my 10 mth ols chihuahua

Question
I have a ten month old chi, and she now weighs 8lbs. I was told by the breeder she is supposed to be a teacup, and should weigh about 5 lbs. full grown. How much food should I be feeding her on a daily basis and how do I get the weight off of her? She is eating the wet Cesar puppy food and Nutro puppy kibble. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer

Hi Linda,

"Teacup" is not an official breed designation, it's simply a descriptive term for the smallest Chihuahuas. All Chihuahuas are toy dogs, there is no such thing as a "toy Chihuahua". Even the tiniest Chihuahua puppy can grow into a full-sized adult, so if your heart was set on a small sized dog, you would have needed to see your puppy's parents. With small parents it's more likely that their puppies will stay small as well. The American Kennel Club's Chihuahua breed standard does not categorize the Chihuahua by size, they only categorize the breed by coat type (long and short coats). If you'd like to read the Chihuahua Club of America's statement on "Teacup" Chihuahuas, read here:

http://www.chihuahuamagic.com/Pages/THETEACUPMYTH.aspx

http://www.meetgypsy.com/teacup_myth.html

It was wrong of the breeder you got your puppy from to lead you on, and make you believe there was such a thing as a "Teacup Chihuahua". But now that you have her and love her, hopefully her size doesn't matter. Actually, larger Chihuahuas are healthier than the smaller ones, though if you haven't yet done so, having your puppy spayed before the onset of her first heat cycle will help ensure that she has a healthy long life. If your puppy isn't yet spayed, and hasn't had a heat cycle yet, you're on borrowed time. You should not put off having your puppy spayed ASAP!

For your puppy's first full year she should be on a puppy food diet. I doubt your puppy is over weight, but this page will help you judge if she is:

http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/uploads/images/FCFD_BodyConditioning_Chart_1210

If you think your puppy is getting too heavy, cut back on the amount of food you're giving her (no between meal treats or human foods) and increase her daily exercise. A couple of extra leashed walks every day is probably all that's needed to fix the problem.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti