Hi, I get the digest and read the entire thing before jumping in to reply...so here is a few things that I wanted to add: Dolly had a very bad respiratory infection when I got her at 8 weeks, the vet said it was not Bordatella (kennel cough) and she actually has an ongoing incidence of respiratory infections. Most likely she is a puppy mill puppy and not sure if it is genetic or just because of that first bad infection. Because I have severe respiratory problems I asked the vet a couple years ago if we could keep her on low dose meds to prevent those respiratory infections and she has done very well with the Atarax twice a day. Not sure if that would suggest genetic or just a result of a severe infection when she was tiny and had already undergone surgery to repair an umbilical hernia when she was 7 weeks old.
She had colitis as a puppy, leaving blood trails on the floor as she walked away from her puppy pad. So then she was on the SD ID food for many months until I could put her on kibble at about 11 months old. She had the scooting thing going on - in the rocks - and that is the only time that she had to have her anal glands expressed. She was quite young because it was right when the vet wanted to start her on the Interceptor. At 11 months she was on the RC Chihuahua and was on that until about a year ago when they added corn and both of mine got watery eyes and Desi was vomiting. Desi...I got him when Dolly was 17 months old; he was on RC Babydog, RC Puppy and then at 4 months was put on the RC Chihuahua. He has never had his anal glands expressed. About a year ago when they both got sick from the RC Chihuahua, I switched Dolly to Nutro Natural Toy Breed and Desi to Nature's Recipe Toy Breed. Both of their poops are quite smaller than they were with the RC Chihuahua, and so that means that they are getting more nutrition and less of what the body can't use. Dolly had to lose a little weight, but I think even before that they were both more energetic than they were on the RC. Dolly will be 5 in 2 months and Desi will be 4 in 5 months and the vet told me when Desi was younger and chewing all the food only on his very back teeth, that he would need a teeth cleaning soon; but started him on the PetzLife Gel and neither have bad teeth (so far!) I have heard of dogs eating supermarket food and living long; I think each dog is different; not every dog is allergic to corn; and so we really just do the best that we can choosing what works best. I can't put Dolly on food with all the different fruits and berries because of her colitis, but many dogs thrive on that kind of food. That's it from me! --- In Chihuahuas@yahoogroups.com, Peggy & The Girls <phrpg5@...> wrote: > > I was lucky when I rescued Princess from the shelter years ago She didn't > have it, which was very surprising since she was 6 pounds underweight and > malnourished. Our shelters here don't usually have KC, and finding dogs with > skin disorders is unusual to. Guess we are lucky. > > > > > -------Original Message------- > > From: Pam Dean > Date: 3/20/2013 10:13:10 PM > To: Chihuahuas@yahoogroups.com > Subject: Re: Re: [Chihuahuas] New Chihuahua Ownder > > Hard not to get one from the shelter without kennel cough. My last two > rescues had it. One almost died as he was a sick mess anyway but with lots > of meds and tlc survived. The last rescue had a small case but not bad. A > couple of the others came down with it a little but as it is highly > contagious I wasn't surprised..Like having kids with a cold..Soon you have a > household. > > Pam > > > > > > > > From: Alice Saunders <whiterabbit32@...> > To: chihuahuas@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Wednesday, March 20, 2013 5:46 PM > Subject: Re: Re: [Chihuahuas] New Chihuahua Ownder > > > > > Mickey came from a different shelter. I didn't notice any dogs coughing at > the shelter Mickey came from. Minnie was showing early signs of kennel > cough when we saw her at the shelter. The shelter said they had been giving > her meds for it for 7 days. I don't know about that but after 1 dose of > meds yesterday, today she's hacking pretty good. I've had 2 dachunds in the > passed that came with it and as the meds started working, as the cough got > worse they coughed up thick flem. Minnie is coughing up a tiny bit of flem > but not every time she hacks. I'll know more on Friday from my vet. > > > > > > > Sent from Incredimail for iPad > > > From: Peggy & The Girls > Yesterday > > > > That can happen when they are on a corn or a rice kibble. Best foods have > Chicken as the first ingredient and preferably as the second ingredient to. > I had Gigi once on a diet that was Chicken, rice, then some other type of > rice and she had a hard timing going too. I switched her to a chicken, > oatmeal, barley, kibble and she doesn't have a problem with that. It can > also happen when their anal gland is clogged. When she goes to the Vet ask > him to ''express her gland''. A lot of dogs need it done sooner or later. I > only have to do Gigi's once a year which I do. Princess had hers done years > ago and is ready to have it checked out again. I leave her to a Vet as she > is hard to express. It all depends on the dog. I do not believe in doing it > every month like some people have their groomers do it when ever the dog is > groomed. I can tell you of to many stories where the gland ruptured because > it was being done to frequently. > > Stress in dogs usually brings on diarrhea, not constipation. So I would try > switching her diet very gradually and see if that helps, if not, then let a > Vet check her out, and other then the gland hopefully nothing else is wrong. > Also pure pumpkin in the can, the one that doesn't have anything added to it > works to regulate a dog. If they have diarrhea or constipation it regulates > them. It is not a laxative, it just helps to get their system to act normal. > Just 1/2 tsp 2x a day for two days usually does the trick for a 6-8 pound > chi. You can freeze the rest in portions in a ice cube tray, after frozen, > move each one to a plastic bag and then you will always have the portion > ready if you need it. > > I noticed in another post that you stated that she is being treated for > Kennel Cough, which is common in shelter dogs. I know that you also stated > that you are keeping Mickey away from her, which I am sure isn't easy. Be > aware that Kennel Cough is very contagious, they can pick up from sleeping > on the same bed/blankets, playing with the same toys, food and water bowls, > and even from your hands if you don't wash them before and after handling > each of them. The hard part about KC is that it seems that when one dog gets > over it, the next one picks it up. There are different strains of the virus > too. So you may want to also ask your Vet if it is advisable to give Mickey > a preventative antibiotic or he may want to wait it out and see if Mickey > can fight it his own and not come down with it. If Mickey came from the > same shelter and hasn't shown signs of it yet, then he must have a very > strong immunity against it, or perhaps he was already given the KC shot. > > Lots of Luck with your new babies, > > Peggy > > > > > -------Original Message------- > > From: Alice > Date: 3/19/2013 5:22:28 PM > To: Chihuahuas@yahoogroups.com > Subject: Re: [Chihuahuas] New Chihuahua Ownder > > > Thanks, Peggy. I didn't know about stress and sugar levels. Minnie strains > to poo. Her poo is pretty hard. I'm not sure if that will settle into > normal poo when she settles in and gets use to his new home. > > > \ > \ /\ Alice > ( ) whiterabbit32@... > .( ). Sent from my iPad mini > > On Mar 18, 2013, at 12:24 PM, Peggy & The Girls <phrpg5@...> wrote: > > > > Congratulations! I am so glad that you adopted rather then buy! Two very > cute babies!! My little Gigi was found on ebays classified for free..... > not a good thing to give any animal away free, not that she didn't cost me a > mint in Vet bills. Anyway she was about 5-6 yrs when I got her two and a > half yrs ago and she weighs 7lbs, she was 6 pounds before her spay. She is > a Long Hair. She is a very sweet and quiet chi, not barky and not a mean > bone in her body. The most wonderful thing about the chi breed is that they > come in all sizes, colors, and shapes. Personally, I feel that any of them > that are super big are not all chihuahua. They have something else hiding > in those genes, lol. That mainly being because of all the so called designer > dogs that have been bred in PMs and BYBs for so many years, and when it > comes to shelter dogs many are found on the streets and their mama could > have been a chi, but most of the time if she too was stray then no one knows > what bred to her. But once you own one no matter what they look like they > are your baby and it really doesn't matter at all. > > The