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Today's vets have access to more knowledge than ever before. This is both a positive and a negative for the vet and the Chihuahua owner. Vets need to be a jack-of-all-trades, but veterinary treatments are vastly different for chimps and cheetahs than for Chihuahuas. Also, treating small dogs like Chihuahuas requires a special touch as well as specialist knowledge, especially in regards to the special wacky world that makes up Chihuahua allergies.
For example, all super small dogs with short noses tend to snore loudly, snort and make a strange honking sound which can be quite alarming. This is actually normal for most Chihuahuas, and not a reason to suspect that your Chihuahua has allergies. Your vet needs to realize that honking and loud snoring is normal in short nosed tiny dogs, or your dog may be subjected to a wrong diagnosis, unnecessary medications and a really frustrated Chihuahua. 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. Vets are so busy that it does not pay for them to lie in order to get more business they can't attend to properly. If they are not familiar with Chihuahuas, they will refer you to a vet that is. Chihuahua allergies to fleabites are treated just the same as any other dog, except any medication given is in a lot smaller a dose. Chihuahuas can also show red, itchy skin and digestive problems if they are allergic to a particular irritating chemical. Check and see what plants are growing where the Chihuahua walks, or if the dog has access to any gardening or cleaning products. When you have a suspect contaminant, call the vet. There is no known treatment forChihuahua allergies that trigger asthma like wheezing, whoops, snuffling or honking. Even elimination of the allergen is not a guarantee that theses alarming episodes will stop completely. These bizarre noises are apparently the muscles of the pharynx going into spasms. They tend to ease off when the dog is calm and escalate when the dog is upset. 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. |
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