actions regarding the information on this web site. I am not a Veterinarian, nor do I portray myself to be one, so if you have medical questions please call your Vet first and foremost. Is This The Breed For You? According to AKC - ALL CHIHUAHUA'S ARE TOY'S and none are Teacups. All puppies are cute but not all breeds work in all homes. Here are a few things to consider BEFORE getting a Chihuahua. SIZE- Chihuahua are small. This can be a good thing for your household or a bad thing. You must consider whether the dog will be safe in your home. Do you have small children? If you do, you may want one that is a larger size. Say 10 lbs or so, and yes a purebred Chihuahua can get that big. See the Chihuahua is a man made breed and was bred down to a small size so you can have Chihuahuas that are what is call a “throw backs” not as in fishing lol! But one that takes on the growth characteristics of generations back. Also many toy breeders like to use a larger female and smaller male when breeding. A larger female more often have less problems with having a small pelvic opening so can whelp (give birth to) pups easier then one with a small opening that then may require a cesarean. So at times a breeder will get a pup that grows to a good size for families with kind kids. If you don’t have children and want one that you can easily carry with you , there are sizes for you too. DON’T FALL FOR THE “TEACUP”! There is no such a thing as a teacup in this or any breed. The saying “teacup” (unless you are drinking tea out of it lol) is used as a sales tactic to get you to look at a, more often then not, too small puppy and think “How cute” Yes Chihuahuas are a small breed but you can get too small too!! I wouldn’t suggest to anyone to get something that will be under 3 ½ lbs when grown unless you understand that you maybe taking on a very unhealthy pup that will need a lot of care and may not live as long as a Chihuahua should. Even at the 3 ½ lbs and up you must remember that this is a dog. And dog can move fast! it is not like have a turtle in your purse lol! They may hurt themselves being a small dog in a big world. You as the owner are responsible for it‘s life , health and care. HAIR- Chihuahuas do shed but being that Chihuahuas are small dogs they shed less amounts as a whole then a larger breed. TEETH- Chihuahuas have small mouths so it is very hard to get food particles from between the teeth. Thus making them prone to teeth problems. SOFT SPOT- yup that is right just like a new born human baby, Chihuahuas can and often do have a soft spot on the top of their heads. This is called a fontanel and is perfectly normal for this breed. BUT You MUST remember that if this spot happens to get hit it could kill your dog. BLOOD SUGAR DROP- also call Hypoglycemia this happens when your pup has used up all it energy stores and needs it’s blood sugar to be brought back up. See the growth of a pup is so fast that they must eat often to get in enough to sustain the growth. If they use all of their energy stores in growth and play they will get weak and could very easily die. You as an owner must make sure that the pup has good tasting food and that the pup is eating it. Also it is good to keep one of the following nurta-cal, stat, karo syrup and give a little bit if your pup become weak acting. Only about as much as you would put on a tooth brush if it were toothpaste. Also I would suggest nuta-drops this can be used on ones who have gone in to a coma state since it is absorbed under the tongue instead of having to be digested like the others. It tastes bad so use it only if needed like if when the pup can’t actively swallow. And just a very small amount so not to drown the pup. Then get the pup to the vet as fast as you safely can. SLIPPING KNEE CAPS- Also called luxating patellas. This is not a uncommon problem in this breed as well as many toy breeds. There are 4 grades and only 3 and 4 grades may need to have them fixed by surgery. luxating patella can be from an injury or from genes. But is something you may have to deal with when choosing a toy breed like a Chihuahua. Tea Cups Note: The foregoing article is a position held by many people. It does not take into consideration that at a certain time, several years ago, people did use the term "Teacup" and people then knew what the meaning was. The "Teacup" term that people use to describe the smallest Chihuahuas came into being in the 1950's when ads could be found for "T Cup" or "Teacup" puppies, indicating they were the very tiny ones. Since the breed registries do not recognize the size difference of the Chihuahuas, the school of thought now is there is no such thing as a "Teacup" and most of the people who aren't from that era will argue that point. It's not to say they are wrong, and it is not to say we old timers are wrong, either! There's one point in the following Chihuahua Club of America's statement about "Teacup" Chihuahuas I do not agree with. The tiniest puppies are not necessarily premature. I have known people that have litters from lines that have consistently produced the very tiny puppies each and every time a litter was whelped, all puppies in the litter of a consistent tiny size and all healthy. That's when genetics, not health or premature birth, are responsible for the puppies' size.
The puppies being advertised and sold now as "Teacups", "Pocket Size", or "Miniature" usually weigh 5lbs or more when they are grown. I have seen huge puppies that were sold as "Teacups." I have also seen puppies that were weaned at 4 weeks or less, claimed by the breeder that they were 8 weeks or older and sold for "Teacups." Then the puppies become ill because they have been weaned too young and their digestive tracts are not accustomed to solid food. The very tiny puppies are not normally as hardy as the stronger, bigger puppies. They do require more care and more attention. They ARE NOT good pets for small children, simply because they are so fragile and get stressed so easily. As to the monetary value of the "Teacups", most breeders ask more for the really tiny puppies because of the extra time, expense and effort it takes to get them to the point where it is safe to let them go to a new home, normally not before they are 12 weeks old and stable from weaning and shots. Working double and triple shifts to insure the puppies remain healthy gets a little pricey! Geraldine Whitaker
http://mychihuahuas.net/ |
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