What to do When Your Chihuahua has Wheezing/Seizure-Like Episodes
My husband and I have a chihuahua named Bugsy. We found your web site while trying to find health information. We absolutely love it. Do you have any information about wheezing and their seizure-like episodes. Ours sometimes acts like he can’t catch his breath…
Many chihuahuas owners do not realize that chihuahuas are bred to be small. Breeders create them and as much as we love them, cross breeding can have effects. Trachea issues are common in chihuahuas and can usually be identified by episodes of wheezing. Their trachea collapses on them and the wheezing is usually their immediate response. However, it is ineffective. Instead take firm hold of your Chihuahua, calm them and then plug their noses. This will force them to swallow and breath through their mouths. This is the only remedy so please make a mental note of this.
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My 12 year old male Chi had what I think was a seizure today, but as I’ve never seen him do this I’m not sure. I’m reading, researching, and I’m pretty sure this is what happened. We have a family business and I take hi into the office daily. He of course barks as ppl come in, and will continue to until they acknowledge/pet him. Today right before we left, a couple I’ve known for years came in. He barked they walked into the inner room from the entry way, and I look bk and he is laying flat on his belly on the floor, but jerking like he’s humping or swimming, but stays on the ground. My customer says oh he’s having a seizure, that hers had once. I was just shocked, and she says let him be or you can make it worse of something like that, but honestly I was freaking. Within a min to a min and half, he finally gets to his feet and has urinated on himself. Now, I will not claim he’s above peeing if you don’t take him out, of something is brought into his territory smelling like another dog or home, but he never just randomly pees on himself, and never even has the aforementioned almost spiteful pees at work. I feel like he was just not right the whole way home, and honestly even now as we’re laying on the couch together at least an hour and half later. I’m petrified, so idk how much of my judgement of his current actions are accurate. Pls someone respond, am I crazy?
Please take your chi to see a Neurologist if they look like they are having seizures or spinning or yelping for unknown reasons. My Chihuahua was diagnosed with GME a couple of years ago and is a really horrible condition especially for your chihuhua to endure. It can be controlled though but you must. I recommend a website called http://petparentsfightinggme.ning.com.
All the best
Hi all x my 1 year 6 month chi …has had I fit I think he went all stiff with no eye movement and locked his gaw after 3 mins he went off playing as though nothing as happened it’s frightened me to death. As anybody any idea what happened x it’s now happened twice
my Chihuahua is of unknown age and literally will not stay still spining in circles for 20 hours i think some days. . I have watched him go over 200 full spins in. Less than a half an hour non stop its like he is on acid and speed. Whats wrong with my baby ??
My little girl was born a week early. She has wheezing deep breathing issues (as you can see here chest sucking deep when she is asleep). I told my vet she aspirated her mother’s milk, he said my little girl’s lungs were damaged and that there was nothing he could do. Is this right?
Mine has the same problem but the vet had said depending on what the episode looks like it could be a tracheal collapse of an over extended palate. Hope this helps.
@Roger, my 11 month old female chihuahua, Baby, is doing the same thing. Have you figured out what’s wrong with him? It sounds and looks like pre-seizure symptoms but no seizure.
I’ve got a 7 yr old neutered male chihuahua that I’ve had for a couple years now. The frenzied running, the hiding, the yelping, & the appearance of an intense fear of something totally freaked me out. These ‘episodes’ last anywhere from a few minutes up to 10-12 hours. They are random, out of the blue with no obvious tell tale signs before they occur. I’ve found that holding him & focusing on him by talking to him helps calm him down. That is if I can find him & he lets me pick him up & hold him. And yes, these episodes still freak me out when they occur.
I have a 14 week old chihuahua named Ralphy. When i got him he was eating wet and dry dog food but now for the past 2 or 3 weeks he wont eat it all he wants to eat is cold meat or chicken, is it ok to keep him on cold meat or what do i do? Because i dont think hes getting the vitamins he needs that he will get off dog food.
