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Home of Happy Creatures Big and Small
Here you will find some useful information about the breed and some important canine health issues.
Most common clinical signs of hypoglycemia are drowsiness, shivering, collapsing, disorientation, seizures, listlessness, depression, muscle weakness and tremors. Lee Weston, author of the article about Hypoglycemia (Pomeranian Club of Canada) says that "the entire sequence of clinical signs is not always seen, so close observation of your pet and knowing when your dog is going into a distressed state can mean the difference between life and death of your dog. Immediate treatment by a veterinarian is imperative, as recurrence of, or prolonged attacks, can cause permanent damage to the brain."
It has been proven experimentally that eight hours fasting in a Yorkshire terrier puppy can result in marked variation of blood glucose, showing both hypo- en hyperglycaemia.
Frequent feeding of a high-energy, protein-rich diet to both mother and puppies may prevent toy-breed puppies from developing hypoglycemia and may help them to overcome periods with a decreased intake of energy.
Puppies and dogs can develop severe hypoglycemia after consuming sugar-free gum sweetened with the sugar-alcohol xylitol. In humans, xylitol has little to no effect on plasma insulin or glucose levels, but in dogs xylitol is a strong promoter of insulin release and can cause severe hypoglycemia with collapse and seizures. With the increased appearance of xylitol-sweetened products in the US, xylitol toxicosis in dogs may become more common. Sometimes, a dog will outgrow this condition.
Molera Statement
Historically, the Chihuahua developed in Mexico and the United States has displayed a "soft spot" on the top of the head. In the Chihuahua this spot, or fontanel, is known as a MOLERA; and is the same as that found in human babies. In the past, this molera was accepted as a mark of purity in the breed, and it is still mentioned in most Chihuahua breed standards the world over.
It is important to note that while many Chihuahua puppies are born without the molera, there are probably just as many born with one and its presence is nothing to become alarmed over.
As shown in the illustration below, the molera in a Chihuahua will occur on the top of the head and may vary in shape and size when present.
Unfortunately, many lay people and some veterinarians not familiar with the Chihuahua have tried to link the mere presence of a molera with the condition known as hydrocephalus. This has caused many new-comers to the breed serious concern and undue worry. The truth is that a domed head with a molera present does not predispose the Chihuahua to this condition. Along with the observations of devoted breeders over the years, there is adequate medical evidence to support this statement.
- In "Diseases of the Brain" 1989, Green & Braund stated that many clinically normal toy breeds may have open fontanels without associated hydrocephalus.
- Drs. Walker and Rivers, Veterinarians at the University of Minnesota concluded that there did not appear to be any relationship between the presence or size of a fontanel and the condition of hydrocephalus.
- Dr. Alexander de Lahunta of Cornell University in New York, one of the top neurologists in this country, stated that it would be wrong to conclude that any opening is abnormal.
While it would be impossible to list all the medical documentation here on this page, these few included here are perfectly clear; the presence of a molera does not mean the Chihuahua has a medical problem.
The Chihuahua is a little dog! They belong in the house, at their owner's side, receiving all the love they deserve to receive. With or without a molera, the healthy Chihuahua that is loved and given proper veterinary care will live well into its teens as an irresistible member of the family. (this was found on Chihuahua club of America site)
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The patellar or kneecap is a small bone buried in the tendon of the muscles of the thigh. The tendon is a band of tough, inelastic tissue that connects a muscle with its bony attachement. With this condition, the kneecap may slip out of the tendon and then slip back. Patellar luxation is graded 1 to 4 based on the severity of the defect, 1 being occasional mild lameness. As the disease progresses in duration and severity, this lameness becomes more frequent and eventually becomes continuous. In young puppies with severe patellar luxation, the rear legs often present a "bow-legged" appearance that worsens with growth.
Surgical correction of patellar luxation grades 1, 2, or 3 results generally in a successful clinical outcome, whereas surgical correction of grade 4 patellar luxations may not be as effective in young dogs.
When the luxation is left alone, it causes deformity and disorder in the growth of the affected limb. In severe cases, the limb may cease to function or cause other degenerative joint diseases (DJD) such as osteoarthritis. Early surgical correction is therefore essential, but the owners are not able to detect the disorder at an early age and surgical intervention in most cases will take place after 6 months of age.
It is still unclear what exactly causes this orthopedic problem. Possible causes include: hip displaysia , deviation of muscles and bones to which patellar attaches, etc.
Coccidia are single celled organisms that infect the intestine. They are microscopic parasites detectable on routine fecal tests in the same way that worms are but coccidia are not worms and they are not visible to the naked eye. Coccidia infection causes a watery diarrhea which is sometimes bloody and can even be a life-threatening problem to an especially young or small pet.
To be more precise, coccidia come from fecal-contaminated ground. They are swallowed when a pet grooms/licks the dirt off itself. In some cases, sporulated oocysts are swallowed by mice and the host is infected when it eats the mouse. Coccidia infection is especially common in young animals housed in groups (in shelters, rescue areas, kennels, etc.) This is a common parasite and is not necessarily a sign of poor husbandry.
Go to the vitamin section of your local pharmacy or retail store. Purchase a bottle of ACIDOPHILUS capsules. This is the natural Pectin like in apples. When you first start feeding puppies wet food, sprinkle about half of one of these capsules over the food. It replaces the "good bacteria" needed in the digestive tract to fight coccidia or diarhea. Do this for about 7 days or until you get a good firm stool. This is all natural, therefore you can not overdose. A bottle of 100 capsules costs about $4.
I there is an article in "Los Chihuahua" magazine that stated if you would mix one capsule with 10 ccs of milk and feed one cc to each new-born puppy, the puppies would get a better start and you would not experience "fading puppy syndrom".
Now we found something that even works when the Acidoophilus doesn't. PLAIN VANILLA YOGURT. This home remedy is nothing short of a miracle drug. We use the "Dannon's" brand plain vanilla. Just put it into a small saucer and let them eat as much as they want. It can even be administered with a syringe by mouth when they refuse to eat on their own. I have very good luck by adding a teaspoon to the formula I feed to newborns when they are orphaned.
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