I have a 7 year old full blooded chihuahua that tips the scales at close to 20 pounds. He has been neutered but is not a fat dog, he's just big. Does anyone else have or know of a chihuahua this size? I have heard of a "large breed chihuahua" but can't find any reference to this. Also, what is the life expectancy of this breed?
2007-01-19 02:56:16 · 10 answers · asked by iplaybass1956 3 in Pets ➔ Dogs
My vet told me there was nothing about this dog that made him think that he was not full blooded and he has seen chihuahuas this size but not often. I was looking for outside opinions. Thanks to everyone!
2007-01-19 12:51:04 · update #1
Just because a dog is larger than AKC standards does not mean they cannot be a certain breed, it just means that they are outside the specs required for a show quality animal. My dog is a pet and nothing more.
2007-01-19 12:53:05 · update #2
I have owned nine chis - and two of them were "mutant" because they were so dang big! They came from a litter of four and two were tiny, little, babies that everyone oohed and awwed over and were beautiful chihuahua specimens. Somehow, there might have been some non-Chihuahua hanky panky along the line and it just appeared in the litter with the two mutants. (The mom was 6lbs. and the pop was about 4lbs.) Anyway, Batman, the biggest one, just died last month at the ripe old age of 17. He wasn't fat, but he did develop some health problems, and lived longer than any of the other dogs in the litter and his mom and pop. So, I wouldn't worry about your big boy, just give him love, keep his ears and teeth clean, feed him good food, and lots of exercise and he should live a long life.
2007-01-20 09:49:40 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Did you get him from a reputable breeder and get AKC papers for him?
If not, I'd say he is NOT a full-blooded Chihuahua! He is way out of breed standard size! There is no such thing as a large-breed chihuahua, so that would be why you couldn't find info on it.
Small dogs generally do live longer than large dogs, so a good range would probably by 14-16 years on a dog the size of yours. However, I had a 20 cocker-mix once that lived to be 19! Depends on a lot of factors, so make sure you are feeding quality food and keep up on the vet care!
From AKC.org about Chihuahuas:
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.
2007-01-19 02:59:07 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 4⤋
There is no such thing as a Teacup or Large Breed Chihuahua. Chihuahuas, range in weight, between 2-6 pounds. A Chihuahua is a Chihuahua, some are just smaller than others. The life expectancy of a Chihuahua is 12-20 years. The smaller the breed, the longer they live. Chihuahuas are the smallest breed in the world. I can almost guarantee that your dog is not a full blooded Chihuahua.
2007-01-19 03:36:41 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 4⤋
So you have a leggy chihuahua? Chis are classed by weight not height. The average is 6-10inches at the shoulder but since its possible to have a chihuahua that is naturally over 6lbs its possible to have one taller than 10inches. It comes down to genetics and good vs poor breeding practices.
2016-05-24 06:54:09 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A normal chihuahua does not usually exceed 10 pounds. AKC will only accept them at 6 pounds. If you have AKC papers then perhaps they could shed some light on this for you. Otherwise I would say that yours is not purebred. Life span is usually between 13 and 16 years, so if he's healthy you could have another 8 or 9 years with him.
2007-01-19 03:06:12 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋
I have seen pictures of a 25 lb chihuahua, but it is severley overweight.
2007-01-19 04:43:13 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
that's a normal size for a regular chihuahua, they can live up to 15 to 20 yrs.
now if you were talking about a "miniature chihuahua" that should only weigh between 3 to 5 lbs. that would be different story.
chin
2007-01-19 03:00:12 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 4⤋
Thats pretty normal. Americans make everything bigger, even the dogs. Just look at labs or pit bulls. The average lab is supposed to weigh up to 70 pounds, but rarely do you see them under 70. A standard female pit should only weigh about 35 pounds. Our cars are bigger. Our houses are bigger. Why not make the dogs bigger too?
2007-01-19 03:08:34 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 4⤋
Definitely beyond the recognized breed standards, if he is full bred, he is unfortunately a poor specimen (it happens sometimes). Please talk to your vet to make sure he is not considered obese, if hes a regular size frame with all that extra weight, you are going to have some major health issues in his future.
2007-01-19 03:10:43 · answer #9 · answered by cs 5 · 0⤊ 3⤋
OK so my friends chiwawa has the same problem and its perfectly normal. The life expectancy is the longest out of all dogs and that's about 16 to 18 years old BUT chiwawas are very brital and break easily! They are prone to get sickness and breaking things very easily so unless your careful with them they will not live as long as I said above. My friends chiwawa has broken his leg all ready and become sick twice. If they do get sick force feed them boiled chicken and rice, then take them to the vet.
2007-01-19 03:03:37 · answer #10 · answered by meuhahahaha 1 · 0⤊ 4⤋