My boy Chihuahua who isn’t quite a year old was laying with me I was petting him all of a sudden he starts yelping like he’s in pain and is frozen and starts peeing everywhere this just happened this is the first time it has happened but now he won’t really come near me and when he does he just lays down like he’s in trouble I didn’t yell at him or anything he wags his tail it just really scared me does anybody know what this could be
Hi my 3 month old Chihuahua keeps coughing and wheezing is it normal for a puppy this young to do this? Also she’s been eating very slowly and will eat a lot if u stand with her at the food bowl is this bad? Please Answer I’m very worried about her.
See here http://www.famouschihuahua.com/chihuahua-health-concerns/tracheal-collapse-in-chihuahua-puppies-and-dogs/
I have a Chihuahua that pees where she lays. Just this evening Bella (our chi) was laying on my husbands lap and she just peed. She never moved or seemed upset if my husband didn’t feel the wetness it would have gone unnoticed. Even in her little doggy bed she lays in shell pee and just lay there. She was fixed when she was 10 wks old could they have done something while fixing her?
Hello,
Last time I took my toy chi to the groomer he came home a different chi he started walking as if he was drunk, limping on one leg then the other then coapsing some days we thought he was better. We first thought they clipped his nails too short. Took him back as this is also his get and she said he has cervical disc disease common in his breed. Wondering what you think about this should I get a second opinion?
My 5 year old chi has started doing a high pitched wheezing sound whenever she inhales. IT’S particularly loud THEN she is barking, but i can hear a wheezing type sound when she is breathing. IT’S ONLY when she inhales. at first, i thought she was hoarse, since it sounded really dry, but i DON’T know WHAT to think. I’VE not been able to find anything on the internet that is similar to what I’M describing. any ideas?
Excellent information. Did not realize this so com mom in chi mine does the gagging and trying to breath. Never knew about holding the nose. I give mine 1/2to1/4 tablet of Temaril P which really seems to help. I put it in a small piece of Vienna sausage. I’m going to try the nose method as I don’t like giving meds. All the time
I just adopted a Chi, and in two weeks he has had 3 seizures that lasts for hours. It’s a terrible sight and don’t know what to do? Is their a medication for these seizures that work? Please leave me feedback if you have any details!
So glad I found this site. My 14 yr old Chi has these wheezing/seizure like episodes. I found that the vet doesn’t exactly what to do. I will try to get an appointment with a holistic vet. I will try holding my Chi, Lindsey’s nose shut and see it that helps. I have 3 Chi’s all females the other 2 are 8 yrs old. So happy I found this site.
My 5 year-old deer head Chihuahua often has a stuffy nose when sleeping and even snores at times. Is there a reason to be concerned? Is there anything to do to remedy it? I have occasionally given her some Benadryl but it doesn’t seem to make a lot of difference.
please help I have 2 Chi’s, both 2 one male one female, the health issue is with the female. she started moving her head side to side uncontrolably in the same rapid patern over and over for hours when she’s sitting or laying down but if she’s standing she will be doing a continuous circle to the left and then right non stop. if I hold her and restrain her a bit in my arms I can feel her inside just jerking back and forth,
My 7month chihuahua had a fit the other day, since shes been lazy hiding in her bed, completely out of character. Her breathing hasn’t been right for a few days. Can someone help please?
My Chihuahua is 6 months old and she usually does the wheezy seizure spasm like issues when she’s excited, playing etc….kind of scary but my 1st thought not getting enough 02 to her lungs so I blow in her face snaps out of it but seen in earlier post about putting finger over her nose so will try that some time
@sherry “Sherry // Dec 22, 2009 at 9:49 am
Hi– i have a beautiful little ChiChi, the absolute light of my life. Her name is Ginger and she will be turning 6 on Christmas Eve. She is wonderful, incredibly loving and seemingly very happy, but she has one small “quirk” that appears almost daily and i have no idea what is going on.
