I had asked my vet because Dolly would take her naps in the little bed next to my chair (8 or 9 weeks old) and her nose would be tight into the cushion. The vet said that a lot of dogs do that, and if she was having trouble breathing then she would move her head. Sometimes they both sleep under the blankets in bed, but when they just have one of their small blankets wrapped around them, they usually keep their heads out. During the days, if Desi is under a blanket in the recliner, or anywhere else, I only know he is there from the tip of the tail and the very tip of his nose are visible. I am thinking perhaps because they are animals, when they sleep they kind of go into hibernation mode and their breathing slows down. I think with Dolly, keeping her nose to the bed is more of a way for her to be able to warm her body without breathing in cold air. I know that I have touched her during the night and it seems that her breathing is a lot slower with less respirations. Dolly has been doing it for 3 ½ years and is still alive…and Desi it has been almost 2 ½ years. I guess it is OK however they sleep unless you are forcing them to put their noses in to the blankets and beds.
I used to sleep totally under the blanket because we did not have central air conditioning. I probably slept completely under for the entire winters. I don’t remember gagging or having sleep apnea or anything. I guess I really never thought about why I could breath under the blanket, too. From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Lynda Sent: Friday, January 20, 2012 1:27 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Chihuahuas] burrowing under the covers - how do you breathe little one? Happy Friday everyone....whew...long week (and it was a short one for me).... I gotta ask - and I've asked this of my vets as well - they just say 'I don't know they just do'. My Timmy (schnoodle) and Charlotte (chi) - like to burrow down under the covers to sleep (all night)....I worry so much about them being able to breathe - but they insist and keep burrowing down under the blanket and quilt I have on my bed-Timmy goes down to my hip and curls up against my stomach if I'm on my side. I keep Charlotte up near my hip so I can check her throughotu the night to be sure she's still breathing (I don't sleep through the night ever)-but she would go to my knees if I let her. And wow - talk about generating the heat - whew... Do you ever wonder how in the world are they able to breathe? Lynda
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