Chihuahuas can be picky and sensitive to foods, so it’s important to feed them a well-balanced and nutritious diet. This guide outlines the best food to feed your chihuahua, whether they’re a puppy, adult, or senior.
Getting your first Chihuahua puppy is an exciting time but knowing the best dog food for them can be confusing! You should try to aim for a diet that’s high in protein, natural, and contains supplements like glucosamine and DHA to help you decide on the best dog food for a chihuahua puppy.
What Is The Best Dog Food For A Chihuahua Puppy?
The best dog food for a chihuahua puppy should be completely natural. A natural dog food is free of any artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives.
The best dog food for a chihuahua puppy should contain at least 22% protein from a high-quality meat source (and as the first ingredient!), such as grass-fed lamb or USA farmed chicken.
Fillers like corn, soy, and cereal grains should also be avoided. The best dog food for a chihuahua puppy won’t include any of these types of fillers! A good balance of protein, fat, fiber, and carbohydrates is also important in the best dog food for a chihuahua puppy.
Lastly, the best dog food for a chihuahua puppy should include extra vitamins and minerals, such as glucosamine, essential fatty acids, and probiotics. These will promote good overall health, as well as give chihuahua puppies the nutrition they need to develop.
The Best Wet Dog Food For A Chihuahua Puppy
If you’d rather opt for wet food to feed your Chihuahua puppy, then you’re probably wondering what the best wet dog food for a chihuahua puppy.
The best wet dog food for a chihuahua puppy should be natural, high in protein, well-balanced, and contain extra vitamins to support your puppy’s growth.
Additionally, zero soy, wheat, corn, poultry -by-product meals, and artificial flavors/preservatives are used. A good mix of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants are packed into this wet dog food for puppies. These help keep your chihuahua puppy’s immune system working efficiently!
If you’re looking for one of the best wet dog foods for a chihuahua puppy, then this one by Blue Buffalo is a great choice. It can also be used for younger puppies, making it one of the best dog foods for a chihuahua puppy at 4 weeks old.
Chihuahua puppies should still be nursing from their mother at 4 weeks old, but they can start to be weaned onto small amounts of solid food.
The best dog food for a chihuahua puppy at 4 weeks old should include a high number of calories, as well as vitamins and minerals, like the Buffalo Wilderness High Protein & Grain-Free Wet Puppy Food. Wet food should be moistened with water or a milk substitute to make it softer and easier to mash up with before feeding to a chihuahua puppy. Dry kibble can also be used, but it should be moistened so it is a soupy/gruel like consistency so a chihuahua puppy can swallow it.
Best Natural Dry Dog Food For Chihuahua Puppies
The best dry dog food for a chihuahua puppy should be natural, high in protein, contain essential nutrients, and use as fewer fillers as possible. The kibble size should also be small enough for a chihuahua puppy to chew to prevent choking.
The Blue Buffalo Freedom Puppy Small Breed Chicken Recipe is a good choice. It uses deboned chicken as the first ingredient, alongside whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. DHA, ARA, omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, and other vitamins and minerals are used to make for a nutritious and healthy meal.
No poultry by-products, corn, wheat, soy, artificial flavors/preservatives are used too. As this dry dog food is targeted for small breed puppies, the kibble size is small enough for a chihuahua to chew!
Best Wet Dog Food For Senior Chihuahua
Wet dog food is usually a bit easier for a senior chihuahua to swallow. Senior chihuahuas need less protein and calories than adults, as well as a higher fiber content.
One of the best wet dog foods for a senior chihuahua is the Wellness Complete Health Natural Senior Wet Canned Food. It has a low calorie and protein content of just 7%, which comes from chicken and ocean fish. It also contains a high amount of fiber from sources like sweet potatoes, flaxseeds, and ground barley. All the ingredients are natural too!
What Do Chihuahuas Like To Eat?
Chihuahuas, like all dogs, love meat. This should make up the main part of a chihuahua’s diet and supplemented with fruits, vegetables, and complex carbs like peas and sweet potatoes.
Tasty and healthy meats that chihuahuas like to eat include chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, and fish.
It might take some time before you figure out which fruits and vegetables your chihuahua likes, as they are a notoriously fussy breed. Some examples you could try include peas, broccoli, zucchini, blueberries, apples, and watermelon.
