Susy's Chihuahuas Located in Macon, GA 478-254-3485 Home       Females       Males       Available       Information       Terms of Sale       Contact Us The Chihuahua Description: The Chihuahua is a tiny dog with an apple-shaped head and a short pointed muzzle. It has round, large, very dark eyes, sometimes dark ruby or luminous in color. The trademark large ears should be held erect. Puppies have a soft spot or "molera" on the top of the skull. The bone usually closes the gap by adulthood. The body is cobby (stout), longer than it is tall, and the tail is sickle-shaped - curled over the back or the side. Besides the common short-haired variety there is also the long-haired type. Colors include fawn, sand, chestnut, silver, and steel blue, but any color is accepted, including black & tan and parti-color. The dog is more robust than he looks, with a level back, and legs coming down staright and square. Temperament: The chihuahua is a good companion dog. Courageous, extremely lively, proud and enterprising, it gives and demands affection. Bold and saucy, it moves swiftly to avoid being stepped on. Chihuahuas are strong-willed, intensely loyal and become very attached to their owners, even to the point of jealousy. They like to lick their owner's face. It is undeniably suspicious of people except for its owner. When strangers are present, it follows its owner's every move, keeping as close as possible. For some, they may be slightly difficult to train, but they are very intelligent, learn quickly, and respond well to proper, gentle (positive reinforcement) training.Many owners simply paper train this breed. Be sure to socialize your Chihuahua as a pup to avoid excessive aggressivenesswith other dogs as well as reserve with strangers. They tend to be fairly dog-aggressive. Chihuahuas generally recognize their own breed, but sometimes disapprove of other breeds. However, a "very" well-socialized Chihuahua can be friendly with strangers and other dogs. Height: 6-9 inches (15-23 cm.) Weight: 2-6 pounds (1-3 kg.) Health Problems: Because of his short nose, the Chihuahua tends to wheeze and snore. His prominent eyes are susceptible to corneal dryness and secondary glaucoma. Prone to slipped stifle, gum problems, colds, stress, and rheumatism. Don't let him lick or eat toxic products, fertilizer or chocolate. Feed lightly as they tend to gain weight. Chihuahua puppies are born with large heads, frequently needing cesarean deliveries by a skilled veterinarian. They are vulnerable to fractures and other accidents in puppyhood. Some of the breed have a molera, an unclosed section of the skull which can remain open throughout life this makes the dog prone to injury. Chihuahuas hate the cold and may shiver when cold or nervous. Life Expectancy: About 12-15 years Group: Southern, AKC Toy Health Information REVERSE SNEEZE Occasional bouts of sneezing, snorting, honking and wheezing are not unusual in chihuahuas, and is sometimes called a "reverse sneeze". This is usually caused by a elongated soft palate that is thought to become temporarily misaligned. It is a common trait in toy breeds. Pulling hard on a leash, drinking too fast or getting overly excited can lead to an episode of reverse sneezing. Reverse sneezing SHOULD NOT be confused with a different condition called "collapsed trachea". Although reverse sneezing may appear to be scary, it only lasts a short time and can be ended by massaging the dog's neck and throat and encouraging the dog to swallow or lick. Another way to slow the reverse sneeze is to clap your hands to distract the dog, or pinch closed the dog's nostrils with your fingers, forcing it to breathe through its mouths and to swallow. LUXATION OF THE PATELLA Luxation of the patella, or dislocation of the kneecap, is a common hereditary problem with chihuahuas and other small breeds. Patellar luxation can occur in varying degrees from minimal to debilitating. Very young dogs may be able to compensate for this deformity, but the condition tends to worsen over time. Most of the time the chihuahua is older before symptoms of patellar luxation are obvious. The dislocation is most commonly found on the inner side of the patella. The attached ligaments become stretched over time until the patella is rarely where it is supposed to be, and may "pop" in and out of place very easily. Recent studies have shown that immediate treatment is recommended, rather then waiting until the dislocation has crippled the dog. The reasoning is that, while the knee is dislocated, the entire body of the dog is compensating for it, causing deformations of many other skeletal areas. HYPOGLYCEMIA Hypoglycemia is a condition in which the chihuahua's blood sugar level drops to an extremely low level, causing "sugar shock." 