Wishing You a Very "Barking" Christmas From Our House to Yours

I hope everyone had a wonderful "bark-y" Christmas. We sure did. This house was filled with much love, alot of food, and of course, my great chihuahuas. Prissy wasn't sure about today, with so much going on, Shorty was laid back as ever about all the company coming in and out, but let me reassure you, he was still doing his "barking" duties when people came and left. Abbey was a little nervous with all the company but did alright with it. Everyone got up mighty early, and since my daughter had to go to work this morning, we opened up gifts before she left. Prissy and Abbey both got really soft blankies to go in their bedtime kennels and Shorty got a new sleep pad to go in his. What did your chis get for Christmas this morning? Anybody get any really intersting gifts? If so, I would love to hear about them.

Merry Christmas everyone!

My Prissy Is A Great Actress!

What a silly little dog she is, pretending to be shy. Do your chihuahuas like getting their pictures taken? Shorty loves to pose for the camera, and so does Abbey, but when it comes to this little gal, she shies away as if she were camera shy....Well, honestly, she's not a shy dog at all, so I think that she would make a great actress.

Pickiness Of My Chihuahuas

Have you ever noticed how "picky" some chihuahuas can be? My chis are spoiled rotten and have a wonderfully, luxurious life, complete with soft pillows to sleep on, their own blankies to hide underneath, their own food bowls and are free to roam about the house as they please, except at night, where they do sleep in their own kennels, but they seem to prefer it that way. As of late, I have really tried the "wet food" approach to give them an add-in to their dry food, thinking that I was giving them a sort of treat, however, my Prissy did not appreciate it at all. She was so unhappy about it, that she didn't even try it......she only sniffed it and was poo-pooing her nose up at it. What does my Prissy like to eat? Well, this may sound silly, but besides her dry food, she seems to LOVE scrambled eggs. Yes, that's right! She thinks that she's human I guess. Does your chihuahua have a "special" food that they like or dislike? I would love to hear about it.

Hiding From The Thunderstorm

This crazy dog of mine is so scared of the rain and inclement weather that he often hides where-ever he can find so escape the noise of the storm. Actually, this is something that I have found quite normal for the chihuahua breed. Most of the time, he follows me or tries to get me to pick him up but if I am busy, he quickly finds a hiding place. Does your chihuahua have a special hiding spot when it rains or thunders?

Clipping Your Dog's Nails

How often should you clip your dog's nails? Should you do it yourself or take him to a groomer? I prefer having someone else do it because I have been able to find some groomers out there that will do it for only $5., which doesn't break the bank for me, besides, I am afraid that I am going to cut too low and I certainly don't want that. Maybe it's also because I don't want my chihuahuas to think of me as "the bad guy" if I do mess up. However, even when I do take them to cut it done, I will still sometimes use a small nail smoother, one of those little tools that you can buy, battery operated to smooth the cut nails a bit so they aren't so jagged and tough. However, if you do prefer to do it yourself, I have found a really good article that may help you with it. http://www.professorshouse.com/pets/dogs/how-to-cut-my-dogs-nails.aspx
It seems easy enough, and if you are brave enough, go for it.

Such A Spoiled Rotten Dog, Sleeping Like A Baby

I don't know what's worse, Shorty sleeping under the covers on my sofa or him having to sleep inside the pillowcase on the end of my bed. What's a dog to do without such luxury? Do you have a spoiled chihuahua in your home? Shorty seems to be able to find a comfortable spot no matter what room he's in. Night night little doglet.

Love at First.......Bark!

What's Shorty doing? He's peeking around the corner, looking at his new love......miss Nini, formerly known as "Juanita"........oh, such wonder, oh such bliss, who is this miss? One thing for sure, he was bewildered, excited and ready to find out more about her. This sweet lil chi is not quite sure that she's ready for having a boyfriend just yet but he sure thinks she's his. They ran back and forth after each other, then after a little while, Nini put him in his place and went to lay down on the other side of the room....needless to say, poor Shorty was shaken up a bit, with his little tail between his legs. Awe, aren't dogs silly?

Is Your Dog The Alpha Dog In The House?

