Care For Chihuahuas

A home checkup is never a substitute for having a personal vet for your Chihuahua but it is a good supplement. By performing a quick 5 to 10 minute checkup on your Chihuahua weekly, you’ll be able to see problems before they get out of hand so you can tell the vet the next time you have a visit.

So what are we talking about? Basically a mini physical! You’re just going to check obvious signs of health concerns so you fix them before it’s too late.

• Lets start with the eyes. Ensure they haven’t changed color recently or shown evidence of a discharge or cloudiness. Verify the whites are a normal white color and not discolored.
• Next, we’ll move on to the ears. Check for discharge or redness. This will identify possible infection. Also check for any odors that are abnormal and if there is crust developing on the tips.
• The nose should be slightly moist and cool. Check that it isn’t swollen and that there is no abnormal discharge.
• How about the skin? Ensure there is nothing abnormal in this area such as scabs, red spots, bumps, lumps, evidence of parasites (burrows and such), and hair loss.
• Now, let’s get a look at those cute little paws! Are there any cuts or split nails? How about scrapes? Are the toes all aligned straight? If so, this area is fine as well.
• How can we forget the mouth? Check inside and make sure you don’t see any bleeding or swollen gums. Touch the teeth carefully and make sure they aren’t loose (Carefully!). Are there any lesions on the tongue? Ensure the breath isn’t abnormally strong. I’m not saying sniff really deep. Just make sure it’s like it always is.
• Now the tough one. Look at the anal region and make sure there is no swelling or redness and that there are no signs of strange discharge as well.

Now for the part that your Chihuahua will enjoy (as long as he’s healthy…)! The rub down! Start by rubbing along the sides of your dog and feeling the muscles and bones. Just make sure they are all symmetrical from one side to the next and that there are no abnormal misalignments that can show signs of a sprain or worse. Next check for lumps (or tumors if you will).

Check your dog’s weight if he’s looking heavier or thinner than usual and make sure your dog hasn’t had a drastic weight change.

Look at the waste. Is the urine the same color as usual or has it developed a foul odor of some kind? Lastly, check the…er…poop. Make sure it isn’t black (signifying blood in the stool).

If you do all of the above checks once a week, you should have no surprises when you have your vet visit. In fact by doing these checks, you’ll help the doctor better understand all of the symptoms or any ailment that comes up through your at home observations. Believe me, if you’re able to stop a problem before it really affects your little k-9, you’ll definately feel much better knowing you may have been the reason.