Gigi isn't normally a chewer, but last week I was cleaning the parrot cage and laid a large thick perch on the floor. I walked into another room for a moment and when I came back, Gigi must have decided that the perch was her new toy, cause she was chewing the corner off of it. She didn't act guilty either, she was happy as a lark wagging her tail and looking at me. Now that she knows it is not a toy for her I doubt that she will do it again.
I can understand your anxiety waiting to bring Merit home. I felt the same thing when I adopted Princess from the shelter. But I lifted my spirits one day by going out shopping for her. I have to say, I still remember how happy I felt and how much I enjoyed that day. I felt like I was shopping for a new grandchild again! I bought her everything that day, two beds, tons of toys, dishes, collars and leads, tshirts, snacks. I went to every store that carried dog stuff. My dollar and discount stores here are great for dog items and they are made well too. Bought tons of stuff with the name Princess" on them. Did the same thing for Gigi the day after I got her. What fun! BTW, do you know how old and how much Merit weighs? Peggy & The Girls -------Original Message------- From: michaela_and_merit Date: 9/3/2012 12:11:42 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [Chihuahuas] Re: New adoptive chi parent :) Gigi sounds like a character :) I didn't buy Merit a bed yet because I want to see if he chews things up and destroys them first. I have a few blankets for him in his crate. Do chis usually chew things up?? Well, I'm sad because the shelter's closed today for the holiday so I can't go visit him. Hopefully this will not mean a delay in processing the adoption!! Shelter staff told me 3-5 business days so I HOPE I get him by Friday!! I am keeping my fingers crossed. --- In [email protected], Peggy & The Girls <phrpg5@...> wrote: > > LOL Michaela! I am sure that he will love your t-shirt to lay upon. A lot of > chi's like to snuggle in those baby acrylic blankets. I found a couple of > them at the dollar store. > > The strange thing with Gigi, as compared to most other chis, is that she > doesn't like blankets in her bed. She will go through great lengths to pull > them out. Since she was a BYB dog and was loaded with newspaper print, I don > t think that she ever had blankets and soft beds. In fact when I first got > her and put newspaper on her wee tray, I found her sleeping on it several > times. Now she loves her beds and has even claimed the larger beds that were > originally bought for Princess. When the winter comes in, I will put the > blankets out again and maybe this year she will like them. > > > > > > > -------Original Message------- > > From: michaela_and_merit > Date: 9/2/2012 3:05:57 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [Chihuahuas] Re: New adoptive chi parent :) > > > Thank you so much for your reply, Peggy! I especially appreciate your tip > about taking him something that smells like me while he is still at the > shelter. I am going to go visit him tomorrow and take the T shirt I was > wearing when we first met each other yesterday (I didn't wash it). I am so > glad to have all the support and tips!! Thank you very much for all your > advice. > > --- In [email protected], Peggy & The Girls <phrpg5@> wrote: > > > > Hi Michaela! And congratulations on your new baby! So happy that you > decided > > to adopt a shelter chi and save his life. > > > > Well, for a starter you are absolutely right about them not doing well in > a > > shelter. They are real people dogs and thrive on attention. Since you have > > to wait a week, I would suggest visiting him atleast once a day if that is > > possible, so he can get use to you before you take him home. That will > help > > to relieve some of his anxiety and stress. Bring him a small blanket and a > > cuddle toy and some treats. He will remember your scent on them. > > > > Also, chis are prone to hypoglycemia from stress, so it would be a good > > thing to pick up a tube of Nutra-Cal. It is sold in most pet shops. It > will > > replenish his electrolytes and balance his sugar level, especially after > his > > surgery. Let him lick it off the tube several times a day for the first > week > > Use it any time in the future that you know a situation will be stressful > > for him. > > > > Try to find a good all natural dog food with the first two ingredients > > chicken. A good ratio would be protein 26-28%, and fat not higher then 14% > > since chis gain weight easily. Treats will be trial and error, since every > > dogs taste is different. Whatever you decide make sure the package > > says that all the ingredients are from the USA and made in the USA. If it > > says distributed by a US company, then the odds are it was made and > imported > > from