[valerie]

Hi I'm here pretty much on behalf of my sister - who doesn't speak a word of English. She owns a female Chihuahua who is a few months shy of 2 years. She has always been thin but lost quite a bit of weight in the last couple of months.

She used to be on Orijen - by my advice (I own a Tosa and a Rottie, both of which are amix of Orijen and Canidae) - but then she started being picky about it. She didn't want anything to do with that brand anymore so my sister switched her to Canidae, which she still is on as we speak. She's been losing weight ever since. She used to weigh 6 lbs, at which weight she was thin but not skinny, and she dropped to 4 lbs ever since she started refusing Orijen. My sister has tried everything - she even gave her that (disgusting) moist Beneful crap that they sell at the grocery store - and although she eats some of it, she doesn't gain weight. She doesn't poop more either, which I'm assuming means that she isn't eating enough.

Right now she is free fed because she eats at the weirdest times of the day - like, in the middle of the night while everyone's asleep. I'm used to my dogs who devour everything in a matter of seconds and having her Chihuahua refuse food - all types of food - puzzles me.

I don't have any picture right now (if you guys ask for it I'll tell my sister to get me one) but I can count her ribs easily and I see every "bump" of her spine, along with the pelvis bones. She isn't quite emaciated but she is darn near it. She is still as (hyper!) active as ever, plays chase with the newly adopted Chi/min pin mix, brings all her toys to my sister's newborn in hopes that he'll play with her. She's loving life and is still her old self - except she's 2 pounds skinnier.

Are there any medical issues (common to the breed) that could explain this situation? My sister's a little tight on finances right now but she does plan on taking her to the vet to be spayed by the beginning of summer (near July). We're going to try and get her back on Orijen since it's been about 6 months that she's been off of it. We're hoping she won't remember or will find it suddenly appealing to her taste after such a long time. Any advice is welcome! Thank you

 

[Audreybabypup]

Hi there. Has she been seen by a vet to make sure there is no underlying reason why she isn't eating well? My chi is thin and active but being that your sister's lost weight, that could be a sign of parasites or a digestinal issue that would need addressed by a vet. Will she eat treats? Like is she just being picky? Because you mentioned that she'll eat beneful (which ya is awful) but won't gain weight.

 

[Reese and Miley]

For sure I'd start out by worming her. A tablet like drontal gives a one time treatment to remove roundworms, whipworms, hookworms and even tapeworms and there is no need to re dose. One pill for a chi is about $5 and available through any vet, and no need to bring her in to get the pill if your sister doesn't have a vet visit in her budget now. What about Acana instead of Orijen, a different flavor? Maybe get some salmon oil or even a little olive oil to add to her kibble and add in a few extra calories. If after worming her and getting her eating well she's still not gaining she needs to get her in to rule out other medical issues. I'd stop free feeding too if possible, that only exasperates picky eating. Get her eating on a schedule 2-3 times a day.

 

[Reese and Miley]

And my goodness, you're feeding Orijen to a rottie?! That must be pricey! What lucky pups you have.

 

[bayoumah]

hi so sorry to hear about your sis little chih i would use some baby food all chicken and mix alittle orijen with it she might enjoy that flavor then eat her hard pieces good luck

 

[susan davis]

I'm sorry, but if my chihuahua lost that much weight, I'd be at the vets. Too many issues, like, diabetes, thryroid problems, and other things to be ruled out. As far as feeding, I have a chihuahua that doesn't eat too. I offer her food in the AM, noon, about 5 and bedtime. If she doesn't eat, too bad. She has gone a day without eating, only a small drink of milk, and she is healthy. She does have reflux and takes Pepcid for it. (vet Rx'd). Good luck with her. Sue

 

[LostLakeLua]

I agree with the others. Step one, vet check. Step two; stop free-feeding. The important fact to remember is that a healthy dog will NOT starve itself. It may go a few meals and be stubborn; but if the vet gives her a good report it's safe to assume she may be stubborn. Free-feeding does one of three things. There's a few lucky people who's dogs will just eat to maintain their healthy weight. Other dogs eat too much, all the time, and get obese. And then, there's another group of dogs who will simply not eat enough because it's always there, and don't have the motivation to consume more than the minimum to survive. It doesn't happen a lot but I even know a few dogs personally like that. So what I'd do is once she's been dewormed and the vet gives her a clean bill of health; is to only offer food 3 times a day. Morning, afternoon and a few hours before bedtime. Leave it down for 10 minutes in a room she's in. If she doesn't eat it; pick it up and don't offer it again until the next mealtime. No treats throughout the day; nothing she can just be stubborn and "hold out" for. Just regular feedings offered at a routine time. Soon enough once she realizes the food won't be there at her leisure, she'll happily consume everything you have to offer. Then you can start increasing the amount at each meal to help her put on weight; once shes gotten into the habit of clearing her bowl every meal. Hope that helps! =)

 

[Debi Hall]

My two would pick at their dry food and only eat it when absolutely necessary. I have a chinese crested who was even more picky but.... last last few weeks I have been raw feeding and all the dogs love it, clearing all their plates. I just need my little chi girl to get used to eating raw whole chicken wings. My other three dogs clear the lot! Tthe info on the raw feeding forum was very useful.

