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Health

Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)

Vaccinations and Microchips

Natural products for health

Health testing

Is my Chihuahua a healthy weight?

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Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)

Hypoglycemia is a life threatening condition that Chihuahuas are at a higher risk for due to their small size. All Chihuahua owners must know the symptoms and be prepared to deal with it. Here is one article to get you started in your research.


You must educate yourself about this before bringing your puppy home. Be on the lookout for symptoms, especially the first 24-48 hours after bringing your new puppy home. If your puppy does not eat – you should be concerned and do whatever you can to encourage him to eat and/or give him supplemental nutrition such as Nutri-Cal. As a Chihuahua owner, you should always have Karo/corn syrup on hand and also Nutri-Cal or an equivalent product, for hypoglycemia emergencies. The best way to avoid hypoglycemia is to ensure your puppy never misses a meal. However, as he/she gets older, some might decide they only want to eat once per day. You will get to know your puppy and be able to recognize their normal eating pattern. Some of our adults only like to eat once per day. They do not experience hypoglycemia. The problem mostly occurs when a puppy/adult who normally gobbles up their food, suddenly refuses to eat. If this happens once, try offering the food a few hours later. If s/he still refuses to eat, give him Nutri-Cal and/or Karo syrup. Other foods to try are: boiled chicken, baby food (meat), or Royal Canine Puppy Starter Mousse. Try serving them anything to make them eat, even if you need to force it by spreading it on the back of their upper teeth (this is how I serve Nutri-Cal).​

Vaccinations and Microchips

We encourage minimal core vaccinations for deadly diseases including Parvo and Distemper. We use the protocol of Dr. Jean Dodds as our guide. We encourage you to do your own research about vaccinations, specifically over-vaccinating. Please read at leasPuppies will have at least one set of vaccinations before leaving our home.

 

Vaccination decisions should be made between you and your vet. Please discuss the risks vs. benefits of the Leptospirosis vaccine, as it has been known to cause severe reactions including death, especially in small dogs such as Chihuahuas. Many vets will administer this vaccine routinely, along with other non-core vaccines, unless you request that they don’t. If you choose to use non-core vaccinations, you may request that the vaccines are administered separately instead of the combo shots.

 

Rabies: We recommend waiting until your puppy is 6 months old before vaccinating for rabies, and preferably on a different day as surgery. 

General vaccination info:

Lepto Vaccine:

 

Bordatella/kennel cough:

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/bordetella-does-your-dog-really-need-the-kennel-cough-vaccine/

 

Heartworm:

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/dont-give-dogs-heartworm-meds-shouldnt-either/

https://www.alternativeanimal.com/how-to-treat-and-prevent-heartworms-naturally/

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/dog-heartworm-treatment/

https://drjeandoddspethealthresource.tumblr.com/post/137970197826/heartworm-disease#.Y9wZRPjMK00

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Flea & tick prevention (see what we do in the Article section at the bottom of this page):

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/new-fda-warning-about-flea-and-tick-medications/

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/natural-solutions-tick-season/

https://www.happynaturaldog.com/is-natural-flea-and-tick-repellent-for-dogs-effective/

https://www.discovermagazine.com/lifestyle/18-best-all-natural-flea-and-tick-prevention-for-dogs-in-2023

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Open fontanel (soft spot) or "molera". This is normal in Chihuahuas and used to be a sign of a pure Chihuahua.  A domed head with a molera present does not predispose the Chihuahua to hydrocephalus, as some vets lacking experience with Chihuahuas might tell you.  Read the Chihuahua Club of America's Molera Statement by clicking here.

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Microchipping

If you choose to microchip your puppy, a good time is during their spay/neuter surgery. We personally do not use microchips. Please make an informed decision:

  • Should You Microchip Your Dog?

    How Safe are Pet Microchips?

    HomeAgain Pet Chip Implicated In Cancer

    CHIPPED PETS DEVELOP FAST-GROWING, LETHAL TUMORS

    Chip Implants Linked to Animal Tumors

Natural products for health

Dog Food: There is no one answer to "What should I feed my dog?" What is good for one dog might not be as good for another. The best food choice is the one that your dog is healthy on.  My best recommendation is to raw feed, if you are able.  Here are some links to research different brands of food and also raw feeding.

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com

https://www.dogfoodinsider.com/dog-food-reviews/

http://rawfed.com

 

We prefer to feed food that doesn't contain corn: The Truth About Corn in Dog Food

 

We like to feed Kirkland Signature/Costco foods made by Diamond Pet Foods. They contain no corn, soy, or wheat; and they have no animal digest, by-products, or artificial preservatives and are considered above average with a 4-5 star rating, according to some dog food rating websites such as those above.  

Treats: We prefer to make our own treats out of beef liver or boiled chicken breasts. Our dogs also love to get veggie pieces and always come running when we get out the cutting board and start chopping vegetables. They know a little piece is bound to jump off the counter just for them! Mozzarella cheese sticks also come in handy for training treats. One thing is always the same though, each treat serving size is TINY. A puppy might get the size of a pea. Too much and they could spoil their appetite for dinner.

 

Tooth care: We clean our dog's teeth by serving them raw bones. Our dogs love teeth cleaning time! We have had good experiences serving raw chicken necks weekly, in addition to other bones. There is a lot of information online about myths and benefits of raw feeding so please do your own research to make an informed decision. I recommend reading more than one website to get differing opinions. In our experience, the dogs who have grown up eating/chewing raw bones have the cleanest teeth without the need for scaling. They also have the best breath.