China. Many dogs have become very sick and many deaths have occurred > > because of treats that have been imported and the FDA still hasn't made it > > mandatory for them to be removed from stores shelves, because although > they > > know they are making the dogs sick, their test can't prove what is in them > > that is so fatal to dogs, and by law cannot have them taken off the market > > until they have scientific proof. > > > > Once you get him home and he has recovered from his neuter and it is time > to > > have him checked out by a private vet, my advise is to have a full blood > > panel done. That will ensure that all his vital organs are functioning > > properly, and prevent any issues that may show up in the future. > > I had that done on my Gigi who I found as a free chi, and I knew that she > > needed medical attention for teeth and spaying, but only the blood test > > showed that she has liver issues that was causing her to have seizures. I > > have since changed her diet several times and she has been seizure free > and > > her liver is stabilized for some time now. If I didn't have the blood test > > done, I would never have known what was causing the seizures and she would > > have kept getting worse, because I would not have known that she needed to > > be on a very low protein and fat diet to stabilize her liver function. > > > > You may also want to pick up a couple of t-shirts for him. Chis like to be > > warm, and if your house has a/c and he shakes, or wants to hide curled up > in > > a ball, it may not be nerves but he is chilled. > > > > As far as housebreaking goes, it should start from day one. Most shelter > > dogs loose their memory on that until they are directed where to go. So my > > advise is to pretend that he is a puppy, and start training from scratch > If > > you live in a warm climate and want to housebreak him outside, then start > > that way. If you live with cold winters and lots of rain, then you may > want > > to train him on wee pads, or newspaper first. When you walk a dog it will > > naturally pee outside to mark territory any way. If you work, then I > > strongly advise gating an area that is large enough to have a bed and > > food/water and toys at one end, leaving enough space in the middle for him > > to walk around in and at the other end put the pads or paper on a large > tray > > He should stay in that area whenever you cannot monitor him, until he is > > fully housebroken. It is a lot better then keeping him in a crate for the > > entire day. Crates are okay for a couple of hours, but I personally feel > > that a dog should not be kept in them for 8-10 hrs while the owner is at > > work all day. > > > > Well lots of luck and enjoy your new baby! Looking forward to seeing his > > pics next week! > > > > > > > > PS: Princess was adopted from a shelter when she was under 2yrs old, she > is > > a mini American Eskimo, and Gigi is a tri-colored Long Hair chi. > > she was adopted at about 6 yrs old, they are both about 8 yrs old now. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -------Original Message------- > > > > From: michaela_and_merit > > Date: 9/1/2012 6:28:58 PM > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: [Chihuahuas] New adoptive chi parent :) > > > > > > Hello, > > > > I joined this group because I want to be sure I provide the best care > > possible for my new best friend. His name is Merit, and I placed a deposit > > on him at the local APS shelter this morning. He needs the standard > medical > > procedures (neutering, immunizations, flea and tick prevention) and then > he > > will be ready to come home to me later this week! > > > > I am so excited about him! I always had dogs growing up, but Merit will be > > my first dog since living on my own. I am 24 years old, a graduate student > > > and live in a townhouse in a quiet suburban area. I have done a ton of > > research on chis and feel pretty prepared in terms of general knowledge, > > such as nail clipping, tooth cleaning, vet visits, etc. but I would really > > value some advice from chihuahua experts like you all! > > > > Is there anything you wish someone had told you that would have made > > training your chihuahua much easier? Is there a particular treat or > activity > > that would be fun for Merit to try? Please share any tips and tricks you > can > > think of that might be helpful for a new chihuahua owner. > > > > Thank you! > > Michaela > > > > P.S. Merit is chocolate with a short coat (I will share a picture once he > is > > home!). He's one year old and is fairly timid-- life in the shelter has > been > > really hard for him to deal with because it is so loud and scary with all > > those dogs barking and howling. So I'd especially value advice on how to > > make him feel comfortable in his new home :) > > >
