# LeStat is booked in for his vacc's



## LeStatKelly (Aug 25, 2011)

I've bitten the bullet and booked my little man LeStat for his vaccinations on Tuesday.

Although he's 16 months old he's not had his vaccinations as the vet would not give him them as a puppy because he was ill and had a nasty reaction to flea and worming treatment.
He weighs 900grms now so that at least 150grm more than 3 months ago.

I've been concerned about his vaccinations as I've said in a different thread when I joined.

The vet has said that she will be giving LeStat the regular dog dose of vaccinations and I'm still concerned about this. I've been told that he could be given a 'puppy' dose...is that different to a normal dog dose?
Anyway just wanted a little more assurance that he will be fine I think!

Has anyone ever had an adult so small vaccinated for the first time?
He weighed only 300grms at 12 weeks old.


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## lindseyv77 (Feb 18, 2011)

I recommend doing ONLY Parvo and Distemper and doing them separately! DO NOT do any combo shots at any time!! If this Vet wont do that for you then find a Vet who will. I found one that is willing to do the shots separately and only a half a dose (.5ML) not the 1ML like they normally do. Although the Vet may say if you give only half the dose the drug comp wont be held reliable if the pet gets the virus your vaccinating for...but they wouldn't anyway, so that is just a scare tactic they do. It doesn't take a full 1ML for a small chihuahua to be protected, they give that same amount to a large breed dog, so don't worry that a 1/2 a dose isn't enough, it is!

But steer clear from any combo shots do all the shots separately and about 4 weeks apart from each other. I only give the core vaccines...Parvo & Distmper then later Rabies. My Chi gets nothing else and you don't need yearly boosters of these vaccines. Read about the dangers from Dr. Jean Dodds online.


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## LeStatKelly (Aug 25, 2011)

Hi,

Thanks for that. I am going to speak to the vet on Tuesday.
A few people have said it can be dagerous as he's so small. I've not found ayone with a chi or chi x that is as small as him so most are advising for bigger chi's.
We don't vacc for rabies here in the UK anyway so I don't need to worry about that one.

I'll have a look at the paper you have said and probably print it out to show the vet.
They do have a fantiastic reputatio with small animals but whether that covers 'tiny dogs' I'm not sure.
I know that the vaccinations have no guarantee anyway I had a large breed dog actually get parvo 4 weeks after having her full vaccinations a few years ago.

What vaccinations do you use with the little chi's. They may be different to what is used over here! Although they may be able to get them if they are proven to be safer.


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## OurCheekyChihuahuas (Nov 18, 2009)

I had my boy vaccinated at 9 weeks old He weighed 200grams. He done perfectly well getting his done and again at 11 weeks. He was very very small, but my vets quite old and he said he'd be fine and he was. I don't bother with annual vaccinations as i feel theyre more dangerous then its worth. He hasnt had a parvo at 16months old? Id get him done, as long as your vets happy with it.


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## LeStatKelly (Aug 25, 2011)

He weighed 200grm at 9 weeks? He must be tiny.
What does he weigh now?
Did the vet use a normal dose of vaccination and duel vaccination for your puppy?

LeStat had reactions to flea and worming treatments that nearly killed him that's why I'm particularly worried about vaccinatiing him.
When he was a puppy and had been in hospital for 5 days on life support the vet said they wouldn't vaccinate him until he got bigger. I decided to not use that vet as it was them that decided to treat him with frontliine and drontal at only 8 weeks, even though frontlie should ot be sued util 12 weels, they used a full 'small dog' pippette of frontline and too big a dose of drontal, took me weeks to find this out, they still charged me almost £400 for his hospitalisation.


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## lindseyv77 (Feb 18, 2011)

The only 2 vaccines you really need to do are the Parvo and Distemper the other ones are not as important and some of them only last a few months in the body anyway so why get them? Vets really need to get more educated instead of just going by protocol, protocol doesn't always mean it's the right way! If you can find a Holistic Vet instead that would be better, they still give those two vaccines but they have a safer schedule for them on when and how much of a vaccine.

But since your Chi is so little try to get your vet to do a 1/2 a dose and not the full dose. And do those vaccines at different times... so have them do 1/2 of Parvo one visit then bring him back in 4-6 weeks later and do the 1/2 of Distemper. Then you can choose to bring him back in for the second set of those shots, again w/ the same schedule. Then after that you should be good for the rest of his life. No need for yearly boosters, those are not necessary and harmful.

But make sure you keep him away from dogs that you do not know till after 2 weeks from each vaccine because I heard it can take 2 weeks for the vaccines to start working. He really should have limited access to the outside till he has had his Parvo and Distemper vaccines. My Chi still has not been outside much and she is 6 mos old. We take her out on our porch but not in parks or other people's yards yet. But now she has had both the Parvo & Distemper so we can take her out more.