My Top Picks for Chihuahua Dog Food
Some chihuahua dog food recommendations are listed below. These foods are healthy, nutritious, and contain high-quality ingredients.
Fromm Gold Small Breed Adult Dog Food
- Real deboned chicken is used (as the first ingredient!)
- Extra protein sources from lamb and duck
- Omega 3 fatty acids from salmon oil and menhaden fish meal
- Manufactured in the USA
Taste of the Wild Appalachian Valley Small Breed Dry Dog Food
- First ingredient is venison
- High in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants
- Prebiotics /probiotics are used for optimal digestive health
- Free from grain, corn, soy, fillers, and artificial flavors/colors/preservatives
Merrick Classic Small Breed Dry Dog Food
- Real deboned chicken is used (as the first ingredient!)
- Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids for a healthy coat
- Glucosamine and chondroitin to support joints
- Quinoa is used for extra protein and fiber
Best Dog Food For A Chihuahua With A Sensitive Stomach Or Allergies
Chihuahuas are prone to digestive issues due to their small tummies, so you’ve probably asked yourself what the best dog food for a chihuahua with a sensitive stomach is?
The best dog food for a chihuahua with a sensitive stomach usually contains a bland, lean meat, such as chicken, turkey, or lamb. These meats are fairly low in fat and easy to digest.
Additionally, the best dog food for a chihuahua with a sensitive stomach typically uses limited ingredients. This is so your chihuahua is at a lower risk of consuming an ingredient that is upsetting their stomach. Less ingredients also make the food less taxing on your chihuahua’s digestive system.
Sometimes dog food for chihuahuas for sensitive stomachs will contain zero grains, as some dogs can be intolerant or allergic to them. Vegetables like sweet potatoes might also be included in the ingredients as they are great for a dog’s digestive system.
Some owners choose to opt for grain-free foods for chihuahuas with allergies as they have found it has reduced allergy symptoms. Grain can cause itching, upset tummies, and skin irritations, especially if the chihuahua is allergic or intolerant to it.
The Best Natural Dog Food For An Overweight Chihuahua
Chihuahuas are prone to weight gain, especially if they are fed an unbalanced or poor diet. An overweight chihuahua is at risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and other health problems.
The best dog food for an overweight chihuahua should be low in fat, low in calories, and contain a good amount of protein.
Wellness Core Natural Grain-Free Reduced Fat Dry Dog Food is a good example of one of the best dog foods for an overweight Chihuahua. It contains 11% fat, 37% protein, and around 44% carbohydrates. Deboned turkey is used as the first ingredient, which is a healthy and lean meat that’s low in fat.
Additionally, it’s grain-free, with zero wheat, corn, soy, meat-by-products, or artificial flavors/colors/preservatives used.
Chihuahua Semi-Soft Food
Semi-soft or semi-moist food is made with a higher moisture content than normal kibble to make it softer and easier for dogs to eat. The water content in semi-soft food is typically between 60 and 65%.
Semi-soft food is also easier to digest, especially for small breeds, which makes it’s an ideal choice for chihuahuas.
For example, if you own an elderly 7lb Chihuahua, then semi-soft food could make it much easier for your dog to chew and digest.
Semi-soft food does tend to contain quite a bit of sugar or salt, so this is something to bear in mind. Additionally, semi-soft food can also lead to tartar and plaque build-up as it is not as effective at removing them as dry food.
How Much Do You Feed A Chihuahua Puppy?
Chihuahua puppies should consume around 50 calories for each pound of their weight. For example, if your chihuahua puppy weighs 4 lbs, then it will need to eat 200 calories each day.
You should feed your chihuahua puppy food until they are around 9 months of age. Their meals should be split into four separate (small) ones throughout the day.
Balanced Homemade Diet For A Chihuahua
A balanced homemade diet for a chihuahua needs to contain protein (like cooked turkey, chicken, salmon, cod) that has been prepared with an oil like flaxseed oil, as well as vegetables (like spinach or zucchini) and fruit, such as blueberries and cranberries. Additionally, grains like brown rice and something to bind all the food together, such as pumpkin, could also be included.
Now it’s your turn, I hope that you have valuable information to start a healthy and nutritious routine for your chihuahua. Tell me which your favorite chihuahua natural food or diet is, I am happy to hear from your experience!