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 severe 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 called Nutrical, available from your veterinarian or your local pet store. If you suspect that your chihuahua is hypoglycemic, call your vet AT ONCE as this condition can be quickly fatal. THE MOLERA Sponsored by The Chihuahua Club of America Historically, the Chihuahua as 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 know 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. 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 undo 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 fontanelles without associated hydrocephalus. * Drs. Walters 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 fontanelle and the condition of hydrocephalus. * Dr. Alexander de Lahunta of Cornell University in New York, one of the top neurologist 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 in this paper, these few included here are perfectly clear: the presence of a molera does not mean the dog has a medical problem. HYDROCEPHALUS The presence of a molera in a chihuahua DOES NOT make the dog any more or less susceptible to brain injury, seizures or hydrocephalus. The molera should not usually be any larger than the size of your thumb print, and there should be no swelling, bulging or throbbing. Check carefully on the sides of the head for normal bone there as well; make sure there is no more then one molera, on the top of the head only, as more than a single molera is not normal. Hydrocephalus is the accumulation of excess cerebrospinal fluid in the brain and is not normal for any breed, nor is it curable. Hydrocephalus is also known as "water on the brain" or "hydro". When fluid accumulates in the brain, it compresses the brain against the skull. A puppy can be born with this disorder, or it can be caused by a brain infection or head injury later in life. Chihuahuas born with "hydro" do not generally live more than a few months, and they do not grow normally, often staying extremely tiny. Signs of hydro include wide-set or protruding eyeballs (often with a lot of "white" showing at the corners), blindness, abnormal behavior, walking in circles, slowness (mental and physical), seizures, abnormally slow growth and lack of coordination. Concerns about chihuahua moleras and/or hydro should be addressed to a licensed veterinarian. Be aware, however, that many veterinarians not familiar with chihuahuas have WRONGLY told owners that thier puppy is unhealthy and/or hydrocephalic just because of the presence of a normal molera. Diagnosis is based on the signs in conjunction with techniques to image the brain. In dogs with a molera, ultrasound can be performed by scanning through the molera to detect the excessive accumulation of fluid within the brain. Unfortunately, there is no cure for hydrocephalus. Mild cases can be treated with steroids and diuretics to reduce pressure, or with a surgically inserted shunt to divert fluid from the brain to the abdomen. AKC Chihuahua Standard General Appearance: A graceful, alert, swift-moving little dog with saucy expression, compact, and with terrier-like qualities of temperament. Size, Proportion, Substance: Weight - A well balanced little dog not to exceed 6 pounds. Proportion - The body is off-square; hence, slightly longer when measured from point of shoulder to point of buttocks, than height at the withers. Somewhat shorter bodies are preferred in males. Disqualification - Any dog over 6 pounds in weight. Head: A well rounded "apple dome" skull, with or without molera. Expression - Saucy. Eyes - Full, but not protruding, balanced, set well apart-luminous dark or luminous ruby. (Light eyes in blond or white-colored dogs permissible.) Ears - Large, erect type ears, held more upright when alert, but flaring to the sides at a 45 degree angle when in repose, giving breadth between the ears. Muzzle - Moderately short, slightly pointed. Cheeks and jaws lean. Nose - Self-colored in blond types, or black. In moles, blues, and chocolates, they are self-colored. In blond types, pink nose permissible. Bite - Level or scissors. Overshot or undershot bite, or any distortion of the bite or jaw, should be penalized as a serious fault. Disqualifications - Broken down or cropped ears. Neck, Topline, Body: Neck - Slightly arched, gracefully sloping into lean shoulders. Topline - Level. Body - Ribs rounded and well sprung (but not too much "barrel-shaped"). Tail - Moderately long, carried sickle either up or out, or in a loop over the back, with tip just touching the back. (Never tucked between legs.) Disqualifications - Cropped tail, bobtail. Forequarters: Shoulders - Lean, sloping into a slightly broadening support above straight forelegs that set well under, giving a free play at the elbows. Shoulders should be well up, giving balance and soundness, sloping into a level back. (Never down or low.) This gives a chestiness, and strength of forequarters, yet not of the "Bulldog" chest. Feet - A small, dainty foot with toes well split up but not spread, pads cushioned. (Neither the hare nor the cat foot.) Pasterns - Fine. Hindquarters: Muscular, with hocks well apart, neither out nor in, well let down, firm and sturdy. The feet are as in front. Coat: In the Smooth Coats, the coat should be of soft texture, close and glossy. (Heavier coats with undercoats permissible.) Coat placed well over body with ruff on neck preferred, and more scanty on head and ears. Hair on tail preferred furry. In Long Coats, the coat should be of a soft texture, either flat or slightly curly, with undercoat preferred. Ears - Fringed. (Heavily fringed ears may be tipped slightly if due to the fringes and not to weak ear leather, never down.) Tail - Full and long (as a plume). Feathering on feet and legs, pants on hind legs and large ruff on the neck desired and preferred. Disqualification - In Long Coats, too thin coat that resembles bareness. Color: Any color-Solid, marked or splashed. Gait: The Chihuahua should move swiftly with a firm, sturdy action, with good reach in front equal to the drive from the rear. From the rear, the hocks remain parallel to each other, and the foot fall of the rear legs follows directly behind that of the forelegs. The legs, both front and rear, will tend to converge slightly toward a central line of gravity as speed increases. The side view shows good, strong drive in the rear and plenty of reach in the front, with head carried high. The topline should remain firm and the backline level as the dog moves. Temperament: Alert, with terrier-like qualities. Disqualifications: Any dog over 6 pounds in weight. Broken down or cropped ears. Cropped tail, bobtail. In Long Coats, too thin coat that resembles bareness. Approved September 11, 1990 Effective October 30, 1990 Your New Puppy HYPOGLYCEMIA (LOW BLOOD SUGAR) This is a central nervous system disorder caused by low blood sugar levels. It occurs mainly in toy breeds between 6 and 16 weeks of age. *STRESS IS THE LEADING CAUSE* The first signs are listlessness and depression. They are followed by muscular weakness, vomiting and/ or diarrhea, tremors (especially in the facial muscles), and later convulsions, coma, and probable death. The entire sequence of symptoms is not always seen. The dog may simply appear to be depressed or he may be weak, wobbly and jerky or he may be found stiff, unable to coordinate or in a coma. Hypoglycemia can occur without warning when a puppy is placed in a new home. It might appear after a puppy misses a meal, chills, becomes exhausted from too much playing, or has a digestive problem. These problems cause an added strain on the energy reserves of the liver and bring on the symptoms. TREATMENT; Starting at once! Treatment is directed at restoring blood levels of glucose. Give the puppy mouthful of NUTRI-CAL* or Karo Syrup. If he can not swallow it all at once, it will begin to absorb under the tongue to begin bringing him back to a conscious state so that he will be able to swallow the rest. When he can swallow, give him water (about 1 cc at a time so he does not choke). Continue to give him Nutri-Cal and water about every 10 min. Until he is conscious and moving about. CALL YOUR VET IMMEDIATELY IF THE PUPPY DOES NOT RESPOND!!! The puppy will need sub-q injections of lactated ringers solution every 4 hours for about 2 days to restore it to a normal state. He may also need some antibiotics to combat secondary infections that can arise from the lowered immune system that results from the hypoglycemia. *Nutri-Cal is high calorie supplement. It will help the puppy's blood sugar level and energy. You can buy at pets shop or any vets office. If you do not have Nutri-Cal, honey or syrup can be used until you can get some Nutri-Cal. The does is 1 cc every 10 min till recovered. A soon as the puppy begins to recover, give him some canned food (we recommend Science Diet A/D canned) and try to get him to eat. You will also need to begin some pepto to help him from getting bad diarrhea. The large does of Nutri-Cal or Karo syrup will probably cause some diarrhea to occur, but it is usually self limiting. Prevent recurrent attacks by making sure the puppy eats at regular intervals. He should have dry food and fresh water available at all the time and should be fed canned food at least 2 times a day. A daily vitamin should be giving, (Nutri-Cal 1 cc 2 or 3 time a day) also cottage cheese or yogurt can be added to the diet. Owners of toy puppies should not allow them to become overtired or chilled. Play time should be limited and controlled to prevent undue stress and tiring. Hypoglycemia must be offset by frequent feedings. A puppy who does not eat frequently, for whatever reason, is heading for trouble. * TIPS FOR THE FIRST DAY HOME * 1. Your puppy will be as excited as you are. But he or she may feel timid until the new surroundings begin to feel like home. One of the biggest mistakes people make when they purchase a new puppy is they immediately have to take it visiting to show it off. NOT GOOD IDEA!!! Take your puppy straight home and try your best to keep it there until it has adjusted to its new surroundings and its new "parents". Don't do anything that will stress the puppy out. Introduce your puppy to family members one at a time. It is not unusual for puppies to tremble when in a new situation. 