I exercise and eat right daily.

Do you wonder how much you should feed your little Chihuahua? If he/she is overweight, then you should be very concerned. Overweight dogs do not live as long as normal weight dogs. They need lots of exercise and the right kind of quality food.

The folks at TrainPetDog.com have developed a unique calorie calculator for dogs. Give it a try. (Caution, you will be given the opportunity to buy a Canine Cuisine ebook. If you do, I get a little commission.)

Cast your vote for AllMyChihuahuas and make Lucy happy.

Time is running out. I have entered my blog in the “TrainPetDog.com 2010 Dog Blog Award” Contest and I need at least 18 more votes by the 20th of February to qualify for “Round 2″.

So I am asking all my friends and loyal readers to visit TrainPetDog.com and cast your vote for AllMyChihuahuas. Here is my unique Voting code:

WvG6E

All you have to do is copy and paste the code into the bright yellow box on the TrainPetDog.com home page. You will not be asked to sign up for anything. Only 1 vote allowed per IP address.

Winning will help me increase my blog’s readership quite a bit. It will also allow me to give away some freebies from TrainPetDog.com. Here’s the details:

• “Each of the 20 finalists will get the chance to give away free 10-year memberships to our Elite Dog Owner’s Club to 10 readers that they select at their own discretion.
• The Elite Dog Owner’s Club is our unique online club that helps our members get access to exclusive videos, audio recordings, and articles on different aspects of dog training, and also features exclusive interviews with some of the most famous dog trainers in the world.
• Membership to the Elite Dog Owner’s Club costs $37 per month. Therefore, a 10 year membership to the Elite Dog Owner’s Club would cost $4,440. You get to give away 10 such memberships to your readers, making this prize worth $44,400.”

I appreciate you taking the time to do this for me. It will certainly cheer me up as I continue to recuperate from my surgery for repairing my umbilical hernia, fixing my dislocated kneecap and pulling a pesky baby tooth that refused to fall out.

Thanks in advance.

Lucy and her daddies.

Waiting for my surgical tape to fall off.

This is not an easy thing to do. Trust me, I know. It’s very painful if you pull the tape off. Yikes! Since I just had knee surgery a week and a half ago, I consider myself a survivor and an expert.

According to WikiAnswers: “The easiest way is to soak the tape in water to release the adhesive in the tape. This may not work because the dog may not like to be in water. It is the best way that will not hurt the dog.”

I agree it may not work. Standing in a pool of water is not my idea of fun. I’d much rather lay in my bed under three blankies.

I’ll go with my vet’s idea. Leave it alone and it will come off eventually (even he didn’t want to pull my tape off).

Gradually my tape is peeling off. I help a little by licking at it. Once it’s gone I will feel like a new Chihuahua girl. I deserve a treat.

Anticipating my medicine.

This actually applies to all dogs but since I am a Chihuahua I tend to be self-centered. Medicine is not tasty. Therefore, trying to give your Chi a pill is going to be a problem, unless, of course, your Chihuahua (or dog) loves pills.

So the trick is to hide the pill in something your pet loves. Here are some great ideas I recommend.

1. Peanut Butter (just enough to disguise the pill, not half a jar)
2. A piece of meat (chicken or turkey). Make sure the pill doesn’t fall out.
3. Cheese. Not too much, just enough to hide the pill so it isn’t visible. If it’s too big your dog may decide to chew the cheese and potentially spit out the pill.
4. Mashed potatoes (or a bit of unmashed potato). Make sure it’s cooked.
5. Canned dog food. If your dog is picky this might not work.

Liquid medicine is also a challenge. I absolutely hate having a dropper full of yucky medicine forced into my mouth. So I bite. Daddy tried gloves. I fought back. Two daddies tried holding me and opening my mouth at the same time. I won.

Then came a brilliant idea. Hide the liquid medicine in ice cream. Just a bit of lactose free vanilla. I loved this. Now I look forward to my medicine every day. Ice cream is probably not the best choice for your dog, but it works great. You might want to consider vanilla yogurt or natural apple sauce.

So don’t get stressed over giving your Chi medication. Make it a game of hide and go treat.

Here I am recovering in my plush bed.

I am recovering from my surgery but food is still very important to me. Thus I find the controversial debate of canned vs. dry dog food fascinating.

My daddy generally mixes my dry dog food with some canned dog food. They are both high quality Turducken from Merrick. I find this to be my favorite brand. I actually prefer the canned because it has chunks and gravy and lots of other tasty goodies. When the two are mixed together I usually eat the dry as well as the canned but I don’t chew it, I just swallow the pieces whole. So any benefit of crunchiness is not happening.

Perhaps some day my daddy will get the hint and just give me the canned food with an occasional crunchy treat.

Check out these interesting articles for more details. “Feeding Your Dog – Canned or Dry And How Often? from PetPlace.com and Professor’s House on Dry Dog Food vs. Canned.

I would write more but I need another nap.

Going through surgery is tough. I should know. And boy was I cranky. Still am.

First I was left alone with people I didn’t know. They put me in a cage like a common dog. Then they carried me to another room, put me on a metal table and stuck a needle in me. Can you blame me for trying to bite these people?!

When I woke up I was a bit groggy and sore and had a huge yellow bandage on my back leg. Plus a weird plastic cone around my neck. Daddy finally picked me up and had them remove the cone. Thank goodness for that. It was embarrasing and uncomfortable.

I ate a little and slept in my own comfy bed. I don’t feel much like doing anything today but sleep and nap. And maybe eat a little food and drink a little water. Going to the bathroom is a major effort since it’s not easy for me to get up and walk. Luckily my bathroom is located in the house on clean, white pads. I think I’ll take a nap now.

eHow has an informative article on how to care for you dog after surgery.

vetinfo4dogs.com also has a fine article on Caring for Your Dog After Surgery: A Checklist.

