Please Read the Below Important Information About Chihuahuas

 

Please take the extra time to read through this page in it’s entirety.
If you are not experienced with small breeds, the information on this page will be of great value to you!

 

Some Things to Remember:

For those with long haired chihuahua puppies, one should know that it may take up to 2 or more years before a full long haired coat develops. This is standard in long haired chihuahuas as they will blow their coat.This is also something called the “puppy uglies” stage.

These are indoor dogs without exception, even with the longer coat, they should be kept indoors except for supervised play and exercising. Liking a warm environment, they will often find a cozy place to snuggle up in and go to sleep. Many like to bask in the sunlight that streams through windows.
Keep an eye out, as they are very small may choose to take naps under pillows or blankets!

 

Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, can be life threatening to a chihuahua, and many other tiny breeds. A chihuahua has a
tiny liver, so they can not store very much sugar, the tinier the chihuahua, the smaller the liver, so normally the extra tiny
babies will take extra care & attention. If the blood sugar starts getting low, you may notice your dog/puppy not showing
interest in food, being less active, stumbling around, and in later stages may go into seizures and/or coma, and die. It is
important that you know what to do if your chihuahua goes into sugar shock. First of all, don’t panic, and rush your dog
to the vet, unless you feel absolutely necessary. The best way to treat sugar shock is to get some corn syrup, or nutri-cal
and feed a small amount to the puppy/dog. In the later stages of sugar shock, I highly recommend corn syrup, as it’s more
likely to run down their throat & act quicker to get their blood sugars back up. It is also important to get them on a heating
pad, because they can lose a lot of heat and this can make things worse.

To help prevent this from ever happening, you can give your chihuahua nutri-cal every day, maybe a teaspoon a day,
several times a day. It is also important to minimumize the amount of stress you put on your new baby. This can be done
by not taking them to pet stores, friends, and getting them in loud, scarey situations. Chihuahuas need a lot of rest as
babies, and shouldn’t be made to play if they are tired. It is also important to make sure they are getting plenty of food
and water. Chihuahuas can be notorious for being picky, so if they don’t seem to be eating well, please try mixing their
food with canned food, or boiled chicken breast. If your puppy gets a loose stool for more then 24 hours, it should be
taken to the vet to be sure everything is well.

 

Open Fontanel
Many chihuahuas, especially the larger apple-head types will have an open fontenal (AKA Molera), which
is on the top of their scull. Most will close to a very small size by adulthood, and some will close completely. However,
while your dog is young it is very important to know that any sudden hit to their head can cause sudden death. This is
why it’s important not to leave your puppy unattended around children, larger dogs, or on top of furniture that is more then
a few inches off the ground. Your chi can also break it’s legs very easily if left on high objects. They don’t realize how far
down it is, and will try to jump if you don’t keep your hands on them. The molera should not be considered a flaw, as
stated in the AKC standard. It is more common then not, in show type chihuahuas.

 

Luxating Patellas
Patellar luxation (loose or dislocated knees) can sometimes be detected at a young age. Due to the
chihuahuas diminuative size, this is another issue that is somewhat hard to totally stay away from, especially in the teenie
tiny babies, because their bones are so little & fragile. However, slight luxation may never cause your dog any problems,
but severe luxation can sometimes require surgery. You can ask your vet what preventatives to take, if he/she diagnoses
your puppy with luxating patellas. A dog should never be allowed to become obese, as this can certainly up the risk for
surgery, and other issues later in life. If your puppy has luxating patellas, they will probably give you a rating scale for
each patella that will be 1-4 (1 being the slightest, and 4 being the most severe). You can read more information on patella
luxation at www.offa.org