your desire to eat, such as a move or the loss of a loved one.
- Overfeeding: remember that mini breed dogs eat what corresponds to their weight. Although it may seem like a small amount to you, you should not offer more than the amount recommended by your veterinarian or by the manufacturer, because you will be overfeeding him, with all that this entails, such as overweight and obesity problems. Calculate the grams and ration the dose in at least two shots a day. If you have doubts about the doses, you can consult your veterinarian or check the nutritional table that appears on most feed containers, which indicates the number of grams that we should offer the dog according to its weight, age and activity level.
- Lack of exercise: Lack of burning calories and energy can cause your dog to not want to eat. Opt for walks before eating and motivate him with games to increase his appetite.
Have you been wanting more? Also discover on our site 10 curiosities about Chihuahuas, they will surprise you, guaranteed!
