Shedding

Q: Do you have any suggestions for controlling the shedding on my short hair Chihuahua? The vet gave me a fat to put in the dog food but it did not help. ~ Owner Lisa, Chihuahua Buster.

A:  Hi Lisa.  If your Chihuahua's veterinarian performed a full evaluation for medical causes such as: allergies, parasites and other and your dog is still shedding more than normal, there are some things that you can do.  If your dog's veterinarian, for any reason, did not perform tests for allergies and other medical causes, it is very strongly suggested to find a new veterinarian.  Allergies are the #1 reason for un-natural shedding.  If your have been assured that your Chihuahua is healthy, there are 3 elements to take a look at. 

1.  Your Chihuahua's dog food.  A low quality food will not give your Chi enough of the needed vitamins, minerals and nutrients.  Therefore, even with the extra fat supplements given by the vet, fur can be very affected by low quality food.  Be sure to ignore the generic dog food in the Supermarket and only give your Chihuahua very high quality dog food special made for small breed dogs.

2.  Baths.   Some owners, in an attempt to keep their Chihuahua very clean do not realize that too many bathes can cause the dog's skin to dry out.  This can then, in turn, cause hair to fall out.  Keep baths to 1 per week. The other element about bathes is that if the correct shampoo is not used, the skin of the Chihuahua can quickly become dry and cause fur loss.  Keep in mind that when a dog's skin is dry, you may not notice!  The clearest sign is when a dog scratches, but will not do this and it will be your job to make sure the skin stays soft and healthy. 

It is extremely important to never use human shampoo, no matter what you may read on blogs, etc.  Only a gentle, hypoallergenic shampoo should be used.  We are asked often what shampoo is best for a Chihuahua.  While there are many good brands, you can't go wrong with: .  It contains aloe, vitamin E and oatmeal.  This dog shampoo ensures that your Chihuahua's fur will be healthy.

3.  Grooming.  While a short haired Chihuahua may not look at if he or she needs a brushing every day, they do.  It is suggested to brush your Chi every morning.  It should be part of a daily routine that is done along with dental care, exercise and other.  All Buster needs is a quick 5 to 10 minute brush each day to groom through and pick up the loose hair.  This also helps to keep the skin healthy.

Ears Standing Up

Q: When does a Chihuahua's ears stand up? My female age 7 months do not stand yet but the male age 1.4 years does. ~ Owner Cherylle, Chihuahuas Koko & Keira

A:  Hi Cherylle. While the Chihuahua is a bit famous for their ears, not all Chihuahua's will have ears that stand up naturally.
By a general rule of thumb, if a Chi's ears are not standing erect by the age of 6 months, most likely they will not stand up.
However, with your Chihuahua being 7 months, you still have some time; she may be a "late ear bloomer".  The teething process of a Chihuahua can affect the ears.  Most Chi's are done teething just around 6 months old, but again, your Chihuahua may be having an extended teething phase and this may be the cause.  Time will tell.   The reason for the ears not standing is a lack of muscle in that area.  This is not something that can be corrected.  You may have heard rumors that massaging the area at the base of the ear stimulates the muscle; thus helping it along to prop  the ears up; however this has never been clinically proven to work. This also applies to taping the ears and other such methods that do not produce results. The only medical method that may cause a Chihuahua's ears to stand erect would be cropping.  However, please keep in mind that cropping the ears is no guarantee that the ears will stand.  It certainly is the goal, but it is not always successful and therefore a Chihuahua may endure the procedure with no real results.  Also, as we are sure you are aware, cropping is not legal in many locations.  Since you are the owner of 2 Chihuahuas and obviously a Chihuahua lover, we are confident that you already know that, should your dog's ears not stand up,  having a Chihuahua with droopy ears will just become part of your dog's special uniqueness.

When to Begin Heartworm and Flea Medication

Q: When do you begin heartworm and flea prevention medication?  Owner:  Maria,  Chihuahua: Guapo

A:  Hi Maria. This is a very good question, because the life of your Chihuahua may very well depend on it. What age should your Chihuahua first begin receiving heartworm prevention medication?  The answer is between 4 and 6 weeks old for a small breed dog such as the Chihuahua.  Before you begin with the first  preventive treatment, it is highly recommended by the AHS (American Heartworm Society) that your Chihuahua first be tested.  Although it will be very unlikely that he  would be infected, this is routinely done to  make sure.  Once he is given the  "go-ahead",  then preventive medication should be given.  With your dog Guapo being 6 weeks old, you asked this question at the perfect time!  Some dog owners believe that if their dogs stays indoors a lot and is groomed properly that heartworms will not be an issue.  However, that is not true.  The most loved, spoiled and best groomed dogs in the world can and do get heartworms if they are not given preventive meds.  And heartworms will literally ravage a Chihuahua's tiny body, eating them from the inside out, ultimately causing death in a very painful way.  It is best to not skimp when purchasing this medication, a generic brand would not be trusted.  The 2 most highly reputable brands are Heartgard (spelled without the assumed "u") and Sentinel.

Regarding fleas, this is another important question.  Chihuahuas begin flea treatment any time between 1 and 2 months old.  If your Chihuahua is especially small, starting flea treatment at 2 months would be best.  Fleas can cause so much havoc on a dog, causing such suffering, it is suggested to always use a very good product such as  .    Those generic "flea collars" found at chain stores are not affective and will not be strong enough.

Wait to Spay?

Q: I have a female Chihuahua puppy,  8 months old and 4.25 lbs. My veterinarian suggested waiting to spay her until she is a year old. He said she might go into heat, but he would rather wait until later.  What should I do? Everything I read says she should be spayed before she goes into heat. Owner: Kim, Chihuahua: Mo

A: Hi Kim.  This is a very good Chihuahua question!  You are absolutely correct that your dog should be spayed before her first heat cycle.  The veterinary medical field advances at a rapid pace and the newest advice from all top veterinary experts is to spay before the first heat.  Your dog's veterinarian may be "old school" in his thinking that he should wait until the 1 year mark.   As you most likely already know, spaying a female dog greatly reduces the chances of mammary and ovarian cancer.  Spaying before the 1st heat reduces those odds even more.

With the life span of a Chihuahua so much shorter than humans, we believe that it is extremely important for all dog owners to do all that they can to keep their dog healthy and reduce any risks of disease when at all possible.  You have in your hands the power to take away the greater risk of cancer from your Chihuahua.  While you may love your dog's veterinarian, you always have the right to find a new vet, one that agrees with you to spay her right now.  While we could say, "It is only 4 more months, it is okay to wait"... We can not. Why? Because we are concerned about why this veterinarian wants to wait.  Perhaps he does not keep up with the most up-to-date recommendations. Perhaps he had some bad experiences when spaying tiny dogs because he does not have the expertise. Whatever his reason, this makes us uncomfortable and we do highly recommend finding a new veterinarian if possible.

Note: Don't allow yourself to be "one of those owners" who has a Chihuahua, but really does not understand what is needed for the emotional & physical health of the Chi !  Click here to learn more.

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