[Foxy Roxy Roo]

I have a 7 month old female chihuahua puppy. She was off to a rough start and we spent over 1000 dollars in vet bills. She is now happy and healthy but she is very skinny. She is about 2.3 lbs, boney and her ribs show all the time. We feed her Iams puppy toy breed dog food at least twice a day but sometimes she wont eat it. I had her checked with the vet and she is parasite free and seems to be healthy otherwise. I am not sure what to do.

 

[AussieLass]

Hi there, what was wrong with her initially?

Research on Dog Food Advisor - unfortunately Iams is far from being a good food.

I've found I struggle to keep the weight off when feeding ZiwiPeak, it's fantastic in every respect. I combine it with raw feeding.

 

[Wicked Pixie]

I agree, changing to higher quality kibble will help, choosing raw or Ziwi Peak would be even better.

 

[kimr]

And, you might try giving her NutriCal as a daily supplement. That has helped Diesel put on a bit of weight. I also give them wet food now and then.

 

[woodard2009]

Definitely put her on a better food. Just give a little more than you are already giving. You don't want her to gain weight too fast. It's better to be a little skinny than overweight for a chi.

 

[OzChi]

I agree with the others on getting her on a higher quality food. Raw is best but if yo're not up for that ZP or a good quality grain free kibble is also going to do a lot for her.

Also 7 months can be a lanky age, your pup is going through that awkward teenage phase. My female looked really skinny from about 6 months to 9 months even though she ate like a pig and then she filled out and now she looks perfect.

 

[LittleGemma]

Yup, definitely get her off of Iams ASAP! Use Dog Food Reviews and Ratings | Dog Food Advisor to find 5 star quality foods. There's plenty of premade raw or high quality kibble options to choose from.