Chihuahua question?

Question

I came home from the pet store today to find a chihuahua half frozen in my snow covered yard. I could hardly even see him! I immediately brought him in the house and got him warmed up, fed, and watered. I then put up signs all over looking for the owner and called animal control to report it. They won't be able to come get him for 5-6 days since I agreed to foster him until the owner shows up or they can get here. (loads of problems there right now with distemper exposure) He has no tags and appears very skinny. I know NOTHING about this breed because I have always been partial to large breed dogs. So my questions are:

1) Is it normal to see their spine and hips? It's not extremely prominant but definately clearly noticable.

2) Are sore on the leg joints common in chihuahuas?

3) Do the legs normally have very little fur on them?

4) Is it common that he does not bark at all or even really respond to sounds other than a kissing sound?

More coming.......

5) I don't think he is purebred because he has pretty long legs. Is this true or do some chihuahuas stand taller than others? His face and ears are definately chihuahua.

6) Do their eyes normally water?

He is an extremely sweet dog, loves kids, loves other animals and my other animals seem to really like him so I am considering adopting him myself if no one claims him but need more info first so I can be sure my home is a good option for his sake. Thanks for any info!

Oh and I took him by the animal care center to check for a microchip and he has none and shows no signs if illness but no tests were done. Looks healthy on all other aspects other than being underfed but they didn't go into details about how underfed. I have fed him, clipped his very long nails, and bathed him since he was filthy!

It's definately not a miniature pinscher. Could be mixed with chihuahua but the face is chihuahua. Here's a pic of my youngest son holding him:

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i54/lovnmomto3/100_4402.jpg

Answer 1

1) No, chihuahuas are not supposed to be very plump, but very noticeable bones are NOT normal, he is malnourished, it would be best to feed him at least 2 small meals per day to keep him satisfied & to help him gain weight without making him sick

2) Chis, being small dogs, are easily injured & also prone to health problems (hip dysplasia being one, one of my chis has it & his hip every so often will pop out of place & we have to pop it back) he may have been injured after escaping or being tossed out, whichever the case, you may need a vet to examine him if he can't walk right, but if he does not "scream" when you touch it or not use it at all, it may just be a sprain, or he's stiff from the exposure to the cold

3) if is fur is just thin on the legs, it may be do to malnourishment, which can cause some hair loss, if it is bald patches it may be the same prob or could be from something he came in contact with that he's allergic to, some skin irritant (but there would probably be a rash also) some tlc & getting back to good health will improve his coat condition


4) not usually, chis tend to be yappy little dogs, but if he's under the weather (hungry, tired, scared from trauma, etc.) he may be traumatized, or due to some health problem or birht defect his hearing may be very poor, or he may be losing his hearing


5) in some cases yes, some are taller, one of mine, the runt of his litter, now stands 3 in. taller than my others, including his brother

6) yes, they're eyes tend to water quite frequently, they are very sensitive to dust & other irritants


oh, & he is DEFINITELY purebred chi, i saw ur pic, he is absolutely adorable!!! chis make good pets, but as i said, can be yappy (if you do keep him & he gets used to "his" new territory, he can be quite an overeager watchdog & bark at everything, or he may not) & they are prone to health problems, but I only have one chi with joint problems, & he is getting into his senior years, so this was expected, my other 3 guys are very healthy, they do shed quite abit tho, good grooming & healthy diet help reduce shedding, but he is so cute! i wish i could take him!

Answer 2

Are you nice? helping a little doggy! It is not normal to see bones through the skin on any part of their body. The dog is undernourished. There should be no sore anywhere on these dogs. It is possible for the hair to be spare on the legs, but there should not be skin showing through. It is probably from starvation. It depends on the individual dog. Long haired chihuahuas usually don't bark as much ans short haired ones. I raised Long-Haired Chihuahuas for years. I love the long haired breed. they are not as high strung as the short haired ones. Now there could be a problem with wax in his ears or the dog could be deaf. They are usually a curious breed and do check out noises even if they don't bark at the noise. The Long haired ones are the greatest dogs there are! Small dogs can be wonderful. There is huge difference in the temperment between the Long hairs and Short hairs Chihuahuas. Best of luck and May the Lord bless you for being so kind.

Answer 3

1) It's never normal to be able to see their spine & hips. That most likely means he is mal-nourished, or something more than that.

2) Soreness really depends on if there is an injury to that area, or the age of the dog. Sometimes arthritis can cause that.

3) If the dog isn't feeling well he may be more quiet than he normally would be. He could be hard of hearing.


Really I reccomend you take him to a vet, just as a precausion. You know just a good look over wouldn't hurt. You would have definite answers as to what your seeing w/ this dog. GOOD LUCK!

Answer 4

he looks an awfull lot like a deer head and I have one of those . Thank you and may god bless you for being so kind to him . I hope you decide to keep him . He is probably malnourished since you can see the bones and stuff . I would have the joints checked out though cause chis are prone to luxating patellas and I would definately have it checked . I cannot imagine someone throwing one of these dogs to the street . They are a rather exspensive breed . Well I hope everything goes well and if you decide to keep him remember to keep him warm cause they loose body heat really fast and also remember to keep some nutrical on hand . cause they are also prone to low blood sugar. you can get the nutrical at petsmart . if i can help you any further please do not hesitate to email me. good luck and I hope I helped.

Answer 5

I see you have gotten all your questions answered but one. I have had 3 chihuahuas and 2 were taller than one of the others. The 2 taller ones were dear heads and the shorter one had an apple head. I don't know if that made a difference or not. I know they were all full-blooded because they were AKC registered. I am so glad you took this poor pup in and giving it a good home, whether its temporary or permanent.

Answer 6

lengthy hair is nice but requires servicing and u have to grow it out for a long time

Answer 7

They have a body joint problem and they cough alot like they cant breathe common problems, I have Great Danes and my sister owns a chihuahua and pugle. Its funny when she brings her dogs over my Danes are afraid of them.

Answer 8

Hi i don't know about your questions but you said it has really long logs? The breed could be a miniature pinscher (min pin) they look really similar to chihuahua's

Answer 9

I prefer hair that is shoulder length or longer, And since that men who like women are more often then not right, they like long hair because this looks more feminine, as most men have short hair.