A healthy Chihuahua can have an extremely long life. Even the average lifespan of fourteen to sixteen years is over double that of several large and giant breed canines. Longevity can result in aches and pains, as well as a few particular needs. However, caring for an ageing Chihuahua is rarely a bother. Instead, it\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s a chance for us to express our love by providing additional care and kindness in genuine gratitude for all of the joy our dogs have brought us over the years.
Seniors and Geriatrics
Veterinarians classify ageing dogs as \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”senior\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\” or \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”geriatric.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\” A dog is deemed a senior if she has lived two-thirds of her breed\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s typical lifespan. A healthy Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s estimated lifespan is between fourteen and sixteen years old, therefore a Chi would frequently become a senior at this age. A Chihuahua is considered geriatric when she is halfway through the final third of her anticipated lifespan, or when she is thirteen years old. As your Chihuahua ages, she will go through changes. These changes are usually subtle and occur over time; however, they will have an impact on your Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s physical and emotional health. Anticipating these changes and knowing how to appropriately handle them will go a long way towards extending the quality of your Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s last years with you.
The average life expectancy of a purebred dog reduces as its height and weight grow. It should come as no surprise that toys live nearly twice as long as many huge and enormous breed dogs.
Grooming
Paying attention to your Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s coat, skin, and nails is just as vital today as it was when she was in her prime. Brushing or combing your Chihuahua on a daily basis helps you become more familiar with your dog\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s normal body features. Knowing what is \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”normal\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\” will help you quickly identify any odd lumps, bumps, or painful spots on your Chi\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s body.
Diseases of all kinds have the best chance of being treated if they are detected early on.
Senior dogs, especially those who are overweight, are more likely to develop fatty tumours called lipomas. These are benign, spongy tumours that can be discovered just beneath the skin. Even if you believe the lump you discovered is an alipoma, consult your veterinarian to ensure that it is not a more severe tumour, such as a mast cell tumour (MCT). MCTs commonly arise on older dogs and vary in appearance. Some MCTs are generally benign in the sense that they grow slowly and do not appear to be spreading. More aggressive MCT can metastasise to the dog\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s lymph nodes, bone marrow, liver, and spleen.
Brushing
Another alteration you may notice while brushing your dog is the onset of a sore on his tail or paws. Older dogs frequently feel bored and respond by licking themselves. The licking can become obsessive, with the Chi licking away layers of skin, causing ulcers. More interaction and activities with your Chi will benefit him in the long run. In the meantime, consult a veterinarian about curing the sores and preventing further injury. Daily brushing, of course, offers numerous other advantages. Whether you have Grooming your old Chihuahua, whether shorthaired or longhaired, not only allows you to detect sickness early on and gives her more quality time with you (reducing boredom), but it also promotes blood flow to the skin. Increased blood circulation to the skin\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s surface supplies nutrients that ageing skin requires. Brushing also helps to combat dry, flaky skin, which is a common condition in older dogs. Brushing all the way to the skin (more difficult but essential for longhaired Chihuahuas) encourages the production of oils, a natural lubricant that maintains the dog\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s skin from becoming dry and flaky. These oils, when evenly distributed throughout the dog\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s coat (via brushing), help to make dull, dry hair more glossy and less brittle.
Toenails
You would assume that age would reduce the growth of a dog\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s toenails. However, many elderly dogs have issues with nails that are far too long. The most common explanation for this is that the ageing Chihuahua has become less active. Without her regular, long walks around the neighbourhood or in the city, the concrete surfaces of sidewalks and streets do not naturally file down her toenails every day.
Do not forget to inspect between your Chi\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s toes. If she has long hair and grows it between the pads of her feet, she may slip and slide on smooth flooring. Keep these regions tidy and short so she can gain the most traction possible.
If a Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s toenails are overly long, they will click when she walks on hard floors. This affects the Chi\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s movement. Long toenails cause the foot to spread, shifting the dog\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s balance from a more forward position on the toes to the heel of his paw. Imagine wearing stilettos backwards. Your Chihuahua is more prone to slip, become unsteady, and possibly tumble. Also, if your Chi is hurting at Long toenails in her joints will severely impair her capacity to move and may cause lameness. Cut those toenails!
Nutrition
Your Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s nutritional needs fluctuate as she ages. Obviously, if your Chi is less active than she was as a child, she will not require the same number of calories. You can minimise your Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s caloric intake by either reducing the amount of food she consumes on a daily basis or by keeping the portion size same but providing her with a lower-calorie diet.
Obesity is a major issue for less active, elderly canines. Every extra ounce on a Chihuahua puts more strain on worn-out joints and the Chi\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s heart. Furthermore, research reveals that overweight dogs are twice as likely to develop cancer as their more thin counterparts.