There are alot of households out there that have more than one dog....yes, it's true, some people just love having more than one. And I guess you could say, that's me too. I have 2 chihuahuas and 1 chi/terrier. One chi is a male, the other a female, but the chi/terrier is a female as well, and not only that, she's the oldest of the bunch, been around the longest and I thought that she would be the one to be the alpha dog ( the head hauncho) in our group, but she isn't. Prissy, the youngest female seems to be the head of our group here. I have trained my dogs to listen to my commands and some people say that I am actually the alpha dog here, which is so funny, because although they mind pretty well, they have a mind of their own and do mostly as they please. Do you find that having an alpha dog in the house means that the head dog leads the pack of them all, or just because they think they do?

No More Fleas!

That's right, no more fleas to worry about over here. After spending countless dollars on so many products we finally found what works here for us. Treating the yard is extremely important. The lady at the vet clinic told me that they reccommend a product called "over and out" which is supposed to be good for ants but great for fleas too. I also treated my carpet with food grade DE and some of that 20 mule teem borax that I got off the laundry isle at the grocery store. DE is found at many feed stores, just make sure IF you use it, it's food grade, and put your puppies up while putting it into the carpet. And I think that since Abbey went to the vet and they said she was elible for the confortis pill, that has worked wonderfully....and no side effects for her, but there are some in many dogs so always check things out before doing it. Today is hot and my dogs are all lazying around taking it easy.

Abbey's Vet Visit

After much work and worry over all this flea treatments and stuff, I had to find an answer.....so I took Abbey to the vet. Abbey is the one dog that gets tons of fleas where Shorty and Prissy only get a small amount. I thought that maybe the vet could give me an idea of what's going on, not to mention that Abbey was scratching and had a raw spot from it all as well. Vet check went great, Abbey's in good shape, no intestinal parasites to worry about but it came down to the "flea" talk. I told her that I had used just about everything to get rid of the fleas and they get right back on her. She gave me 2 options that would work. One was comfortis and the other one was frontline. It was a toss up, but I wanted to try the comfortis. It has to be bought in a 5-month supply and at $85.00, it was alot of money for me to cough up along with the vet bill too, but I went ahead. Comfortis cannot be used on a small dog nor can it be used with dogs prone to seizures so my other 2 chis cannot use it. Comfortis also has to be taken with food so it doesn't upset their stomache too much. Within 30 minutes the fleas started dying and Abbey isn't itching anymore. Now, I still have to deal with Shorty and Prissy and the fleas but it seems that since I treated my yard and the house, they are not having any at this time. Wow, that's such a relief! But I think that I will keep a good eye on things just to be sure! Has anyone else out there used the comfortis with good luck? Remember, comfortis cannot be used on small dogs that are prone to seizures!

Chihuahua Seizures, Flea Treatments

Let me just begin this post by saying that chihuahuas are prone to having seizures at times, especially if they are on the small side, however, I have to tell you what I have discovered, at least about my own chis. My Shorty is about 2 pounds and as in some of my past postings, I have reported him having seizures. Well, I used to use that spot on treatment for fleas, and found that it only worked a few weeks, which was very expensive for me.. I also noticed that since I stopped the spot on treatment, he has NOT had any more seizures so now I am wondering if that was the cause of his. Yes, I do have to battle fleas and I think I have found that food grade Diamitous Earth works, just as a combo of salt/baking soda on the carpets swept in. That also includes treating the yard for fleas off of other animals who pass through. Do I dare wonder if the spot on treatments ( I have used several of them) could have contributed to the seizures? I have done some reading on the internet and I hear alot of nasty things. What do you think? Do you have an opinion on this subject? If so, I would love to hear it.

Shorty's Visitor

Shorty sure had a wild and crazy weekend....he is normally not used to being picked up by a child, but my granddaughter thought that he was supposed to be in her arms the entire weekend. Shorty didn't give too much opposition to being carried, even laid on his back. What a great dog! Chihuahuas really aren't much into children and usually pick one member out of the family to bond the most with, and in our family's case, they usually stick to me but like the rest of the family too.... My granddaughter hasn't been to visit for about 7 months since they live out of state, but the dogs did wonderfully! Now, just watch a cat or a strange person walk around outside where they can see them through the glass door and they will bark of holy terror! Crazy dogs!

