Hi Joan,
I did create a photo album where you can see both Gracie and Sabrina if you
like. My Album is under Becky's Chi Kids.
Becky & the girls
--- In [email protected], "Joan" <joan_croft@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Becky,
> I have heard of quite a few Chihuahuas that develop thyroid problems which
> cause extra weight.
> Desi is all fun...and so he loves to run around and he will sometimes just
> jump out of the chair and walk around the house looking all over...so I call
> him the 'inspector general'!
> Dolly would rather lay and look pretty than to be out running around. She
> gets upset at Desi sometimes and then she will chase him and be screeching at
> him. Not always sure what happened to start it. But, sometimes when Desi
> goes outside to go potty in the evening, Dolly doesn't want to go out there.
> So this evening I went out in the back and was making sure that the branches
> of the bottlebrush tree weren't growing into my neighbors 'airspace'. Desi
> was on the patio, and the moment that I made the littel three brick high jump
> from the planter, he started his zoomies. He loves to do zoomies and I
> rather that he do them back there than on top of my bed. He was having so
> much fun and finally, I just had to open the door to come in and then he came
> zooming in the house too.
> I have heard about dogs gaining weight after being spayed. Some vets say
> that is a myth. I know when Dolly was a puppy, I had a difficult time when I
> was feeding her...I always thought that I needed to be feeding her more, but
> then I looked at the size of her and realized for her size she was getting
> enough.
> However, I sometimes think that the bags of dog food have the recommendations
> by size of the dog to be a bit too much. Dolly & Desi eat the RC Chihuahua
> and if I fed either of them what the bag says, they probably woudl weigh as
> much as Grace in a month. So it is your job to just cut back a kibble or two
> at a time and then cut back a little more in a week or so. She won't even
> know that you are doing that. I was a bit nervous when I started that with
> Desi, but he doesn't know. He just knows now that if it is gone, it is gone.
> Remember it will take her a little while to lose teh weight, but the
> important thing is that her intake is being adjusted and it will make a
> difference. Dolly is usually a free-feeder so she rarely overeats. Some
> love to eat, and some could care less. Good luck.
>
> --- In [email protected], Becky <stewartgang@> wrote:
> >
> > Hi Joan, thanks for all the info.
> > Gracie is now 6 years old. She started to put on weight about a year after
> > she was spayed. I really feel like she is not over eating, but rather, not
> > getting enough excercise.
> > In fact today, I had her in the pool for some stress free joint excercise.
> > She weighs 12 pounds right now. She used to be at a steady 8.
> > I am going to try extra hard to be sure she is excercising every day. I
> > hope this will make a difference. My daughter is a vet tech, she brought
> > me a bag of Canadai for weight loss.
> > But one point you made was the one about treats. Gracie likes her evening
> > treats. Guess I need to stop that.
> >
> > Becky & the girls
> >
> > Sent from Becky's iPhone
> >
> > On Apr 29, 2012, at 4:02 AM, Joan Croft <joan_croft@> wrote:
> >
> > > [Attachment(s) from Joan Croft included below]
> > > From: Joan Croft [mailto:joan_croft@]
> > > 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 âOh, heâs a hefty
> > > one!â I
> > > guess that is polite for âwho the heck has been over feeding this
> > > puppy!â
> > > Andâ¦in only 8 weeks of his life!
> > >
> > > Well, he told me to cut back the amount of the then âRoyal Canin Baby
> > > Dogâ
> > > 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
> > > gainingâ¦but he was a puppy so we couldnât starve himâ¦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 Puppyâ¦I guess less fat
> > > maybe?
> > > Well, I fed him about halfâ¦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 amâ¦he was hungry â" 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. Wellâ¦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 â" and maybe you can get your vet to do a
> > > deal
> > > like this with you â" 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 â" I would
> > > start
> > > cutting it a little bit each meal over maybe a weekâ¦they really donât
> > > notice
> > > that they are missing 10 pieces (RC Chihuahua â" very tiny) in each
> > > feeding.
> > >
> > > Remember that I did all this under the guidance of the vetâ¦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 â" 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 moreâ¦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 playinâ machine.
> > >
> > > At about 14 months, Desi was pretty much lean and staying very steady in
> > > his
> > > weight. Ohâ¦I didnât think that day would ever come. And then right
> > > before
> > > he was two, I noticed that he had gotten a bit wider around his rearâ¦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 didnât remember how narrow he had been. I took him to Dr
> > > Bullardâ¦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 â" 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 outsideâ¦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
> > > trainingâ¦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 praiseâ¦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 treatâ¦and
> > > sometimes just one little RC kibble.
> > >
> > > Your dogs (if you have more than one) donât 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
> > > âbreeder free-feedingâ 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 didnât 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 crunchâ¦and then he would chew.
> > >
> > > I am always looking for new toys, but he is outsmarting meâ¦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 timeâ¦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 <joan_croft@> wrote:
> > >
> > > I will attest â" 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 lbsâ¦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 himâ¦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 <xogenevieveox@>
> > > 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
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
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>
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