protocol for dog shots has changed. Once they are given the initial > series of puppy shots, they only need a booster one year later, then for > most of the virus's out there they have immunity for life, and that depends > on where you live and what virus's are prevalent in your area. The same > series of shots is given to an adult dog who has no history of vaccinations. > Rabies is mandated by the Federal government, so they can get a one year or > a three year shot. Be aware that the rabies vaccine is the exact same > vaccine and the exact same amount is given whether it be a one or a three yr > shot, and the same dosage is given whether it be a St Bernard or a Chi. > Some states recognize the Immunity level lasting for three years, while > others recognize it for one year. They are trying to push it for 5 yrs and I > sure hope they do that fast, as most Vets agree that just one rabies shot > actually last for a lifetime. So here are a couple of links and I strongly > suggest reading them and doing your own research before giving them > unnecessary shots year after year, which only compromises there immunity > level once in their senior years. > > If you never owned a chi before, you should be aware that stress can lower > their sugar level fast. Some signs are, sleeping a lot, no appetite, shaky, > diarrhea. > Nutra-Cal comes in a tube and is loaded with electrolytes to increase their > sugar level and appetite. Pedialyte is great to prevent dehydration from the > diarrhea. I always keep them in stock just in case. > > I also rescued a Mini American Eskimo from a shelter about 6 yrs ago and > Princess will be 8 this summer like her fur-sister Gigi. I also have two > parrots who are now 24 yrs old and 23 yrs old. > > <RoseSmiles3Bk-CaNb-1Ka-1.jpg> > > http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/DODDS-RESUME.HTM > > http://www.weim.net/emberweims/Vaccine.html > > http://healthypets.mercola > com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/10/27/new-canine-vaccination-guidelines > aspx > > > Gigi > <34-DSC02277-FXlg Copy.jpg> > > Princess > <1000.jpg> > > > > > > > > > -------Original Message------- > > From: lwr0032 > Date: 3/18/2013 4:50:55 AM > To: Chihuahuas@yahoogroups.com > Subject: [Chihuahuas] New Chihuahua Ownder > > > Hi All, > I'm Alice and a new Chi owner. I have owned dachshunds (or rather they owned > me LOL) since I got out of college in the mid-90's. A little over a month > ago, my dachshund, Mortimer Snerd (Morty for short) passed. He bonded most > with my hubby. He was pretty much devastated. A week later, I talked him > into going to our local shelter "just to look". Well, we walked out having > adopted a Chihuahua mix. Hubby named him Mickey. The shelter thinks he's a > mix but after looking around the net a all kinds of Chi pictures, he's come > to the conclusion that Mickey is a deer head chi. I know it's not an AKC > recognized breed and it doesn't matter since Mickey is a companion for hubby > Mickey is much bigger than a chi. He's 14 lbs, runs like a deer and hops > like a deer. > > This past week my buddy and shadow, Bob Barker, an 8.5 lb red dachshund > passed. I had to have him out down because of renal failure and he stopped > eating. He was 5 y.o. when I adopted him. 2 days ago hubby and I went to our > local shelter looking for a small companion dog for me. Well, I found a > cream colored 8 mo. old Chihuahua. The shelter named her ChaCha. I renamed > her Minnie. She's on,y 6 lbs. for me, that's small but I understand that's > big for a chi. Mickey is twice her size. She's a sweetheart just like Mickey > They have somewhat the same personality. At the meet and greet with Mickey, > Mickey seemed to come out of his shell more than he has in the month we've > had him. He loved playing with Minnie and plays pretty gentle with her. Oh, > forgot to say, Mickey is 4 y.o. > > I'm a first time puppy Mommy. Never thought I'd own a puppy. I'm happy about > it and glad Minnie is an older puppy. > > My question is, what can I expect from an 8 mo. old chi? In 2 weeks Minnie > will be due for her 2nd set of puppy shots and a 2nd deworming according to > the shelter. She should be done with all that by 8mo, correct? > > Alice > ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chihuahuas/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chihuahuas/join (Yahoo! 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