A lovely Chihuahua with a small body and big eyes. Although it is registered as the smallest dog in the world, it is actually a dog breed with large individual differences in weight. Therefore, the proper weight varies depending on the individual, but when managing the weight, it is necessary to know what the average weight is.
Keep in mind that obesity and overweight can have a significant impact on your lifespan, so be careful with your average weight and weight management. We will also explain the diseases that Chihuahuas are susceptible to.
What is the proper weight for a Chihuahua?
To grow a Chihuahua healthy, it is important to understand how much weight you have and manage your weight by eating and exercising.
Nowadays, you may see a slightly larger Chihuahua, but let’s know the average weight of an adult dog and the approximate weight transition of a puppy during the growth period.
Appropriate weight
The average weight of an adult Chihuahua is about 1.5 to 3 kg. However, children with large skeletons by nature, often weigh more than 3 kg. Whether or not your dog is the right weight can be confirmed by an evaluation method called the body condition score.
The ideal body shape = proper weight is that you can touch the ribs from above the thin subcutaneous fat when you stroke your dog, and you can see the appropriate constriction when you stand your dog and look at it from above. Therefore, even if you exceed your average weight, there is no problem as long as you can maintain your ideal body shape.
Weight change
Since Chihuahuas vary greatly from individual to individual, there are also differences in their weight during the growing season, but by the time they grow into adult dogs, their weight will change as follows.
2-3 months after birth: Approximately 450-650g
4-5 months after birth: Approximately 850-1.2 kg
6-7 months after birth: Approximately 1.6-1.8 kg
8-9 months after birth: Approximately 2-2.2 kg
10-11 months after birth: Approximately 2.3-2.4 kg
12 months after birth: Approximately 2.5 kg
In the case of small dogs, it will be about the size of an adult dog around 10 months old, so switch to a hood for adult dogs.
What is the average lifespan of a Chihuahua? Illnesses that are easy to get
I want my dog, a member of an important family, to stay healthy forever, but what is the average life expectancy of a Chihuahua? Let’s look at it together with the illnesses that are easy to get.
Average life
The average lifespan of a Chihuahua is about 13 to 14 years old, which is about 72 years old when converted to human age (* 1). The average lifespan of a dog is about 14 years old (* 2), and the lifespan of a dog tends to be longer as the body size is smaller, so it is better to live longer than any other dog.
Since lifespan varies depending on health care and living environment, it is not uncommon to live longer than the average lifespan.
Oldest
Although it is not a Guinness official record, there is a Chihuahua who lived long until the age of 25 in Japan, and it is said to be the oldest. It is a super longevity dog because it is about 100 years old when converted to human age.
Dogs are also aging as the quality of pet food improves and veterinary medicine advances. Therefore, it is expected that the service life will be further extended in the future.
Chihuahua-prone illness
You can prevent illnesses by knowing the illnesses that are likely to occur and their symptoms. It also leads to early detection and treatment of illness and prevents it from becoming more severe. Chihuahuas are prone to the following illnesses, so take precautions regularly.
Patellar dislocation
Patellar dislocation is a condition in which the knee bones of the hind legs are displaced from their normal positions and dislocated, and small dogs tend to get sick.
In mild cases, it may return to normal naturally, but as the disease progresses, symptoms such as skipping unnatural walking, swelling of the knees, and difficulty in standing up smoothly are observed.
If a large load is applied to the joints, the risk of developing the disease increases, so prevent it by not jumping daily, not walking in places with large steps, and carpeting the flooring.
Tracheal collapse
Tracheal collapse is a respiratory illness that causes the trachea to collapse. In the early stages, you may cough or make a breathing sound like a “larger” and a goose barking, but if it becomes severe and the trachea becomes severely crushed, you may have difficulty breathing.
The cause is not clear, but it is suspected that obesity and aging are involved in addition to genetic factors.
There is no effective preventive measure because the cause is not clear. Manage your weight and be careful not to become obese.
Urethral stones
Urine produced by the kidneys is excreted from the body through the ureter, bladder, and urethra, and it is urolithiasis that causes stones in this urinary tract and causes various symptoms.
If you have stones, you will go to the bathroom many times, but you will see symptoms such as peeing little by little, pain when urinating, and blood in the pee.
Causes of urolithiasis include excessive intake of minerals such as phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium, low water intake, and bacterial infections. Therefore, let’s prevent it by devising ways to get rid of water and giving appropriate food according to the life stage.
Things to watch out for in Chihuahua weight management
Not to mention being overweight, being thin is not good for your health. Keep in mind what you need to be aware of when managing your weight.
Amount of rice
Basically, give it by referring to the recommended feeding amount printed on the food package.
However, contraception and castration make it easier for you to gain weight, so you may gain weight even though you are giving the amount according to your weight. In such a case, please adjust the amount and give.
On the other hand, if you are not gaining weight after giving the right amount, you may have some kind of illness and you should consult your veterinarian. It helps you manage your weight because it suggests the right amount of food for your child.
Estimated walk
Chihuahuas are not a breed that requires long walks, so if you exercise enough indoors, you can meet the required amount of exercise.
However, spending a lot of time in cages and circles throughout the day can be overstressing, no matter how good it is indoors. Take a 10 to 20-minute walk twice a day not only for exercise but also for a change of mood.
Favorite exercise
I’m happy if you play with a ball or pull it. However, some puppies are not physically fit, so play for about 10 minutes and increase the time as you grow up.
Playing together also helps to deepen the bond with your dog. Make sure you have enough time to set up every day.
Let’s manage the weight of Chihuahua and aim for healthy life expectancy
Maintaining a proper weight also extends the healthy life expectancy. Weight management through diet and exercise and prevention of illnesses that are likely to occur are important roles for the owner. Please support Chihuahua, a member of an important family, so that he can stay healthy and energetic forever.