Homemade dog food for Chihuahua

Introduction

1. Benefits of a homemade diet for Chihuahuas
2. Balancing a homemade diet for a Chihuahua
3. Chihuahua breed predispositions and functional nutrition support
4. Make it bespoke to your Chihuahua
5. Reduce the chances of your Chihuahua developing digestive issues.
6. Supplements for Chihuahuas 

“The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.” Ann Wigmore

Benefits of a Homemade Dog Food for Chihuahua

• Healthiest way to feed your Chihuahua.
• Diet can help to mitigate breed predispositions.
• You know what ingredients are being used, you control the quality.
• You can personalise the recipes to include foods that your dog enjoys.
• Homemade diets minimise the chances of digestive issues for Chihuahuas.
• Use appropriate and specific supplement for than extra boost.

In this article we’ll discuss these components of making the healthiest homemade diet possible for your Chihuahua. Written by me, the dog nutritionist (Cam). 

Balancing a diet for your Chihuahua

There is so much worry about making a complete diet for dogs, and this anxiety can be really useful because it will ensure you get it right. However, it’s very misplaced because dog nutrition is actually very simple.  

Your dog needs a high proportion of meat in their diet, which includes organ meat. They require some calcium from either bone, eggshell or a supplement and a range of grated vegetables and fruits. You can buy a multivitamin supplement like the one I sell to ensure you’re not falling short, or you can get my homemade dog food recipe ebook for Chihuahuas, which comes with a full nutrition guide with raw bones quantities.

Meat (sometimes fish)    50-70%

Organ Meat            10-20%

Raw Bone or Calcium Source  10% OR more meat & 2000mg of calcium per 1kg of food

Veggies            10-15%

Fruits                 5-10%

Carbs                max. 20% (Some days there should be no carbs in the food)

Oils                1 tbsp per 1kg of food/ 1.5 tbsp if no carbs in the food)

You’ll notice these figures don’t add up to 100%, that’s because it’s a guide and it really doesn’t matter if you don’t get it exactly right. But again, if your one of those dog owners who does feel the stress of the situation more, you can get specific recipes for Chihuahua’s here. 

Here’s a video I’ve made on Debunking Complete Dog Food – Please watch it, it will relieve some stress!

Chihuahua breed predispositions and functional nutrition support

Nutrigenomics is using specific foods to minimise the expression of unhealthy genes, and maximising the expression of healthy genes. This doesn’t need to be overcomplicated, so I’ll keep it simple; the healthier diet, the less likely your dog will suffer from disease.

This is where functional foods come in, and again, let’s not overcomplicate things. All foods have a nutrition profile, a range of macronutrients, vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, antioxidants, polyphenols etc. and these nutrients have the ability support certain areas of a human and canine health. 

Some ingredients have nutrition profiles that are more suited to supporting eye health, some for joints, some to help keep the skin and coat of dog nourished and even be anti-cancer or beneficial for the liver health.

Creating a natural fresh food diet, using specific foods and functional foods in the right proportion, can protect your dog from health issues they’re more predisposed to. That’s the power of food!  

What are Chihuahua’s common health issues?

Anxiety and stress can caused by a situation of chronic oxidative stress and inflammation, especially in brain and immune cells. Therefore, including herbs that are aromatically calming, like rosemary, thyme and sage in the diet can reduce stress levels. To help reduce stress, a diet for Chihuahuas should also contain strong anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatories and immune boosting ingredients. These come from using quality ingredients, organ meat, and a range of vegetables and fruits proportioned appropriately. 

Joint issue support comes from weight control, making sure the dog is lean, but also avoiding inflammatory ingredients like carbohydrates and cereals. Providing a natural fresh food diet that’s anti-inflammatory, using fish etc. Utilising high collagen foods, like raw meaty bones (chicken wings, duck necks, eggshell membrane), can help to regrow cartilage. 

Using ingredients your Chihuahua digests the best, in the right balance.

Every dog is different and your Chihuahua is not the exact same as the next dog owner’s Chihuahua. It’s the same for their dietary needs and abilities, as sometimes one Chihuahua is better at digesting a certain ingredient than another Chihuahua. This is particularly the case for proteins (meats/ fish/eggs), but can also be the case for vegetables, fruits and carbohydrates.

By learning what your dog digests the best, and using these ingredients as often as possible, it puts minimal stress on your Chihuahua’s digestive system, this maximises the absorption of nutrients from the foods and minimises gastro-intestinal inflammation. It makes for a better balance of gut bacteria, basically, everything will work more efficiently and your Chihuahua will be healthier.