2. Puppies spend most of their time sleeping until they are several months old. So PLEASE limit play time the first day. Given the chance most puppies will play until they are past exhaustion. We suggest you and your puppy play as hard as you like for up to 15 or 20 minutes but then allow undisturbed time for a nap or rest in their bed. Do not carry your puppy around or let the puppy take naps on your lap all day. Puppy needs to in their own safe place and rest. After a nap your puppy should be ready to go again. Remember they have just been on a long trip. Think about how you feel after traveling. *PLENTY OF FREE TIME FOR REST AND SLEEP AND AVOID STRESS* 3. Make sure that puppy has fresh water and dry food all day and your puppy can able to drink and eat whenever they can. The most important thing is that PUPPY MUST EAT AND EAT ENOUGH TO KEEP HIS SYSTEM STABLE WHILE PUPPY IS GETTING USED TO HIS NEW HOME. If you have a human baby, you will make sure that your baby has full belly. 4. It is best to wait at least a day before introducing other pets such as dogs or cats. Then when you do introduce them just observe. It is natural for animals such as dogs to find out right away who is the more dominate. So as long as they are just sniffing each other or one standing over the other, the other one cowering, this is normal. If one gets more aggressive you may need to wait a little longer to put them together. 5. Have your vet appointment set up and that you follow through on any additional vaccinations needed as they grow and an annual booster. DO NOT LET PUPPY WALK AROUND OUTSIDE OR TAKE WITH YOU SUCH AS PETS SHOP OR PARKS UNTIL THE PUPPY HAS ALL THEIR VACCINATIONS. When you go to the vet use common sense, keep your puppy in a crate or in your lap when you visiting the vet office. DO NOT LET YOUR PUPPY ROMP ON THE FLOOR OR FURNITURE AND MOST CERTAINLY DO NOT ALLOW IT TO SOCIALIZE WITH OTHER ANIMALS that may be in the office at the same time. Where do people take sick animals? Where is the best place to pick up germs to contact disease? Remember, the puppy is like your new born baby!!! *PLENTY OF FREE TIME FOR REST AND SLEEP AND AVOID STRESS* 6. Prevention is most important. Give your puppy NUTRI-CAL or STAT (1-1.5 cc) 3-4 times daily in the morning, when puppy is playing hard the day and big helping at bedtime, and until puppy is 4-5 months old. This will make sure your puppy is getting the nutrients and sugar to maintain good health. PLEASE DO THIS FOR YOUR PUPPY'S HEALTH. Don't stop because the puppy is doing great, puppy is doing great because of your preventative measures. Hypoglycemia can be deadly but is easily prevented by following this guide. *ALLOW YOUR NEW PUPPY PLENTY OF FREE TIME FOR REST AND SLEEP DURING THE DAY TO AVOID STRESS. REMEMBER, PUPPY IS IN NEW SURROUNDINGS* 7. Make sure you are careful when handing your puppy, don't carry puppy around too much and be careful not to drop it. Allowing young children to hold your puppy without supervision is very risky and the puppy is not a toy for children. CONGRATULATION ON YOUR NEW FAMILY ADDITION !!! You are proud of a new baby which needs all the tender loving care of any new baby. Of course you want the baby to grow up and be a healthy playful little bundle of joy. However, TLC does not mean constant handling, petting and playing with. Please read this guide. * STRESS IS THE MAIN CAUSE OF ILLNESS AND DEATH TO NEWLY ACQUIRED PUPPIES * There are many sources of stress. Simply moving a puppy to new home, holding him too much, contending with another pet, or being allowed to much playtime are just a few of the many sources of stress. A new puppy is nervous and excited because they are unfamiliar with their surroundings and their new families and this causes a lot of stress. They are like babies who need regular scheduled time for eating, sleeping, drinking, going to potty and playing. One of the biggest mistakes people make when they purchase a new puppy is they immediately have to take it visiting to show it off. NOT GOOD IDEA!!! Take your puppy straight home and try your best to keep it there until it has adjusted to its new surroundings and its new "parents". Don't do anything that stresses the puppy out. If it is put into some sort of pen and allowed to "cry itself to sleep" you may awake to a dead puppy. The puppy is like a human baby!!! *A CRATE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TO