What would you suggest for a new chihuahua owner?

First of all, Thank You for adopting her. Anytime you get a new dog, you should always take it to the vet and have it checked, just to make sure there are no medical problems. That's what I suggest you do with your new Fur Baby! The vet will be able to tell you what is causing her flaking skin and her hair loss, and properly and effectively treat it.

It could be due to a nutrition problem, or it could be an allergy or something along those lines, or could be due to some kind of parasite. As far as a food that I recommend, I am a strong supporter of Hill's Science Diet or Prescription Diet. Buy it from the vet because, believe it or not, their prices are actually usually cheaper than petsmart. The reason I like their food is because they support it all with tons and tons of research. Also, the clinics don't get any kick-backs for selling it (which means that the vets really thing it's a good food), and the people who work for Hill's don't get a discount on the food but most of them feed it anyway because of all of the research. I would definitely go see a vet and have the hair loss checked out and make sure it's not something more severe than just poor nutrition and they can recommend a shampoo that will help with skin healing.

Anything that is rated 4 stars and above and works well with the dog. Such foods are Taste of the Wild, Solid Gold, Wellness CORE, Pinnacle etc. Since Canidae changed their formula a lot of dogs dont' do well on it anymore so I'm not listing Canidae. All of those foods are good quality with no grains such as Corn, Wheat or soy protein. You might need to get small bags and try different brands over a couple of months to see which one works well for the dog. It does take a few months for you to see a difference in the dogs skin and coat so don't give up after just a few weeks. Give each food a chance to work. If you see no marked improvement try another brand.

You can do your own research of dog food at www.dogfoodanalysis.com under review select 4, 5 or 6 star rated foods and look at the reviews associated.

Good luck with your new dog.

When you say he should only weigh 5 lbs -- where did you get this? If it's from the person who sold the dog, just ignore it. Some chis get bigger than others. If your vet said this, then that's different, but in that case, I'd assume the vet gave hints on how to feed. It's just difficult with small dogs but I do agree that 1/4 c for an 8 lb active dog isn't enough.

You should try nutro sensitive skin formula. If it doesn't heal up within a month he should be seen by a veterinary dermatologist. The skin issues could be caused by allergies or even parasites.

my chihuahua WON'T eat dog food at all. so i have to make her a plain baked chicken breast mixed with peas and carrots and sometimes potato or cheese. i don't give her the whole chicken breast. I figure it's healthy b/c it's what they show on the cover of the dog food package minus the preservatives.