your chihuahua can not explain its symptoms, so it’s your responsibility to keep him or her healthy and to determine whether or not they need veterinary care. chihuahuas tend to want to hide their illness, so it is up to you to check your chihuahua for abnormalities.
not knowing if your chihuahua is feeling sick or how to care for your chihuahua when they are sick can be VERY stressful! this article will help you determine if your chihuahua is showing signs and symptoms of being ill and when you need to take them to see a veterinarian.
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be prepared: questions your veterinarian may ask
your veterinarian may ask additional questions to help localize or diagnose the problem. it may help to be prepared to answer some of the following questions:
- how long have you owned your chihuahua?
- where did you get your chihuahua (adoption center, breeder, previous stray)?
- what other type of pets do you have?
- what is the age of your chihuahua?
- has your chihuahua experienced any previous illnesses?
- is your chihuahua currently under treatment for an illness or disease?
- what preventative medications is your chihuahua currently taking?
- does your chihuahua receive consistent flea treatment?
- are any other pets ill?
- has he/she been vaccinated? if so, when? which vaccines?
- have there been any recent pet acquisitions?
- have there been any recent activities such as boarding, grooming, trip to the park?
- is a majority of your chihuahua’s time spent indoors or outdoors?
- have there been any recent changes in diet or eating habits?
- what brand of food, how much and how frequently does your chihuahua eat?
- what type of table scraps are offered and how frequently?
- what type of treats are offered and how frequently?
- how much water does your chihuahua typically drink per day?
- have there been any recent changes in water consumption?
- have you noticed any coughing or sneezing?
- have you noticed any lumps or bumps on your chihuahua?
- is your chihuahua urinating normally?
- Is your dog having normal bowel movements?
- when is the last time he/she had a bowel movement?
- have you noticed any recent weight loss or weight gain?
after answering some general questions, more specific questions need to be answered. a brief cursory exam of your chihuahua at home can help you determine the answers. these questions are also commonly asked when chihuahua owners are seeking help over the phone.
be prepared to answer the following questions, depending on the problem with your chihuahua:
regarding the eyes
- have you noticed an increase or decrease in tear production?
- do the eyes appear cloudy or red?
- have you noticed any discharge coming from the eyes?
- do the eyes appear bloodshot?
- are the pupils the same size in both eyes?
- have you noticed your chihuahua rubbing or pawing at the eyes?
- is your chihuahua squinting?
- do the eyes appear to be sunken or excessively protruding?
regarding the ears
- do you notice any swelling or discharge from the ears?
- are the ears drooping when they normally stand erect?
- are the ears red and inflamed?
- do you notice any odor to the ears?
- is your chihuahua rubbing or pawing at the ears?
- have you noticed a lot of head shaking?
- have you noticed any pain or crying when you rub or scratch your chihuahua’s ears?
regarding the nose
- have you noticed any congestion, sneezing or coughing?
- have you noticed any blood coming from the nose?
- have you noticed any nasal discharge?
regarding the mouth
- have you noticed any swelling of the lips or tongue?
- have you noticed any bleeding from the mouth?
- what color are the gums – tissue just above the teeth?
looking inside the mouth
- are there any foreign objects such as bones or sticks stuck on the roof of the mouth or around the teeth?
- is your chihuahua able to open and close the mouth normally?
- is there any pain involved in opening or closing the mouth?
- have you noticed any excessive drooling or foaming at the mouth?
- is your chihuahua able swallow food normally?
regarding the chest
- is your chihuahua experiencing any difficulty breathing?
- have you noticed excessive panting?
- is there any pain when the chest area is petted?
- have you noticed any recent coughing?
- is the heartbeat steady and consistent?
- what is the heart rate?
place your hand or your ear on the left side of your chihuahua’s chest, just behind the elbow. you should be able to feel or hear the heartbeat. count how many beats the heart pumps in one minute.
regarding the abdomen/stomach area
- has your chihuahua been having any diarrhea or vomiting?
- is your chihuahua able to eat and drink normally?
- does the abdomen/stomach area appear swollen or distended?
- does your chihuahua appear to be in pain when the stomach area is petted?
- is your chihuahua known to chew on non-food items such as clothing, towels, rocks, or other items?
regarding the urinary and reproductive systems
- have you noticed any difference in urinating?
- does your chihuahua seem to strain to urinate or cry in pain?
