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The best snacks for a Chihuahua

A puppy or dog’s total nutritional intake is made up of 15 to 20% of the treats, training treats, and edible chews that you give them in addition to their regular meals. These treats are an essential component of a balanced diet.

This article discusses the distinctions between different kinds of treats, the advantages of each, and suggestions for the healthiest options.

The Special Features of Edible Chews, Training Treats, and Snacks

Even though some individuals might use these terms interchangeably, there are significant distinctions between these three categories of treats, and being aware of these will enable you to give your Chihuahua the best possible care.

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Edible chews

These particular chews for Chihuahuas are edible food bits that have a firm, or “tough,” but chewy, flexible consistency that need to be chewed thoroughly over an extended period. Chews are a great way to keep a dog busy, especially for those dogs who prefer to work their jaws and have strong chewing impulses. Dental chews fall under this category since they are a significant component of at-home dental care and are made with a hard, solid texture that scrapes against teeth to eliminate plaque.

Snacks

You give a baby or dog small pieces of food between meals. These are called “dog snacks.” Snacks are useful in many ways. While waiting for the next big meal, a small snack will satisfy your hunger. This also helps keep blood sugar levels even in small dog types like the Chihuahua, whose blood sugar levels can drop if they don’t eat for too long.

Snacks should be dry things so they can do their job well. These can be called crunchy or cooked as well.

Training Treats

This kind of goodie, as its name suggests, is intended to be rewarded to a puppy or dog during training. Housebreaking, command training, and heeling a Chihuahua all need the use of training treats. These are also used to reward positive behavior, including learning not to bark at other dogs or maintaining composure in the face of guests.

The goal is to provide a brief but delicious taste explosion in a tiny package that won’t fill a dog up (because several treats may be offered throughout training sessions) and that is regarded as ‘high value’ to convey a clear and powerful message of a job well done.

Training treats should be small, soft, full of flavor (distinctive tastes like bacon, cheese, duck, liver, and more are best), and something that is only fed to Chihuahuas during training sessions to have the greatest possible effect.

What Makes the Best Snacks and Treats

Perhaps you’re curious about what makes one snack better than another or what makes a great training treat. The answer is “quite a bit.” The most important thing to know is that some of the ingredients in bad dog treats and snacks can cause allergic reactions, and others are linked to health problems like organ damage, brain problems, and more.

Let’s quickly go over what to look for before we get to our top picks:

Made in Canada or USA

Eats and treats for dogs that come from China or are made there are dangerous. As of 2007, jerky-based gifts killed thousands of dogs in the US and other countries. This is a big reason for this. There is still no word on what killed so many pets, but some of the treats were found to contain large amounts of illegal medicines and antiviral drugs based on sulfur.

When treats are made in China or other countries with lax laws about pet food, melamine is often used as animal feed that ends up in dog snacks. Melamine is a toxin that is used to make plastic and has been linked to serious health problems like kidney stones and bladder cancer.

Pay close attention to labels, even on the back of boxes, and only eat treats made in North America (the USA or Canada). New Zealand is another country that makes a lot of dog food items that are of very high-quality guidelines.

They Must be All-natural

Choose natural choices to stay away from artificial flavor enhancers, preservatives, and food coloring. A skin reaction (rash, itching), stomach and gut issues, and a wide range of short-term and long-term health problems are just a few of the problems that these can cause.

There is a legal loophole that means ethoxyquin and butylated hydroxyanisole don’t always have to be mentioned as ingredients. These are dangerous chemical preservatives that aren’t allowed in human food but are in dog food and treats. Some dyes are bad for you. For example, Yellow #5 has been linked to ADHD, rage, and sleeplessness. Red #40 has been linked to cancer, and Blue #2 has been linked to allergies and brain tumors. Ingesting MSG and soy, which both add taste, can make people allergic.

Keep in mind that a lot of high-quality dog treats and snacks use a mix of vitamins and herbs (like rosemary, and spearmint) to keep them fresh naturally.