However, caloric needs are not the only changes that an ageing Chihuahua undergoes, and addressing the Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s nutritional needs becomes increasingly difficult. Elderly dogs lose some of their capacity to taste and metabolise food efficiently.
Addressing a Changing Palate
The commercial foods available today are designed to be highly delicious and appealing to dogs. In fact, many dogs find these treats so tasty that they overeat. However, as a dog ages, her ability to taste what she eats becomes less acute. Suddenly, the food she used to enjoy is no longer satisfying her. If your Chihuahua is refusing to eat what was formerly her favourite food, try boosting the smell of the food. Add a touch of something strong-smelling and definitely scrumptious, such as a little chicken broth or even a small amount of Canned dog food.
Problems with absorption
Another change that senior dogs suffer is a decreased ability of their gastrointestinal tract to absorb essential nutrients. Increased faeces, an increase in stool odour, and weight loss are all signs that your Chihuahua is not properly metabolising her food. If your Chihuahua continues to consume a diet that she cannot metabolise, she may become malnourished. If this is the case, speak with your veterinarian about other diet options. Some high-end, quality pet-food manufacturers have addressed this issue with foods designed exclusively for seniors. These meals contain higher concentrations of high-quality nutrients in more digestible forms. Read labels carefully, as some foods labelled as senior items are actually weight-loss formulae for seniors. Make sure you understand what you\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’re getting, as well as the manufacturer\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s quality and integrity.
Exercise
Many owners neglect to provide adequate exercise for their ageing Chihuahuas. Older dogs may not bounce to their feet and rush to the door as they once did when they felt there was a prospect of a stroll. In fact, it may take some coaxing on your part to get Senior Chi off the couch and out the front door. Walks and other forms of exercise are extremely vital for keeping your Chihuahua mobile and intellectually aware. If your Chihuahua already has mobility issues, consider allowing her to swim for exercise. Because the Chihuahua is so small, you do not need to have your own pool for this. A huge children\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s splashpool, filled with enough water, can be converted into a lap pool for your Chi.
How much exercise should an older Chihuahua get?
The secret to exercising an older Chihuahua is to let the Chi dictate the pace. She may not want to go as far or as quickly as she once did, but she can walk for the same amount of time. She may not be able to run after balls thrown across your property, but a ball tossed a few feet can provide her with a nice chase. Follow her example and remember to stop when she tires.
In the winter months, you can utilise a temperate spa to encourage Chito exercise—without the jets, of course. Chihuahuas are not well-known for their swimming abilities, so be sure to constantly accompany your Chi when she is in the pool and introduce her to water gradually. You might also consider getting her a doggie life vest. These dramatically improve a dog\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s capacity to float.
Mental stimulation
Dogs, like people, can lose mental capacities as they age. Previously, dog owners believed there was little they could do to combat this terrible mental degradation, but we now know the exact reverse is true. You may directly affect your ageing Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s mental health. The \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”use it or lose it\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\” proverb applies to ageing canines\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’ mental capacities. According to research, mentally stimulated senior dogs keep their cognitive faculties at a considerably higher rate than non-mentally stimulated canines. So, how can you cognitively excite a Chihuahua? In multiple ways!
A New Friend.
If you\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’ve been wanting to add a second Chihuahua to your household, veterinary behaviour experts say now is the time. A puppy will naturally provide a plethora of new experiences for the older dog. The puppy will also interact with the adult Chihuahua, whether she enjoys it or not. Furthermore, the puppy will bring new life to a geriatric dog, often resurrecting the puppy in the old dog for small periods of time.
Senior dogs will generally allow puppies into their lives since the puppy is not perceived as a direct threat. If your elder dog has troubles and is hostile towards other dogs, it is best not to introduce a puppy. Rather, intellectually stimulate your senior Chiin in a different method.
Exercise
If your Chihuahua is still ambulatory, take her for walks. The sights Every time you and your Chi go out, the sounds and smells change. These experiences help to keep an elderly dog\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s mind awake and attentive. If your Chihuahua is not mobile, you can still provide her with new experiences. Pack her in your carry-on bag (with a good view of the globe) and bring her with you everywhere. Walk through the neighbourhood. Go for car journeys (there are items that can elevate her carrier so she can look out the windows). Drive through the drive-through. Create a carrier that fits in your bicycle basket and go for a ride together. The more she sees, smells, and experiences, the more her brain will be activated and those neurones stimulated!
