To ensure the health and well-being of your chihuahua, you need to be aware of possible health concerns, especially during the first 16 weeks of their life.
The following health information is not intended to diagnose, treat, or replace the care of a veterinarian. It is also not intended to dissuade you from obtaining a Chihuahua. After about 6 months of age, Chihuahuas are generally healthy little dogs which live a long lifespan.
Parvovirus
Even though Chihuahuas need to be socialized at an early age, it is best to avoid taking your pet to the park, on walks in the neighborhood, or around other unknown pets until it has been fully vaccinated and has a fully developed immune system (usually 16 weeks of age). This is because until your Chihuahua has had its full set of vaccinations, its immune system may not be properly equipped to handle diseases with which it could come in contact. Your puppy could easily get worms, parvovirus, or coccidia from contaminated feces or ground. Unfortunately, these diseases can live in feces and on the ground for many days and can be easily transmitted to a puppy. Puppies are very curious of their new surroundings and will go smelling around the ground and trees where another contaminated dog or cat may have left their markings.
Symptoms: Symptoms could vary widely, depending on which disease your puppy has come in contact with. Parvovirus often causes either depression, vomiting, diarrhea and/or cardiac problems (Myocarditis). Myocarditis usually results in the puppy stopping nursing, crying out, and gasping for breath. Coccidiosis can cause diarrhea, dehydration, appetite loss, and anemia.
Treatment: Seek veterinary treatment immediately if your puppy has come in contact with any of these diseases and has not been fully vaccinated, as they can cause death in your puppy. Of course, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Avoid contact with other animals and unknown places prior to full vaccination of your puppy. Have those people who handle the puppy wash their hands before handling. Since parvovirus can also be carried on the bottom of your shoes, it is a good idea to keep shoes that you wear outdoors from contacting any area where the puppy sleeps/plays.
Low Blood Sugar (Hypoglycemia)
Because Chihuahuas have such a small fat reserve around their liver, they are prone to low blood sugar. Although this can occur at any time, it’s especially important to watch your new puppy due to his small size.
Symptoms: Lethargy, lack of coordination (stumbling, falling, staggering), followed by coma and death if not treated.
Treatment: Although you should always consult your veterinarian for the proper treatment of your particular Chihuahua, you can keep some sugar handy (e.g. Maple Syrup, pure honey) to boost your little friend’s blood sugar level stays when it starts dropping. The Vitacal supplement is essential for any pet owner’s medicine chest. It is specially formulated to give your pet the nutrition it needs and fast. It has been known to bring a puppy suffering from low blood sugar immediately out of the beginning stages of a coma. It also has high potency vitamins, minerals, fats, and carbohydrates which your puppy needs. Because it is high in B vitamins, Vitacal can actually stimulate your pet to start eating right again. We recommend it be taken home or purchased immediately after taking home a Chihuahua weighing less than a pound and a half. It can very easily save his life. It costs less than $5.00, much less than an emergency trip to the vet. VitaCal is especially beneficial for pets that are stressed (due to a change in environment or a new home) or recovering from illness or injury. It is also specially formulated to be gentle on sensitive digestive tracts, and can also be used for kittens. Each ounce provides 90 kiloCalories of usable energy. VitaCal can be ordered from Drs. Foster & Smith, R.C. Steel, or Becky’s Chihuahuas. Or you may be able to obtain it through your veterinarian.
For severe cases of low blood sugar, your veterinarian may need to give an IV of a sugar solution. As a precaution, you can always make sure that when you’re going to be away for a while that your little friend eats before you go and that you leave him food for when you’re gone. Don’t feed him candy, as this can cause the blood sugar level to surge and then drop drastically.
Slipped Stifle (Luxating Patella)
Slipping knee joints (also referred to as luxating patellas, slipped stifles) are a common problem in small breeds. In this condition, the kneecap slips out of its groove and moves against the thighbone (femur) instead of along its natural groove. Although this has been found to be a heritable condition, small, active breeds are likely to aggravate it through the course of their natural activities (jumping up and down) around taller objects such as furniture.
Symptoms: Rear leg lameness, shifting from one leg to another, hopping and/or skipping, and an inability to fully extend the leg, and can result in arthritis over time. Some breeders recommend doing one of the following when buying a puppy to determine if it may have a predisposition to a slipped stifle: (1) See if young puppy’s back legs cross at the ankles when lying on its back. (2) See if young puppy sits up straight, rather than leaning, when sitting on his haunches.
