RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS:

If we recommend it here it is because we were QUITE impressed by it. I won't recommend fluff products to you; your time is more valuable than that. This vitamin has stabilized everything in our kennel from pre-conception to post-weaning.

NuVET VITAMIN, MINERAL AND HERBAL SUPPLEMENT:

Nuvet Plus

NuVet Plus "Finicky Dog Formula" 90 servings. Same ingredients as NuVet wafers; double the 100% nat

Shehadda Victory was four months and struggling due to a reaction to a vaccination and her tiny size. She was losing the battle. When we placed her on the NuVet Vitamins, she pulled right up to the stamina we all want to see in a Chihuahua. Shehadda only grew to be 2 pounds 4 ounces, a very small package indeed!

Most vitamin packages have 8 or 12 vitamins and that's it. Even the most popular (expensive) vitamin paste recommended by the vets has a sweatened base with only 8 or 12 vitamins. NuVet goes much farther because it has herbal additives and micro-nutrients even most humans don't get.

Most vitamins offer Vitamin E which is made from a byproduct of gasoline. I don't want a gasoline derivative in MY body or my dogs'! Other vitamins are invalid if heat-processed and can lose their potency if introduced to water. Many vitamins are processed in ways harmful to the vitamins' potency. And some cheaper variations of vitamins cannot be easily digested by the body while slightly more expensive variations could.

NuVet chooses ingredients which our dogs' bodies can use and processes them for the best utilization. This is important when it translates into a healthier dog with fewer vet bills for you.

I started using the NuVet Vitamins on weaning puppies and it immediately improved their strength, endurance and stamina. These little guys hobble over to the food at three weeks of age and take a lick of the honey-drizzled vitamin. Whenever I need to, I add these vitamins plus a whelp-help supplement to pregnant females' food as they need it. I have seen remarkable results since then.

Some might believe the vitamins will increase the size of the puppies. OK. So WHO wants an itty bitty puppy without the strength to endure? I'll take a chance on the increased size if it stabilizes the dog for you!

It is my opinion that the NuVet vitamins are one of the best things you can get for your dogs because of the additional ingredients necessary in diets. If you only purchase one container for your puppy, it will last nine months. Start him out right and keep him on track--with fewer vet visits.

Drizzle a thin layer of honey across the food (to act as a binding agent and to supply quick-to-process sugar), then apply the vitamin. Don't get the tablets; dogs don't like them as well! Honey-drizzle the food and they lap it up.

Just don't set it up on automatic delivery because the amount these little guys eat will vary quite a bit depending on their size at time of purchase and the amount you place on the food.

NuVet Vitamins,, www.NuVet.com
Order Code 15972 - you must have this to order.

Sarah

TO KENNEL OR NOT TO KENNEL

Even if your new puppy has the run of the house, one investment you need to make for your dogs' safety is a plastic dog kennel. I'm 41 years old and I've seen that conditions change even if you put up safeguards against it. People move away and come for overnight visits, children divorce and need a temporary place to stay...

Even if you don't have kids now or they have grown up, chances are at some point in your life you will be glad you had a plastic kennel for this little guy, even if it is a surgery you weren't expecting and you have to keep him "quiet" for a few days.

And there's nothing wrong with keeping a small plastic kennel covered with a plastic bag in the top of the garage storage system until you have such a need. Your puppy crate is $30 for a #100 plastic kennel, a token investment for a time when he needs that protection.

And if your puppy is struggling with a cold or sickness, the plastic kennel will greatly decrease drafts at home or in transportation to the vet. Wire cages are prettier but can allow drafts through and can't be transported to the vet. If the dog is used to the plastic kennel, he will feel more comfortable (less fearful) being tranported to the vet and will be shielded from that intrusive dog in the vets waiting room. Puppies can slip through the wire cages too as they aren't really designed to hold the world's smallest dogs' puppies.

