Important Info

A warning about the use of RX or over the counter oral/topical medications, shampoos, sprays, etc.

I have spent many years preaching at Buyers about the dangers of all of the above, but in many cases, it has fallen on deaf ears. In recent years I have even added it to my contract, but I guess people are not REALLY reading the contract either. In this past year alone, I have had 3 cases(that I know of) of Buyers using these poisons(Oral/Topical Meds such as: Bravecto, Simparica, Nexgard, Credelio, K9 Advantix, Frontline, Seresto, Hartz, etc.) on their Chihuahuas.  Chihuahuas are very small dogs - I wouldn't even consider using any of these products on a larger dog. I have Show Breeder friends with medium to large breed dogs that have had severe reactions and/or died from the use of these poisons - and, that is just what they are - you are poisoning your dog on a monthly basis for something that might bite them. There are multiple articles, reviews and chat sites online with people telling horror stories on what happened to their dogs after giving any of these to their animals. Will some Chihuahuas survive, yes - but who knows what health issues it could cause later on in life. One Buyer used Bravecto(keep in mind - this lasts for 3 months - once given, there is no turning back if your dog has a reaction to it), on a dog who was completely healthy up to that point. He immediately started having seizures and continues having seizures to this day. He lives at the Vets and there is basically not much that can be done for him - the damage has been done and he is on borrowed time. I recently had another Buyer put a Seresto collar on a 3 lb dog, which truly angers me. The dog had been completely healthy to that point. She ended up in critical care with the Vet saying she had Hydrocephalus. After suffering for several days, she was put down. The dog was 16 mo. If she truly had Congenital Hydrocephalus, she would have shown symptoms before that point. It more than likely was Acquired Hydrocephalus - caused by trauma, injury, poisons, etc. I can honestly say in all of my years, I have NEVER had any animals with hydrocephalus - nor have I ever produced any puppies that have had it. We do not live in a Breeder friendly society anymore, nor do we live in a society where many people accept responsibility for their own actions - it is much easier to blame someone else. Most Vets(and sadly, many people) hate Breeders, no matter how good they are. These were adult dogs that were completely healthy up to the point of being given this crap. Unfortunately, a lot of the reactions to these poisons mimic hereditary defects, so Breeders get blamed for breeding dogs with hereditary problems, when in fact they are not, and the sad part is, the companies that produce these poisons, and Vets too, all know that these products are causing severe issues/reactions in animals but they keep on producing them and recommending them anyway. Vets and pharmaceutical

 companies make big money off these products - and also on the animals that are getting sick from them. There are natural products out there that can be used, instead of using these poisons. Take note in my contract, I refuse to guarantee any animal that people choose to use any of these products on - or for any vaccinations that you or your Vet decide to do. Just like with human doctors, there are good ones, not so good ones and really bad ones. I strongly urge people to use a Veterinarian who is highly experienced in the care of Chihuahuas - or even a Holistic Vet.  Case in point - I was just sent the neuter certificate on a 6 month old Chihuahua puppy, which happened to include the entire bill. To my horror, the dog had not only had anesthesia (obviously necessary) but he had also been given a Rabies shot, a Lyme shot, a Dist/Parvo booster, which also contained Lepto(even tho he had already had all of his puppy shots and wasn't even due for another booster for almost 10 months!), he had been started on a Heartworm preventative and was given Nexgard - ALL IN THE SAME VISIT!!!  In my honest opinion, that is an extremely greedy, uncaring Vet and also a prime example of an owner who blindly follows what their Vet tells them to do. People need to be more informed - again, I would not even let a Vet do this to a larger breed dog, let alone a 5 lb dog! Amazingly, the puppy survived - but many Chihuahuas would not have - and who knows what damage it has caused to his system that may show up later.  Update Aug 2019:  I just had another Buyer contact me that her 3 year old, perfectly healthy up to that day, Chihuahua has died. She used Nexgard.  Please people, I do not want to keep updating this section, in the hopes that people will listen and stop using these poisons. I can not stress this enough - DO NOT USE THESE PRODUCTS ON THESE SMALL DOGS!  I can not control what people decide to do to with their animals once they leave here, but I can control that I will not guarantee a puppy for any of their/their Vets poor decisions. If you choose to use these products anyway, the health guarantee portion of your contract will immediately become null/void.  I have included some links below and there are also several Facebook Groups that have been formed by people who have used these products and either lost their dogs or had 

their dogs become extremely ill.  I did not include the FB links but they are easy to look up and then join to see the posts.

