So sorry to read of this. Out of the hundreds of toy breeds I myself and my friends rescued only one had trachea issues and my vet said it is usually trama more then a defective gene. I know a BC who has one from damage from a chain collar. My toy breeds get walked on harnesses and my larger dogs on pinches unless at a show then a fur saver that would be less severe then a reg chain. Adopting an older pup or adult would lessen any medical problems. And the rescues here are turning away pregnant bitches and entire litters of purebred Chis.
Robin, Dobe Axel CGC, TT, German Pin Ranger CGC, TT, Chihuahuas Alice CGC and Monte CGC, MinPins HoneyB, Brutus, and IMPS foster Jordan www.minpinrescue.org www.chi-rescue.com Http://chihuahua.rescueme.org/florida -------- Original message -------- Subject: [Chihuahuas] Collapsing Trachea From: Gregory <etsu1...@yahoo.com> To: Chihuahuas@yahoogroups.com CC: We were devastated last week when we had to put our 10 year old female chi, Maya, down. She started caughing a couple of years ago and the vets told us that it was a collapsing trachea issue that would get worse over time. The caughing got worse 3 months ago and the vets gave us medication that helped for a little while. Unfortunately, last week our beloved Maya took a turn for the worst and Sunday she crossed over the rainbow bridge. We will be looking for another chi in the future and will contact several breeders. I was not familiar with this problem when we got her and the other generations of chis that the breeder had ranged in age from 3 to 13 and none had this issue. Are there anything that we should look for next time when we go to view puppies to possibly avoid this problem again or is it something that just happens. My wife and I are still heart sick. Greg