Symptoms and signs of a sick chihuahua often can go unnoticed. Your chihuahua can not explain its symptoms, so it’s your responsibility to keep him or her healthy and to determine whether or not they need veterinary care. Chihuahuas tend to want to hide their illness, so it is up to you to check your chihuahua for abnormalities.
Not knowing if your chihuahua is feeling sick or how to care for your chihuahua when they are sick can be VERY stressful! This article will help you determine if your chihuahua is showing signs and symptoms of being ill and when you need to take them to see a veterinarian.
Be Prepared: Questions Your Veterinarian May Ask
Your veterinarian may ask additional questions to help localize or diagnose the problem. It may help to be prepared to answer some of the following questions:
- How long have you owned your chihuahua?
- Where did you get your chihuahua (adoption center, breeder, previous stray)?
- What other type of pets do you have?
- What is the age of your chihuahua?
- Has your chihuahua experienced any previous illnesses?
- Is your chihuahua currently under treatment for an illness or disease?
- What preventative medications is your chihuahua currently taking?
- Does your chihuahua receive consistent flea treatment?
- Are any other pets ill?
- Has he/she been vaccinated? if so, when? which vaccines?
- Have there been any recent pet acquisitions?
- Have there been any recent activities such as boarding, grooming, trip to the park?
- Is a majority of your chihuahua’s time spent indoors or outdoors?
- Have there been any recent changes in diet or eating habits?
- What brand of food, how much and how frequently does your chihuahua eat?
- What type of table scraps are offered and how frequently?
- What type of treats are offered and how frequently?
- How much water does your chihuahua typically drink per day?
- Have there been any recent changes in water consumption?
- Have you noticed any coughing or sneezing?
- Have you noticed any lumps or bumps on your chihuahua?
- Is your chihuahua urinating normally?
- Is your dog having normal bowel movements?
- When is the last time he/she had a bowel movement?
- Have you noticed any recent weight loss or weight gain?
After answering some general questions, more specific questions need to be answered. A brief cursory exam of your chihuahua at home can help you determine the answers. These questions are also commonly asked when chihuahua owners are seeking help over the phone.
Be prepared to answer the following questions, depending on the problem with your chihuahua:
Regarding the eyes
- Have you noticed an increase or decrease in tear production?
- Do the eyes appear cloudy or red?
- Have you noticed any discharge coming from the eyes?
- Do the eyes appear bloodshot?
- Are the pupils the same size in both eyes?
- Have you noticed your chihuahua rubbing or pawing at the eyes?
- Is your chihuahua squinting?
- Do the eyes appear to be sunken or excessively protruding?
Regarding the ears
- Do you notice any swelling or discharge from the ears?
- Are the ears drooping when they normally stand erect?
- Are the ears red and inflamed?
- Do you notice any odor to the ears?
- Is your chihuahua rubbing or pawing at the ears?
- Have you noticed a lot of head shaking?
- Have you noticed any pain or crying when you rub or scratch your chihuahua’s ears?
Regarding the nose
- Have you noticed any congestion, sneezing or coughing?
- Have you noticed any blood coming from the nose?
- Have you noticed any nasal discharge?
Regarding the mouth
- Have you noticed any swelling of the lips or tongue?
- Have you noticed any bleeding from the mouth?
- What color are the gums – tissue just above the teeth?
Looking inside the mouth
- Are there any foreign objects such as bones or sticks stuck on the roof of the mouth or around the teeth?
- Is your chihuahua able to open and close the mouth normally?
- Is there any pain involved in opening or closing the mouth?
- Have you noticed any excessive drooling or foaming at the mouth?
- Is your chihuahua able swallow food normally?
Regarding the chest
- Is your chihuahua experiencing any difficulty breathing?
- Have you noticed excessive panting?
- Is there any pain when the chest area is petted?
- Have you noticed any recent coughing?
- Is the heartbeat steady and consistent?
- What is the heart rate?
Healthcare Tip: How to check your chihuahua’s heart rate:
Place your hand or your ear on the left side of your chihuahua’s chest, just behind the elbow. You should be able to feel or hear the heartbeat. Count how many beats the heart pumps in one minute.
Regarding the abdomen/stomach area
- Has your chihuahua been having any diarrhea or vomiting?
- Is your chihuahua able to eat and drink normally?
- Does the abdomen/stomach area appear swollen or distended?
- Does your chihuahua appear to be in pain when the stomach area is petted?