Games
Old dogs can learn new tricks and do so quite well, thank you very much. One enjoyable activity to cognitively stimulate your senior Chihuahua is \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”find the treat.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\” Take a little piece of chicken or a hot dog and drag it a short distance across the floor. Have your Chihuahua start at the trailhead and smell her way to the treat. Increase the length of the path as your Chi becomes interested in the game. Continue to play the old games your Chihuahua has always enjoyed. The key is to alter these activities as needed to accommodate your Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s current ability. If your Chi is too fragile to fetch a ball but still enjoys the game, try rolling it a short distance at a low speed. Does she prefer squeaky toys? What about a casual game of tug? Do anything you can to keep your dog thinking. Get down on the floor and act funny; you\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’ll be shocked how happy your Chihuahua becomes!
Time with you.
Finally, spend plenty of time with your elderly Chihuahua. Strokeher. Cuddle with her. Talk to her. You have always been the centre of her universe. Giving her some additional TLC would be immensely appreciated, and this contact stimulates her grey matter. Every little bit helps keep your Chi as sharp as possible.
Veterinary exams
As a dog ages, her need to see a veterinarian for regular wellness checkups grows. This is not a trick by the veterinary establishment to increase profits. Rather, it is an attempt to assist identify illnesses immediately and provide cures or solutions to potentially fatal ailments. Here\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s why regular tests are vital. A twelve-year-old dog weighing fewer than twenty pounds is around the same age as a sixty-four-year-old man. At thirteen years old, the Chihuahua is now the equivalent of a seventy-two-year-old guy. Now ask yourself, \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”If I were 64 years old, would I wait four years between doctor visits?\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\” Of course, not! However, this is exactly what we do when we take our senior dogs to the vet once a year. It is recommended that you visit an elderly Chi at least twice a year. A quarterly visit would be even better.
Does my geriatric Chi still require vaccinations?
She will be required by law to continue receiving rabies vaccinations (yearly or every three years, depending on the state). However, because of the Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s higher risk of experiencing an allergic reaction to a vaccination, as well as the fact that vaccinations temporarily lower a dog\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s immune system, your veterinarian may advise you to withhold booster shots if your Chihuahua is already in poor health.
Of course, your elderly Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s first line of defence is you. If you are observant, you will be the first to notice anything out of the ordinary. Even if you can\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’t pinpoint it, but you sense something is wrong with your Chi (for example, a change in disposition or a more general malaise), contact your veterinarian. It is usually better to err on the side of being too cautious than to overlook an issue until the condition becomes serious.
Ailments associated with ageing
Senior dogs of all breeds can develop a range of diseases as a result of years of living and worn-out parts. For example, we\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’ve already discussed how the Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s senses degrade with the geriatric\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s loss of taste and the effects it might have on hunger. In addition to taste, other senses decrease, as follows:
Hearing—Does your Chi no longer turn her head when you call her name or when you whisper \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”cookie\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\”?Most likely, she is losing some of her hearing. You can use alternative methods to catch her attention, such as a stomp on the floor (don\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’t startle her!) or a very mild hum from an electric collar designed specifically for hearing-impaired or deaf dogs.
Vision—Many pet owners are unaware that their dogs have lost practically all of their vision since they have adapted so effectively to their other senses. When a geriatric loses her sight, she typically lacks the ability to rely on her other senses. Don\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’t alter the furniture or leave anything lying around. Use your voice to rouse her up before touching her, and modify activities to keep her intellectually busy with highly scented products and close-up games like tug.
Increased sensitivity—Some Chihuahuas appear to be increasingly sensitive to thunderstorms as they age. Your Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s anxiety may be alleviated by natural treatment, Rescue Remedy, or the synthetic hormone DAP. Your veterinarian may also be able to administer pharmaceuticals in extreme circumstances.
Temperature Control
Chihuahuas already have difficulty sustaining body heat. As previously stated, they have a tendency to become chilled easily. As the Chi aged, The trend grows more pronounced. Shivering and burrowing deeply into bedding are signs that your Chihuahua is cold. To keep your Chihuahua warm, set the thermostat a few degrees higher in the winter and higher in the summer. If this is too expensive or uncomfortable, provide your ageing Chihuahua with plenty of warm, deep bedding that she can burrow down into to stay warm. Other options include placing the hercrate and bedding in warm, sunny areas of the house that are not draughty; purchasing sweaters and other pullovers that can be worn on cold days inside and cool days outside; and considering purchasing an electric heating pad if your Chihuahua can sleep on it without shredding the pad or chewing the cord.
Mobility
Arthritis affects all elderly pets. Arthritis, or painful joint inflammation, is caused by the slow breakdown of the natural cushioning (cartilage) between the bones of the joints. Disease (for example, luxating patellas) and/or joint trauma can accelerate this attrition, allowing a Chihuahua to develop pain at a younger age. The symptoms of arthritis include the following:
InflammationRedness
Tenderness to touch, heat in the area, joint licking, and stiffness.