Finally Getting Ahead Of Fleas

After searching for something that will finally kill the flea cycle, I think that I have finally found the answer. Believe me, I have tried the salt/baking soda mix, which does help some, spot on treatments that don't last but 2 weeks and are very costly, not to mention poisonous, flea baths, dips, over the counter holistic sprays that cost the pocketbook but don't really help much, I think that I found the answer I was looking for. It's diamituous earth, but it's the food grade one. I looked all over for it, and found it in my local feed store. It's safe, non poisonous and it's not a chemical....but it's starting to work. Nothing works immediately and this also takes a little bit of time but I am actually seeing some progress. My dogs are not itching so bad and I am not seeing fleas on them like before. I sprinkled some around the baseboards, under the dog beds, inside the kennel and now have to realize that it's not instantaneous. Fleas have to walk through the DE in order for them to dry up. So, it's another battle of the wait and see...

Brewers Yeast Is Only Momentary

Well, Brewers yeast really did make the fleas jump off of my chis however, it did not keep them away because my dogs eventually shook it off. This morning, I washed my dogs in the dawn dish detergent, ran a flea comb through their fur, vaccumed really well and then I made a mix of half salt, half baking soda and sprinkled it all over the carpet, under the sofa cushions, then broomed it in really good and left it there. I have had it there all day and haven't vaccumed it up yet. I vaccumed all the sofas, washed all the blankets in the front room, mopped all the floors with bleach and cleaned out all the dog kennels and blankies that they sleep with. I pray that this works, but I am told that I must keep after it steady because it doesn't happen over night. Plus, the outside needs to be treated as well...oh joy!

Using Brewers Yeast On Dog's Coats For Fleas

I am so sorry for writing so much about fleas but geez, it really can get annoying trying to find the right method of dealing with them. My chihuahuas are so special to me and I want them to be comfortable. About 3 or 4 days ago, we treated our yard, even though they never touch their feet on the grass, we treated it anyways. I also cleaned the house from top to bottom, washing all the cushion covers, dog blankets and such. We also tried that spot on treatment by adams. Well, that worked,but only for a couple of days. This morning I found more fleas. I got out the brewers yeast, you know, the one that you buy at the health food store (not the bakers yeast) and sprinkled it all over their coats. Those fleas just jumped off of them. Maybe if I continue this, they will be flea-free for awhile. I feed them top quality food, so I don't think it's that. Guess it's another trial and error here to see if it's going to work. Wish me luck!

Lazy Day Dogs

My little chis are lazying around this morning...as if they didn't have a care in the world. I am still using that cedarcide application. Yes, there are still fleas but not as many now. I am still on the search of something better. I have heard alot of talk about using food grade Diamitous Earth but also hear that you can not breathe it in. Anybody have any good remedies for fleas?

Darned Fleas!

With my work and trying to get rid of the fleas on my little chis, alas, I must update this blog and let you all know, that the "Evolve" just has not worked as I thought it would. Numerous bathings, spraying with evolve, washing all the bedding, vaccuming and even treating the outside just has done nothing but exhaust me. I wanted it to work so much. What do I do now? I guess I must go back to the spot on the neck treatment even though I really do not want to. Does anyone have any other remedies that work for them? If so, please post them for me as well as others. Flea season is right upon us and I don't want it to get out of control. Thankyou!

Update On Flea Meds

Well, the flea medicine stinks, that's for sure, and I decided to give each dog a bath, and then re-appy it. So far, so good. But remember, this stuff comes out in a mist, and must be worked into the skin. I am going to monitor my dog flea situation and see how long before they start having flea problems again.