- iIs your chihuahua known to chew on non-food items such as clothing, towels, rocks, or other items?
Regarding the urinary and reproductive systems
- Have you noticed any difference in urinating?
- Does your chihuahua seem to strain to urinate or cry in pain?
- Does your chihuahua repeatedly try to urinate with no urine produced?
- Is there any blood in the urine?
- How frequently does your chihuahua urinate?
- Is your female chihuahua spayed?
- Has your female ever had puppies? if so, at what age?
- If your female is not spayed, when was her last heat cycle and was she bred?
- Do you notice any discharge from the vaginal area?
- Is your male chihuahua neutered? if so, at what age?
- Do you notice any discharge from the penis?
- If your chihuahua is not neutered, do you notice any swelling of the testicles?
- Have you noticed your chihuahua excessively licking or grooming the genital area?
Regarding the musculoskeletal system – bones and joints
- Have you noticed any limping?
- Are any legs or joints swollen?
- Has your chihuahua been excessively licking at one area of his/her legs?
- Does your chihuahua show signs of pain when walking?
- Is your chihuahua able to walk normally?
- Does your chihuahua walk on his/her knuckles?
- Does your chihuahua drag any legs when walking?
- Does your chihuahua seem to be in pain when petting him or her?
By supplying the answers these questions, your veterinarian will be in a much better position to help your chihuahua. Additional tests may be necessary to find out what the problem is, but the answers to the above questions can greatly narrow the area of concern.
Please note: famous chihuahua is providing this information to chihuahua owners as a guide so you know when to take your chihuahua to see your veterinarian. If at any time your chihuahua is showing signs or symptoms of illness and discomfort, don’t wait! Just go the vet!
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Related: Chihuahua health problems
550 Comments.
I have a five year old chihuahua who started yelping whenever she would bark. upon examining her last night, I noticed a bump on her neck between her throat and ear on the right side. she is eating and drinking normal but whimpers and yelps whenever she trys to bark “talk”. HELP please!!
had my chihuahua for 3 mths..she 6 1/2 mths now.. very active….but she threw up twice n 24hr. but still active..is that ok? or should she go to the vet?
my little wiggles has worms and i wormed her about 5 days ago and now she is making a whining/grunting noise like something is hurting her. She was active and playful before and now she is not. Should the wormer have worked???
I have a 10 year old chihuahua named princess, just recently all my dogs were sick with diarrhea and so we gave them kaopectate, and chicken with rice because it binds them up so they dont get dehydrated. Well, princess has an enlarged heart we adopted her almost 3 years ago until now she has been great, since getting her to not have diahrrea now shes not eating, shes limping on right leg, coughing, sneezing, and like she doesnt know when someone is speaking to her she doesnt even move her head. I tried to get her an appt and all turned me down because they stated all they would do is uthanize her and im not ready and i dont think she is. I just need to know what else to do. my vet in ohio says, she sounds like shes letting go so to let her do her thing, but i really dont want to watch her die. Well for others if your chihuahua is shaking or sneezing stop wasting money on surgeries i have 2 chihuahuas and they just take allergy pills once a day and it stops it and the shaking thats normal all chihuahuas do that because they are small and dont have a lot of hair. i swear some vets try and get money so bad out of people that its a shame.
My doggy was fighting with the cat so when I got him he did not want lay down niw I think his arms hurt hurt bc he is trying to sleep standing up I tried to pick him up on the bed but he crys and runs off…..what should I do I hate to see him hurt”(
I HAve a 3 mth old chihuahua that was given to me 4days ago. He hardly eats, drinks but is always sleeping. yesterday i found a tick on his belly and still today his belly feels warm. is he sick?
Karol #10… my dog Zoe has the Sam issue. Did they ever figure what was wrong with you pup?
my 6 weeks old chuhuahua its very weak not moving at all just lay all day not eating i have force her in mouth to eat ,, im so worry goin to take her vet tommorrow any info please help me
Please please make sure that if lethargy is an issue that the vet checks your chi’s red blood cells. My chi at 4 months had very very low red blood cells. Dr checked her red blood cell count every week, now 5 months later he only checks about once a month. Vet believes she had immune mediated anemia. If you are not satisfied with your vet seek another one. The first vet told me my chi was diabetic, so I went to a second and have been so happy with the care.