CATALOGS OF RELATED INTEREST

REVIVAL ANIMAL CATALOG

Revival is a standard catalog offering less expensive medical supplies. It offers a few clothing items and is used by breeders to get the least expensive Frontline price. Compare all other catalogs (except for dog clothing) to Revival.
revivalanimal.com,


PET EDGE

While Pet Edge is meant to supply their products to Pet Stores and breeders, you the consumer can purchase products for your own use.

Pet Edge is the largest supplier of dog clothes I've found. Pet Stores I've seen just don't have the options found here, nor has any other single catalog I've seen. Compare all other sources of pet clothing to Pet Edge.

A couple of months ago, my groomer/breeder sister recommended certain inexpensive yet practical products from Pet Edge and I would like to share that information with you. Buyer beware, however, I have not used these products yet.

- Shampoo: (Most of these shampoos have to be diluted with water.) She recommended we avoid Oster as it is too drying, but steer towards, say, Ring 5 Color and Texture Enhancers and Coat Handler products.

- Detangler: "The Stuff for dogs" will help any long-coat keep detangled. Not a necessity in Chi's, but it could be helpful with the long-coats.

- Brushes: Almost any brush will work, but the "Universal Slicker" brushes tend to be too stiff, possibly cutting dogs skin. Try "#1 All System" Brushes.

- Scizzors: Inexpensive scizzors is the way to go as you won't need them much. You could trim long-coats behind the rear legs from the bottom of the tail down, but it isn't a necessity. The LAST thing I want is to remove compacted stool from her coat so I trim the rear section BEFORE any of that happens. But you MUST be careful as trimming the skin off with the hair is very easy to do, even for the most experienced breeders and groomers.

- Nail trimmers are a must but please do yourself a favor...get some type of quick-stop product which stops the bleeding from toenails when you clip the "quick". Even if the powder gets moist, you can easily scratch the powder loose and use that on a toenail.

AND before you clip toenails, have your vet show you how short to clip the toenail as some dogs have bled to death through clipping the quick and we don't want to do that! You can look at the toenail and see where the quick starts...you just have to have an experienced person show you first.
www.petedge.com



IN THE COMPANY OF DOGS

In The Company of Dogs catalog offers elegant and more-expensive products. I am surprised at the lack of quality found in other catalogs but this catalog seems to have stepped over that barrier and up to the plate. (I have never ordered from them so buyer beware to judge them for yourselves.)

- DOG STEPS: I have never seen a nicer step system than #D64-056 or D64-055. #D17-070 and D19-008 offer smaller steps. All quite nice but expensive. Consider these if you want to purchase one set of steps for your lifetime which doesn't offend your household decor. Otherwise, some other catalogs offer steps of poorer quality. Your budget, your choice.

- IDENTIFICATION TAGS: You can purchase a metalic tag from a machine or one of these mineaturized drivers license type tag for your dogs' collar showing his photo and home information. This looks quite nice and is laminated. It should last quite a while unless your little dog can teethe on it.

www.InTheCompanyOfDogs.com

GENERAL INFORMATION you should consider....

General and Important Information for my potential customers.......


Vaccinations

There is concern in the "Pet / Breeder arena" about whether or not to vaccinate a tiny Chi with the same amount of vaccination a Saint Bernard receives. Reportedly, more and more puppies are dying because first vaccinations are killing the tiny puppies. Some Chi breeders hold off on the vaccinations with the reasoning that the puppies are kept indoors and that they are "pretty safe". Some people vaccinate the puppies just before the pups leave with their new owners. Some people give half of a vaccination shot. We don't really know why some Chi puppies are dying, but allowing them to go unprotected is simply not an option and in my thinking would put more puppies at risk of contacting the virus than if we vaccinated them in the first place. Giving half doses might not be effective enough, either. It is this breeders' opinion that the scientists who established the rule of one size vaccination fits all puppies must have known what they were doing. Therefore, I will strive to vaccinate my puppies from 6 to 8 weeks of age, and every few weeks thereafter until the full puppy vaccation succession has been followed.

