# 2 pound long haired Chihuahua concern (with pictures)



## ArnieMiller (Jul 8, 2020)

Our little Arnie, a long haired chihuahua is a singleton puppy weighing 2 lb at 5 months. Since we had him we have had him on "Carna 4 Chicken" kibble which has zero artificial ingredients and or fillers. We also mix it with the Native organic chicken dog broth and carrots. For the past couple of weeks he has been itchy but nothing terrible. The vet checked for fleas and mites, but confirmed there was nothing. Speed up to the past 3 days, he wakes up scratching his face and muzzle on his paws, carpet, and pretty much anything he can get a hold of. He is also biting his front legs constantly. He does this throughout the day, but more common in the morning when he wakes up from his bed. He sleeps with some treats and dolls that he brings in there, but we are thinking we may take that out. It also looks like his back hair is slightly thinning (see pics below). Just starting this morning he didn't want to eat, but built up an appetite by the end of the day. We don't know if this allergy related (environmental/food) or puppy hair phase. We had a short haired chihuahua for 15 years before him, but new to the long haired chi world. The vet advised that we get an allergy blood test to see if he has any allergies. Any one go through this with their little one? Any advice is welcomed. Thank you in advance for your help! xo


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## MMS (Aug 2, 2012)

Face itching is not a symptom that I have experienced personally, but itchiness is definitely a sign of potential allergies. My lab-setter mix was allergic to chicken and would start itching if he had anything with chicken in it. If I didn't catch it when he started itching he would eventually lick his legs and paws til he got weepy hot-spots. I absolutely support the allergy testing, and in the mean time you can try a different protein source - make sure there is absolutely no chicken (including broth, fat, and eggs) in his diet for at least two weeks and see if it clears up.


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## ArnieMiller (Jul 8, 2020)

Thank you sooo much MMS! He loved boiled chicken the few times he tried it so we thought we were doing a good thing getting him chicken dry food (Carna 4 - not grain free, but no synthetic fillers). He's been on it since he was 9 weeks old with no problem, but from what I gather it can start at any age. Starting tomorrow we are going to switch to the Ziwi Peak lamb dry food and give that a shot. We also ordered an air purifier for the apartment just in case its dust mites or pollen. The vet also suggested that he may just be having a reaction to his distemper boosters he just finished 2 weeks ago. We are going to give this all a shot over the next week. If it doesn't help then we are taking him for the allergy testing next weekend. We have been debating the allergy testing this weekend because he is so little (2 lbs) and is quite the little prince (he gets upset if the room is too hot). We love him so much and don't want him to suffer, but this is all so new to us both. My 15 year old short haired chi died last year and we never had any allergy concerns with him so we are adjusting and learning all over again with Arnie. Thank you for your advice!! We truly appreciate it and will keep everyone posted. This forum has some amazing people and we feel lucky to have such incredible support and feedback from other chi owners.


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