i was hoping someone could help me out! A neighbor recently gave me her chihuahua [minnie age 7] and she seems to be in poor condition 🙁 she sniffles a lot and i was wondering what that may be. while sniffling she shakes her head a lot. [kinda seems like a weird sneeze] she does it a lot more after she drinks water or if she gets really excited. my neighbor told me that minnie had an accident and fell about 4 feet and after that is when she noticed minnie was sniffling a lot. [please help] also, her mouth is drooping and doesn’t seem to have a lot of teeth left. i think the ones she has now are going to have to be pulled. i don’t think they ever brushed her teeth [or maybe she didn’t let herself] another thing is..if anyone out there can give me advice on how to get some meat back on her bones that would be appreciated. She’s so skinny! you can count her ribs :'[
i’m going to be taking her to the vet this friday but i was hoping to get a little more information now that way i know what food is the best for her.
thank you so much!
i have a 3 year old chihuahua. My husband and I just came back from a week long vacation and left our chihuahua(Toby) at my parents house. We have had him for a couple of days now and he’s just been acting really weird and not himself since he’s been back. He has been scared at everything, really jumpy, he doesn’t want to cuddle, he sleeps more and doesn’t have as much energy, less playful, his eyes are more buldgey, and doesn’t listen to commands or respond to his name right away. this is the first time we have left him with someone when on vacation. could he be depressed and traumatized or something? Just curious if anyone else recognizes these behaviors.
same as number 20 my Chihuahua at night..some nights, it’s been happening like maybe once a week now, will start to shake so bad and walks around the bed, looking up and around! It’s almost like she’s looking at something, her tail is down between her legs and her tongue hangs and she pants! She will try to wake you up and lick your face….any ideas?
ive had my chiweenie for 4 months now, dont really have much history or info on him. they said he was about 2 years old but he seems alot older.. anyways hes a great dog, tons of energy, and soooo loveable. he normally sleeps in my bed and has not gone one night without doing so, but lately he seems to be afraid of me 🙁 he shakes uncontrollably and has his head down with this tail between his legs, or he covers his face.. he doesnt come when i call him anymore, i dont know whats wrong with him. he is the best dog ive ever owned. it kinda seems like he has the impression im going to hit him or beat him but i would never do so.. this is very upsetting to me. so if someone could please help me as to whats going on with him or if this is normal, i would be so appreciative..please email me @ princessa4siempre@ yahoo.com this is urgent i feel like this is getting worse.. 🙁
To Karol with the August 25th post. I have the same thing going on and have 5 thousand dollars in my pup. Please email me [email protected] I took my Bones to the UW of wisconsin and They figured out what is wrong with her but now its still a rocky road. Don’t know if she’s gonna make it from one day to the next! Way too much to type.
hi , my chiuahua is almost a yr old and its constantly shakeing a lot like a lot and you can hear a poping noise from her arm do you know what it is or means ?
Sincerly , Helpless
New chiweenie puppy (10 weeks old). have no history. gave vaccination 2 days ago. his ear is now droopy when it was very erect before. Is this asign of something ELSE GOING ON. IS IT POSSIBLE A NERVE WAS HIT. HE ACTS HEALTHY OTHERWISE.
