My GF just called me and told me we now have a chihuahua. (questions)

[Worst Username Ever]

Sophie. A friend got her at the humane society rescue, but her friend is kind of busy and for one reason or another can't handle her. So we are taking her. Very scared of men and somewhat incontinent, but my house doesn't have anything nice anyway, and Sophie has been around me enough where we can handle each other just fine. I miss having a dog, so I am cool with it, but I can't picture taking a chihuaha out for a walk if my GF is not there. That would look hilarious.

How expensive is this? What do shots costs annually? What do small bags of dog food cost?

Is it true about female dog urine hurting my grass?

[xultar]

1. I have 3 Chis

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=243x273#284

Chihuahuas are tough lil dogs. You'd look fine walking a Chihuahua. Depending on the food, Chihuahuas eat very little. I'd suggest Hills Science Diet over Iams. But if cost is an issue as long as it is fresh quality food the pup will be fine. The more fillers the more the dog needs to consume to get the same amount of vitamins.

My Chi's cost a lot because I spend on halloween costumes, I have a daily sitter for when I'm @ work, their wardrobe, toys etc.

Chi's don't have to cost alot. Get yourself a baby gate from Target $10 bucks or go to a childrens consignment shop and pick up one for 2 to 5 bucks.

All she needs is a small bed a couple of toys, a harness, a lead, food bowls, and food and water.

They like to sleep with you in the bed. If you don't want her to sleep with you provide a way for her to tunnel in her bedding. Pick up a couple of baby blankets from the consignment shop or use some towels.

They do get cold so depending on where you live get sweater.
Go to http://www.chiwawagaga.com The lady there is cool she's in NOLA - New Orleans LA and she has nice sweaters for 8.99. You can get sweaters @ almost any pet store.

Go to Chiwawagaga and check out the pet gallery. You'll fall in love with Chihuahuas if you aren't already.

Then She'll just need your love. PLEASE post a picture.

[Worst Username Ever]

2. Awesome!

That is hilarious, because when we would spend the night at the previous owner's house after a night out, Sophie would always want to sleep with Katie and me. And I would wake up in the morning with Sophie sleeping at our feet... under the covers. Yes, she loves to sleep with us, and I am sure she will do so. I have no problem with it, although I would prefer no pee in the bed. I think most of the stuff, food bowls, kennel, bed, toys, leesh, etc are coming with the package, so we should be cool there. I already brought up the idea of a jacket for outside (minnesota), she might come with one but if not we have a pet store about a block away. Money is most certainly an issue, but it sounds like it won't be too bad?

And we are a VERY affectionate couple, including towards animals. I have always loved dogs, so I am pretty excited. Once I get some pics I will most certainly post them here, thank you for your response!

[xultar]

3. YES, they love the feet. Since you're in MN I don't think you'll want her

outside for too long. But I'd invest in one of the 4 legged fleece coats @ Chiwawagaga for sure. The company fido fleece also sells booties you can pick up pretty cheeply or you can get booties @ a pet store or make them. A Chi will be very cold in MN. How much does she weigh? Weight also plays a part in how well they will do in the cold.

[Worst Username Ever]

4. She is a small/skinny one, she'll get cold easily.

Checked out chiwawagaga, forwarded it to K, she will love it, so will Sophie.

[auburngrad82]

5. I buy dogfood 50 lbs at a time. That should last you about 3 years

Unless you want your chee-hooa-hooa to look like a football with legs.

Anyway congrats on your new family member. I couldn't live without mine. I don't have a chee-hooa-hooa but I do have five dogs. The closest I came to a chee-hooa-hooa was eating at Taco Bell.

Also, make sure you keep her up to date on heartworm medication.

[Worst Username Ever]

6. I believe that is annual, correct?

Yeah I am thinking that we will be buying the little bags of food, although a football with legs does have a certain draw.