Treatment: See a good veterinary surgeon who can diagnose the severity of the problem and recommend the correct treatment. Treatment usually involves correcting the problem surgically, where the type of surgery is determined by the severity of the condition. If treated early enough, the condition can be repaired such that the pet can lead a normal, healthy life.
Stress (common)
Because Chihuahuas are such a small breed, stress (such as diet changes, moving to a new home, etc) can affect them physically.
Symptoms: Coughing, Diarrhea, Hypoglycemia, Infection
Treatment: Always check first with your veterinarian to rule out a more serious reason for these symptoms, but coughing, diarrhea, and low blood sugar are fairly common Chihuahua responses to stress. Many of these symptoms are temporary and will go away once the Chihuahua gets used to their new environment or situation. Of course, you need to treat low blood sugar as described above. Because stress can cause the immune system to become depressed, this may make the puppy susceptible to bacterial and/or viral infections. Your veterinarian will best be able to diagnose this and prescribe antibiotics in the case of a bacterial infection.
Vaccinosis
Because Chihuahuas are so small and because vaccine manufacturers recommend giving the same amount of vaccine to a Chihuahua as to a Saint Bernard, Chihuahuas may be more susceptible to vaccine related problems.
Possible Symptoms: Lethargy, depression, and possibly death
Treatment: Vaccines are a very controversial subject and one you should discuss with your veterinarian. The information presented here is just an opinion and not to be used as a substitute for proper veterinary advice. Many Chihuahua breeders were losing puppies a few days after giving vaccines (especially the tiny ones) and once they started giving half doses of vaccines (the killed vaccines rather than the modified live ones), and they quit losing their puppies. Logically, you would wonder: “Why give the same dose of a vaccine to a 90 pound dog that you would to a 3 pound dog?” Even within the breeding community, there is dissension about which vaccines to give. One breeder has quit giving the Leptospirosis Vaccine to their puppies based upon research at Kansas State University that suggests that there are more reactions to this vaccine than to others, and that Leptospirosis is pretty rare. Another breeder has not had any problems with this particular vaccine, although it is not given to their pups until 4 months of age. In the final analysis, the decision when and how much to vaccinate is left to the owner’s and their veterinarian’s discretion.
86 Comments.
My 10 year old chihuahua/terrier coughs back up quite a bit of the water he drinks from his dish. This happens every time he drinks. I give him filtered water, elevated the bowl, keep the bowl clean – any ideas?
Our year and a half old female chihuahua has been pooping in the house at night the past couple nights, which she never does. Woke up this morning to some, let her outside and when she came back in she had blood on her butt. What could be going on? Didn’t see any blood in her stool though?
it could be a number of health related issues, take your chihuahua to see a vet as soon as possible.
please review this link on tracheal issues in chihuahuas. call your vet again to give them an update on your chihuahua and if there is an emergency number night vet you can call, do that too. get a second opinion asap.
http://www.famouschihuahua.com/chihuahua-health-concerns/tracheal-collapse-in-chihuahua-puppies-and-dogs/
Update… still need help. I took my chihuahua back to the vet today. She had blood work and an xray. They found that her stools were all backed up in her so they gave her an enema and more medicine. Now later in the evening, she is still not getting better. Still won’t eat or drink, threw up the little bit of water she did drink, and now she is wheezing and breathing heavy. I just now noticed a bruise forming on the underside of her neck. Anyone have any info for me??
my female chihuahua will not eat or drink anything and is acting very funny she was vomiting yesterday and today had diarrhea. she is very weak and has lost so much weight???
Help! My chihuahua is sick. She is older, I don’t know how old because I rescued her. She won’t eat or drink, and keeps yelping all the time. I took her to the vet and she said it was just a clogged anal gland, and she gave her some antibiotics. Almost 2 days later and she is still not getting better. I got her to eat a little bit of chicken and have been pouring water in her mouth, and now she has thrown up twice. What should I do???
My little one just turned seven (49) on Nov, 1st. Mr. Peepers has become more mellow, less agressive and is not as loving, He still follows me everywhere I go and also sleeps most of the day. He actually looks spaced out. None reactive. This behavior started 3 wks. ago. I’ve had the flu for a whole wk. and I was wondering if maybe I gave him the flu. He sleeps with me and we sometimes eat from same plate. Could it be his age or could it be that he fears me leaving him?
keep an eye on him. if he starts to shows signs of illness, call your vet asap. you can use the information here as a guide http://www.famouschihuahua.com/chihuahua-health-concerns/symptoms-and-signs-of-a-sick-chihuahua/
Recently adopted a 9wk old chihuahua..”tulip”..she has all the energy in the world, but suddenly has become sleepy an shakey (like rocking side to side) been giving her honey thinking maybe hypoglycemic..and she improved nearly instantly. but now she is back to sleeping, I am very worried.
