<*>[Attachment(s) from Joan Croft included below]
From: Joan Croft [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Saturday, April 28, 2012 8:40 PM
To: '[email protected]'
Subject: Becky & Gracie
Hi Becky.
How old is Gracie, and how much does she weigh?
Can you post a picture to see just how fat she is?
I have to say I really felt that I was the worst Chi-momma in the world.
First I should have recognized that he was the fattest little puppy that I
had ever seen. He looked like a little bear cub.
I think at 8 weeks he was 3 lbs and 11 oz. I know, some of you have full
grown chis that are that size or less. Before my vet weighed him, when he
just picked him up for the first time, he said ‘Oh, he’s a hefty one!’ I
guess that is polite for ‘who the heck has been over feeding this puppy!’
And…in only 8 weeks of his life!
Well, he told me to cut back the amount of the then ‘Royal Canin Baby Dog’
and I did, I looked at the amount on the bag and I was feeding less than it
said to. (However, right now, Dolly & Desi get about half of what the RC
Chihuahua bag says that they should get. I think it both increases their
sales, but also promotes little chubs)
At that time, Desi had to go every week or so for his boosters, and he was
gaining…but he was a puppy so we couldn’t starve him…he had bones and
muscles and things that needed to be nourished and grow. I think at
12-weeks was when he was put on RC Small Breed Puppy…I guess less fat maybe?
Well, I fed him about half…and this puppy was hungry because he had been
free-fed at the breeder and was accustomed to eating all day long. He would
come and cry and cry and then when I would feed him he would be by his bowl
before I could put the food in. He would wake me up in the morning with
many, many kisses at 5 am…he was hungry – and why was my sleep more
important? He was still eating three times a day then, so it was easier to
cut back when it had to be done over three feedings.
Right before he was 4 months old, the vet diagnosed a dangerous testicular
problem and so he had to be neutered right away. Well…it took about four or
five cuts in his little round belly to untangle and free the testicle that
was not attached to anything. But, I think that during that surgery, the
vet saw the total thickness of that fat layer he was carrying around. So
before he was four months old, he was on RC Adult Chihuahua food. I worked
with the vet in adjusting what he was getting.
The good thing about my vet – and maybe you can get your vet to do a deal
like this with you – is that he told me that I could bring him in any time
FOR FREE, and he would weigh him, feel him to see if his ribs were really in
there, and then let me know if we should cut back more or maybe even give
him a little more. So if I had to cut his food back to half – I would start
cutting it a little bit each meal over maybe a week…they really don’t notice
that they are missing 10 pieces (RC Chihuahua – very tiny) in each feeding.
Remember that I did all this under the guidance of the vet…because he was a
puppy. There were a few times that the vet would tell me to give him a
little more, and I could see he was growing up and out – and then a little
too round.
I think he was maybe 11 months old when the vet said that he was a good
healthy weight and his bones and everything could be felt and not sticking
out. So, he said to give him a little more…but I saw him gaining and just
cut back a little more.
With both of mine wanting to be inseparable, Desi was always with if I had
to take Dolly for something, so he had some extra feels in between his
visits. The thing is that Desi loves Dr Bullard...maybe because he made him
a lean playin’ machine.
At about 14 months, Desi was pretty much lean and staying very steady in his
weight. Oh…I didn’t think that day would ever come. And then right before
he was two, I noticed that he had gotten a bit wider around his rear…he had
been very narrow and I even asked the groups if males have smaller builds
than the females (Dolly is thin, but her rear bone structure is wider.)
I noticed this about three months after I had surgery and thought maybe I
just didn’t remember how narrow he had been. I took him to Dr Bullard…Desi
had gained weight, but he was still just as lean. The vet and I think that
because he was taken off of puppy food so early, that part of his bone
development was delayed. He has been about the same size – with no growth
spurts for almost a year, so I am hoping that this is it.
As hard as it is:
No treats. If you have to give her a treat in order to train her to go
potty outside…the Charlee Bear treats are very low calorie. Chicken Liver
and Cranberry is their favorite
http://www.petco.com/product/117215/Charlee-Bear-Dog-Treats-with-Turkey-Live
r-And-Cranberries.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch
Look for the tiniest treats, and you can even break the tiniest. I had some
that were tiny little star treats
http://www.petco.com/product/114218/Wet-Noses-Little-Stars-Organic-Dog-Train
ing-Treats.aspx
If you can keep the treat to just that one to train for potty training…that
is good. Once he learned to go potty, I made him come further and further
inside the house before I gave him the treat. I would then take one and
throw it a little distance so he had to run into the house to get it. After
a few days of that, it was just praise…no treat.
Before I had Desi, Dolly wanted treats all day and so I made it that the
only time she got a treat was when she finished a bowl of her food (she is
a grazer.) So I used to get all excited and then give her the treat. When
Dolly finishes her food, she will bark to let me know, and so I still give
her the treat, but at the same time, Desi gets a very tiny treat…and
sometimes just one little RC kibble.
Your dogs (if you have more than one) don’t really care if they all get the
same treat, just that they get one.
Desi then learned to almost inhale his food, and then he would sit on the
bed and look like he was chewing for 20 minutes. That was part of his
‘breeder free-feeding’ syndrome. The vet told me that he had the food in
his esophagus and doing the chewing motions was pushing it a little at a
time down his throat. So then, I had to buy all kinds of treat dispensing
toys to feed him his kibble. We have been doing this for about a year and a
half. I had to start one kibble at a time and then if he didn’t chew, he
had to wait for his next piece. (Not easy for that little guy that LOVES
food!)