[auburngrad82]

7. Heartworm is given in pill form once a month

We use Sentinel but there's several varieties available. I'd just ask the vet what they recommend and have them match it to your dog's weight.

You'll need to post pics, especially if you get a little coat or raincoat for her.

[Worst Username Ever]

8. We will definetely post pics once we get a few!

Heartworm monthly, duh. I should have known that. We will get an edu-ma-cation when we hit the vet's for the first time, I am sure.

[auburngrad82]

9. Ask the vet if they charge by the pound :) eom

[Longhorn]

11. You can also have her get injections of heartworm medicine

that last six months. Congratulations on the new baby! :)

[SoCalDem]

13. I may be all wet here, but...our vet told us

that our Labs did not need the heartworm shots because they were inside most of the time and did not have any contact with other pets..
We had it one time, and then never again. I am paranoid, but EVERY stinking time we take a pet to the vet for the mundane stuff, they ALWAYS end up sick within days of the vet's trip..

We have NEVER had a single flea or any communicable disease with any of our pets..and we have always had them..(we're talking 35+ years, and all died of old age)..

People I know who take their pets to the vet all the time, seem to have sickly pets..

(we did do the routine rabies/distemper/lepto shots because you have to here to get a license)..

Our cats were all checked out and tested for FIV etc (very pricey) before any new one was introduced, but after that.. no more shots..

Other than the occasional eye-gunk from washing each others' faces, they are all superbly healthy..

(The eye-gunk always arrives home with the most recent vet-trip kitty).When Sara was spayed, we battled eye-gunk for a MONTH with almost ALL of them..:grr:

[Longhorn]

14. We almost lost a dog to heartworms.

I certainly agree with your vet but heartworms come from mosquitos and we have quite a few here in Texas plus our dogs are outdoors a lot, though they have little contact with other dogs.

Anyway, I didn't give them shots for awhile a few years back to save money and Paco, the small female black lab mix, got heartworms. It cost $300 for the treatment. The vet explained that they give them just enough arsenic to kill the worms without killing the dog. After she survived the arsenic, I had to keep her very quiet and still for a month because the worms could break off into her blood stream and cause a stroke. She was only three years old at the time -- had she been older, they might not have even tried it and she would have died of congestive heart failure.

After that, I made sure I kept the four dogs up-to-date on heartworm medication. Our vets are laid-back country types with a large horse practice as well. We've been with them for years and I like their attitude.

Texas recently passed a law that rabies vaccinations are required every three years rather than annually, as had previously been the case.

[SoCalDem]

15. Wow.. your poor baby.. We have very few skeeters here

no water :( that may have been why the vet did not push for it.

[sleepyhead]

24. The injectable heartworm medication

has been taken off the market due to reports of severe adverse reactions. Monthly chewables or pills are the way to go.

[Eurobabe]

10. what a cute name, post pix when you get some...

i LOVE chihoo-a-hoo-as.

[Worst Username Ever]

19. Will do! We took some pics this weekend

but they are not digital, when we get them developed we'll throw em on a cd and I post some!

[Robeson]

12. You won't be taking her for a walk, she'll be taking you for a....

...walk. Chihuahua's think they are as big as anybody around!

[ET Awful]

16. Yup, they are one breed that definitely suffers from

delusions of grandeur :)

[SoCalDem]

17. Our neighbors have two "rats"..

:P..

They used to have 2 pitbulls.. The chihuahuas are more aggressive than the pitbulls.

Cute little rats though :)

[Worst Username Ever]

21. Go Vikes n/t

[Lefta Dissenter]

18. For our Maltese

we have one of the Lands End squall jackets. I really like it, because it's water and wind proof (or at least resistant) and nice and snuggly.

I haven't looked at the site the others have mentioned, though - they may have things just as nice. :)

Any urine will hurt your grass, because the salts suck the moisture out of the grass. But Chi piddle puddles are miniscule compared to just about any other, so I'll bet you won't even see any spots. If you have a problem, just water as much as you can in the summer in the areas where she goes. That helps to flush the salts away and re-hydrate the grass.

