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Hi All. New Here But Old Here!

695 views 15 replies 11 participants last post by  sunshine45 
#1 ·
Hi Everybody,

I've been reading this site for months now and finally decided to say hello to everybody. My name is Robin and I am the Mommy to 3 dear angels. My little girl Coco is a 2 yr old longhair chi. My other little girl is a 1-1/2 lb. 8 month old chi named Bambi. Bambi was born to two healthy size parents. She and her brother (the only two in the litter) were born extremely small. Her brother is thriving. He is gaining weight and is perfectly healthy. Just small. Bambi was given to me by my breeder, who is one of the best in the area. She has a heart murmur and she wanted her to be with someone who would look after her needs and take special care of her. There are many concerns with a chi this fragile, as I know you all know. Bambi is a delight and has quite a personality for her size. People think it's novel to have a pup so small. Everywhere we go, people love and want her. I am doing everything in my power to put weight on her and keep her as healthy as possible. So far, no meds for the heart murmur but that will probably change. I know a lot about this breed and have learned even more from you amazing chihuahua people. It's better than any reference book I've ever had. I wanted to say "hello" and introduce ourselves as we may need or want to do some posting. Oh yes, and let's not forget about Cooper. My longhair mini dachshund. He is 4 months old and a doll. As soon as I figure out how to post pics, I will. I've got my hands full over here. Two human little girls I claim also and a very time consuming hubby that could live with a little more attention his way than the dogs. LOL. Thanks for a great website.
 
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#2 ·
Hi.

Me again. If anyone here has an unusually small chihuahua, like mine, and can offer me any advice on keeping her healthly, I would love it. I also would love any info or words of wisdom on the heart murmur. All I know is that it "may" shorten her life. She "may" need medication and she "could" live a long, normal life. With her small size and the heart murmur, I am worried for her. Just want her around as long as humanly possible. Thanks for any words.
 
#6 ·
Hi there, sounds like you have your hands full there!

I would say for the small one you should feed her small meals frequently as one of the main problems you could have is hypoglycemia, low blood suger levels. The heart murmer may need tablets when she is older but she should be OK. Smaller ones don't tend to have the same life span as larger ones but they can live a healthy life just the same.

Watch for the small hole in the top of her head but your breeder will have surely mentioned all of this to you.

anyway...have fun here!
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the welcomes and advice. I do feed her 3x a day or so (small meals). She has a huge "molera" I guess it's called. I assume it isn't going to close. I am paranoid about that also but try to treat her just as the other ones (just a bit more fragile). Oh, I also have the puppy nutrical for the possible sugar drops. I usually give that to her once a day. Should I keep doing that or only if she drops??? Thanks in advance for any and all help.
 
#8 ·
Hi and welcome!! I would save the nutrical for times when her sugar starts to drop, not just give routinely as it can cause a wild swing in blood sugar. It will make the sugar go up quickly but then it will drop again. The key is to get PROTEIN and carbs in her system on a regular basis, as they will work to regulate her sugars and not have the wild up and down swings. So I'd be feeding her 3-4 times a day, making sure she eats every couple of hours, at least a few bites. And then making food available overnight too when she's so small.

The molera may or may not close. Not a big problem as long as she doesn't get injured or dropped on her head. :)

We have several people here who have the teeny tinies! I'm sure they will chime in and help you.

The heart murmur may be totally benign. Perhaps just a leaky valve that shouldn't cause any problems. Watch for a drop in energy level, swelling in abdomen, intolerance to activity, blueish tint to the gums, etc. Just basically keep an eye on her. You will have to talk to your vet about anesthesia risks when it comes time to spay her.

Learn to do pictures soon! would love to see pictures of your crew!!

Brodysmom
 
#9 ·
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, my breeder didn't even know if she would have her spayed. She may not even make it above 2 lbs. I do need to discuss all this with the vet. I add fresh chicken and turkey to her kibble. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the advice. I've never had one this small. I thought the nutrical would just help keep the weight on and stuff. I love this website. I am learning so much.
 
#12 ·
Hi and welcome to chi ppl. I agree with Brody's mom that several small meals throughout the day would be a good idea to prevent the blood sugar fluctuations. IMHO, I would stick to a food that does contain some high quality carbohydrates as this does seem to help regulate blood sugars. Others may disagree and suggest a grain free diet. I have a diabetic husky and he does not do well on grain free as his sugars fluctuate too wildly.

As for the heart murmur, it may disappear as she gets older and bigger. But again, I would watch out for the symptoms that Brody's mom has mentioned. I would also watch for a persistent cough as this could mean some heart trouble brewing.

The wee ones do certainly have some special needs, but the love they give sure do make it all worth while!
 
#14 ·
Welcome! sonds like the advice alreaady given covers it all.Lots of love and keeping an eye on her and she should do great.
My Shelby(RIP) had a heart problem(leaky atrial valve and heart murmur) and she lived to be 11. We did have to keep her from playing too hard and getting out of breath but otherwise she was a joy. As she got older she did sleep more and wanted to be hugged and scratched but lived a full and loving life.
My Arabella is very tiny too(the runt of 3 and her parents were both 3 pounds ) She doesn't have any heart problems but she was so very small and fragile I didn't know how she could ever grow strong...but..she is! She is now 1pound 7 ounces and totally gorgeous! So , love her and enjoy her and keep us up to date on her!!
 
#15 ·
Thanks for the great advice and welcome everybody. You guys are great. It's so nice to have somewhere to go to talk about these things. Vicki's mom, your baby is tiny like Bambi. Bambi is 8 months old, and for the most part, done growing. I feel a lot better about her size. Any other advice on the little itty ones, please let me know. Appreciate all of it very much.
 
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