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Congratulations on choosing a ChiWowTown baby to become a wonderful new beloved family member and companion. It's very important you read and follow these care tips and guide to keep you and your new baby safe and secure in the weeks to follow. Did you know the average lifespan of a Chihuahua is 15 years? If you take good care of your new family member, you should have many happy years with your new little companion. By choosing a ChiWowTown Chihuahua, you are choosing to bring a holistically raised, mostly chemical/pharmaceutical-free, naturally reared puppy into your home. These are some of the most notable differences between a ChiWowTown Chihuahua and most other Chihuahua puppies out there these days. It is very important to research and review what approaches you would like to continue for the healthy development of your new Chihuahua baby.
Your puppy has been weaned onto one of several different varieties of puppy/dog foods including ProPlan Sport Chicken formula, ProPlan Puppy, Wellness, Science Diet Puppy, Royal Canin Puppy X-small and small bites. Feel free to choose the brand with which you are most comfortable. I generally choose not to feed my adult dogs the small breed or small bites version of these products (since it's just more expensive for the smaller bites and smaller quantity and they seem to do just fine with normal size bites), but that is entirely up to you. I also feed a variety of canned soft puppy foods to the puppies...including Wellness Puppy food, Royal Canin Starter Mousse & Royal Canin Appetite Stimulation, Nutro Puppy canned, and ProPlan Puppy, Pedigree Puppy (it's all pretty much the same stuff...so don't overthink it). All of my puppies and dogs are given the choice of fresh, raw, organic meals also. The variation we infuse into the weaning process helps to develop a less finicky pup. Choosing a raw diet is optimal and ideal for canines. Call me if you’re interested in proceeding with a raw/species appropriate diet. Whatever food you choose, should be kept out for your puppy (along with clean water) at ALL times when you first bring your baby home, or at least offered to your puppy 4-5 times throughout the day. It is advised that you continue this practice for about a month or so to be sure there the puppy does not experience any blood sugar drops - meaning they burn more calories playing and living than they consume. It is also very important to let your puppy sleep...sleeping is as important to a puppy as eating! They are babies...they eat, poop, sleep. If your puppy does not consume enough food/calories, a sugar crash/coma can occur. A sugar crash is a life threatening condition known as hypoglycemia. The breeder is in NO WAY responsible for ANY issues or veterinary expenses resulting from any hypoglycemic issues resulting after pick up/delivery, not after one week, one day, or one hour. Making sure your puppy/dog is eating is YOUR responsibility. Click the link BELOW to read about risks, dangers and mitigation.
***MUST READ - CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT HYPOGLYCEMIA**
A simple set up with supplies that can be purchased quickly and easily online or at most local pet stores, include paper puppy potty training pads, puppy pad training tray (we added the chicken wire to the tray to prevent them from shredding the the paper training pads and turning them into toys), cozy bedding, bowls for food and water. We purchased a large piece of linoleum at Home Depot and rolled it out under the puppy areas over to protect the hardwood flooring. Works great to prevent damage to flooring. They also sell potty pad holder trays (with the grates already in place) on Amazon and Chewy. This protects the pads from being ripped and torn and dragged all around. For everyone's safety - unless you plan to secure and protect an area for the safety and well being of your new puppy...please do NOT leave puppy alone or unattended to free roam in your home for the first few weeks and never leave the puppy alone in a room or on your bed for extended periods of time until he has fully adjusted to his new environment and is eating on a regular basis. The best approach for when you need to leave for longer periods, is to create a safe, protected, secured space, ie a crate or den or pen area, that is escape-proof for your puppy. This ensures the puppy's safety and provides your puppy with a warm, safe, stress-free environment where he won't get into any danger and will be protected from harm. This image is an example of the setup your puppy will be accustomed to before he/she leaves for his/her new home. A small, safe, enclosed, protected area with a bed, potty pad tray, fresh water and food...and plenty of toys. And it is IMPORTANT to let your baby get plenty of sleep.