I Tried That New Flea Med

yes, I went to our local pet store to buy that new flea medicine... I love floppy pets...that man in there is so nice and very helpful. If you live in the area around Nasa or by Webster or Clear Lake, in Texas, you can find http://floppypets.com/
I came home, took my chis on the front porch and sprayed them down with this evolv and I worked it into their skin. I took the dog brush and proceeded to get the fleas out. I came inside, sprayed down the dog's bedding as well. I will tell you now, that it was a very prominate cedar smell that lasted for a couple of hours. I have noticed that this morning that their coats seem to be nice and shiny but I think that I would have been better off bathing them first to get the fleas off, and then applying the evolv. I am going to see how it works for now and perhaps this weekend, I will bathe them and try it again. So far, I have not seen my smaller chis itching at all, but Abbey, who is part terrier/part chi and has alot of hair has scratched a little. I will write a follow up soon. Wish me good luck. I sure hate having to deal with fleas. But this stuff is not poisonous so I am hoping it works.

Prissy In Heat

Prissy has never had puppies so this is just her random time to come into heat. I always notice that she's about to do that when Shorty starts sniffing around more....however, Shorty is not interested in Prissy. He is interested in my other female, Abbey, but she has been fixed. It's kind of a funny thing to see, that silly dog chasing around a dog that cannot have puppies. I don't know why he is like that, but he is. He starts playing with his toys more and can sometimes get out of hand with it. Poor Prissy, she is just more protective of herself and wants to be with me more. I have also noticed that she is doing something that I thought only male chis do, and that is "spray". She just leaves a trail of urine as if she were a male, but this morning, it was not on the papers, it was on my sofa pillow and I was not happy about it. I have never tried those diapers for when they are in heat and I wonder if they actually help. Anyone have any experience with this? If so, please comment.

Still Looking For Effective Flea Medication

I just don't know anymore. I have indoor dogs and it's not even summer yet and Abbey and Shorty have fleas again....not many, but hey, fleas are fleas, right? I am so fed up with the monthly drops on the neck thing that do not last that I can't hardly stand it. That stuff is expensive for one, and secondly, they do not last long at all. For me, it's also messy because I don't want to get it on my skin so I have to put on a pair of gloves, open the container, hold my dogs still enough to put it on, and then it takes HOURS to dry so I don't like them rubbing all over the furniture with it wet so what's a girl to do?
I just so happened to go and purchase some dog food from the local pet shop ( I use Fromm's) and I asked him what he carried for fleas. He gave me a brochure about something chemical free, organic, pest control called Wondercide. He told me that the same people who made cedarcide, which is a wonderful product also makes the wondercide. I am going to go back and buy some to try it out. Anyone else try this? Here is the website http://wondercide.com
for anyone who may be interested in where to find this product. It's safe for dogs, and for humans which is wonderful. I do know that cedarcide was a great product because many many years ago when I had a toy fox terrier that had the red mange, I used it on him because I didn't want to go the route with the dipping and stuff and it honestly helped. Then, after awhile, I couldn't find the cedarcide anymore, but they do exist still. Anyone try this, please let me know!

I Guess I Have A Crazy Chihuahua!

My prissy dog is such a great dog....faithful and true, but she loves having her privacy. .... sounds like a female, right? Well, Prissy has been driving me crazy the past several days. She has her own kennel that she sleeps in at night. That is her own "house" and she doesn't like anyone messing with it. Her food is attached by the wire on the front and I keep it with a little bit of food in it, but not too much that she wastes it. She comes out of her kennel every morning around 5-6 am and makes her way to the potty, food bowl and her water. After her routine, if I am not leaving to go to work for the day, she has decided that she thinks that her kennel is a hotel, and I am the host. She proceeds to want in her cage with the door locked and the covering over the door (thus, her privacy) and during the day, she will want to come in and out of it MANY times during the day. I tell you, I don't know where she got the idea that I am supposed to open her cage at any given moment during the day and sometimes it's 10 times a day. Is this a crazy chihuahua or not?