I got Ginger at 8 weeks and she has never had any health problems at all, ever. She is as fun and as funny today as she was 5 years ago. She’s not even an ounce overweight, and that’s obviously quite an accomplishment with this breed!…”
is she always laying on the same side or in the same type of position when she jumps up suddenly? if so, it could be that she has either a pinched nerve or a bone displacement or arthritis or a bone spur in a leg, hip or spine which is irritated in a particular position.
watch to see if she checks or licks a particular area immediately after the startle reflex. if you notice that this occurs in certain positions, perhaps discourage her from laying in that way (ie. lay on left instead of right–most animals have a preference for 1 side or the other, like our right- or left-handedness).
you don’t mention if she’s had xrays done, but that could be something to look into as well.
best of luck…~chichi mama
I would really appreciate any help on this matter as I’ve had several vet visits now and still no diagnosis.
It started two years ago, my Chi would start coughing after playing ball for a while or running outside. i was told it was just normal but then it escalated to when he was drinking water and eating. they prescibed antibiotics and he seemed to be doing doing quite well until a week later the couGhing started again. i’ve looked into possible causes, trachea, allergies, reverse sneeze, etc but the sound is more like a hairball trying to get out of the way. HE ALSO CONSTANTLY SWALLOWS, AS IF SOMETHING IS BOTHERING HIM.
TIME PASSED (ABOUT A YEAR) AND THIS PAST CHRISTMAS HE STARTED GETTING WORSE, ANOTHER VET GAVE ME THE SAME MEDS AND AGAIN, SEEMED TO BE DOING FINE BUT THEN IT GOT REALLY UGLY. Recent xrays show that his trachea and lungs are perfectly fine, despite the “wateR” SOUND i WAS HEARING TWO WEEKS AGO. THE VET KEPT HIM OVERNIGHT, GAVE HIM ANTIINFLAMMATORIES (THEY FINALLY TOOK NOTICE THAT HE WAS IN FACT, INFLAMMED) AND ANTIBIOTICS. THE NIGHT BEFORE HE HAD EPISODES WHERE HE WOULD STOP BREATHING AND HIS COUGHS ARE WORSE TO THE POINT WHERE HIS RIB CAGE EXPANDS AND HIS LEGS STIFFEN AS HE TRIES TO GASP FOR AIR. SINCE THEN HE’S BEEN GETTING BETTER EVERY DAY (BEEN A WEEK) BUT AS OF LAST NIGHT HE STARTED GETTING WORSE AGAIN SO i WENT BACK FOR MORE MEDS. THE VET SAYS HE’LL HAVE TO REFER US TO A SPECIALIST IF HE DOESNT REPOND WELL TO THE NEXT THREE DAYS OF MEDS. ANYONE EVER EXPERIENCE THIS OR HAVE AN IDEA AS TO WHAT IT COULD BE?
My best buddy start have seizure at a young age, I went to the Vet. twice and he found a toxic in the blood from cats(high level) with the right med. I have my best bud back to herself. she still has them around loud noises or when she get scared but nothing, like she did. thanks doc. addison (addison vet. hospital) lake city, fl. call him he may be able to help you, he does care about those little ones of our!! good luck mike nicholson of lc. fl.
plEASE, PLEASE ANSWER MY QUESTION! mY LITTLE GUY (BABY) IS 8 YEARS OLD AND WHEN WE WOKE UP IN THE MORNING HE JUMPED OF THE BED AND SUDDENLY WENT COMPLTELY LIMP AND FELL OVER. i PICKED HIM UP AND HE SEEMED TO TRY TO BE CATCHING HIS BREATH SO I PICKED HIS LIMP LITTLE BODY UP AND STARTED PLEADING WITH HIM TO BECOME ALERT. hE THEN THREW HIS HEAD BACK AND STARTED HOWLING AS IF HE WAS IN SERIOUS PAIN, i HAVE NEVER HEARD SUCH A WAIL AND THEN HE SNAPPED OUT OF IT. whAT HAPPENED i AM A MESS, BUT HE SEEMS TO BE HIS OLD SELF. i DONT HAVE THE $1,500.00 FOR TESTS THAT THEY WANT TO DO, HAS THIS HAPPENED TO ANY OF YOU?