And, I love seeing people out walking teeny-tiny dogs! You'll get a lot of attention! :D

Congratulations! It sounds like you'll have tons of fun with her!

[Worst Username Ever]

20. Yes I think we will.

She is definetely "mama's dog," but I think it will be great having her around. It sure keeps my SO happy!

[Rhiannon12866]

22. You will do fine. Just be involved from the beginning so she bonds with

you. My tiny Brussels Griffon belonged to an older woman, who died, and was afraid of men, but he's cool if they talk nicely to him and move slowly (he can't see well).

A small dog costs much less to keep than a large dog. This just makes sense. I had never had such a little dog, but mine has worked out so well. Regular inoculations aren't prohibitive, but you may want to enroll, as I have, in a Banfield (at PetsMart) "wellness plan", for a one-time payment and a monthly fee, which covers exams anytime, all the routine inoculations and you get a discount on meds and anything else that the dog requires. I only went there because my vet, who also has a private practice, started a second practice there. Your main goal should be to find a vet that you can trust. Ask around among friends. I would never take my dogs to a complete stranger and have developed a good relationship with my vets, since they really know my animals.

Also, you'll want to find the best diet. I find that canned food is best for small dogs, but they eat much less than bigger dogs. Find out what she's been eating and switch her over gradually, if you decide to change. My vet thinks that a good diet is the most important thing in determining a dog's future health and longevity.

As for seeing a guy with a little dog, people will smile when they see you. People always smile at little dogs. They tend to attract attention. I get this everytime I take my little guy, anywhere, from men and women and kids.

As for your lawn, bring your dog to her own special place, maybe in the corner. Besides easting less, little dogs produce less, as well. Housebreaking is not difficult if you stick to a routine. Accidents could mean that the dog has an infection or a change in diet, but I'll admit, small dogs are more prone to accidents. Good luck and Godspeed. You're going to love having this dog.:D

[Worst Username Ever]

23. What a great response, thank you!

This weekend was interesting, the dog is very, very happy/loyal to the GF, and is pretty tolerant of me. If the dog is in GF's lap and I am sitting next to GF, the dog really likes me. But when GF leaves the room it is in full retreat to the other side of the couch! Also, if I approach her when GF is gone to say, put her outside, it is full bladder and bowel evacuation time in the corner of the living room.

I'd say she just needs some time to become acclimated to the new house/new male presence. Not worried.

[Rhiannon12866]

25. You're most welcome. Anything to help!

I've been through a very similar situation with my little guy, so really understand what you're going through. My little guy was initially very skittish around men. The first time I asked my SO to dogsit, he picked him up and the dog bit him! Fortunately, with such a little dog, no damage was done. It just takes patience and moving (literally) slowly, with a little dog. Both my vets are men, but he seems fine with them. His previous vet was a man, and I guess he knows that they mean business. All the techs at my vet's office are women, with the exception of one guy, and I always hope that we get him, since he's the best with my dog and the dog seems to like him. We got him on our initial visit and I explained about the dog. He really took his time, and it paid off.:-)

My dog also has more courage when I'm there, like yours does. I also have another dog, so he looks to her for leadership. She's very friendly, so if she goes up to someone, he knows it's okay.:-)

My friend adopted a tiny miniature poodle from a very bad rescue situation. The dog was terrified of her husband and avoided him like the plague, which hurt him, since he's a real animal lover. It was suggested that he be the one to feed the dog, since this could help them bond. The more time that your new dog spends with you, the better. Taking her out more frequently may help, though mine has urinated if I've left him, literally telling me how he feels, LOL! But if my little guy can come around, any dog can. Let us know how it's going. You deserve a lot of credit for your willingness to take this on and looking for a way to make this work. This dog sounds adorable and one that you'll come to really enjoy.:hi: