Some handy information

“I’m after a teacup Chihuahua” or “Do you sell teacup Chihuahua’s”

“Oh I just love the little teacup Chihuahua’s”

These are words that make me cringe, the reason why is!  THEY DO NOT EXIST!

 

Tea-cup, Pocket Size, Tiny Toy, Miniature or Standard - are just a few of the many tags and labels that have been attached to this breed over the years. These names are used by non reputable breeders to cash in and charge big bucks for a so called designer dog. 

The Chihuahua breed is the smallest dog in the world and they are fine the size they are. Yes! sometimes you get a small pup in a litter, a runt. These pups are just small, not a specific breed of Chihuahua. They also can grow into a normal sized Chihuahua.  The Standard size is up to 6lb.

 

To continually breed a Chihuahua down to a smaller (than the standard) size is to ask for trouble and cause a range of health issues. These issues can be life threatening and cause on going veterinarian fees. Issues you could have include:

 

Hydrocephalus a brief description:

‘Hydrocephalus is characterised by the presence of an abnormally large volume of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) present within the brain or between the brain and skull. In both forms, the pressure exerted by the CSF on the bones of the skull may result in the cranium becoming excessively domed in shape and to thinning of the skull bones. The disease can cause brain damage and dysfunction. Signs are often not present at birth but become apparent over the first few weeks, or months, of life. Affected dogs are often smaller than littermates, slower to learn, and can exhibit bizarre behaviours such as manic walking, repeated pressing of their heads against a wall, and to seizures (fits). It may also lead to blindness (due to brain damage). The progress of the disease is variable and unpredictable. Signs usually progress from mild to severe and then to death, but in some animals the disease may stabilise before this, meaning that they exhibit only minor signs that persist throughout life’. (UFAW 2018, n.p.).

For more information go to https://www.ufaw.org.uk/dogs/chihuahua-hydrocephalus

 

Hypoglycaemia (sugar drop):

This can happen with small toy breeds at any time, especially with puppies. It also can be life threatening. It occurs when the sugar level in the animal drops and the supply of glucose to the brain causes serious symptoms which can lead to death left untreated. With these small types they have the inability to store glucose because they have a very low body fat mass. The liver produces glucose, in undersized Chihuahuas they lack the ability to perform gluconeogenesis (to make glucose) that is supplied for normal brain function. These small chi’s need to be watched and feed on a regular basis to prevent the animal from having a blood sugar drop. Symptoms to watch out for are as per below

  • staggering gait, wobbly when walking
  • muscular weakness, inability to hold its head up
  • unusual or prolonged fatigue, drowsiness
  • unresponsiveness when his name called or to his meals
  • unable to get up to use the bathroom
  • muscular twitching especially around the face and eyes
  • locked jaw
  • mild or complete paralysis of the rear legs
  • convulsions
  • seizures
  • loss of consciousness, coma

 

If you suspect your Chihuahua of having Hypoglycaemia and you get to him/her soon enough give some glucose, honey or nutri-gel, this should help your pup within the hour. Feed as soon as possible some protein and carbohydrates. If your pup still seems unwell call a veterinarian. 

 

Luxating Patella

Luxation of the patella is more known as "floating knee cap" resulting in the knee cap moving in and out of its current position. The knee cap sits in the cartilaginous groove at the end of the femur at the stifle. When this groove is shallow and not deep the cap won't sit snuggly in its position and moves from side to side in either a medial or lateral position. Chihuahuas have a predisposition to this condition and although breeding healthy animals does not always guarantee the condition will not develope over time, breeding healthy dogs will improve the outcome and severity of the luxation, breeding dogs with a very low risk and lower grading.

Patella luxation is graded from 1 to 4, 4 being the worse.

GRADE 1: The kneecap moves when manipulated, it returns to its normal position when not being manipulated and when the patient is standing normally. There is also no sign of lameness and the dog appears normal. 
GRADE 2: Same as grade 1 except that the kneecap does not move back to its normal position when the manipulator lets go. In some dogs the patella will move back into position when the animal moves. The dog will hold its leg or skip when its moves. 
GRADE 3: The patella is out of place, dislocated, all the time but can be manipulated back into its normal position manually (though it will not stay there) Dogs with Grade 3 luxations may ‘skip’ like dogs with Grade 2 luxations, although more frequently.  The dog will show "weightbearing lameness" and will walk with a limp. Arthritis present.
GRADE 4: This grade is more servere. Dogs with Grade 4 patellar luxations have significant deformities of the bones and other components that comprise the stifle joint. The patella is not only out of place all the time but cannot even be manipulated back into place by the vet - even when under an anaesthetic. It is permanently stuck on the medial side. The dog has extreme difficulty extending his leg when walking. Having a very unsturdy joint can lead to crutiate ligament injuries, so i would recommend that surgery is a must.

There are other factors to take into consideration when diagnosing the cause of luxation in a dog. Puppies with poor breeding can develope the condition very early on, these pups should never be bred from. Jumping on and off couches, beds and stairs can cause damage to puppy knees when they are growing and can lead to patella luxation in the dog further down the track. Carrying extra weight can cause patella issues in older or desexed animals as they tend to put on the weight. This causes presure on the joints and can result in luxating patellas. These are some causes that should be avoided for the health of the animals.

 

For more comprehensive information on patella luxation please read the article provided https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/luxating-patella-in-dogs

 

Coccidia and puppies

Coccidia are tiny little cells that live in the intestine wall of your puppies stomach. There are various ways your puppy can pick-up these tiny parasites.

  • Through infected soil that they may swallow 
  • Eating infected poop from another infected puppy or adult dog
  • Stressful situations (moving or travelling to a new home, bringing a puppy home to a new environment) can cause immuniosuppression and bring on the changes in the gut and lining, causing an outbreak of the parasite.

Coccidia is host dependant and is only transfered to its own kind,aka; other dogs. They do not pick it up from other animals like cat, sheep or cows ect.

Treatment is straight forward, eliminate the parasite. So in servere cases of infection a vet visit is unavoidable as they need Sulfadimethoxine, given as tablet or liquid form.

Symtoms of Coccidia are as follows 

  • Diarrhea, (thats watery, mucusy or has blood present in the stools).  
  • Weight loss
  • Dehydration
  • Not eating (anorexia)
  • Vomiting
  • Depression
  • Death

It is important to keep an eye on your puppies behavior and act accordingly.

Protection from contracting this parasite is by

  • Keeping a clean and hygenic area,(picking up after your dogs)
  • Avoiding dog parks while your puppy is young
  • Where and what your puppy sniffs on the ground.
  • Having the vet checking your puppies fecal matter.

Organise puppy play dates with healthy dogs and free from unhealthy enviornments.


Contact Details

Kim M Shelton
Hervey Bay, QLD, Australia
Phone : 0403678783
Email : [email protected]