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<\/span><\/p>\nWhen we got Koto about five years ago, he was a tiny dog. First off, we started giving him canned food, as he used to get that, and we didn\u2019t want to make any sudden changes. Then we switched to homemade food, which he quickly got used to. Initially we regularly used to put salmon in his diet, but this fish is quite fatty. At that point he was growing up, his skeletal system got strengthened, his musculature got well developed, which became possible also by frequently walking and moving.<\/p>\n
\nMeanwhile he grew up, so we decided to switch to a diet that includes mostly poultry. Poultry looks like a natural food for canines and as his species\u2019 food it has being good for him henceforth. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s good to feed your dog with plant products instead of meat.<\/p>\n
\nI do the shopping twice a month and each time I get a whole chicken or a similar amount of that in separate parts. Normally it\u2019s about 4 \u2013 4,4 pounds (1,8 \u2013 2 kg). I divide it in 13 \u2013 15 daily portions of ca. 0,26 \u2013 0,30 lbs (0,120 \u2013 0,140 kg) each. The portions vary within 20 percent, depending on how he spent his day. If he ran and burned calories, he would eat more, and if he stayed at home, he would get then less food. If he puts on weight, I could lessen the amount of food, but the pace of feeding should be kept. I always feed him at the same hours of the day: at 8 am in the morning and at 3 pm in the afternoon. He is used to it too and awaits his food.<\/p>\n
\nHis food I prepare like this. Firstly, I cut up the chicken in its main parts and remove the skin from them. Then I cut the bones out because of the tiny parts that remain when chewing up. Then I cut it in small pieces, keep all gristles and cartilages of the big bones, which I carefully cut off with a kitchen meat shears. They are also good for his teeth and his whole body. As a connective tissue the cartilage contains a lot of calcium and is good for the dog\u2019s health.<\/p>\n
\nThe meat is divided in daily portions that go in the freezer. The evening before I take his daily food out of the freezer. It\u2019s just easier that way, although it could be let thaw on the same day too. The daily portion I cut in two parts, which he gets in the morning and in the evening.<\/p>\n
\nMost often I give him the meat raw, but I think it\u2019s safer to pour some hot water on top of it. Sometimes I prepare some bouillon or pour some bouillon on top of the meat to warm it up. I always make sure that the food is neither hot nor cold.<\/p>\n
\nThe proportion between meat and the rest of his diet is either 90:10 or 80:20.
\nI add a small amount of vegetables to the meat, as they help the digestion. He gets mostly some baked or boiled pumpkin, a raw grated carrot and occasionally some cabbage. I refrain from giving him rice and potatoes. Cereals are also not included in his menu, except some rye bread once in a while. We give him sometimes pieces of peeled apple, but only additionally and not as staple diet.<\/p>\n
\nOh, yes, an egg, pure, not being added to any other food, raw or a little boiled, 1 or 2 times a week. Eggs contain lots of proteins and other valuable substances.<\/p>\n
\nHe can\u2019t stomach milk, so that\u2019s the dairy product we wouldn\u2019t include in his diet.<\/p>\n
\nAfter having grown up, I don\u2019t add any vitamins or minerals containing food supplements to his food. I would probably do that if I wasn\u2019t quite sure I give him the right foodstuff. Currently I buy free range chicken from a farm I know.
\nI am aware that as a small dog, Koto makes it easier for me as he doesn\u2019t not need lots of meat. As a caloric value poultry suits well to his size, his life style and the temperate climate he lives in. I imagine if he would be a big dog, however, and would live in the North, then his menu would be different, I guess.<\/p>\n
\nThis kind of diet is suitable for dog owners who want their dogs to be vital and physically strong. It\u2019s said that small dogs belong to a decorative breed that could not go outdoors. I think that every dog should go out and be outdoors. We walk him twice a day, the longer the better. He makes it clear when he gets tired by not keeping pace and making stops to take a rest. Since chihuahua isn\u2019t a hunting dog, it\u2019s important not only to run, but to socialize and to feel the nature too.<\/p>\n
\nWe used to put him in a cloth when walking out in the cold before, but we stopped doing that, because we came to the view that wearing clothes would hinder the natural process of seasonal adaptation. After we gradually stopped putting any cloth on him, his fur became thicker and its change between winter and summer got more tangible.<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s important to walk him twice a day and by keeping up this plan the solution to the common toilet problem with these breeds will be ensured. When he goes frequently out, he simply gets used to go to the toilet outdoors while our common home is kept clean.<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s beyond question that every dog must have its own place at home to seclude itself when it needs to be left alone. Chihuahua is generally a social animal and doesn\u2019t like it to stay alone for a long time. That\u2019s why you have to truly share your time with your dog and take care of it.<\/p>\n
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Koto in figures<\/strong><\/p>\n Age: 5 years<\/p>\n Weight: 8,4 pounds (3,8 kg)<\/p>\n Food per month: 8,8 – 10,6 pounds (4 – 4,8 kg)<\/p>\n Meat per day: 0,26 – 0,31 lbs (120 -140 g)<\/p>\n Vegetables per day: 0,03 – 0,04 lbs (15 – 20 g)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I do the shopping twice a month and each time I get a whole chicken or a similar amount of that in separate parts. Normally it\u2019s about 4 \u2013 4,4 pounds (1,8 \u2013 2 kg). I divide it in 13 \u2013 15 daily portions of ca. 0,26 \u2013 0,30 lbs (0,120 \u2013 0,140 kg) each. The portions vary within 20 percent, depending on how he spent his day. If he ran and burned calories, he would eat more, and if he stayed at home, he would get then less food.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/michicka.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3286"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/michicka.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/michicka.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michicka.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michicka.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3286"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/michicka.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3321,"href":"https:\/\/michicka.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3286\/revisions\/3321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/michicka.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michicka.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michicka.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}