No half vaccinations from THIS kennel. They will receive full vaccinations starting at 6 to 8 weeks and continuing until you take the puppy home. All our adults will receive rabies, even if there will never be an exposure to rabies, because THAT is the law.

I could have purchased a Parvo-only vaccine for the purpose of re-couping some of that money lost but that leaves the puppy open to four other potential problems (parainfluenza, distemper and adenovirus-2), although the likeliness of their contracting any of these other diseases before you get a five-way shot is almost nil. Still, my desire is to do what's right regardless of the "reasoning away" factor. So I give "Progard-5" (which is a "five-way vaccination") for older puppies and adults starting at 6-8 weeks.



Cheap Chihuahuas:

There have been quite a few inexpensive puppies sold at rediculously-low prices, but the dogs died of Parvo shortly thereafter. Why? Because the seller lied or omitted the need for having administered the parvo vaccine. Some of these breeders place the puppies in compromising conditions, possibly with sub-standard housing, inferior foods, over-breeding or severe inbreeding practices.

I plan to be a Chi. breeder for at least twenty years. When you take your pup to the vet, it's a reflection of my kennel and on my practices. It's my responsibility to match healthy puppies with healthy recipients. It is my responsibility to be responsible so you get the best quality, healthy puppy. We don't sell cheap dogs because we have to pay for these associated costs so you don't have sickly dogs with high vet bills. I have to wonder if cheap Chihuahuas going without proper care produce healthy puppies for you.


Our Medications:

We attach vial labels to the Bill of Sale, making notations of medications administered. It is your responsibility to take the Bill of Sale to the vet so your puppy doesn't receive a duplication of medication. When we say we "wormed" our puppies, it would be with liquid Nemex-2. We do not "tapeworm" our puppies as tapeworms usually come from flee infestations and we do everything in our power to deter that pest from even beginning. My administering our medications will NEVER negate immediate follow-up with your vet. We require that you visit your vet within three working days of picking up your puppy if you want to ensure its' health.


Expected Adult Weight and Sizes of Puppies:

If you type in "Chihuahua Weight Chart" into the computer's search engine, you will find a chart comparing the weight of the dog to its' age, showing the estimated weight at adulthood. We attempt to weigh your puppy three times, comparing them to the weight chart. There are always predisposed genetics, thyroid imbalances or diet-al difficulties which could effect the end weight; so there is no guarantee of weight expectations. We simply trust the weigh scale more than our "experienced eye" to judge the size of this puppy, and this chart gives a basis of comparison of dog with dog. Think about this...A tiny Chihuahua can be born at 2 ounces while a large puppy would be 4 ounces. As I said, I would trust the chart's measurement system a little more than an experienced "eye" to judge end weight.


Protection and Conditioning your tiny pup to fit in this great big world:

There are always unobservant and inattentive people who just don't seem to understand the delicacy of an under-foot, under-four-pound Chi, and who never seem to remember to watch out for them. In our house, we stamp our feet in such a way to teach young dogs to stay away from the feet without scaring them into permanent timidity. Once they get that point, we then teach them that we'll protect and comfort them and that "all is well in their great big world!". ((Although we don't do that to your puppies.))

If kids will be factored in your lives, please, please teach your children, your nieces and nephews and your friends to be considerate of the tiny package in your home by not diving at it or making it run away as they are being pursued! A hard plastic kennel in the corner of a room is a GREAT place to put a tiny dog when youngsters or inattentive visitors grace your home. If that hard plastic kennel is his "bed" then he quickly settles down. Soft beds in the corner are great unless you have a flow of traffic. And if you ever have a vet-mandated order to "keep him quiet and still for a few days", you'll be glad you trained him to enjoy the peace and safety of a hard kennel.

