will my chihuahua starve if I do not give in?

Question
QUESTION: My 1 year old female Chihuahua/Dotson will only eat people food. Cooked chicken breasts to be exact.  I have offered her 5 different kinds of wet food with polite refusal.  I  have heard that "when she gets hungry enough she will eat" but I don't want her to loose weight.  Any suggestions?

ANSWER: Hi Felicity....

That's very dangerous advice that you received.  Withholding food until a dog gets hungry enough to eat can easily cause a condition called hypoglycemia (extremely low blood sugar) and it can cause many other problems as well - some of them being life threatening.  Hypoglycemia will necessitate that your dog receive veterinary attention, tests, monitoring and will mean an extensive vet bill.  Many small dogs die from hypoglycemia.

How did she get "hooked" on "people" food to begin with?  Write me back and let me know and please tell me the brands of canned food that you've tried with her.  

I want to add that it would be best if you could get her on a kibble diet for dental reasons, but let's start with answering the above questions.

Jo Ann

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Jo ann:  I took your advice and gave Monica Evanders and EVO.  She likes Evanders probably because it looks and smells like a chicken dinner I would eat......... I am thrilled, thank you.  Felicity owner of Chihuahua

Answer
That's WONDERFUL! I'm thrilled, too!  I had a sneaky feeling that she'd REALLY like Evanger's as it's all human grade and, as you can see, it looks just like something we humans would eat.  Smells good, too!  The real plus with this food is that it not only looks and smells like human food, but it has all the important nutrients that Monica needs to be healthy.

Did you end up going to the Holistic Hound?

I think it's wonderful that you have given Monica a good home and adopted her from the Berkeley Humane Society.  If you have any other questions at all, don't hesitate to contact me.  Watch her teeth and make sure that she doesn't get a lot of plaque build up from eating canned food.  Try giving her some dry food as treats to get her use to it (either Evanger's or the EVO).  If you bought more than one can of EVO and you don't think she'll eat it, take it back to the store and they'll either give you a refund or exchange it for some Evanger's.

Jo Ann