Albert01 Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 Hello Folks, I have a happy healthy 5 month old chiwawa x jack russell that I picked up the other day. It weighs 3.84 kg. My problem is that it doesnt seem to want to drink water. Not a lick. It will drink it with a splash of milk tho. So does anyone know whats going on there? As for food, it seems a bit fussy, likes to be hand fed roast beef at $45 a kilo, but maybe half a matchbox full at a time. Doesnt seem to like dry food, mince and rice, canned puppy food. So overall I am not sure how much such a dog should be eating and drinking. I can only leave food and water there, hes not skinny by any means. I would appreciate some guidance, I have had pups before but none that wont get much bigger than it is at 5 months. I can only add "it is the runt of the litter and its siblings picked on him". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert01 Posted January 22 Author Share Posted January 22 Bewdy, he just had a drink of water. I think I might have worked it out, hes used to eating and drinking last. My other dog is a big dog and drinks out of a bucket, the lil one drinks out of a bowl. The big dog drank out of of the bowl so the lil one did. The big dog dropped some crumbs, the lil dog ate them. He watches the big one eat but wont eat himself, now I know why, hes expecting the scraps. How did I go? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mairead Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 When you say you picked him up "the other day", how many days has he been at your home? It is a big change, new person, new sibling, new sights, sounds and smells, new sort of water. Did you get any information on what food he was eating before? Did you get any information about what was meant by runt? Was he a low birth weight compared to the littermates? Did he grow at the same rate? It's good he's not skinny, but weighing him regularly will help you keep an eye on his health. You might find he will try to train you to feed him roast beef, but stick to complete dog food rather than human food. People with experience with smaller breeds will be able to advise you how many meals he needs at that age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 I would suggest you get a cage crate for him and feed him in there... or a playpen. Essentially he needs to learn that the other dog is not going to take his food, and that he's safe to eat what he's been given. If he doesn't eat what's been offered after 10 minutes, take it away until the next meal time and offer it again. Unlike cats, dogs will NOT starve themselves to death... they WILL eat once they are hungry enough. Sounds tough/mean, but it does work. T. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 On 23/1/2026 at 6:27 AM, tdierikx said: I would suggest you get a cage crate for him and feed him in there... or a playpen. Essentially he needs to learn that the other dog is not going to take his food, and that he's safe to eat what he's been given. If he doesn't eat what's been offered after 10 minutes, take it away until the next meal time and offer it again. Unlike cats, dogs will NOT starve themselves to death... they WILL eat once they are hungry enough. Sounds tough/mean, but it does work. T. This…..but with caution. Chihuahuas and small cross breeds can be very prone to low blood sugar if not fed properly and monitored carefully. It can be fatal. Canned puppy food as a staple part of the diet isn’t really a complete balanced diet. Perhaps try warming the puppy food slightly and mix some quality dry food into it very well. Gradually increase the ratio of dry to wet food and keep the wet food as a treat or occasional convenience food. To encourage drinking and to make sure that the puppy is staying hydrated, add water to the meals. While drinking is preferred, ANY means of hydration is important. For older dogs, my vet recommended adding a cup of soup sachet (chicken noodle) or a stick cube crumbled in water and poured over the meals. These tend to be quite high in salt so they make the dog thirsty. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loving my Oldies Posted February 3 Share Posted February 3 On 22/01/2026 at 5:22 PM, Mairead said: When you say you picked him up "the other day", how many days has he been at your home? It is a big change, new person, new sibling, new sights, sounds and smells, new sort of water. These were my thoughts too. The poor little guy hasn't had much of a life so far from being the runt of the little (horrible expression ) to being picked on by the other puppies. He has to do a 180 in terms of understanding what he is "allowed" to do. Although you are doing it out of concern and kindness, try to stop with the handfeeding . Little dogs love that to the detriment of their human's back !!! Please update us. We would love to know how you are going. He looks gorgeous, but a bit more JR than Chi, I think. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert01 Posted April 7 Author Share Posted April 7 Hes a little champion. Hes a bit timid with other people, theres not a lot here, hes off leash down the park, knows where he lives. He likes to prop and scan, to see where he is I suppose, its another world down there. Have to cut the hair around his eyes, they poke and cause weeping. I have just started using Glycerin on the stains. Its an old remedy mostly lost now. Just less than a drop on a cloth or cotton ball once a day, give it a week. Its edible, tastes like sugar, safest thing you can use. He will be quite cute when the staining goes. He doesnt bark unless he hears something in the middle of the night, which is the other dog going out. He toilet trained quickly once it was cool enough to go outside. So a two week delay that couldnt be avoided. He was 3.8kg when I got him, hes 4.6kg 10 weeks later. I dont think he will get much bigger. Hes an odd shape, long back, long tail, big paws, stout legs, very wide pelvis, broad chest, small head, big mascara eyes, one testicle is much larger then the other. They may stay on, have to look into it. As a pup I cant fault him. They bonded very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert01 Posted April 7 Author Share Posted April 7 Sorry I cant attach a pic error code -200 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boronia Posted April 7 Share Posted April 7 2 hours ago, Albert01 said: Sorry I cant attach a pic error code -200 maybe try doing a screenshot of your photo and attaching that by clicking the " choose files..." button Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert01 Posted April 8 Author Share Posted April 8 On 07/04/2026 at 12:43 PM, Albert01 said: Sorry I cant attach a pic error code -200 I have tried everything, even another PC, some parasite did not like my post, so has disabled me from posting pics. One of those strange modpeople. I am gone, I wont be back, thanks for nothing. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_PL_ Posted April 14 Share Posted April 14 On 08/04/2026 at 4:45 PM, Albert01 said: I have tried everything, even another PC, some parasite did not like my post, so has disabled me from posting pics. One of those strange modpeople. I am gone, I wont be back, thanks for nothing. I get the same error and the file is way under the kb limit. There's no plot, I've been here for years. Some sort of glitch in the system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_PL_ Posted April 14 Share Posted April 14 Actually I just tested a couple of other threads and they upload. This one still doesn't work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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