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## LeStatKelly (Aug 25, 2011)

To be honest LeStat rarely goes out unless he's being carried. When he does walk he only walks for short periods and if there are big dogs around he asks to be picked up.
He only 'socialises' with my other dogs who are all vacc'd and 2-3 of my firends dogs who are also vaccinated..

I've not had boosters for any of my dogs for many years now, only their initial puppy shots, I've never had any problems either.
I was wondering about maybe getting LeStat a blood test prior to having his vacc's to see if he already has any immunity now that I've read a few of the papers on vaccination reactions in tiny dogs!


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## gemleigh (Sep 20, 2011)

how did leestst get on with his vaccs? cody had his first ones this morning oh and he cried bless him.he has slept all day since they have made him very sleepy.


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## LeStatKelly (Aug 25, 2011)

Well I took him to the vet and he was not amused at all!...lol
I'm not surprised Cody wasn't impressed. He's just a baby!
I'd keep a close eye on him if he's too sleepy I'd take him back to make sure he was fine.
I'd also wake him up every hour or so to make sure he was ok.

He didn't get any vaccinations for now. He's going back for blood tests to see if he has any natural immunity and also to be tested for dwarfism as the vet says she's never seen such a small dog considering his parents were 4lb ad 7lb and his surviving sibling is almost 10lbs in weight!
He weighed on her scales at 912grms. She says that is not normal even for the tiniest chihuahua!
Does mean he's put another 12grms on though which I'm pleased about!


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

So he's 16 months old and weighs approximately 2 pounds. That is very small, but not unheard of. 

Are you getting titers drawn to check for immunity? 

What blood test are they using to check for dwarfism?

Do you have any pictures of this litte one? Would love to see him.


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## OurCheekyChihuahuas (Nov 18, 2009)

Hello, yes Lucas now weighs a good strong 3lbs 6ozs. 

I used Drontal Puppy wormer, its a pink oral suspension liquid. Its so simple, i could of told you about this months ago. I thought your vet would have recommended it. Its IMPOSSIBLE to overdose puppies on it. 
Ive never had a problem with Frontline... ever! I buy it from the vets as a big pump bottle. One spray is usually enough at 4 weeks old and i do them again at 12 weeks. Worm at 2 weeks old and every2 weeks after until theyre 14 weeks old. 

Lucas had a full dose and he never had a bad reaction or anything to it.


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## LeStatKelly (Aug 25, 2011)

Brodysmom said:


> So he's 16 months old and weighs approximately 2 pounds. That is very small, but not unheard of.
> 
> Are you getting titers drawn to check for immunity?
> 
> ...


I've put pics of him on the pics section on here when I joined.
I don't know what the test is for his immunitly. I suppose it's the one you have mentioned the vet didn't name it. She also hasn't said what the test is for dwarfism but I remember having a dwarfism test for a siberian husky I bred 14 years ago again I can't remember what it was called. She was 13 inches at the sholder at adulthood. She was proven not to be dwarfed!
He's going in 2 weeks for the tests. To be honest I may be just presuming it's a blood test for dwarfism I was shocked she mentioned it really.





OurCheekyChihuahuas said:


> Hello, yes Lucas now weighs a good strong 3lbs 6ozs.
> 
> I used Drontal Puppy wormer, its a pink oral suspension liquid. Its so simple, i could of told you about this months ago. I thought your vet would have recommended it. Its IMPOSSIBLE to overdose puppies on it.
> Ive never had a problem with Frontline... ever! I buy it from the vets as a big pump bottle. One spray is usually enough at 4 weeks old and i do them again at 12 weeks. Worm at 2 weeks old and every2 weeks after until theyre 14 weeks old.
> ...


LeStat was given drontal tablets by the vet and frontline drop on together at 8 weeks old. He reacted and was in hospital for 5 nights on life support. He didn't live with me at that time though he was living with my daughter!. I would think dogs like every other species will have particular individuals that are allergic to certain thinkgs and those that are not. LeStat seems to be 'that one' that has been allergic to the medications when given together.
I've used frontline on him since this happened and he's been fine. I use half a small dog drop on and he is now fine with this dose.
LeStat is as strong as an ox even though he's so tiny. He jumps on the furiture and the bed, he runs around like nobodies business and can usually keep up with the others on a walk unless we walk for miles!
I'm presuming you know me from other forums if you could have told me months ago about the drontal liquid?


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

OurCheekyChihuahuas said:


> Its IMPOSSIBLE to overdose puppies on it.


Any wormer or other insecticide can be overdosed. Even if it has a large safety margin, it is not a true statement to say that Drontal is impossible to overdose on a puppy. Of course it can be overdosed.

I did see the pics of LeStat you posted with the other dogs. He is very cute. He looks a strong strapping lad at 2 pounds. He doesn't seem frail or exceptionally small to me.