Six month old babies do not leave the puppies alone and are too young to adequately train to do so. A kennel is a great place to go when moving from an apartment or when a toddler is awake and ready to play. A #100 or #200 sized kennel is all your dog would need, the #200 would be better than a #100 but either will work WELL.



About the health of our females and our puppies:

Any dog in my kennel with an unreasonable defect (specifically a disease or genetic defect) would be removed from breeding, possibly even notifications sent out to current puppy owners, should that be necessary. There's no sense in making humans or puppies suffer. We can't knowingly reproduce defects.



Hypoglycemia:

any breeder with a conscious has to stand behind the dogs. But a good number of people damage their puppies and try to return them to the breeder, blaming the breeder for the damage they themselves did. Breeders have had to be pretty selective to whom they sell puppies and for what reason they were returned.

I will to stand behind every dog I sell as fairly to the purchaser as I am to myself. For I am 42 years old and I have learned something about life....Whatsoever a man sows, THAT shall he also reap! I can't sow badly because it really does come back to me! But I won't be taken.

To that end, we give our weaning puppies a powdered vitamin with honey drizzled on top of their Eukanuba puppy food. We give it to the mothers too. Since we started this practice, our puppies have repeatedly become VERY stable with no hypoglycemia (blood sugar imbalances). Puppies of weaning age can have a more difficult time regulating their blood sugar levels and NEED food in front of them continually, yet most new owners start feeding them four times a day to "potty train" better. Tinier puppies and infrequent feeding increases the likelihood of problems or even morbidity.



Stability at time of departure:

Hypoglycemia is common in Chi's and can be avoided almost entirely if a few rules are followed, things I talked about in this communicae' (vitamins on nutritious [not cheap] food with with honey drizzles, not being born with worms, and continual food and water). Most of the hypoglycemia problem happens at weaning when the pups are going from natural sugars supplied in the mothers' milk to unnatural, heat-processed dog food. And the problem could be increased if the puppy is still nursing on Momma when they leave the kennel to your home. It has to do with the amount of easily-processed sugar ingested. If the puppy is stabilized before it leaves and the conditions at home are appropriate, the puppy shouldn't have a blood sugar problem.

I highly recommend that when a pup leaves my house, the new owner drizzles a thin layer of honey over the top of the food and put a powdered vitamin on the top of the food; it gets into and breaks down quickly into the puppy's system, allowing quick absorption and utilization. Puppies are very excited to meet their new owners and use a lot of energy greeting them.

If you will look up www.NuVet.com you will see a who's who listing of vitamins, minerals and herbs. A tub costs $60 but last 9 months because each "serving" for a Chi is actually a 1/2 serving.

This vitamin should pull ANY puppy through whatever stresses they encounter the first nine months. If you never purchase another tub, it will sustain him with easily-digestible nutrients and herbs at a time most susceptable to stress-related problems. AND, NO, it isn't over-vitamin-ing the pups, I use this all the time. And if it came to a choice between a soft bed with a few toys or the tub of vitamins, the tub would provide nutritional advantages and stabilization.

Rest assured that NO PUPPY WILL EVER LEAVE MY HOUSE if it is not completely stable enough to endure whatever I think the person in front of me (or the little monsters hiding at home :) ) would put that puppy through. I'll lose a sale before I let a weak dog leave! I'll advise you of any problems pertinent to your dog along the way.

And, UNDER EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE, if the puppy should ever "go down", such as in dying or struggling in some similar fashion, place a small amount of honey on your fingertip, rub it on the puppy's gums, and take the puppy to the vet. I can't tell you how many puppies were saved because they got an instant gush of sugar in their blood stream, which perked them up enough to be treated. If the dog is in a seizure, however, a tiny amount could be applied to the outside edge of the gums, however, you run the risk of entering an open air tube. That would be your judgment call, I would do it because a good number of pups in seizure are so because of hypoglycemia and the honey would help curb that. It's your judgment call, not mine, you have to decide if the risk of choking outweighs the risks involved.

