Thank you so much for your reply, Peggy! I especially appreciate your tip about taking him something that smells like me while he is still at the shelter. I am going to go visit him tomorrow and take the T shirt I was wearing when we first met each other yesterday (I didn't wash it). I am so glad to have all the support and tips!! Thank you very much for all your advice.
--- In [email protected], Peggy & The Girls <phrpg5@...> wrote: > > Hi Michaela! And congratulations on your new baby! So happy that you decided > to adopt a shelter chi and save his life. > > Well, for a starter you are absolutely right about them not doing well in a > shelter. They are real people dogs and thrive on attention. Since you have > to wait a week, I would suggest visiting him atleast once a day if that is > possible, so he can get use to you before you take him home. That will help > to relieve some of his anxiety and stress. Bring him a small blanket and a > cuddle toy and some treats. He will remember your scent on them. > > Also, chis are prone to hypoglycemia from stress, so it would be a good > thing to pick up a tube of Nutra-Cal. It is sold in most pet shops. It will > replenish his electrolytes and balance his sugar level, especially after his > surgery. Let him lick it off the tube several times a day for the first week > Use it any time in the future that you know a situation will be stressful > for him. > > Try to find a good all natural dog food with the first two ingredients > chicken. A good ratio would be protein 26-28%, and fat not higher then 14% > since chis gain weight easily. Treats will be trial and error, since every > dogs taste is different. Whatever you decide make sure the package > says that all the ingredients are from the USA and made in the USA. If it > says distributed by a US company, then the odds are it was made and imported > from China. Many dogs have become very sick and many deaths have occurred > because of treats that have been imported and the FDA still hasn't made it > mandatory for them to be removed from stores shelves, because although they > know they are making the dogs sick, their test can't prove what is in them > that is so fatal to dogs, and by law cannot have them taken off the market > until they have scientific proof. > > Once you get him home and he has recovered from his neuter and it is time to > have him checked out by a private vet, my advise is to have a full blood > panel done. That will ensure that all his vital organs are functioning > properly, and prevent any issues that may show up in the future. > I had that done on my Gigi who I found as a free chi, and I knew that she > needed medical attention for teeth and spaying, but only the blood test > showed that she has liver issues that was causing her to have seizures. I > have since changed her diet several times and she has been seizure free and > her liver is stabilized for some time now. If I didn't have the blood test > done, I would never have known what was causing the seizures and she would > have kept getting worse, because I would not have known that she needed to > be on a very low protein and fat diet to stabilize her liver function. > > You may also want to pick up a couple of t-shirts for him. Chis like to be > warm, and if your house has a/c and he shakes, or wants to hide curled up in > a ball, it may not be nerves but he is chilled. > > As far as housebreaking goes, it should start from day one. Most shelter > dogs loose their memory on that until they are directed where to go. So my > advise is to pretend that he is a puppy, and start training from scratch. If > you live in a warm climate and want to housebreak him outside, then start > that way. If you live with cold winters and lots of rain, then you may want > to train him on wee pads, or newspaper first. When you walk a dog it will > naturally pee outside to mark territory any way. If you work, then I > strongly advise gating an area that is large enough to have a bed and > food/water and toys at one end, leaving enough space in the middle for him > to walk around in and at the other end put the pads or paper on a large tray > He should stay in that area whenever you cannot monitor him, until he is > fully housebroken. It is a lot better then keeping him in a crate for the > entire day. Crates are okay for a couple of hours, but I personally feel > that a dog should not be kept in them for 8-10 hrs while the owner is at > work all day. > > Well lots of luck and enjoy your new baby! Looking forward to seeing his > pics next week! > > > > PS: Princess was adopted from a shelter when she was under 2yrs old, she is > a mini American Eskimo, and Gigi is a tri-colored Long Hair chi. > she was adopted at about 6 yrs old, they are both about 8 yrs old now. > > > > > > > > -------Original Message------- > > From: michaela_and_merit > Date: 9/1/2012 6:28:58 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [Chihuahuas] New adoptive chi parent :) > > > Hello, > > I joined this group because I want to be sure I provide the best care > possible for my new best friend. His name is Merit, and I placed a deposit > on him at the local APS shelter this morning. He needs the standard medical > procedures (neutering, immunizations, flea and tick prevention) and then he > will be ready to come home to me later this week! > > I am so excited about him! I always had dogs growing up, but Merit will be > my first dog since living on my own. I am 24 years old, a graduate student, > and live in a townhouse in a quiet suburban area. I have done a ton of > research on chis and feel pretty prepared in terms of general knowledge, > such as nail clipping, tooth cleaning, vet visits, etc. but I would really > value some advice from chihuahua experts like you all! > > Is there anything you wish someone had told you that would have made > training your chihuahua much easier? Is there a particular treat or activity > that would be fun for Merit to try? Please share any tips and tricks you can > think of that might be helpful for a new chihuahua owner. > > Thank you! > Michaela > > P.S. Merit is chocolate with a short coat (I will share a picture once he is > home!). He's one year old and is fairly timid-- life in the shelter has been > really hard for him to deal with because it is so loud and scary with all > those dogs barking and howling. So I'd especially value advice on how to > make him feel comfortable in his new home :) > ------------------------------------ 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! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