It took about three months, twice a day, to get him to chew his
food, then we started the treat dispensing toys and I would stand over him
and watch. If he started to not chew his food, I would tell him that I
wanted to hear the crunch…and then he would chew.
I am always looking for new toys, but he is outsmarting me…as the
vet predicted, so I have just figured out putting a treat which is too big
to come out in the toy along with his kibble, slows down the number of
kibble that he can eat in a set amount of time…and then his food will not
get all clogged up in his throat.
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On
Behalf Of Becky
Sent: Saturday, April 28, 2012 6:23 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Chihuahuas] Re: Dogs that fall into hands of BAD people
I am interested in hearing from you, what diet you used to get him to lose
weight. My little Gracie could lose a little weight. Any advice?
Becky & the girls
Sent from Becky's iPhone
On Apr 28, 2012, at 5:30 PM, Joan Croft <[email protected]> wrote:
I will attest – having a male Chihuahua born of the same bitch and sire as
many other litters before him. Bitch and Sire 4 ½ and 5 ½ lbs…look like
most Chihuahuas today. I got Desi at 8 weeks old, very sweet and loving
little guy, but at 14 weeks he was a good inch taller than his littermate
brother when they were just standing normally. Today, Desi is almost 9 lbs
and very lean. He has the stature and some of the features of the original
Chihuahuas when they were up to 20 lbs. He has a much longer snout and he
was VERY OBESE when I got him…on a diet until he was 11 months old, and now
he is actually losing a little more weight and has very long back legs, a
very long narrow body, and his front legs are a bit shorter and stouter than
his back. He got some genes that had to have been recessive. I am glad
that I never have seen any aggressive traits in either of mine, but Desi is
living proof that genes from many generations before get thrown into the mix
every once in a while.
<image001.gif>
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On
Behalf Of Pam Dean
Sent: Saturday, April 28, 2012 4:49 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Chihuahuas] Re: Dogs that fall into hands of BAD people
Amen. Some of us are working hard to achieve that end. Hope it comes ,in
my lifetime.
From: jules <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2012 4:49 PM
Subject: [Chihuahuas] Re: Dogs that fall into hands of BAD people
A friend was sold a pup out of the back of a car here in the UK. She thought
it was a Patterdale. She also bought a female Patterdale from a breeder.
Very early on, the male dog was extremely aggressive towards other animals
and humans.
She took him to her vet, and the vet thought he was a Pitbull terrier.
My friend employed dog trainers to no avail. This dog made an unprovoked
attack on the Patterdale bitch causing severe damage to ligaments.
My friend had to have the dog destroyed. He had also attacked her family.
Aggression is hereditary. It gets passed on.
Fighting dogs are bred
Fortunately here in the UK pitbull terriers are banned. There have been too
many incidences af extreme aggression.
--- In [email protected], Becky <stewartgang@...> wrote:
>
> I don't believe there is any scientific proof that all Pitbull dogs are
aggressive. Why not focus your energies on doing something with people who
are unfit dog owners of all breeds? There would most likely be alot less
situations that happen, if there were educated, appropriate , accountable
and responsible owners.
>
> Becky & the girls
>
> Sent from Becky's iPhone
>
> On Apr 26, 2012, at 6:09 PM, Pam Dean muffinsbabies@... wrote:
>
> > Do you really believe that only "bad people" have pitts that attack?
That is so not true and I know that from personal experience. All of the
instances I or my friends have been involved in the owners were the
"responsible" ones. The ones that thought the sun rose and set in this
gentle giant. The ones that insisted their dog was different and would never
hurt an animal or human..they have been raised different. Well guess
what..their so called gentle giant killed just as quickly as any other pitt.
> >
> > From: stewartgang stewartgang@...
> > To: [email protected]
> > Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2012 5:11 PM
> > Subject: [Chihuahuas] Dogs that fall into hands of BAD people
> >
> >
> > How unfortunate for our four legged fur friends. More and more often, we
see on the daily news, a dog that has been badly neglected or abused. And,
we also hear of dogs that have attacked someone. The bottom line here is,
all of these dogs have fallen victim to being in the hands of BAD people. I
will always feel sorrow for the ones who are hurt by the hands of people,
but I also feel sorrow for those that will be eauthanized because of an
attack which could have prevented if they only had been in the hands of a
GOOD and responsible owner.
> > Dogs come into this world as babies, no matter what the breed, and
puppies love and trust everyone. It is what they experience through their
lives that develop their character as adult dogs. I believe that there is a
lot to be said about both animals and children on how they are raised and
the outcome.
> > I really don't think that there are bad dogs, but I sure do believe
there are alot of bad people. Not everyone out there are like the ones on
this forum, who love and care about their dogs, how unfortunate for those
dogs who lie in those peoples's hands.
> >
> > Becky & the Girls
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > TODAY(Beta) • Powered by Yahoo!
> > Scandal shakes influential Chinese family
> > Privacy Policy
> >
> >
>
<*>Attachment(s) from Joan Croft:
<*> 1 of 1 File(s)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chihuahuas/attachments/folder/2030842290/item/list
<*> winmail.dat
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