- does your chihuahua repeatedly try to urinate with no urine produced?
- is there any blood in the urine?
- how frequently does your chihuahua urinate?
- is your female chihuahua spayed?
- has your female ever had puppies? if so, at what age?
- if your female is not spayed, when was her last heat cycle and was she bred?
- do you notice any discharge from the vaginal area?
- is your male chihuahua neutered? if so, at what age?
- do you notice any discharge from the penis?
- if your chihuahua is not neutered, do you notice any swelling of the testicles?
- have you noticed your chihuahua excessively licking or grooming the genital area?
regarding the musculoskeletal system – bones and joints
- have you noticed any limping?
- are any legs or joints swollen?
- has your chihuahua been excessively licking at one area of his/her legs?
- does your chihuahua show signs of pain when walking?
- is your chihuahua able to walk normally?
- does your chihuahua walk on his/her knuckles?
- does your chihuahua drag any legs when walking?
- does your chihuahua seem to be in pain when petting him or her?
by supplying the answers these questions, your veterinarian will be in a much better position to help your chihuahua. additional tests may be necessary to find out what the problem is, but the answers to the above questions can greatly narrow the area of concern.
please note that famous chihuahua is providing this information to chihuahua owners as a guide so you know when to take your chihuahua to see your veterinarian. if at any time your chihuahua is showing signs or symptoms of illness and discomfort, don’t wait, just go the vet!
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the amazing ebook, caring for chihuahuas made easy, breed information, health care and nutrition teaches you about common chihuahua health problems and how to properly care for your chihuahua! it also teaches you the secret to making your chihuahua live longer!
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Comments 550
My 14 year old male chhauhau will not sit down been running around all day and just keeps looking at me an barking . keeps running round and staring. have sprayed him with calming spray ,but still the same
My apple head Chihuahua has suddenly stopped loving me it seems. She is almost 4. When My fiance and I purchased her, she instantly took to me. I’ve heard that they are one person dogs but I was the one that wasn’t constantly trying to touch her, pet her, or pick her up. My fiance passed away last year and she was confused a little bit at first but she was fine with just her and I. A year and a half has passed and I am in a new relationship with another woman. My Chihuahua’s name is pookie. Pookie and I are living with my new girlfriend. Nothing really outside of the normal behavior of pookie has changed until recently. It’s like I woke up the next day and she looks at me differently. This happened right after I my girlfriend and I took our relationship to the next level. I mean”right” after. The very next morning actually. She is a good dog and she has been my rock through all of this. Now she acts just like a jealous x girlfriend or something towards me. I know this sounds strange but this is what I am dealing with the last 3 days. Should I take her to the vet? I love my dog and I don’t know what to do about it. Please help me!!!
6 year old female Chiweenie. Overweight @ 15 lbs. Eating normally, drinking a little less, sleeping peacefully at night, still takes walks, wants to go for a ride. Mouth closed with heavy panting today, even while resting. Nasal sounds congested, gets choked. Licking the air with head elevated. Seems she is not getting enough air. No known ingestion of harmful objects or chemicals. Problem: allergies? compressed air way? Getting a bit concerned.
The Chihuahua owes its name to the province of the same name in Mexico, where it was kept over a thousand years ago. Even if the origin of the Chihuahua is not completely clear, small wild dogs still live in the town of Chihuahua, from which the breed seems to have descended. In the 19th century, the Chihuahua became popular in the USA and later also in Europe. Today, the dog with the characteristic apple head and protruding ears is considered the smallest breed in the world. With their lively nature and distinctive appearance, they are popular family dogs.
My little girl which I love is a chihuahuas she is 8 years old and she is very active but the last 4 days she try to eat but throw it up her stomach is hard your vaginas is red and hurt she just came out of heat but she is losing weight and just don’t have the energy to move I think she may need to take a shit but nothing I don’t have any money to take her to to the vet so is there anything I can give her to help her to go to the bathroom please help me she is my world
My 11yr old girl spayed in 2018,abdominal swelling and discolored skin severe pain. Vet#1 took xray=all normal=pain pills and return. Vet#2,looked at xray, took blood = normal=added more pain pills and return. I was seeking a diagnosis! I am 67 and live on disability can’t keep up with all these office charges. I feel like my baby is not being helped. Help me and PeeWee
My boyfriend just gave me a chihuahua for our anniversary gift and I really love him, but he’s my first pet so I have no clue how to take care of him. Thanks for your tips, they should really help me find out if my pet is in need of a visit to the veterinarian or not. I had no clue that chihuahuas would have a tendency to chew rocks and clothes and that that could cause problems in their stomach. I’ll definitely have to prevent my chihuahua from eating those things as much as I can.
