We have a retired show boy who came to us just before his 2nd birthday. He obtained his stud book number but was deemed unsuitable for breeding.
Chihuahuas, as you know can have a myriad of health problems
Conformation issues
The small, delicate build of the Chihuahua causes some potential problems and vulnerabilities across the breed that all owners should be aware of. These include:
- The potential for hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain) due to the shape and size of the head.
- Fragile bones, due to the dog's petite build.
- A heightened propensity to deafness in merle-coloured Chihuahuas, to the extent that The Kennel Club refuses to register puppies that have a merle parent.
Health testing for Chihuahuas
Various health tests can be performed on the Chihuahua to identify the presence of or predisposition to certain hereditary health problems. These include:
- Testing for Chiari malformation and syringomyelia, which causes fluid pockets to develop along the spinal cord, causing ongoing and severe pain.
- DNA testing for the merle gene, which can cause deafness, is also possible.
- DNA testing can also identify a deficiency of a key enzyme necessary for healthy red blood cells, known as pyruvate kinase deficiency.
Other health issues across the breed
The Chihuahua breed as a whole has been identified to have an elevated predisposition to a relatively wide range of other potential problems too, but for which no pre-breeding test is currently available. These include:
- Urinary stones, or urolithiasis.
- Problems delivering live young normally, which may require veterinary intervention.
- Narcolepsy, or sudden collapse into sleep with no warning.
- Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, which affects the femur bone and leads to problems moving normally, as well as pain.
- Blood clotting disorders such as haemophilia, particularly within male dogs of the breed.
- Problems with the kneecaps, such as patellar luxation.
- Mitral valve degeneration, or myxomatous, plus narrowing of the pulmonary valve of the heart, both of which are serious cardiac conditions.
- Allergenic atopy, which is a hypersensitivity to certain types of protein particles, including pollen. This can lead to severe skin allergies, which cause intense itching, and may cause scarring and infections of the skin.
- Tracheal weakness, when the cartilage of the trachea does not form properly, leading to tracheal collapse and problems breathing.
- Skin melanomas, a type of cancer.
- Problems with the teeth and jaws, including an overcrowded mouth and the failure to lose baby teeth in the normal manner.
- Water on the brain, or hydrocephalus.
- Cervical spine instability, leading to problems with the spine and neck, which are often painful.
- Eye diseases, including corneal dystrophy.
- An autoimmune disease called myasthenia gravis, which is a neuromuscular condition leading to progressive weakness.
- Various other autoimmune conditions, including necrotising leucoencephalitis, causing inflammation of the brain and premature death.
If you're still set on breeding, I would suggest really doing your research as you want a boy who will compliment your girl and one who is smaller than her if possible.
Most breeders I know will only let their boy go to girls of fellow breeders or exhibitors as the friendship has been built over years and we all know each others dogs.
You also want a boy with a good temperament who is bomb proof and not overly nervy. A dog is a dog is a dog and needs to be treated as such. They're not built for handbags.
Be aware of hydro. It's rife and be aware of her needing a section. It usually happens at night and is expensive. Many insurers won't cover for it.
I'm biased, I like chihuahuas. Our lad has claimed our girls as his own and now can't abide boys of any breed... he's been castrated too
Photos
View attachment 436804
View attachment 436805
View attachment 436806
View attachment 436807
View attachment 436808
View attachment 436809