Learning to read your puppy's behaviors using potty pads is really quite simple. Don't make it harder than it needs to be! I have always said, the pads are to train YOU to watch for THEIR cues, not to train THEM to use the pads in many different places and then eventually to get them outside. They don't need to 'learn' how to use potty pads in several different rooms, over several months, near several doors to eventually learn how to use to one door you choose for them to go outside to do their business. Pick one or two places, limit their living area and WATCH FOR THEIR CUES!! Once you start to pick up on THEIR cues...it'll be very easy to guide them to the door and outside or wherever you prefer they potty. However, if you choose to keep the potty pads for longer, extended, indoor use, then you may need to be even more cognizant and diligent with the pad placement and correction. It is not rocket science, but success hinges solely on your follow through, commitment and consistency. Don't forget they're animals, they don't know indoors from outdoors, in regards to acceptable places to use the bathroom...they're just happy to go whenever the mood strikes, ya know, like they would in the wild. It is incumbent upon YOU to establish the rules and your expectations for them. They don't inherently know one location is better or worse than another.When necessary, your puppy will be dewormed with Pyrantel Pamoate & Fenbendazole (also known as Safeguard or Panacur) and/or in addition Diatomaceous Earth (an all-natural alternative to harmful and harsh chemicals). If necessary, Toltrazuril is used to treat Coccidia. Also, KochiFree (now known as Healthy Stools, by AmberTech) is a natural, holistic remedy used to treat a wide variety of internal parasitic infections, should there be any present. We run our own fecal samples here and routinely with our vet just to be sure our dogs aren't carrying or harboring any nasty little parasites, though you are welcome to get a stool sample done at your first vet visit to confirm your puppy is free from parasites. We do not cover any costs affiliated with testing or treatments from results. We have had clear/parasite free samples for many years, so we will only treat our dogs for what is present...we do NOT just shoot medicines, dewormers and poisons into our dogs and puppies unnecessarily. However, if any parasites or worms are present when you run a stool sample at your vet, please call to let me know. (Though, it is incredibly unlikely.) Your puppy may also receive ONE initial puppy shot before he/she leaves, IF DESIRED. This is NOT mandatory or required and will be discussed with new owners prior to pickup/delivery. This shot will be a 2-1 vaccine for Distemper/Parvo. Other vaccines or boosters may be necessary and/or suggested after 8 weeks by a licensed veterinarian. If you follow the widely prescribed vaccination schedule, you will need to follow up with your veterinarian in about four weeks for the booster to this shot and again 4 weeks after that. However, more proactive, holistic and modern research is finding it healthier to limit these vaccines and/or even SKIP some of the most commonly over-administered ones and to wait longer (until they're a bit older) to even start some vaccines. Ask me more and/or ask your vet for more info on the topic if you're interested in following a more natural/less invasive approach. Please tell your vet you want the “lepto-free” (leptospirosis free) version of this shot. Chihuahuas often have very adverse physical reactions to this vaccine (ranging from severe anaphylaxis to paralysis to DEATH), which is why it is not recommended unless you are in a highly contaminated area. Then at about 6 months to a year of age, your new puppy should receive the 1 year rabies shot and you should ask your veterinarian for the dosed down per weight version and the mercury free vaccine. The down dosing chart is available at www.protectthepets.com via Dr. John Robb. He also explains the proper use and application of Titer Tests. If you choose a more holistic approach, please let me know and I will gladly help guide you. Your pup is not on any topical/pharmaceutical pesticide for fleas and ticks or heartworm prevention. I only use an all natural raw unfiltered organic apple cider vinegar/water mix in their drinking water, white vinegar/water topical spray, and topical food grade Diatomaceous Earth for flea control on my puppies/dogs. My dogs receive a drinking water mix of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar/water mixed at 1/4 to 1/2 cup (3-4 oz) of apple cider vinegar per one gallon of water. You may use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar for a flea spray deterrent, as well. That recipe is 4 oz of water, 6 oz vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. This will not KILL fleas, but it will act as a deterrent. If you have any questions on this, just drop me a note. Adhering to these simple guidelines can ensure that your puppy has a healthy beginning to life with you. If you have any questions at all about feeding or other concerns, you may call, text or message me anytime at 716-573-1632 or email me also at: info@chiwowtown.com
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