How Bad Can Chihuahua Allergies Get?

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.
One place Chihuahuas get extremely agitated at is the vet's office. If your vet has never treated small blunt-nosed dogs like Chihuahuas before, the vet might misdiagnose a problem. How to choose a vet for your Chihuahua? First, ask if they often treat Chihuahuas. 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.

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.

Signs to look out for include the tongue tuning blue, fainting or seizures. These are emergencies that need to be dealt with right away! The vet will need to examine and possible X-ray your dog in order to be sure there isn't anything like a growth that may be completely cutting off air. But Chihuahua care for Chihuahua allergies is usually not so dramatic. The attacks usually go away on his or her own when the dog calms down.

Getting the Chihuahua to calm down is usually the best (and only) way of dealing with breathing attacks. Distract the dog with play or petting, but don't make too much of a fuss. But smoking can really aggravate Chihuahua allergies and make the attacks stronger and more frequent. 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.

Sandra Dean has grown up with and trained a variety of dogs, including caring for Chihuahua allergies. Many vets, owners and breeders have been interviewed about proper Chihuahua care. Knowing how to choose a vet for your Chihuahua should be learned before you bring your dog home.