Limping
Difficulties rising after lying down Reluctance to climb or descend stairs
Seeking heat to rest on, especially on very hot days. Aggression Fortunately, there are several ways to alleviate your Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s discomfort. However, you must first clarify with your veterinarian that your Chi\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s mobility issues are genuinely caused by arthritis. Some of these signs may signal a completely different ailment or disease. Glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate are nutritional supplements that are commonly added to senior dog meals to assist slow or improve joint deterioration. Polysulfatedglycosaminoglycans (PSGAGs), selenium, vitamins C, E, and the B-complex, digestive enzymes, omega-3 fatty acids, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and green-lipped mussels are some of the nutritional supplements that are widely advised for seniors to add to their diet. Shark cartilage was originally advised; however, due to overfishing of this animal, environmentalists no longer advocate it.
Cold packs on the afflicted joint are beneficial to a fresh arthritis patient (one year or less) or one who has recurrent arthritis flare-up. A tiny pack of frozen peas is ideal for this purpose since they adhere to the joint and thaw quickly, completing the therapy. The pack of peas can be refrozen and used repeatedly. Just make sure to identify the package so you don\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’t consume them by accident.
Acupuncture, chiropractic, and massage therapy are holistic therapies for treating arthritis and relieving pain in dogs. These methods of care can be extremely beneficial if the practitioner is trained. Other therapies may include herbal remedies such as buckbean, wild yam, valerian root, white willow bark and alfalfa. Chinese herbal combinations containing multiple herbs in treating arthritis include Liu Wei di Huang Wan and Chin Koo Tieh Shang Wan. For more information, consult your holistic practitioner.
Heat is particularly comfortable to the long-term, chronic sufferer of arthritis. The application of heat to the joint relieves pain and boosts blood It improves circulation to the joints and muscles while also relaxing muscle spasms. Wrap a light, tiny hot-water bottle in a hand towel.
Exercise is also important for maintaining joint mobility in arthritic dogs. Yes, it hurts when they first move after lying down; nevertheless, moderate and gentle activity helps to keep the muscles surrounding the arthritic joint healthy, providing greater support and less strain to the joint.
Age is just a number to senior Chis who are healthy and well-cared for.
In addition to the many complementary treatments listed above, conventional veterinary care includes the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs), corticoid steroids (prednisone), and Rimadyl. These drugs all have potentially dangerous side effects, which your veterinarian will carefully consider based on the severity of your Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s arthritis and suffering.
Incontinence
Your Chi has been flawless (or nearly perfect) her entire life, until she starts urinating more regularly or has an accident or two. What\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s happening? It is natural for elderly dogs to need more frequent opportunities to discharge themselves. As they age, they are unable to hold It was something they could do for extended amounts of time when they were younger. Litter pans and doggy doors are extremely beneficial since they allow the Chi to relieve herself anytime she needs to. If you find that your Chi is drinking a lot of water, urinating again seconds after emptying her bladder, has blood in her urine, or wakes up in a pool of urine wondering what happened, you\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’re dealing with more than just an ageing dog\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s decreased capacity to hold. Diabetes, Cushing\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s disease, bladder stones, and urinary tract infections are among the conditions that your veterinarian will want to test out. If the problem is incontinence, it could be caused by low oestrogen levels (in a female Chi) or a lack of the hormone that both male and female dogs normally generate which reduces urine production while sleeping. There are medications available to assist alleviate these problems.
Heart to heart.
Older dogs of all breeds are more likely to develop an enlarged heart. This illness impairs the dog\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s capacity to efficiently pump blood throughout her body, causing her to exhaust more quickly and cough as her heart expands against her lungs, among other signs. There is no cure for this type of heart disease, however numerous drugs are available that can significantly improve your Chi\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s quality of life.
Making life easier.
Our Chihuahuas can have a long, healthy life, but they cannot live forever. Perhaps the most crucial role we can play in our ageing dogs\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’ life is to give them all the care and attention they need—and then some. Pay attention to any changes that your Chihuahua exhibits that she did not previously. And be imaginative in making your Chihuahua\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s life simpler. If mobility is an issue, use floor mats on slick surfaces that are difficult to navigate. If your Chi is unable to climb into bed using a chair as a steppingstone, create a ramp for her so she can go up on her own. A elevated dog bowl can help an arthritic Chihuahua enjoy her food more easily. Also, know when it is time to let go. Do not overlook what your Chihuahua (or your veterinarian) is telling you. Your Chi has been too great a companion to let her suffer for days, weeks, or even months from a severe, irreparable disease. Though she will be the first creature to forgive you for putting her through this suffering, she will also be the most grateful for your parting generosity in relieving her pain. And don\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’t worry, she will be eagerly waiting for you at the Rainbow Bridge.