Do you get overwhelmed with the variety of dog food available at the grocery store or pet store? Adult food, senior food, puppy food, food for different breeds. Then there’s the protein, grain-free, holistic, frozen, raw, dry, wet, semi-moist, canned, and the list goes on.

What if your dog has certain health issues, what type of food is best for them? Different breeds may need different nutrients to keep them healthy and each dog is unique, so how do you know what is the best dog food for YOUR dog and if he or she is getting the right nutrition?

That’s a good question and I’m glad you asked because good Chihuahua nutrition is so important to keep your Chihuahua happy, healthy, and able to ward off diseases. I hope this article will make the daunting decision of what’s best to feed your Chihuahua easier and give you confidence that you’ve made an informed decision, one that is best for YOUR unique Chihuahua.

Why Is Knowing About Nutrition Important?

Good nutrition is necessary even essential to prevent dietary deficiency diseases. The right balance of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals helps your Chihuahua fight off infections and reduces his or her susceptibility to other ailments. The best way to make sure your dog is getting a properly balanced diet is to know the ingredients and to make sure it has the proper balance of carbohydrates, protein, fats vitamins, and minerals.

I advocate for feeding dogs fresh human-grade dog food. I also don’t believe that it is a good idea to make your own unless you know Chihuahua nutrition and the necessary vitamins, minerals, and probiotics that Chihuahuas need. Even if you did know, not everyone has the time or the inclination to make their own. So I want to help you to make the best decision you can if you are feeding your dog commercial dog food.

Be Careful of Bargain Brands

Bargain dog food is seldom a bargain. It may say on the bag that it has the same percentages of protein and/or other nutrients as the better-known brands, but it’s the amount of usable or digestible nutrients that counts. After all, an old leather shoe is protein, but has no nutritional value at all!

The truth is that generic or bargain brands use the cheapest ingredients available. Tests have been done and found that many don’t contain what their labels say they do. In fact, many are actually dangerous for toy breeds. Why? Because smaller dogs have higher energy requirements per pound than big dogs, but because of their small size, they eat only a little at a time. So, they need high-quality, easily digestible food…. not cheap, empty calories.

There have been so many health problems associated with cheap or generic brand dog foods, that the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of California has labeled the syndrome “generic dog food-associated disease.”  From the book: Chihuahuas for Dummies.

Regular Brands Vs Premium Brands

Regular Brands: These are the brands that are well known and you have seen on supermarket shelves for years. Their ingredients are more digestible and made from higher quality than the economy foods. They are neither the cheapest nor the most expensive.

Premium brands are seldom (almost never) found in supermarkets and grocery stores. While the regular brands use wheat, corn, or soybeans as their primary source of ingredients, premium brands use a meat source as their main ingredient.

There are dog food recalls daily. Even premium dog foods have had recalls. There have been recalled popular dog foods from every company. Should you worry? It’s a good idea to check your dog food brand for recalls on a regular basis.

Make It Healthier

You can boost the nutritional value of the dog food that you feed your dog easily. Even adding a few fresh ingredients can make a tremendous difference in the nutritional value and therefore in your Chihuahua’s overall health.

Adding some boiled chicken or lightly cooked ground turkey will increase the nutritional protein. Adding some fruit and/or vegetables will add highly digestible carbohydrates and even needed minerals to their food. One caution, however, make sure that the fruit or vegetable is one that dogs can eat. Some that we may enjoy can be toxic to dogs.

Even adding some natural supplemental vitamins can make a tremendous difference and boost the nutritional value of any manufactured dog food.

Here’s A Tip:

Dog foods list their ingredients in descending order by weight. The first ingredient. Chicken or another meat source may be listed first, however, after that, they may list wheat flour, cornmeal, barley flour, soybeans, or wheat germ. When you add up the weight of those ingredients they may far outweigh the meat source listed. It’s sad to say, but in the world, we live in today, you always have to keep on your toes and on the lookout for some company’s deceptive practices.

Conclusion

So, in conclusion, when looking for the right food for your dog, follow the tips above, read the ingredients, then go for the best food that you can afford and that agrees with your dog. Then stick to it. I’ve said before, although we humans love and crave a variety of different foods in our meals, that is not true for your dog. They don’t mind eating the same thing every day, in fact, it is truly better for them if they are eating commercial dog food to do so.