Chi puppy won't eat

[Terrry]

I have an eleven week old Chihuahua, he is so small that his sugar keeps dropping, I've had him at the Vet, he is alright, but he won't eat his food, I have tried everything, I can't let him go long enough,so he can get hungry, otherwise his sugar drops, he wants Nutri cal, he won't eat kibbles or any wet dog food, I cooked him chicken livers, cottage cheese, calf liver, the vet reconmemded Science diet A&D, I now have to feed him Goats milk and ground raw turkey I feed him every three hours, day and night, this is getting old, he is spoiled, he'll only lick it off my finger, I'm going crazy:, I'm not getting any sleep, this has been going on for three weeks now, any one got any ideas????: He only weighs 13 oz, so you can see my problem, he used to eat his kibble, he is very alert and playful, I just don't know what else I can do Help!!!!!!!! How do I unspoil him, without him getting hypoglcemia

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

Sounds like your little one has gotten so used to the nutrical and hand feeding that it's being stubborn / spoiled.

This really is something to discuss directly with your veterinarian since low sugar levels can be deadly however, one thing you can try is adding the nutrical to whatever it is that you want him to eat and yes, you may have to hand feed him for awhile but by mixing the nutrical with the other food you may have a chance of getting something else in him.

[calgal]

13 ounces is a very dangerous weight for a puppy who isn't eating very well or much. They can expire, dehydrate in only a few hours. I would not care if I had to buy porterhouse steaks and feed him every hour, as long as he was gaining and growing. Once he has established a healthy weight and is use to eating enough at one meal to carry him over for another 3 hours, then he's on his way to being ok. It's going to take perseverance on your part to keep this baby alive and healthy. Dog food isn't going to do it right now, and you would never have to feed him dog food if you don't want. Science diet is one of the worst dog foods out there and usually all vets push this stuff for the profit. Most Vets. are NOT trained in neutrition. Real food is safer and healthier for him anyway. I have two Yorkies and two Chihuahuas that I feed only real food to and they are VERY healthy and happy. A really great book I use to help me take care of my dogs is Dr.Pitcairn's complete guide to NATURAL HEALTH for DOGS & CATS.
Here is some vital information for you:

http://www.prwatch.org/prwissues/1996Q1/madcow13.html
http://www.homevet.com/petcare/foodbook.html
http://www.api4animals.org/doc.asp?ID=79
http://www.nexusmagazine.com//Petfood.html
http://home.att.net/~wdcusick/03.html

[IceyBlueSibes]

I agree.

I would first discuss with your vet as far as taking him off of a prescription diet.

Calgal, again - a prescription diet is something that can keep dogs alive. Even though the brand is Science Diet, doesn't necessarily mean they are only doing it because of the money. As I said, PRESCRIPTION diets are there for a reason, and when a dog is prescribed this, I would only take them off, if I found something that would benefit my dog the same way. This member would have to do a lot of research on dog nutrition, especially for dogs with low sugar in order to provide a proper, home cooked diet. Do you have any recipes or sites for dogs with low sugar that this person can ask the vet about?

I'm not trying to bash you, I just don't feel a home cooked diet should be pushed heavily when the dog has a health problem, and it's diet is a specific prescription.

[roman]

we had the same problem with niko as a puppy he LOVED nutrical we put a little in his food for 2 days and now he thinks that is is in there even though it isn't

try that but also talk to the vet

[linnie]

As an old hand at owning Chi's I understand your problem. i think you should talk to your vet about a suppliment that will increase your pups appetite. We used to give ours abdec drops but I dont know what they would be called overseas
As far as unspoiling all I can say is GOOD LUCK lol

[briarlow]

We have something called Enervite in the UK which is great and helps dogs to get a proper appetite whilst having the correct nutrients if they are not eating properly, although it is not something to be given long-term,

[Terrry]

Thanks for all the encoragement, Fernando is so spoiled, he doesn't like the a&d, but I feed him every three hours, and never put him down, he only wants down when he wants to go to the bathroom, like I said he is very playful, I just make sure he doen't get to much excersise, I had him to three vets now, they say that he is healthy, just spoiled, i'll check and see if I can find those drops to improve his appetite, also the supplement, thanks again for the advise

[IceyBlueSibes]

Glad we could be of some help.

I would try very hard to "unspoil" him with some things as much as you can. Since he's still young, it will be a lot easier, than to try it if he were older.

Sometimes the tiny ones just like to be in the security of their human mommy's arms You should still teach him that it's okay to be out of your arms for a little bit.

Your avatar is just too cute for words! What a sweetie! It would be hard not to spoil that little lump of love

[Cassiepeia]

I agree with Icey...you need to stop with the spoiling right now.
Chihuahua's have quite the attitude and if you continue you might end up with a dog that isn't the social butterfly it should be.

My advice....Put him down and make him walk around on his own. Don't baby him (that's the worst mistake toy dog owners make IMO)...he's a dog...he should be treated like a dog. Take him to puppy classes and then on to obedience classes. It's good for socialisation as well as teaching him some manners and you how to communicate with him.
There is no problem with him getting plenty of exercise. Why are you worried about that? As long as the area he's in is safe he should be allowed to run around and play as much as he wants.
Were it a large/giant breed of dog I'd be more concerned with too much exercise...but not a Chihuahua.
Make sure he gets plenty of socialisation with people. That means out of your arms and on the ground, dealing with them himself. If he's in your arms he's protected from the world around him by you and he doesn't have to deal with it. He won't get any socialisation that way.

Finally..the best advice is treat him like you would a big dog. Everytime he does something think..."Would I let a rottweiler get away with that?" if the answer is no, don't allow it.

There is no reason why you can't love your pup like it's your child. My boy is my baby too, but he's a dog and you have to acknowledge that and treat them as such or you're doing them a disservice.

Sorry I seem to have gone on longer than I wanted too. LOL Anyhoo..Chihuahua's are one of my favourite breeds and I just love seeing friendly, well socialised and well trained dogs. These good examples are a credit to the breed.

Cass.

EDIT: Oh and it might do to think, every time you want to spoil him, "am I doing this for him....or for me?" Most of the time the 'spoiling' we do is to make ourselves feel better. It's not for the dogs benefit.

[IceyBlueSibes]

GREAT advice Cass!

[Terrry]

Took little Fernando to the vet again this morning, he still doen't want to eat dog food, he weighs 14 oz now and the vet told me he was overweight, eating to much nutri cal, like candy, put he on Eukanuba little bites and Nutro Liver supplment, hope that helps his appitite, thanks for all the encouragement, it nice to be able to talk about my and babies and have people know what I'm talking about, if you want to see his photo go to my album, it's fernando, my little monster( I created it) Terry