https://www.animalhealthfoundation.net/blog/2017/12/dr-jean-dodds-dog-vaccine-protocol/

https://www.hemopet.org/half-dose-vaccine-small-dog-vaccine-study/

https://www.change.org/p/https-www-change-org-p-bravecto-flea-tick-treatment-should-be-removed-from-the-market-without-delay

https://www.change.org/p/nexgard-flea-tick-treatment-should-be-removed-from-the-market-without-delay

https://www.change.org/p/petition-for-the-immediate-withdrawal-of-simparica-flea-tick-treatment-from-the-market

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/community.read?post=859429-beware-of-seresto-flea-collars

https://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/pets/dr-fox/dog-gets-sick-from-flea-collars/article_db4a1b62-c693-5590-8075-a8a20a7460f1.html

https://wagwalking.com/condition/flea-and-tick-collar-poisoning

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/seresto-flea-collar-recall-pet-deaths

*Please read!  It is VERY important not to let young puppies jump off from beds, couches, etc - or 

let them dance on their rear legs - it will push the thigh out and quite possibly damage the Patellas!

The following is an informative article from the Chihuahua Club of America on Chihuahua health care:

http://www.chihuahuaclubofamerica.org/articles/chihuahua-puppy-general-care/

Hypoglycemia

Many Toy Breeds are susceptible to a form of low blood sugar called hypoglycemia. Small dogs have a very small fat reserve around the liver. When they get stressed  - like going to a new home, playing too hard (using a lot of energy), missing a meal and in some cases, if they are overloaded with medications/vaccinations  - the fat reserve is used up and the body will begin to draw upon the blood sugar for energy. It has also been proven that smoking can cause hypoglycemia.  If this condition is left unchecked the dog will grow progressively weaker until it falls into a coma and eventually dies.  Puppies that do experience hypoglycemia will usually outgrow it by 16 weeks of age. You should keep the puppies stress level as low as possible during the critical period and make sure he/she is eating. Puppies that are stressed often won't eat well the first few days, which puts them at a risk for hypoglycemia. Often the most dangerous period is between six and ten weeks of age.  Signs of hypoglycemia vary; usually the dog will get a sad look on its face, it will become inactive, shiver, eventually staggering, falling down, or just laying down, followed by what looks like sleep. This sleep like condition will turn into a form of tooth-clenching seizures and spasms, followed by a comatose condition, and, eventually, death. If your puppy seems too sleepy, wake him/her up, stand him/her up and make sure he/she stands and can walk normally. If he/she lies back down, falls, or staggers, then get some sugar into him/her(such as Nutri-Cal or Karo(corn syrup) and keep the puppy warm. If the puppy does not show improvement, or seems to be getting worse, call your Veterinarian immediately. You need to leave food & water available to young puppies at all times and make sure they are eating and drinking it - don't just put down a big bowl of both and assume that they are. Some puppies can be picky so if they do not seem to be eating well try soaking/mashing their dry food and warming it and/or give them some cooked chicken breast or a meat baby food. Use canned dog food as a last resort as this can cause diarrhea if a puppy is not used to eating it. 

Luxating Patellas

Patella luxation can either have genetic causes, or environmental causes (injury). If patella luxation shows up at an early age, it could be due to genetic causes; however, injury might also cause patella luxation to show up in the first year. Sources of injury could include being overweight, too much jumping (jumping off furniture), or too much stress on the patella and surrounding ligaments (a dog dancing on its rear legs). These causes are especially dangerous when a puppy is in the developmental stages.....from a young puppy to 1 or 2 years of age. Puppies might also damage their kneecap by hitting it, and even an unskilled Veterinarian might cause permanent looseness if he is forcibly trying to see if the patella is loose. As a dog ages, slight looseness might be seen, especially in dogs that are very overweight and have continued pressure on the ligaments/patella. All of our puppies are Vet checked and cleared before they go to their new homes and our adults are Vet checked and/or OFA'd for Normal Patellas. I do not guarantee Patellas on my puppies - there is no way to tell for certain if luxating patellas are genetic, or from the result of an injury. 