HAVE FOR A NEW PUPPY* It can be a cage, a playpen, or a small enclosed area in a quiet room of your home. The crate serves two purposes. It will housetrain your pet and it protects its health and well being while it grows. The crate provides a secure, comfortable place where be can rest, eat, drink, and play at his own space. The crate should be placed in an area where the temperature stays about the same all the time. Avoid areas that are drafty, (cooling vents). Provide a comfortable bed (use blankets) in the crate since puppies sleep approximately 90% of the time until they are older. They will need food and water available to them in the crate at all times. This allows them to eat, rest and drink as they need to so they can grow property. * AVOID EXCESSIVE HANDING * Too much of this can add stress and overtire the puppy. A tired puppy will not eat. He only wants to sleep. Missing a meal can be a life threatening thing with a young, small puppy. It can lead to a condition called Hypoglycemia (Low blood sugar). This can become dangerous of not noticed and tended to immediately. There is more information about this condition in the following literature. Please take time to read it!!! A puppy can be played with for 30 minutes at a time at first. Taking him out for his potty break should begin the playtime. This schedule for playing can be increased gradually, week by week, as the puppy grows older and becomes stronger. The rest time should remain the same. He needs at least 2 hours or more at a time in his crate, undisturbed, for rest GIVING HIM THE QUIET TIME FOR REST IS A MUST!!! * BATHING AND FLEA PRODUCTS * The first bath should be after a week or so when the puppy has become adjusted so as not to add stress. Use warm water and a shampoo made for puppy that does not have a flea product in it. Towel him dry and then use a blow dryer on low heat to completely dry him. Keep him warm for a while afterward to prevent chilling. If you need to use something for fleas, we recommend FRONTLINE from your vet. NO FLEA COLLARS ON PUPPIES! NO CHEMICAL DIPS, ONLY SAFE ORGANIC PRODUCTS MADE FOR PUPPIES!!! - FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS - New puppies must be treated as babies!!! You may have to try different things to get him to eat at first, since he may be nervous about his new surroundings. The most important thing is that he must eat and eat enough to keep his system stable while he is getting used to his new home. If your puppy is not eating for whatever reason, call your Vet immediately! If the puppy eating the dry food well, the other supplement may not be needed. We sometimes grind up some of the dry food in a blender and offer it, in powdered form, instead of the canned food. Most puppies like it and will eat it well. Food and water should be made available to him at all times so he can eat and drink whenever he wants to whether he is on the crate or out in the floor playing. * Extra small puppies or puppies that are ill should be fed premium grade can food (We recommended Hill's Science Diet A/D) with puppy milk formula (Esbilac powder or something similar) and high calorie supplement (NUTRI-CAL). This will assure your puppy of being well nourished through the stress period and can make the difference of life or death. Other good supplements to his diet are cottage cheese and yogurt (any flavor without fruit.) Mix one small scoop or one teaspoonful if the Esbilac powder into the canned food with only enough water to made it mix. Give Nutri-cal (even Kyro syrups) morning and at bedtime (about 1cc or 1/2 on out of the tube). Call us if you need advise, we may be able to help or call your Vet immediately!!! Never give a puppy people food. It will most likely cause stomach upset or a stomach infection which can be deadly. We recommend keeping the puppy on the diet we send home with it. However, should you at some point need to change the food follow these instructions: Mix the old food with the new food about half and half for about a week to allow his stomach to adjust to the new food. Then reduce the amount of old food a little each day until you have him completely on the new food. Should he have stomach problems with the new food, gradually put him back on the old again in the same manner. Abrupt changes in the diet can cause upset stomach and diarrhea. If this happens you will have to treat the symptoms. COCCIDIA This is an "opportunist protozoa" that lives in the bowels of all dogs. Did you understand that? ALL DOGS carry coccidia. But something has got to weaken the immune system of an animal for the protozoa to have an opportunity to take hold and start multiplying. That "something " is usually stress of one kind or another. Coccidia is usually accompanied by a loose, stinky stool that can even have streaks of bloody mucus in it. Some Vets will explain