Chihuahuas of Chiville

If you were caring for a human baby you would be feeding it every few hours and constantly changing it's diaper and keeping the environment clean.  Same thing for a new chihuahua puppy.  Whatever food was recommended to you by the breeder at time of purchase should be fed for at least the first week so as not to "stress" the puppy any more than necessary.  Depending on the age and size of the puppy, it is wise to keep food and clean water for it 24 hours a day until it shows signs of being capable of going longer lengths of time withou being fed.  It may be necessary to wet the food and add baby food for added flavor to encourage the puppy to eat better.  Some breeders may be feeding the puppy canned foods along with dry kibble or alone.  The main subject here is :  DON'T change the puppy's diet or eating routine too abruptly.  The smaller the puppy, the more times a day it has to be fed.  You have to remember that because of the small stomachs, they have to eat much more often just to sustain themselves.  NEVER confine a small puppy for any length of time with no food or water.  I've heard horror tales where new owners thought they were keeping their puppy safe by putting it in some sort of soft crate or bed and putting it on the bed with them with no food or water to sleep through the night.   Puppies also have to eat and drink during the night time hours just to sustain themselves.  If you feel it necessary to confine a small puppy, leave it on the floor beside your bed in some sort of pen with suffiecient room to sleep, eat, drink and relieve itself.  Yes, they also have to go potty during the night.  So do not put very small puppies in the bed with yourself or your small children.  They will attempt to move as far away from where they have to sleep to relieve themselves and could fall off the bed and break bones. 

Puppies have no concept of heights.  They will walk right off the edge of any furniture if they are left unattended.  So please warn children not to play with them on the sofa or the bed.  Play with them on the floor for their own safety.

This is the scientific name for a condition where the sugar level suddenly drops in a small animals system.  The first signs of the problem is usually staggering and falling over as though they are durnk.  Or they can be observed lying on their side paddling with their front feet as though they are swimming.  If these symptoms are observed, you must act very quickly in order to save your puppy's life.  YOU HAVE TO GET THE SUGAR LEVEL UP TO BRING THE PUPPY OUT OF THIS SITUATION, AND IT MUST BE DONE VERY QUICKLY!!!  Usually you do not have time to get them to a Vet before they suffer irreparable damage.  Honey is the best remedy for this situation.  But if honey is not available, use Karo syrup or anything that is super sweet.  If you don't have any of this on hand, then run about an inch of water in a coffee cup and stir in 2 or 3 teaspoons of sugar and stir quickly until it dissolves.  Then you must get some of this mixture into the puppy.  At this point, you will find the puppy clinches its mouth shut and will not lap it up on it's own.  By inserting a finger in the corner of the puppy's mouth you can pry it open far enough to get a fingertip covered with honey into it's mouth.  Or in the case of the sugar water, an eye dropper, straw, or even dropping it through the opening in the mouth one drop at a time from a spoon.  Once the puppy gets a good taste of the sweet substance, it will usually start sticking it's tongue out and will start to recover in a very short time.  Please note that if it was necessary to use Karo syrup, this mixture is also a natural laxative.  Do not be surprised if diarrhea should follow when relieving itself.  If your puppy has experienced episodes of hypoglycemia, it is usually a sign that it is not taking in enough food or it has an underlying problem that may need medical attention.  Sometimes, this problem can be corrected by just stirring in a teaspoon of sugar into the puppy's water supply daily until the episodes subside.  When levels of glucose in the blood drop rapidly, the dog's body and brain are deprived of essential nutrients.  The results of hypoglycemia can be weakness, seizures, coma, and in sever cases, death.  Because chihuahuas are so small, they can be prone to hypoglycemia, especially when they are very young.  Hypoglycemia is usually caused by stress, illness, lack of food, or by using up stored energy without it being replenished.  It is important to make sure that young puppies and very tiny chihuahuas eat regularly throughout the day.  Another preventative for hypoglycemia is regular feeding of a high calorie supplement like Nutri-Cal, available from your veterinarian or you local pet store.  If you suspect that your chihuahua is hypoglycemic, call your vet AT ONCE as this condition can be quickly fatal.

In this diagram, you can see the internal view of a dog's toenails. Within the nail is a segment called "The Quick". The quick is made up of tiny blood vessels and nerve endings.

WHAT ON EARTH ARE ANAL SACS?

Anal sacs (also called "anal glands") are two small glands just inside your pet's anus. The material secreted into these glands is thick and foul smelling. Most animals can empty these glands voluntarily for scent marking or in self defense (like a skunk might do).

Domestic animals have largely lost their ability to empty these sacs voluntarily. Walking around and normal defecation serves to empty the glands but some animals become unable to empty their glands on their own at all. The sacs become impacted and uncomfortable.

Dogs with impacted anal sacs usually scoot their rear on the ground in an attempt to empty the glands. Some dogs will lick their anal area and other dogs will chase their tails. Cats often lick the fur off just under their tails.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT SCOOTING?

The first step is to check the anal sacs when any pet has a history of scooting. The anal sacs can be emptied in one of two ways:

EXTERNALLY- A rag or tissue is held up to the anus and both sides of the anal area are squeezed. If the secretion is very pasty, this method may be inadequate to empty the sacs.

INTERNALLY- A lubricated gloved finger is inserted in the anus and the sac is squeezed between thumb & forefinger into a tissue held externally. The procedure is repeated on the opposite side.

If the sacs have been emptied adequately, the scooting should resolve in a couple of days.

WHAT IF SCOOTING CONTINUES?

If scooting continues for more than a few days after sac emptying, the sacs should be re-checked. For some individuals, it takes several sac emptyings in a row before the sacs stay emptied. If the sacs are empty and scooting is persisting, another cause (such as itchy skin, tapeworms, or even lower back pain) should be pursued.

WHAT HAPPENS IF AN IMPACTED SAC DOES NOT GET EMPTIED?

An abscess can form and rupture out through the skin. This is a painful, messy and pretty smelly condition often mistaken for rectal bleeding. If an anal sac abscess forms, it must be properly treated by your veterinarian. Antibiotics will be needed.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD ANAL SACS BE EMPTIED?

This is a highly individual situation. The best recommendation is to let the pet tell you when the sacs are full. If the pet starts scooting again, it is time to bring him in.

WHAT IF MY PET'S SACS SEEM TO REQUIRE EMPTYING ALL THE TIME?

To avoid the expense of having the sacs emptied, you can learn to empty them yourself at home but most people feel it is well worth having someone else perform this service. A non-invasive technique that helps some patients is a change to a high fiber diet. This will produce a bulkier stool that may be more effective in emptying the sac as it passes by.

ANAL SACCULECTOMY

If the sacs need to be emptied every few weeks or more, you may opt to have the sacs permanently removed. This procedure is complicated by many local nerves controlling fecal continence, the fact that any change in the local musculature of the anal sphincter area can affect fecal continence, and the fact that with chronic anal sac problems anatomy is distorted. Draining tracts can develop after surgery if the gland is not completely removed.

Still, despite these pitfalls anal sac removal is considered a relatively simple surgery by most board certified surgery specialists. If this procedure is to be done we generally recommend that a specialist (or a veterinarian with extensive experience with anal sacculectomy) perform it.

Many people own pets for years without ever learning that anal sacs exist at all and the “wife’s tale” that worms cause scooting erroneously continues.

*Information from Mar Vista Animal Medical Center http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_anal_sacs.html