> My daughters chihuahua had puppies 2 weeks ago and the one I chose did
not grow and today she died, the vet said her fontanalle was full and
states hydrocephalic. Is this common?
The fact that she didn't grow and then died does sound like hydrocephalus.
I don't know what the vet was basing his diagnosis on, but I sure hope it
wasn't the puppy's open fontanel. Many, many chihuahuas have fontanels that
take years to close or never close at all, and this is perfectly normal in
chihuahuas. One of my chis, Chiclet, took until she was four years old to
close. My other chi, Luna, still has an open fontanel at 5 years of age and
I'm sure always will, because hers was larger. She's perfectly healthy
otherwise, and we have to be careful of her head when she plays because she
loves to roughhouse and race madly around the house.
Hydrocephalus isn't common and is sometimes misdiagnosed because of the open
fontanel and the applehead head shape, but it is more common among
chihuahuas than most other breeds. With the applehead head shape, the very
common chihuahua open fontanel, and the fact that in chi puppies their heads
look oversized anyway, the ONLY way to confidently diagnose hydrocephalus is
with a skull ultrasound or MRI.
Chihuahuas are the longest-lived breed of dog there is, and it's not that
unusual for them to live into their late teens/early 20s. So Bandit should
still have plenty of time to enjoy your love.
Anne
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