Occasionally, a pup will stop eating or drinking when you remove them from their regular circumstances (visiting a relative). Monitor the dog making sure they receive regular feed and water when you take trips.

HYPOGLYCEMIA IS NOT THE NORM, EVEN IN THE TINIEST OF PUPPIES, AND SHOULD NEVER BE ACCEPTED AS THE NORM. It shouldn't be "expected". But should anything happen, place honey on your finger, then the dog's gums and take it to the vet. If you don't have honey, corn syrup (which is not-natural) or perhaps even sugar could do in a pinch.

And, That's a lot of info to give you. You can see why I keeeep telling people I'd rather have a phone call than e-mail???!!! :)



In Conclusion:

May I suggest you check out NuVet.com and purchase a tub BEFORE you purchase a dog, even if your puppy purchase leads you elsewhere. (Use an order code #15972) If these vitamins are a budget-buster, at least purchase a container of honey so you can thinly drizzle honey over the top of the dog food; it helps regulate the dog's energy/blood sugar level. When you purchase a pup, I'll give you a sample of vitamins which should last a week or so.

You can check out RevivalAnimal.com, also, as well as PetEdge.com Pet Edge has a HUGE range of clothing for dogs and that's why I recommend them to pet customers.

We use Eukanuba Small Bites Puppy food. As long as Eukanuba continues with quality food, I'll never change from Eukanuba. Eukanuba is more expensive. The tub is somewhat expensive. But it's a nominal charge for something that lasts very long (A Chi puppy will eat 1/4 to 1 cup food a day and the tub will last 9 months) and is certainly worth saving lots of money on vet bills later on, and worth it in a long-living Chi, which, by the way, could live as long as twenty years (long enough to see your grandchild born!) Oh My!

And if Eukanuba is too expensive, Purina One Lamb and Rice is an inexpensive, though cheaper dog food. Switch to it when the puppy is nine months IF it is a budget concern. If not, keep Eukanuba...Dogs really do consume more of the cheap food because they are missing nutrients and have phantom hunger. So Eukanuba is still cost-effective and your tiny dog won't eat that much anyway.

Wal-Mart offers storage totes (with lids) for $10. If you place one or two of these smaller totes in the corner of your living areas, you can train your Chi to go potty in the tote by placing him inside when he has to potty. ((You can achieve the same goal by separating the top from the bottom of a hard, plastic kennel.))

Rather than taking him outside to potty, take him to the tote for a couple of weeks for him to get the idea that "I do my duty inside and then I go outside" for the reward of play! After two solid weeks, cut an opening (not a circle) in the tote large enough for the dog to easily go in and out, say, 8" wide leaving a 2 to 3" lip at the bottom. If the puppy potties inside the tote, the remains stay inside rather than falling out the edge such as he would with newspaper on the floor.

I offer this idea because, to Chi's, the whole house is a giant wooden and carpeted yard ready to play and potty in, and Chi's are notorious for indoor pottying. Totes take care of that problem, and if you visit somebody on a weekend excursion, you can take a small, clean tote for him...It smells like home, it smells like his body smells...YOU get the idea. And your hostess feels much better knowing WHERE the smell is originating.

Most snow storms leave snow height larger than the Chi is tall! Think about that!!!!. I should know because Minnesota has huge snow storms leaving great amounts of snow. Come January, the snow, in many places, is stacked higher than the people! It is always intimidating to see the snow drifts higher than you are! Would you want to go to the outhouse if the snow was that tall and that cold?

Thank you for enduring the stories and advice.

I'm happy to see you whenever you like, and there are NEVER too many questions or too dumb of questions. We're here almost all of the time and prefer a little notice. We don't shove our five kids off to public school having them home for four hours in the evening. No, they're always here, they're always creating messes and we're always cleaning! So a little notice is greatly appreciated!

Sarah
WeeSmall Chihuahuas

CONTACT INFORMATION

WeeSmall Pomeranians