A note from daddy Charlie:

Lucy is resting comfortably in her bed and has come through her surgery fine. She ate a little bit of her dog food last night and this morning and got up twice to use her piddle pads. She took her medicines but was quite grumpy about the liquid one that had to be squirted in her mouth. It took both her daddies to get this one done.

I’m still in recovery. Now I get to worry about why she’s not getting up from her bed and if that’s okay. I guess having a hernia repaired, a tooth pulled and a knee repaired takes a lot out of a little girl. Not to forget the vaccinations, nail trim, anal squeeze and overall stress from being left alone with strangers.

I’m resting in my blankie on my daddy’s lap but boy do I have a few questions for him.

Lucy: Hey, daddy. Why didn’t I get my usual breakfast this morning? I know I’m a bit picky when you feed me, but I’m hungry.

Daddy: I can tell. You didn’t eat much for dinner last night. I tried to warn you but you didn’t care. I added a few treats, some of Ellen’s Halo Chicken seasoning and even a few carrot slivers. But you did not want much.

Lucy: I wasn’t in the mood. I’m a little Chihuahua girl and I am prone to moodiness. Then you taunted me with that bowl of Chocolate Cheerios this morning, which you know I can’t eat anyway. Who ever heard of Chocolate Cheerios?

Daddy: It’s new. But I can’t feed you anything this morning because you’re going for surgery today. In fact, we have to leave in about 20 minutes. I’m nervous but I don’t want you to be. It’s supposed to be relatively quick.

Lucy: What’s surgery and why do I need it? I’ve been a good little girl, mostly.

Daddy: It’s because you have a few issues that need to be taken care of. You’ve been holding on to that one canine baby tooth. It’s right in front, next to your adult canine tooth. It’s curved and very sharp and needs to be pulled so that your teeth are not too crowded.

Lucy: Sounds gross. And painful. I choose to keep the tooth.

Daddy: Sorry. No can do. You also have a hernia in your tummy where part of your intestine is escaping. That has to be closed up. It’s also supposed to be simple and quick.

Lucy: Yikes. Who did that to me?

Daddy: It could have been your biological mother. Or else you inherited it. And speaking of inherited, you have kneecap problems in both back legs. One is always popping out and needs to be fixed. The other leg can wait for a while.

Lucy: So I’m having a three part surgery? I’d rather not. I want breakfast and a nap instead, thank you.

Daddy: Unfortunately I can’t let you do that. This pains me more than it will you. Plus you need your vaccinations and your nails cut. Think of it as a spa vacation.

Lucy: I’m so going to make you pay for this when I get home tonight. Don’t count on sleeping much.

Daddy: I don’t. Now take a 15 minute nap before we have to leave.

And so I take a nap under my blankie, not really understanding the adventure that lies ahead.

P.S.

Don’t forget to vote for my blog if you haven’t done so already.  Just visit TrainPetDog.com and cast your vote for AllMyChihuahuas. My unique Voting code is: WvG6E

Thanks.

Everyone knows dogs have emotions. An interesting article from Purina tells all about it. I bet you can tell when your little Chihuahua is happy, upset, sad, angry, hungry and has to go potty.

But do we worry? We would if we knew what that meant. The thing is that that people who care for us sometimes worry and we are very intuitive little creatures so we pick up on that emotion. For instance, I can tell that my daddy is upset about something. It’s the way he looks at me and the tone of some of the things he says.

I know that I am having surgery in a few days. I know this because I’ve heard my daddies discuss it. What I don’t know is what a surgery is. I also don’t know what a Tuesday is or what a few days from now is.

I just know that my daddies are not too happy when they discuss this topic so therefore I sense that something is going to happen that is not too fun. It has something to do with a knee, a cap, a hernia and a baby tooth. I’m not sure what these things are but I bet I am better off not knowing.

When this stuff happens I’ll let you know all about it.

According to an article from DogAge.com you should keep your dog far, far away from any food that is “sugar-free”. Most likely that “human-grade” treat contains Xylitol, a sugar-free sweetener.

You can find this very bad substance in some candies, gum, and even soft-drinks. I doubt many people give their dogs gum or diet soda but if you leave it around they might decide to try it. We dogs are curious beings.

I’m not always picky about what I put in my mouth. I may have swallowed a thing or two I’ve found in the street. Don’t judge me.

Anyway, Xylitol can cause low blood sugar, seizures and impair muscle coordination. If your dog does eat something with Xylitol please see a vet as soon as possible. Just saying.

It could mean a lot of things. A Chihuahua’s legs are tiny and delicate as well as cute. So never ignore a limping Chi and take your beloved companion to the dreaded vet as soon as possible.

One possibility is a common hereditary problem in small dogs. It’s called “Luxation of the Patella” and means the dislocation of the kneecap. When the attached ligaments of your dog’s leg get stretched over time the patella can easily pop in and out of place. This has happened to me. If I bend my back leg a certain way or my daddy picks me up and holds me, my kneecap sometimes pops out of it’s proper place.

Stretching my leg carefully and massaging it puts my little kneecap back in place. Unfortunately this can’t go on indefinitely since it could worsen over time and cause other leg problems as I get older. So surgery is required. And can you believe both back legs have this issue?! Talk about bad genes. I blame my biological parents.

In general it’s also best to keep your Chihuahua lean and healthy by feeding a good balanced diet and not overfeeding. It’s never good for tiny legs to hold up lots of fat. And now I am about to go on my daily two mile hike with daddy.

And don’t forget to vote for my blog. Here is my unique Voting code: WvG6E

Thanks.