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## LeStatKelly (Aug 25, 2011)

He used to be very frail and we had great difficulty getting him upto the 2lb mark. He refused to eat anything at all....3 months ago he weighed only 800grms.
At one point all he would eat was pate, not doggie pate either, only tiny amouts of it as well.
We wrote to a few dog food 'people' and they all sent us some samples to see what we could get him to eat on a regular basis and he will now eat 50 grms of royal canin mini junior a day. I know it's not the ideal food for him but if he won't eat anything else then it's better than nothing.
He goes through phases where he will eat almost anything, other than dog food, for a week or so and then won't eat for a while but now we've found royal canin we know he'll eat that 'almost' indefinitely.
He did look terribly thin for a while after we got him from my daughter and we were worried there could be something else wrong with him but didn't even think of dwarfism!
He still has a large fontanelle and his chest is quite big for his body making him look as if he has too much of a waist and you ca see all his ribs. He also still has all his baby teeth as well as his adult teeth.
The vet says all these are symptoms of dwarfism.
If he misses a meal, he refuses to eat sometimes still, he loses weight very quickly. Even a few grams and you can tell straight away.

To be honest we now think if he has not died by now he must be stronger than we give him credit for.
I do think that now he's being treated like a 'dog' and not a baby or a toy he is learning to do what dogs are meant to do.
We don't treat him any different to the rottie usually other than picking him up on walks if he gets tired and making sure he is somewhere he feels safe to eat.


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## LeStatKelly (Aug 25, 2011)

This LeStats usual position throughout the day.

Pic taken at 12.55 today.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

AWWWW very cute! I can see his spine though, which does mean he is too thin. I read where you are having trouble keeping weight on him. That's a problem when they are as small as he is. Then you have the issues with hypoglycemia, which can be deadly.

Have you tried meat baby food? (That would be similar to the pate you said you were using, minus the sodium). What about canned? ZiwiPeak? 

Maybe others will chime in with suggestions, but I'd work hard to get some weight on him. If he gets ill, he will have nothing to fall back on and that could be fatal.


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## LeStatKelly (Aug 25, 2011)

Yes we've had issues with him 'not' eating for a while but now we've found he will eat Royal Canin he is gaining 'body' just not weight.
Although he's gained 12grms in a couple of weeks since I last weighed him!
We did try him with baby foods but he won't touch them, he will however eat the ocassional bit of pizza, he won't eat the tinned dog food or the plastic packaged kind either. I don't think we get Ziwipeak over here or if we do I've never heard of it!
I've even tried him with BARF and he will have nothing to do with it to the point I offered fresh kill domestic rodent and he wouldn't eat that either. My JRT pup loves her 'whole prey'!
I've even given him appetite enhancers and probiotics but nothing encourages him to eat.
He is eating 50-75grms of royal canin mini junior though, really wolfing it down, that is more than it says he needs! He also picks at the big dogs food.
The vet did say that if he has dwarfism that could be the reason for him looking like that as apparently a roach back, large chest and retained baby teeth are the three main symptoms!
She seems to think he's very healthy other than looking odd though.
When he eventually has the tests it'll probably be a matter of just seeing how he manages if it comes back that he dwarfed.

I can't remember if I've said but his mother is a 8-9lb jrt and his father a 4lb chihuahua but his sister is well over 10lbs nearer to 12-14lbs. She is also at least twice as tall as him probably more. His mother is around 8 inches tall. I've not seen his father so I don't know how tall he is.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

That will be really interesting to know if he does test out with dwarfism. Keep us posted! And if he's eating royal canin fine and his vet thinks he is doing ok - then that's great! Keep up the good work!


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## LeStatKelly (Aug 25, 2011)

Thanks he is doing better every day.
It was 'not acting like a dog' that worried me more than anything else at first.
It is going to be a little while, probably a month, before I can afford to get the test done.
Little devil refused his royal canin this morning but I think that he was just laughing at me...I know it's silly but he really does seem to enjoy worrying me!
I'm not used to such small dogs as I have always had mastiffs.

Hopefully he'll put a bit more weight on as well in the next few months.
I'm happy that he's 90% better, both healthwise and attitude, since he came to us and my daughter is also over the moon that she has done the right thing allowing him to come and live with us.


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## LeStatKelly (Aug 25, 2011)

Well after a few weekd of discussions with the vet they have decided they do not want to do the titer tests to see if he's got natural immunity now.
They said even if they do the titer test they will want to give him vaccinations anyway as he's never had any!
They have also said they will want to give him a full dose of the vaccinations as well...a bit of a turnaround since I first spoke to them.

I'm trying to find a different vet now who is willing to do as I ask rather than 'what they want'.

This vet also said there was no reason to do the dwarfism tests as he's only a pet.....I wanted it done as then I can 'foresee' any issues that might ocurr later in his life!

On the up he's putting weight on still ad still eating. He's also slowly acting more and more like a dog!


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