Chihuahuas are notorious for their insatiable appetites and will quickly devour any treat you offer them. When your chihuahua suddenly stops eating, though, what do you do? Chihuahua owners often worry when their pets suddenly stop eating, and we’ll go over the possible causes of your chihuahua’s loss of appetite.
Possible Reasons Why A Chihuahua Won’t Eat
🐶 Illness
Decreased appetite in chihuahuas is a common symptom of illness, especially if your dog is also showing other symptoms. Loss of appetite in chihuahuas may not always be indicative of serious illness. But it is important to seek veterinary care right away in case it is a sign of something more serious like cancer, various systemic infections, physical discomfort, or liver or kidney failure.
🐶 Recent vaccine shot
Vaccines are, thankfully, available for a wide variety of dangerous and contagious diseases that might affect chihuahuas. In spite of the fact that over the course of the past century, these injections have prevented the loss of life in millions of pets, there are occasions when they do cause unwanted side effects. The bulk of symptoms is rather insignificant and transient, such as chihuahuas experiencing a momentary decrease in appetite. If the reaction does not clear up after the vaccine shot has worn off, you should get in touch with the veterinarian as soon as possible.
🐶 Dental problems
It’s possible that your dog is experiencing pain in its mouth, which is keeping it from wanting to eat. Check to see if they have any oral tumors, broken or loose teeth, severe gingivitis, or even just regular gum disease. Abscesses on the roots of teeth are one example of something that can develop below the gum line but remain undetected.
🐶 Unfamiliar surrounding
If your Chihuahua’s appetite was normal up until you took them on a trip or moved to a new place, it’s possible that your Chihuahua won’t eat due to the stress of the journey or the new environment. Some animals may experience nausea upon moving. While others may get anxious or uncomfortable in unfamiliar environments, resulting in a loss of appetite.
🐶 Behavior issues
Some Chihuahuas are just finicky eaters. But their refusal to eat could also be the result of being fed in circumstances that make them uncomfortable, such as being around a dog that is hostile toward them or eating from a bowl that is at an awkward height for them. Never make the assumption that your chihuahua is fussy without first checking the other possibilities, as a decreased appetite in chihuahuas might be caused by disease.
Things You Should Avoid Doing If Your Chihuahua Won’t Eat
🐶 Showing frustration
Much as your chihuahua’s refusal to eat can be quite irritating for you, allowing yourself to become angry about the situation will just make your dog more anxious and terrified, which will only make the situation even worse.
Even if someone yells at the chihuahua to eat or attempts to force food into its mouth, the dog will not eat if it has decided that it does not want to eat. If a dog identifies the act of you bringing them their meals with frightening events, the dog is more likely to become selective in their eating or to stop eating altogether.
Make an effort to be patient and cool. And if you find that you are unable to do so, step away from the situation, take a break, and come back to it once you have collected yourself.
🐶 Grazing
Grazing is the term used to describe when pet owners leave food in their dog’s dish all day so that their pet can consume it whenever it chooses. If you consistently leave their food out, a chihuahua who is fussy about what they eat will be less likely to consume any of it.
Have defined food times for your chihuahua rather than allowing it to graze all day long. Prepare and serve their meal at the designated time of day, and if they do not finish eating it within the allotted amount of time, remove the dish from the table and offer it to them again when it is their next meal time.
🐶 Changing the food to dog treats
If you sprinkle dog treats, bits of chicken, or pieces of cheese on top of the food that you give your chihuahua, they will most likely pick off the treats and leave the food alone. Even though they might attempt to persuade you otherwise, chihuahuas who are at risk of obesity cannot subsist solely on goodies.
🐶 Mix, don’t change
The secret to success here is to combine both the dry kibble and the wet food in a mixture rather than fully replace the dry food with the wet. Your Chihuahua’s calorie intake will drastically increase if it just takes wet food, which could lead to obesity if it continues this diet. The next important step in implementing this method is to make sure you purchase the appropriate type of wet food. Your Chihuahua will be able to eat more deliberately if you choose a wet meal in the form of pate or loaf rather than kibble because it is more difficult to mix the two. Look for a wet food that coats the kibble and has gravy and shredded meat as the main ingredients.
Chihuahuas rely greatly on their sense of smell, therefore, you should look for intriguing flavors to peak their nose’s attention, such as fish, which has a distinct odor.
Tips To Stimulate Your Chihuahua’s Appetite
When we think of our Chihuahuas, one thing always comes to mind, and that is their undying passion for food. This is true regardless of their physical appearance, weight, demeanor, or breed. We don’t think any of our Chihuahuas would ever turn down food, whether it’s one of their three daily meals or a mouthwatering treat in between. But what should you do if you notice that your Chihuahua has suddenly lost his appetite? Is your Chihuahua suddenly becoming a fussy eater, or could it be that he or she is suffering from a medical condition? Your Chihuahua’s hunger has to be stimulated, for whatever cause it may be, and you need to discover ways to do that.
🐶 Lessen amount of treats
If your chihuahua has an eating problem, you should stop giving it treats as a first step. Your chihuahua’s eating habits will be disrupted if you give him an excessive amount of treats. You should save treats for when you are training it or recognizing exceptional conduct. High-calorie density is a hallmark of treats, which can lead to overeating and a fixation on sweets rather than nutritious food. To counterbalance your chihuahua’s pickiness, feeding him fewer treats increases the likelihood that he will eat more of his regular food.
🐶 Have a strict schedule
Chihuahuas who are finicky eaters need to be taught from an early age that they do not get to choose when or what they consume as part of their diet. When it comes to educating our Chihuahuas to obey their allotted mealtimes, it is essential that we adhere to a rigid feeding plan and refrain from allowing them to eat whenever they choose. After ten minutes, you can enforce this plan by removing any food that has not been consumed from the table. Your Chihuahua will pick up the concept that he has a limited amount of time to eat his food before you take it away if you train him in this manner.
🐶 Check the texture of the food
Finding the correct meal texture for your Chihuahua is another important step in the process of boosting their appetite. Chihuahuas have a weak sense of taste but a highly developed sense of smell, so they gravitate toward meals that have a potent and enticing odor. This preference is heavily influenced by the origin of the food as well as how it is prepared. For this reason, older Chihuahuas that have only ever had kibble as their primary source of nutrition might favor a cooked protein in an otherwise raw, natural diet over raw meat.
You may increase the palatability and taste of your chihuahua’s food, in addition to the texture, by placing mouth-watering components in his food bowl, such as sardines, liver treats, and bone broth. This will make the food more appealing to your dog. These foods provide a smell that is both distinctive and appetizing. And as a result, it’s a guarantee to make whet the hunger of your Chihuahua and encourage him to consume even more food.
Final Words
There are several medical issues that might affect a chihuahua’s appetite. Therefore, this should be taken into account if the dog suddenly stops eating. Chihuahuas need regular meals, but the quality of those meals is just as crucial. Healthy, well-balanced diets are essential if you want your Chihuahua to live as long as possible.
Chihuahuas need to be fed the same thing every day for their digestion to be in tip-top shape. This means that for their health, owners of fussy dogs shouldn’t try to “give anything better” to their dogs.
It may be challenging and irritating to deal with a finicky eater, but it is certainly possible if you follow some of the suggestions above and talk to your vet.
Here at ILoveChihuahua, we share our personal experiences as owners of this feisty breed. We talk about recommended methods, dog supplies picks, and advice on common Chihuahua problems. Our goal is to promote responsible dog ownership, so there would be fewer Chihuahuas in shelters.