ANY THOUGHTS TO THIS MATTER WOULD HELP ME GREATLY AND MY CHIHUAHUA AS WELL!!! My female chihuahua has been sick for the last month. We have taken her to the vet and he had supected pyometra(OPEN) because she was in heat and she had completely stopped eating and is drinking excessive amounts of water. HE DID MANY X-RAYS AND BLOODTESTS ON HER AND FOUND AN ABNORMAL AMOUNT OF WHITE BLOOD CELLS. hE EVEN CHECKED THE REST OF HER ORGANS AND THEY ARE ALL FINE. SO While we waited for her to recieve surgery WE GAVE HER ANTIBIOTICS. sHE RECIEVED SURGERY AUGUST 10TH BUT WE GET A VERY DISTURBING CALL FROM THE VET TO FIND THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH HER UTERUS LIKE HE HAD SUSPECTED AND SEEMED VERY POSITIVE ABOUT. SO HE LETS US KNOW THAT HE JUST SPAYED HER. aFTER THIS MISTAKE FROM THE VET I FEEL SOMEWHAT SCARED THAT WE MAY NEVER FIND OUT WHAT IS WRONG WITH OUR CHIHUAHUA BECAUSE WHEN WE PICKED HER UP POST SURGERY HE SIMPLY TOLD US THAT SHE COULD HAVE SOMETHING STUCK IN HER INTESTINE BECAUSE IT LOOKED INLARGED BUT HE SAID HE HAD FELT ONLY LIQUID INSIDE. AND HE LET US KNOW THAT HE STILL WAS VERY UNCERTAIN OF WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH HER. SO AFTER HER SURGERY DURING HER RECOVERY PERIOD SHE SEEMED TO BE GETTING MUCH BETTER, EATING NORMALLY AND LOOKING AS IF SHE WAS GETTING BACK TO HER OLD HYPER SELF. nOW FOR THE PAST 3 DAYS SHE HAS LOST HER APPETITE ONCE AGAIN AND IS ONLY DRINKING WATER AND SLEEPING ALL DAY. i AM NOT SURE WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THIS BECAUSE I KEEP A VERY CLOSE EYE ON HER AND IT SEEMS THAT HER UNUSUAL APPETITE LOSS IS TAKING A TOLL ON THE LITTLE GIRL. SHE LOOKS AS IF SHE IS A WALKING SKELETON AND I FEEL TERRIBLE BECAUSE I CAN DO NOTHING TO AID HER. wE HAVE TRIED TO FEED HER ALL TYPES OF FOOD AND SHE REFUSES EVERYTHING! tHE VET TOLD US THAT SHE WOULD BE NEEDING ANOTHER SURGERY FOR HER LARGE INTESTINE BECAUSE MAYBE SOMETHING COULD BE CLOGGING IT BUT HE SEEMS TO STILL BE VERRRRRRY UNCERTAIN ABOUT WHAT IS WRONG WITH HER BECAUSE SHE CAN STILL PASS A BOWL MOVEMENT AND NORMALLY IF THE INTESTINE IS CLOGGED SHE WOULND’T BE ABLE TO POOP. i REALLY DONT WANT TO TAKE HER FOR SURGERY UNLESS THIS TIME THEY ARE POSITIVE OF WHAT IS WRONG WITH HER AND i WOULDN’T WANT THEM TO MAKE ANOTHER MISTAKE WITH MY DOG. ALSO i AM NOT SURE IF SHE COULD HANDLE ANOTHER TOUGH SURGERY LIKE SO IF IT ISN’T GOING TO FIX HER NOT EATING SITUATION. PLEASE HELP WITH ANY ADVICE I FEEL COMPLETELY LOST AND AFRAID I MAY LOOSE HER. THANK YOU.
I AM BOTTLE FEEDING CHIWAWA PUPPIES AND THEY ARE NOT POOPING
My 7 year old chihuahua is pulling his hair out or licking his legs front and back, and on his neck he has tore out hair and i took to vet and these are the 2 options he gave me.1st change his food to chicken and rice food, no animal fat at all. he said lets wait 6-7 weeks and see if there is a change in my dog licking and chewing hair out. If no change, he said the 2nd option would be he has to much testorone in him and need to get him neurterd.Please let me know any of this is good info or am i spending money on a vet telling me wrong stuff…thanks
hi, we are the Nikolao family,
we are really concerned about my chihuahua’s health. Her name is ning . for the past 24 hours she hasn’t been eating or drinking water, she just seems to be very tired and has been sleeping all day. She doesn’t even seem in the mood to walk, which is very strange. she isn’t excited and seems very weak. i was wondering if you could help us by emailing me with some suggestions that could be the cause of what is wrong with her.
please and thank-you.
MY chihuahua is 4 yrs old and is constantly getting stomache aches and diaherrea, she wont eat and the vet keeps giving her meds but she still gets these symptoms constantly, please help i’m pretty sure it’s not normal for her to keep getting sick
my chihuahua is 3-4 years old…today when i came home (he is locked up during the day with my yorkie) his back (WHERE human kidneys might be) was swollen and he yelped when i touched too hard. his abdomen was really hard but i took his temp and it was 101.6 which according to online wasn’t that high. what should i do?
hey my chihuahua has worms i am scared because he’s been really sick what can i do so he can be better?
Hi I have a 1 year old chihuahua named galiath. he’s always been very active more like always hypper lol, but ever since yesterday I noticed a change in him. he started vomiting off and on yesterday, I want to say maybe 4x. durring the evening hour he did diarrhea. today my baby doesnt want to eat or drink, I dont know wht to do and i’m worried. plse help. is there something i can give him at home or should i take him to the vet. all he wants to do is lay down.
Angel, your dog is making a honking noise? SOLVED! CHECK ALL VEHICLES IMMEDIATELY…THE DOG HAS SWALLOWED A DARN CAR HORN!