Chihuahua questions...

[shackybracky]

Hi guys. My latest foster dogs are a pair of long haired chihuahuas. Chico is brown and white, and Nessa (previously Princess but i'm not gonna get much street cred if i'm walking down the path calling Princess...Princess....come on Princess ) is black with a white chest, white front legs with black dots and black feet. It looks like she's wearing little spotty socks. We picked them both up yesterday afternoon.

Does anyone know why their eyes water so much? I searched google and found different ideas ranging from inturned eyelids to actual tears. They've been to the vets recently for vacs and neutering and nothing was said about their eyes. Chico's eyes protrude more and water more so i'm assuming it's a physical thing. I can see very tiny eyelashes on the top eyelid of both dogs but none on the bottom eyelids. They don't look turned in though.

I read on one chihuahua website that said they need clothes to keep them warm, even in the house. Is this actually true? They don't appear cold in the house but I am gonna get some coats for their outside walks while the weather is so cold. They have plenty of bedding to curl up in.

Both are a bit nervous as if they've not experienced much so we're taking everything slowly, providing plenty of safe places, chews, treats, toys and quiet walks on lead. We've had one experience off lead in an enclosed tennis court with some toys and they had some fun. Hopefully we'll find a suitable home for them very soon.

[CashChunn]

I have a long-haired chihuahua, she is 7. She has never really had any issues with her eyes watering, so I'm not sure about that. I would say ask a vet to look at them. As for being cold, mine is fine without clothes inside and out. I only put them on her if she appears to be cold (shivering, shaking) and for outside is it's chilly. They like to burrow under blankets to sleep such, just a helpful hint! Any other questions just let me know, I love the breed and have done plenty of research! Good Luck!

[shackybracky]

Hi Cashchunn. Thankyou for your advice. They are very big characters in very small bodies aren't they. These two are currently playing tug of war over an old doggy draught excluder. Nessa wants it up on the couch, Chico wants it on the floor. They're great friends and great to watch. I'll ask the vet about their eyes and get a couple of coats for outside walks, especially for when it's raining like tonight. I'll try get some pics up of them.

[puplove]

I once had a chihuahua who constantly looked like was crying because of the amount of fluid leaking from his eyes. I took him to the vet and had every possible test done on him... the verdict? Allergies! We were given some eye drops and within days, there was a huge improvement. As for the clothing, I didn't notice that he needed it indoors (although like Cashchunn suggested, he did have a blanket in his bed and could wiggle under it when he wanted to) but he definitely definitely needed a sweater outdoors. Canadian winters are cold, and even when he was dressed for it, he would tremble until we got back inside.

[Mattie]

Double post sorry

[Mattie]

I met these 2 last week you are really brave taking them on, these are the 2 that I was talking about, they chase sheep and are not as big is a sheep's head they are wonderful

Did Kathy have coats on them? The only time I can see them needing coats is when it is raining especially if it is windy, the wind blows their fur up and the heat escapes.

I took a Maltese/JRT to see an eye consultant a couple of weeks ago and was told they have the same eye problem as Chi's, the bottom lid is shaped so it is easier for the tears to run down the face than go through the ducts. Simon the vet also said not to use anything to remove the staining, it causes conjunctivitis which he sees a lot of because of this, he did suggest that you put a little vasaline were the tears run so they run over the hair.

Erm, I think it was Chico who wouldn't let me upstairs to go to the toilet and Princess who left me a present on my carpet.

Good luck with them, we are here for you when you need it.

[shackybracky]

oh poor lad. It's about 5 degrees here at the moment but I can imagine them getting cold after being in the rain for a while. My wife is picking up some thermal coats as we speak. How much exercise did you give yours each day? I've read a few sites saying a half hour per day is enough but it doesn't seem like a lot, even for a tiny dog.

Mattie....lol that's funny!!! They're a right pair. Luckily I don't have any sheep here although I do have a 4ft iguana, 3 cats and a tarrantula that they like to bark at They're both good at climbing stairs but Chico will not come down mine yet so i'll be working on that with him. They're both a bit jumpy but I think a routine will do them good. I'm sure I will be screaming for help soon!!

[Mattie]

They need time to settle, put a few drops of Rescue Remedy in their drinking water it will help them both. They are lovely dogs, but you are braver than I am taking them on.

They are used to quite a lot of exercise so will need this keeping up.

Just one problem with small dogs climbing stairs, going up and down over extends the back leg which can cause the crutial ligament to go.

I could have forced my way upstairs but Chico looked so stressed that I couldn't do it to him so came down instead. I did sit on the stairs quite a bit lower than he was and talked to him for a while but he didn't start to relax.

[shackybracky]

would you suggest that I avoid stairs with them and carry them up and down stairs when I need to?

[Mattie]

Do they sleep upstairs, then I would carry them up and down and have a gate at the bottom to stop them going on their own. They are 2 lovely dogs and someone is going to be very lucky to have them, I nearly hid them from Kathy when they were here.

The vet who told me that is an orthopedic Consultant and really knew his job.

[shackybracky]

they wouldn't take much hiding

we've got a baby gate on the lounge that can be swung across the stairs so i'll make sure they don't go up and down on their own. They both sleep upstairs in our bedroom in a large crate big enough for a mastiff. They have beds at the back and blankets everywhere else. They especially like waking me up at 6am!!

We've been and got 2 windproof and waterproof coats for them so we'll be braving the rain later for a walk around the village. Don't ya just love having dogs when it's chucking it down

[Mattie]

You are going to have so much fun with these 2 and they will teach you so much about dogs, you may even decide to keep them.

[shackybracky]

we're hoping to move to australia so won't be keeping any of the dogs plus....there's always another one needing to come into rescue to find a new home. So far we've fostered around 25 and virtually every one has brought tears when it's time to say bye but it's nice knowing the next one is getting out of a bad place. Ya sure ya don't want to adopt these two?