Teeth Issues

Because Toy Breeds are small, they also have a very small mouth. This small mouth can cause problems with the mouth being too small for the teeth, which causes overcrowding. Overcrowding of teeth can cause food to be trapped between the teeth, resulting in plaque and tarter buildup, as well as premature tooth-loss. Keeping the teeth clean is essential to keeping the mouth and the rest of the dog healthy.  Dogs that have dirty teeth are found to be at much more at risk of heart, liver and kidney damage from the bacteria entering the bloodstream.

You can help keep the mouth clean by offering raw marrow bones, dental biscuits, dental chew toys, feeding dry food instead of semi-moist or canned food, brushing your dog's teeth, using water additives for dental hygiene, as well as taking your dog to the veterinarian for a dental cleaning, etc.  I have also starting using Vetriscience Powder with great success.

Another issue, although less serious and easily corrected, is retained puppy teeth. Toy breeds are more prone to this problem, and it is caused by the adult tooth growing beside the puppy tooth, instead of the puppy tooth falling out. Retained puppy teeth can be removed at the time of spay/neuter.  This way the dog is only under anesthesia once.  We give our puppies raw marrow bones to chew on to encourage the puppy teeth to loosen/fall out on their own. You will find them in most grocery stores and if you can't find them on display you can get the meat counter attendant to cut some for you.

Puppy Uglies!!

There is a developmental stage that puppies go through that is commonly referred to as the "puppy uglies". This is the time between puppy-hood and adulthood, usually starting at about 3 to 4 months of age and diminishing at about 6 to 8 months of age.  During this phase the coat starts to thin and look scruffy - sometimes the puppy will have large patches of hair loss and look like he/she is moth eaten(more evident in Long Coated puppies), which coupled with a growth spurt causes the puppy to look gangly, scraggly and just overall awful!  Many owners and even some Vets mistake the symptoms of the "Puppy Uglies" for more serious medical issues such as Allergies, Thyroid problems, etc.  At about 6 to 8 months of age this phase begins to end and your puppies coat will begin to fill out.  Long Coats can take 2 years or more to get a full coat!

                                                                                                                         Male   vs   Female

We receive so many requests for female puppies, because it is believed that females make better pets, that we wanted to take the time to clear up some myths and partial truths about males. First, many people believe that males are difficult to house train. This is partly because they are concerned about a hormonal behavior called "marking" where the male urinates on everything he comes across. This is not an uncommon behavior for intact males - and in a lot of cases, intact females - I have had several intact girls that lift their leg.  In most cases, if you neuter your male before the hormones kick in and he begins to lift his leg(by 6 months of age), the chances that he ever will lift his leg to mark his territory, are very low. To date, I have NEVER had a Buyer tell me that their male puppy was hard to housebreak or had any negative adult behaviors. Other things to consider - it is less costly to neuter a male dog than it is to spay a female dog and the procedure for the male is much less invasive, with less recovery time.  Males are, in most cases, much calmer, more loving and much easier to get along with than females are. Females tend to have more temperamental personalities. They are moodier and generally not as laid back as males.  Also, females tend to be more active - or in other words, more hyper than males. It is agreed by most breeders that neutered males make much better pets than females. Males are highly loyal and they form strong bonds with their family. They respond very well to commands and are usually quick to learn. Females are smart and will learn commands as well, but are more apt to ignore them. We have also noticed with our own dogs that our females tend to bark more. Our males for the most part are quiet, sweet, loving and content to be where ever you have them.

The "Tea-cup" Myth

                                                              The following is a Statement from the Chihuahua Club Of America

Molera(Open Fontanel)

                                            The following is a statement from the Chihuahua Club Of America