My Prissy Was Not Feeling Like Herself

Yesterday was a very hard day for me because my "Prissy" was not feeling well....and it started from the moment that she came out of her kennel in the morning. We always have the same routine, she goes into her kennel at night and goes to sleep, in the morning around 5 am, she comes out and so does Shorty. I feed, make sure that the water bowl is filled, put down clean pee pads and she comes out of the kennel like a horse coming out of the race gate, licking, running wildly crazy and jumping at my side until I pick her up....but not yesterday. She came out slowly, quietly and I just went on with the normal routine, came back home from taking my daughter to school and she was still the same way. The whole day she laid under the blankies in the room that I was cleaning and by afternoon time, she was still the same, so I tried to feed her but she wouldn't eat. I was very upset by this time. I picked her up, put some water to her mouth and she finally got some. I decided to go outside and the minute she heard me say to the other dogs "let's go outside", she came running. I picked her up and put her on my lap, and she enjoyed the breeze. By the time I went inside with her, I decided to open a can of chicken and she ate, finally.....I just don't know what was wrong with her...now, it tends to look like she was just being a stinker so she could have some chicken in a can, but honestly, she laid around all day. Whatever her problem was, she did finally get over it. I can't tell you how worried I was, and if she had not gotten over it, I would have taken her to the vet the next morning. Do you ever have this happen to you with your chihuahua?

Spring is Finally Here!

Prissy and Shorty, along with Abbey have been anxiously awaiting for spring to arrive. They all love laying on the back of the couch, in the windowsill with the window open. They get up there and act as if they can't move off the spot. Flowers are blooming and pollen is in the breeze which makes for so much for them to sniff about. Oh how lovely the days have been lately. There are times that Shorty has problems with his legs but all in all, he gets around still pretty well. They seem to enjoy this time of year so much and often act silly and frisky. And yes, they still are my barking-chihuahuas.

Dog's Coats

My daughter gave all the chis baths this afternoon when she came in from school. I happened to have read one day on the internet how people are trying to keep fleas at bay. Well, Abbey is really the only one with the most fleas despite all the things that I have tried, it's really hard. I read that by putting apple cider vinegar to some water in a spray bottle that fleas don't like that too well, so after the bath, we put just a little bit of apple cider vinegar to a half bottle sprayer and just sprayed a tiny bit on their coats and wow! they have very soft coats. I don't know how well it will work on the fleas though, so we will have to see.

Puppies In The Window

I just so happened to go into a Subway shop the other day to have my favorite meatball sub and as I walked up the walkway, I happened to pass a pet shop on the way. There they were, two little chihuahuas waiting to be sold. One was so much friendlier than the other, begging for me to pet her. The other one jumped right up from her nap once I came over to the kennel. These poor babies were so cute, and I wished that I could have rescued them from the shop but they were going for $800. each. I was shocked! At what time did these precious babies go up so high in price? Was this a pet shop that took good care of these puppies while they were closed to? I was so upset by seeing them want the attention that I had to walk out of there. Now, I won't say that ALL petshops are bad, but please be careful when buying a chihuahua. Make sure that they look healthy and are up to date on all shots. Ask if there is a return policy if you take them to your vet and find that they are not healthy, because you never know. I got my chihuahuas from a family relative where they had both the parents for me to see, so please take care when purchasing your new chi.

Dogs and Their Moods

Somehow, today, amongst all days, my prissy dog just seemed to think that it was her day. No longer was I able to sit down alone and watch tv, not able to sit at this computer and write alone, no, not without my prissy. Today seemed to be all about her. She was needy today and showed me that she needed to be beside me. Now, it's funny, because some days she will sleep in her cage with the door open, all balled up in her blankies. Why not today? That is totally unknown to me because she just wanted to be near me. My dog has such a crazy personality, maybe she's just having one of those days like us women do !

Keeping Up With Rabies Shots

Well, this past Saturday I took my Prissy dog to get her rabies shot. I wrapped her up in her favorite blankie which helped so much and proceeded to get her that rabies shot. I thought that things would go horribly because she just isn't one who likes to hold still. I picked her up and held her close to me, and much to my suprize, the shot was done and over with so quickly that she didn't even bat an eyelash. Wow, that was so done and over with fast !! Not knowing if she would blossum up like my Shorty dog does after a shot, I made sure to have some benedryl on hand in case she needed it but she didn't. The shot actually made her really hyper and she ran around for a longer period of time than normal, but she finally settled down and went to bed for the night. Having your dog's rabies shots are important, and they don't have to cost a fortune. I got ours through our local feed store, which worked out perfect....however, if your dog has other issues, visiting your local vet is always best.