My mom died about 1 1/2 yrs ago and her 10 yr old teacup chihuahua was living with dad until a few months ago. Now she is living with a family friend and was doing fine for a couple of months. Now she is declining and we think from homesickness. What can we do to help her? She can’t live with dad anymore.
I have a chihuahua she is almost 4 months but recentely she has shortness of breath and its really worring I took her to the vet and he said she had a heart condition 🙁 all he said is that she should play and she should be on a special diet he alos said it is hereditary however i contacted the bredeer and she said that the parents are fine. is it common for them to get heart problems do you ahve any advice? thanks
My brother has an 8 week old chihuahua and she has worms =[. any suggestions on some homeopathic remedies for her we could use??
famous chihuahua sends their condolences for the loss of little brutus … he is in a good place now 🙂
great info.
Both our Chihuahuas got parvovirus with in 4 days of their adoptions. They were siblings – boy, girl – and 3 months old. Ugh! That sucked emotionally and financially (it ended up costing around $3000 in vet bills).
Pebbles, who showed signs of it first, survived and is cuddled up behind my chair right now. Brutus died after 3 days. 🙁 Poor little guy.
that is good to know! thanks for the info!
my chihuahua ha elevated liver enzymes she is now on meds like antibiotics and etc. has anyone had ame healt issue w/ their chi?? what should i feed her ?? she is really picky im not giving her anything that comes from china ,,, i want to feed her holistic food anyone knows where i can get special food ??????
Hi Amber, Please take your chihuahua into the vet. It sounds like your chihuahua might be having an allergic reaction to something or he has an infection of some sort that requires the right medication for treatment. Try and think back to 2 weeks ago to see if there was somewhere he was at that could have triggered this reaction if it is allergy related.
I have a 5 yr old that has a rash on the inside of his legs that he got about 2 weeks ago. It is bright red and wrinkled, he lickes it alot. called his vet and they said to give him a half a teaspooon of benadryl twice a day, and i have been putting tea tree oil on the area to prevent him from licking the area. and its still not clearing up, what else can i do to clear this up?
I have a 6mths old and he just started to vomit a little, what should I do?
[…] Newborn Puppy Care http://www.peteducation.com/category_summary.cfm?cls=2&cat=1651. Treating a Sick Newborn Puppy http://www.leerburg.com/savepup.htm More on Puppy Care Here […]
Tinkie and Nudies Mom, here are some helpful links to check out regarding treating a sick newborn puppy:
Newborn Puppy Care
http://www.peteducation.com/category_summary.cfm?cls=2&cat=1651
Treating a Sick Newborn Puppy
http://www.leerburg.com/savepup.htm
Care of Mother Dogs and Puppies
http://www.hilltopanimalhospital.com/whelping2.htm
Daisy, here are some helpful links to check out regarding having your chihuahua vaccinated:
Adverse Reactions to Dog Vaccinations: http://dogs.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Dog_Vaccinations
Allergic Reactions to Vaccinations: http://dogs.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Vaccinations%2C_Reactions_and_Groomers
Adverse Reactions to Vaccination
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1713&articleid=962
My baby had babies on the night of September the 20th she birth 5 pups 2 girls one died 3 hours after birth and another tonight, he was truley the smallest baby I have ever seen, I cant understand for the life of me what happen, He was to small to be on the teet of his momma so I was feeding him the powder formula as directed, this evening I noticed he had dierria, he seemed he did want anything to eat, I gave a little water, does anyone know what could have happened, Im sure someone may be suffering as I am, My tink is a good mom she has had 2 other litters with no problems..she is so looking for her baby..Im going to make an appointment with our VET and have her fixed theres no way I can suffer like this again..
Hi, I have a 13 wk old micro chihuahua he’s the light of my life. Today I took him to get his puppy vacc, and they gave him a total of 4 shots and his kennel couph. My puppy is sick, he will not move much, has stopped eating and I have to feed him water. I am afraid that something is wrong. Please any advise. Is this normal. I am suppose to bring him back in 3 wks for his next series. I don’t think I want to bring him in that soon. Advise?
i have a mini toy chihuahua, she is
9 weeks old, and she had her first shots
at 7 weeks.
we want to know how many weeks she needs to be for her next shots?
how much food she needs to be eating?
What a useful article!
One point, however. Parvovirus can last about one month indoors, but up to seven months outdoors – it can even survive frost, so you really need to be careful about this!