coccidia to their clients by saying the animal is loaded with parasites. This is sometimes interepreted by that client that the animal has worms. Coccidia is not exactly a parasite but can be just as hard to get rid of . A daily supply of yogurt prevents coccidia from getting a foot hold as it keeps a good balance of bacteria in the G.I. tract. So long as good bacteria exists in an ample supply in the gut, coccidia can not grow. Coccidia is shed in the stool like a virus. If the animal is not shedding it when a stool sample is taken, the animal can be misdiagnosed as being free of the protozoa. If your puppy is put on antibiotics of any sort, feed yogurt to replenish the good bacteria that is killed off by the antibiotic. It will in no way affect the antibiotic from completeing it's job but may save your animal from secondary infections caused by an imbalance of good bacteria. When coccidia does exist in the G.I. tract of your puppy, it can easily spread up through the system and into the lungs and if unchecked, it can cause pneumonia and eventually death. The first signs of coccidia is usually a lack of eating properly accompanied by a loose stinky stool and sometimes escalating into bouts of hypoglycemia. Coccidia can be transmitted to humans if hands are not washed and contaminated utensils are handled improperly. Coccidia should never be allowed to progress to a point that the puppy's life is threatened. If your puppy shows signs of this disease, immediately seek professional advice and treatment. HOUSE TRAINING Sometimes I think too much emphasis is placed on training a puppy not to urinate on the floor instead of making sure it gets proper nutrition. It is possible to train your puppy and feed it properly at the same time. Never withhold food from a very tiny puppy in an effort to teach it not to evacuate in the house. Feeding is and always should be your first priority in trying to raise a healthy puppy. Some people tell you to put your puppy on a "feeding schedule" in order to house train it. All dogs have regular bowel movements. If they eat, they will have to go within an hour afterward. But this should only apply to a puppy that is old enough and large enough to eat enough at one sitting to sustain it for several hours. This does not apply to the tinies or the teacups that have to eat several times a day just to sustain themselves. It is best to paper train these little ones at an early age and teach them to go out later when they are much older. HAIR LOSS OR THINNING In chihuahuas, when they are between 10 and 16 weeks of age, you may notice a sudden thinning splotchy pattern in the coat. Some of us breeders call this the "hen pecked look" because the coat looks just like a chicken has pulled out tufts of hair in the shape of a chickens beak. This has very often been misdiagnosed as mange of one kind or another. Many Vets opt to do skin scrapings to determine if mites are present. Please note that this is a very normal condition that usually only lasts a couple of weeks to a month and will completely clear itself up with time. It is caused by the changing of the coat. Smooth coats looked like they have bare places and some long coats will shed off their coats until they are nearly as slick as an onion skin. It will grow back and is perfectly normal. It will sometimes occur again when they are about a year and a half old. Females blow coat when they experience heat cycles and when they are recovering from nursing puppies. You should only be alarmed if the shedding is also accompanied with some sort of rash or what appears to be pimples on the skin. This is usually a sign of demodectic mange mites or some sort of alergy. TEETHING AND IT'S EFFECTS ON PUPPIES Chihuahuas usually have a full set of baby teeth by the time they are 6 weeks old. But some of them lack jaw muscles strong enough to crush dry kibble in order to get enough nutrition. You should watch your puppy for signs of hunger and make sure it is getting enough to eat even if you have to feed it "soft" food for a couple of weeks. When chihuahuas get about 12 weeks old, they usually start to cut their permanent teeth. This is a process that sometimes goes on for 3 to 6 months. It can effect different puppies in different ways. You may notice some that had very errect ears are now resembling Beagles. Or you will see them with one ear up and one ear down. Tomorrow it can be the other ear up and the mate down. It is not uncommon to see one or both ears actually roll up backwards like window shades. This is all perfectly normal and if given enough time the ears will stand erect again all by themselves. There are cases of puppies coming from lines with "weak" ear leather where you may have to tape the ears in order to help them keep them erect until they can again hold them up on their own. Copyright © 2004 Susy's Chihuahuas. All Rights Reserved.