 

[valerie]

Thanks everyone! To answer the questions:

Audreybabypup - She hasn't been seen by a vet. She lost weight over the course of several months, ever since she started refusing Orijen. She eats treats, not all kinds but does eat chicken pieces and such. My sister started giving her beneful because my mother had several cans left (she had a Yorkie up until last December and although I tried everything to change her mind and get her to feed a better food, she never did).

Reese and Miley - I will tell her about the drontal for sure. I will also tell her to add a little olive oil to her food. For the past day, my sister has started mixing Canidae with water, and once it is all soaked she blends everything in the blender (after blending the fruit or veggies for her baby), and Layla seems to be doing much better this way. She eats almost everything my sister puts in her bowl. So I'm thinking that adding the olive or salmon oil to this mixture might help her get a little weight back on. I'll have to look up the amount to give her though.

Oh, and yes, I feed my dogs both Orijen and Canidae I alternate between the brands every month. The Rottie is really not eating that much - he's 4 years old and very happy with 2.5 to 3 cups a day, depending on how much extras he gets and how much exercise we do during the day. My little Tosa girl though... She is something. She is already larger than my Rottie (at 12 months) and eats like a real teenager... about 5 cups a day right now. She is expensive to feed but I figure it's just for another year or two, then she should stabilize at 3 to 4 cups a day. My husband always jokes that the dogs are fed better food than us humans! Oh well!

Oh, and before I forget, my sister's Chihuahua has the same markings as your Reese! In fact they look very much alike, except that my sister's never looks this calm and serene!

Susan Davis - My sister did take her to her vet when she started refusing Orijen - I guess I should have mentioned it in my first post. The vet said to give her a tiny amount of honey every morning for some common issue in the breed. My sister tried several times but Layla isn't interested at all. I thought it was a little weird and never really understood why it would be beneficial but then again I don't know the breed and its common health issues enough to pass any judgment.

KittynKahlua - I think Layla would be in the third group - not eating nearly enough to be healthy. She really doesn't seem sick in the way she acts and plays but I can't look at her and say she's healthy. Those bones popping out from everywhere don't look fine to me - or my sister. She looks better once she's eaten, as if it fattens her up quickly and you cannot see her ribs that much anymore, but after an hour or two she's back to being skinny.

I'll tell my sister to get the drontal and continue blending her food and see how that goes since she seems to be willing to eat more that way. She really cannot afford a vet visit with all the tests until at least next month because of some unexpected things that came up with her little (human) boy but if she gets worse and needs to be seen I am sure she will do what's right for Layla - she listens better than my mother and really does love her dog. I will keep you updated, thank you again - everyone - for the quick replies Much appreciated!

 

[chibros]

Chi weight, the vet, eating habits

My one chi Diego has been very thin bodied his whole life. When under two years old had a few bouts with intestinal issues but never showed parasites. Vet would always prescribe antibiotic for cleaning out any possible bacteria. The messy bowel movements would clear up, energy would come back! However, my vet continued to always rate him a 3.5 or a 4 out of 5 in overall health because of his weight appearance and yet he could never find anything wrong with him! He is four pounds, shaped long bodied and so realllly looks thin! It's just his genetics! He is very active, glossy coat, but has never had a huge appetite. I free feed ALL my animals and noone over eats or under eats! I have five dogs, a cat, a horse, a goat and a cow! I have always free fed my animals. Some breeds are known piggies {chocolate labs and golden labs lol } but most animals will eat when hungry and walk away when full (they are smarter than we humans} . If the vet can find nothing wrong, the coat healthy,teeth good, energy fine then maybe your chi had "puppy appetite while growing" , and is now eating what he/she needs for themselves. It's all relative. My other chi eats more, weighs almost a pound and a half more, is not fat ,same level energy and gloss etc! He has a more traditional chi body too! Not as long etc!

 

[doginthedesert]

I just wanted to second the thing about free feeding. Most people would say it makes dogs fat- but like has been said some will just not eat enough because they never really get hungry enough. If it is not a medical issue I would start feeding 2 times a day with wet food mixed in or a topper to make it more appealing. Then she will get used to eating on a regular schedule and you can get off the canned (that is presuming she goes nuts for the canned).

The honey was to prevent the chis blood sugar from dropping, very small dogs are prone to low blood sugar if they don't eat for too long and it can become an emergency. Depending on what she weighs you might not really need to worry about it too much- how much does she weigh? Honey seems to be what it recommended in a blood sugar emergency though. You might be better off with something like nutrical or nutristat to use daily as a preventative. Those products say they stimulate appetite too but I think it really depends on why they are not eating in the first place.

 

[doginthedesert]

I wanted to add though- if adding a canned or topper does not work don't go trying hundreds of different things- that will just make her more picky and like others have said she will not starve herself if she is healthy. It is just an idea that works sometimes immediately and easily. Add canned or a topper, she will get used to loving and eating all of her her food twice a day, then you can get off of it slowly. Don't leave it sitting around if it does not work, and for some dogs it does not work. For many it seems to do wonders in getting them off free feeding.