 

Hard weight wearing bones are not recommended, since they can damage or break teeth. Raw bones are especially helpful during teething, to get those stubborn baby teeth out.

  • Dog Dental Health: Raw Meaty Bones Will Keep Your Dog’s Teeth Clean And Healthy
  • Raw Meaty Bones For Dogs: How To Feed & Where To Get Them
  • Raw Meaty Bones (RMB)

 

Natural products we like to use with our dogs and our family too. We encourage you to do your own research and consider also using these. (Sorry for the messed up editing below-the program is not cooperating!) Click on the links below to read the benefits.

1. Grapefruit seed extract (GSE): http://www.natural-dog-health-remedies.com/gse-for-dogs.html

2. Apple cider vinegar (AVC), preferably Bragg's or one with "the mother"

1o http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_01/features/Pet-Uses-Of-Apple-Cider-Vinegar_20435-1.html

2o http://www.natural-dog-health-remedies.com/apple-cider-vinegar-for-dogs.html

 3. Diatomaceous earth (DE) FOOD GRADE ONLY:

1o http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/benefits-diatomaceous-earth/

2o https://www.diatomaceousearth.com/dog-use/

4· Coconut oil: http://www.natural-dog-health-remedies.com/coconut-oil-benefits.html

5· Raw goat’s milk and Kefir:

1o http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/goat-milk-for-dogs/

2o http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/so-long-yeast-hello-kefir/

3o https://www.foodiepooch.com.au/dogs/what-is-kefir-and-why-do-we-love-it/

6· Colloidal silver:

1o http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/five-immune-boosting-uses-of-colloidal-silver/

2o https://holisticpetcareproducts.com/colloidal-silver-uses-treating-pet-diseases/

http://www.nutritionpets.com/cs-history-uses/

For mopping we like to use natural products, so when puppies chase the mop and bite it, or lick the floor there is nothing harmful to worry about:

  • White distilled vinegar (I don't really measure but maybe 1/2C vinegar to 1-2 gallons of water)
  • A few drops of essential oils: tea tree, eucalyptus, lavender, lemon, Thieves Oil blend (optional)
  • Flea & tick prevention:

Health testing

It is important to have healthy dogs in our breeding program. Most of our breeding dogs or their parents have been OFA health checked for patellas, heart and CERF or CAER for eyes. All are checked by a vet.

 

We hope that all our puppies turn out healthy, but whether they do or not, we want to know about it. We rely on our puppy owners to help us track the health of our bloodlines. This is why we conduct follow up studies on our puppies. Not everyone responds to our surveys, but we appreciate those who do, so we can continue to track our bloodlines. Please let us know if you have a new email address, so we can stay in contact and send you the survey. 

Is my Chihuahua a healthy weight?

Obesity is a common problem with dogs and especially with Chihuahuas. An overweight dog is not cute! If you spoil them by giving them lots of treats or feeding them as much as they want, you are potentially hurting them. It is your responsibility as a dog owner to manage their weight, so they can live a long healthy life. We recommend feeding puppies as much puppy food as they want for the first year, as long as they are not overweight. At the one year mark, change to an "adult" food and start by feeding the recommended amount usually written on the bag. However, if s/he starts gaining too much weight, it is important for you to reduce that amount or change to a lower calorie food. Each dog is different and metabolized food differently. It is our job to manage their weight by carefully monitoring their body condition and making changes as needed.

Learning to monitor your dog's weight by watching his body condition rather than the scale. Read about healthy weights here: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1659&aid=661

Here is another link that has several charts to see what the body conditions are and what healthy weight looks like: http://dogbreedspicture.net/dog/dog-body-condition-score-chart.html

Articles & Helpful Links

Introducing a puppy to your older dog

http://www.clickertraining.com/what-to-expect-introducing-a-puppy-to-your-adult-dogs

http://dogtime.com/dog-health/general/712-bringing-home-a-second-dog-aspca

http://www.fidosavvy.com/introducing-a-new-puppy.html


Crate training

Dog Marking & House Soiling

How to Potty Train Puppies: A Comprehensive Guide for Success

Leash Training

Dog Separation Anxiety: Causes, Prevention, and How to Stop

Barking We use a water spray bottle to teach puppies at an early age not to bark unnecessarily. Please read more about our method on this page.

​Fleas & ticks:  Since moving to Missouri, we have the new experience of living around fleas and ticks.  Ticks have not been a problem with our dogs, as long as I serve them Grapefruit Seed Extract on a daily basis. I usually add it to their drinking water.  (See benefits above.) I don't have any science to back that reasoning up, but it's a pattern I've observed.  In addition, their dog run has mint growing around it which deters ticks.  When going on walks, we spray the dogs with Wondercide or Vet's Best spray. 

 

Fleas can be challenging at times.  It is common for vets to recommend a chewable chemical pill on a monthly basis to deal with fleas and I like the idea of that convenience, but we strive to care for our pets holistically when possible. We have found that if we use conventional treatments to help break the life cycle of the fleas, we can then maintain prevention by treating the environment and using natural products on the dogs themselves (Wondercide & Vet's Best as well as natural flea shampoo such as TropiClean).  On the puppies, we use those natural products as well and hopefully they don't have any hitchhiker fleas sneak to their new home, but its something to be aware of. 

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Hypoglycemia
Vaccinations & Microchips
Natural products
Health testing
Weight
Articles & Links
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