Just because a vet has a dog for a patient doesn’t necessarily mean they know everything about Chihuahua care. Before you get a Chihuahua, make sure your vet knows about Chihuahua care. How do you choose a vet for your Chihuahua? Hopefully, you will have a choice of vets in your area, but any vet is better than none! Pick one that is close to you, but also professes to know about Chihuahua care, including care of Chihuahua allergies.
Because of the Chihuahua’s extremely cute little button nose, they don’t have the air passages that most dogs with longer noses have. They are, therefore, far more prone to breathing disorders and to making extremely strange noises not common in most other breeds of dog. Any allergen like dust, pollen, cigarette smoke or even perfume can act as triggers to Chihuahua allergies and cause these alarming, but usually not life-threatening, breathing problems.
The noises of Chihuahua allergies are quite alarming and varied. If you have never heard them before, talk to friends who have Chihuahuas, Chihuahua breeders or call your vet who is familiar with Chihuahua care. The noises will sound like the dog is choking, suffering a case of emphysema or asthma.
When any dog gets excited, they breathe faster. They need more oxygen, but can’t get it. This happens to other breeds of toy dogs like Pugs, Pekingese and Boston Terriers.
Be sure you know who your vet is and how to get to the office before you bring home your Chihuahua. In many places in the world, emergency vets operate 24 hours a day, but are more expensive than a regular vet or a vet clinic in a large pet store. It is good to know where both your regular vet and your emergency vet are before any emergency arises. Keep their phone numbers by the phone or displayed in a prominent place so you don’t have to waste time hunting through the phone book in case of emergency.
Unless the attacks get worse, you don’t need the vet to check on them, as there is no known treatment for Chihuahua allergies that affect breathing. Even cutting down on pollen, dust or strong smells will not guarantee the attacks will cease. In short nosed dogs, like the Chihuahua, their small nose makes for noisy breathing. Your Chihuahua will most likely snore, snort, wheeze, snuffle and gasp.
The best thing to do when your Chihuahua starts an attack is to get the dog to calm down. Pet the dog, throw a toy, take the dog out into the yard – do something to distract the dog. Don’t get upset yourself. This will only make the dog upset and prolong the attack. Don’t yell or fuss, just calmly act like life is no big deal.
And smoking can also cut down your life expectancy, too! If you ever needed the inspiration to stop smoking, a Chihuahua can give you one.