 

No fillers

Some dog food products use fillers, which are very cheap ingredients, to lower the general cost of making the food. One example is corn—not the sweet and healthy corn you might serve at dinner, but a rough type that is hard for cattle to chew. If a dog food company just wanted to add vitamins and minerals, they could use a lot of other vegetables instead. The hulls of any food (peanuts, oats, cottonseed, rice, etc.) and any word that starts with “wheat” (wheat middlings, wheat mill run, etc.) are also used as fillers.

Without wheat or grains

When a dog is diagnosed as having a grain allergy, gluten is frequently the primary culprit. Therefore, even if eliminating grains is undoubtedly a healthy choice, it’s advisable to at least stay away from wheat, rye, and their byproducts because they are high in gluten.

Wholesome Ingredients

When inspecting dog treats, avoid items that use the term “by-product” in addition to specific meats (such as chicken by-product). Almost any animal body part that is judged inappropriate for human consumption is considered a by-product of this type (lungs, kidneys, undeveloped eggs, spinal tissue, etc.). Avoid any treat that has the term “generic meat” on it, as this indicates that it may be from road death, diseased zoo animals, expired meat from supermarkets, and other similar sources.

Real whole foods like chicken, salmon, peanut butter, blueberries, etc. are what you should see.

The Best Chihuahua Snacks, Training Treats, and Chews 

The Top 3 Chihuahua Edible Chews

Just to refresh your memory, edible chews are treats that have a very firm consistency and must be worked through with a lot of chewing before they can be consumed. Giving harmful chews like rawhide, pig’s ears, and bully sticks to Chihuahuas (or any dog) is not advised. Dangers include choking, injury to the esophagus and/or digestion tract, internal obstruction (which can be fatal), Salmonella or E. coli contamination to individuals who handle them, and intake of toxins.

Thankfully, there are some excellent substitutes. Considering all the requirements for a chew to be considered healthy and superior, here are our top 3 choices:

1. GREENIES Teenie Natural Dental Dog Treats.

Edible chews, as previously mentioned, include dental treats. Since it’s crucial to keep a Chihuahua’s teeth clean and in good condition, this is a kind of treat you should offer your pet regularly. Being endorsed by the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) and having a wide range of options within the product line, Greenies is our number-one pick and one of the most well-known brands.

The ‘teenie’ is sized for canines weighing 5 to 15 pounds. Together with weight control, ‘fresh’ recipes that provide instant fresh breath as an added benefit, and chews made especially for senior dogs, there are also grain-free options available. You should watch over your Chihuahua while they chew on these and remove any tiny bits that might break off, just like any dental treat.

 

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2. Brutus & Barnaby Sweet Potato Dog Treats.

The only thing that could go wrong with these chews is the sweet potatoes that they are made from. Sweet potatoes are high in fiber, iron, potassium, and vitamins A, B6, and C. Naturally, these super-healthy treats come in different sizes and shapes, and it’s simple to cut or tear the bigger ones into pieces that small Chihuahuas can handle. These fake leathers are made in the United States and Canada. plus they come in a bag that you can close again to keep them fresh.

 

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3. fetch fries Organic Dog Treats.

These are another great food that is both tasty and good for Chihuahuas. Only organic chicken, organic sweet potato, vegetable glycerin (made from vegetable oil), vinegar powder, and rosemary (which naturally keeps food fresh) are in these. You might have guessed from the name that these “fetch fries” look like french fries. The texture is chewy and bendy, like jerky (but much safer), and they are made in the USA.

 

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The Top 3 Dry Dog Snacks

To refresh your memory, snacks are crunchy, dry morsels that are fed to Chihuahuas to keep them happy between meals. Here are our top 3 choices, taking into consideration all of the rigorous criteria for what constitutes an amazing dog snack:

1. Zuke’s Crunchy Natural Baked Treats.

We would be negligent not to mention Zuke’s if you’re searching for even more variety. These are likewise made entirely of natural components, primarily consisting of oats and a small list of healthful ones. Three flavor options are available: peanut butter & bananas, sweet potato & pumpkin, and berry, which is a delicious combination of cranberries, cherries, and blueberries. These are manufactured in the USA and include no fillers, by-products, wheat, soy, or other ingredients. To keep these treats fresh, Zuke’s also employs a resealable zip bag.

 

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2. Bandit’s Biscuits All Natural Dog Treats

These all-natural baked round cookies have a small list of healthy ingredients that we like. Additionally, there are three fantastic taste choices: peanut butter, cheddar & bacon, and blueberry. Additives, soy, wheat, byproducts, fillers, or gluten are not present. Furthermore, these are American-made. They also come in a convenient resealable bag to help keep them fresh, which is a bonus.

 

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3. Fruitables Crunchy Dog Treats.

For more than one reason, these are some of our top picks. When it comes to taste, pumpkin and apple, banana and pumpkin, blueberry and pumpkin, cranberry and pumpkin, apple and bacon, and sweet potato and pecan are some of the best combinations. You can choose between buying them one at a time or getting a variety pack that has them all. There is no wheat in these, but there are oats, and there are no fillers, additives, or by-products. These are made in the United States. Plus, these come in bags that can be closed again and again to keep them fresh.

 

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The Top 3 Soft Training Treats

Just to refresh your memory, training treats are best used to reinforce positive behavior in your dog—such as when they stayed calm and didn’t jump on guests—or to reward your dog when they are attempting to learn something new, like house training or healing. Considering every attribute that treats ought to possess to be exceedingly healthful and efficacious, our top 3 choices are:

1. Full Moon Organic Human Grade Training Treats.

With these incredibly healthful training goodies, the name says it all. These have a small number of healthy ingredients and are truly human-grade. They keep to the fundamentals, providing organic dishes made with chicken (a traditional flavor that most dogs love) and duck (a savory flavor that most cannot resist). Naturally, there are no artificial additives, by-products, or fillers. Moreover, there is no soy, wheat, or corn. These are sized specifically for little breeds, which is an added plus.

 

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2. Wellness Natural Wellbites Soft Dog Treats

The Wellness brand does a great job providing treats, snacks, and kibble with grain-free options. The Soft Puppy Chews are for young pups; this variety of soft chews is perfect for training older Chihuahuas. There are incredible flavor combinations that will satisfy even the most discriminating Chihuahua. These include beef and turkey, chicken and lamb, chicken and venison, lamb and salmon, and turkey and duck. There are no maize or other fillers, soy, by-products, synthetic preservatives, or other ingredients and these are created in the USA. The sweets may be kept fresher longer thanks to the resealable snap of the bag.

 

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3. Zuke’s Mini Natural Training Dog Treats.

For many reasons, Zuke’s is among the greatest training treats available for Chihuahua dogs and pups. These are premium, all-natural confections free of artificial flavors, additives, fillers, and byproducts. Furthermore, these are American-made. The fact that these treats are tiny pellets—the ideal shape for training treats—and come in six delicious flavor options—chicken, duck, peanut butter & oats, pork, rabbit, and salmon—as well as three different sizes—six, sixteen, and thirty-two ounces—is what sets them apart. These are ideal for small breeds like the Chihuahua.

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5 thoughts on “The best snacks for a Chihuahua”

  1. My little girl , is very picky . I have tried a lot of different foods , she eats same food for one week then she won’t eat anymore of it. What can I do to keep her on one food, ?

    Reply
    • Try fresh food like FarmersDog. My little boy is very picky and even the fresh food from the stores, he refuses to eat. FarmersDog food seems to be the only thing he will eat. He loves it and gets super excited for every meal and

      Reply
  2. Does she need to be on one food.?
    I have 2 chihuahua and they have meals of chicken necks as well as raw red meat, coconut oil, dog roll, and puppy biscuits, over a week. They get small pieces of fruit for treats and especially love apples.
    They never know what’s in their bowls at each meal.

    Reply
  3. Well I don’t know what to do. Sadie won’t eat! Unless it is a treat! But dry dog food is a No. I don’t want to start on wet food. It gets pricey but I want to eat good dry dog food. I’m picky so I get it. She’s a 4 yr old rescue. Found after being abandoned. People can be creeps. Cut her tail off with scissors. I absolutely love her and she will be with me the rest of my life or hers. Non the less she is loved. Just gotta figure food out!!!! Help!!

    Reply

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