My dog has ñot eating iñ two days but will drink water every now and then sleeping alot had diaria1time soft pop two or three days wet the bed last night vomited three times help me what do I do
The only food that our chihauhau doesn’t react to is Royal Canin for chihauhau’s. We haven’t had her on it for two months and she is almost as if she is sick with puking. This happened before a few years back….I remember now as I had forgotten. She is 11 years old and we always had her on it….and never problems with her. Maybe you should try this food and see for those having stomach issues with your dog. I just assumed she was getting bored with it and wanted to try something different. But going right back on it for her.
My 2 year old Chihuahua will not touch any small dog food ( DRY) he will only eat cooked chicken & then u have to hand feed him.He’s poop is loose & yesterday while he was going, he made 2 small cries I thought he was constipated but it came out loose.can u help please.
My female girl is not eating at all now for two days. She does drink but today I noticed she is not drinking. She is on science diet mini pellets. She is 6 years old, never been bred, needs booster shot. She has not be neutered and has just coming out of heat. She is a total house dog. I’m old and cannot keep up with her so she stays in. She has lost some weight also. I brought her to Vet about 3 weeks ago when she was like this and he did a blood chemistry and nothing was wrong there. He gave her antibiotics and something to give her an appetite. She got better after that. But now!!!!!!!
My Chihuahua has bad teeth and won’t let me clean them. She also doesn’t eat treats that clean her teeth 😟😬
Is it normal for a 6 to 8-week-old Chihuahua applehead toy to not drink a lot of water and rest a lot
My 10 year old chihuahua is acting a bit weird I’m worried 🙁
My little boy blue is drinking a lot more than he normally does. He also is very clingy just wants to be very close to me, like right into face. I have noticed he has slight swelly on both temples?? Other than that he is eating and drinking. Also sleeping more. He is only 3and is my constant little buddy. I do have a vetinary appointment for him on wednesday coming, which i am not looking forward to as he gets terribly nervous, and fearful ending up him being muzzled. He by nature is so loving and placid. I would be very grateful to some insight. Many Thanks Bernadette.
My 15 year old standard deer head chihuahua just started shaking really bad than normal, and keeps hiding and is not wanting to eat or drink anything. He doesn’t have any energy to do anything today either. He does have a bad history of seizures.
My 3 year old chihuahua all of a sudden is not moving at all! His pee and poop look normal. He does not get off his heating pad and blanket!???
I have to constantly look at the floor and make sure nothing is there. My chihuahua eats anything he sees. He has choked twice to the point he could not breath and thank goodness I was able to get it down his throat because I could not get it out and he was passing out. I am nervous all the time with him he has a lot of issues as it is and then he does this on a daily bases!! Is there anything I can do to stop this aside from a cone on his head because I cant do that he wont move. Putting anything on him he will stand there frozen and wont move so I cant do that. I don’t know what to do my floors are clean but something always finds its way there!!
Our 6 month old pup cant lay down, and just circles between my lap and my wifes lap.parts of days he raring to go with us in our car. But other parts of the day he goes into this circling thing. He’s a very loving pet, until the circling starts. He cant get comfortable, or find the right spot to just lay down. He wants to but cant, he almost falls asleep but cant. We are at our wits end.
My baby chihuahua is crying and not eating and his breath will knock you out I know his teeth are bad maybe he has an infection
I have a 10 month old Chihuahua and he is not eating or drinking and he sleeps a lot I mean he just lays around what possible could be wrong with him….😪😪😪
My one-year-old Chiweenie will not eat or drink and was running a fever yesterday not as much today and then laying around when he’s usually very playful wanting to be held like a child help is my baby
Help I have two sisters both have been pawing at their ears an shaking their heads alot their is a odor from both an a small discharge
My teacup chihuahua just all the sudden started acting weird,he acts like hes scared,and he dont want to be petted or touched,and is very jumpy.This is very unusual for him,hes a year and a half old.
My 2 year old mini chhuahua usually is full of energy but today tail tucked and not moving just laying . She still eating but won’t take water.