My 14-year-old Chihuahua hasn't seen a vet in years. What now?

Hello there and thank you for posting your question! Chihuahuas can be great dogs! With this particular breed, I would say that they tend to be scared of other people or dogs typically. Dental disease is also a big problem in this breed. I would suggest getting his teeth cleaned once to twice a year to prevent periodontal disease if you are able to. Make sure you keep the nails trimmed regularly as they can grow fast and if not taken care of, can grow into the paw pads. If you haven't gotten him on any heartworm prevention I would also do this. If he is over the age of seven, I would make sure a blood panel is checked with him once per year. If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am also available via phone and text consultation if needed.

I'm sorry Shanelle isn't doing well! Yes, I would take her into to see the vet. At her age, while it could be she has a respiratory infection, it's also possible that she is suffering from heart disease causing the sounds when she breathes. It's best she has a physical exam, geriatric blood tests, urinalysis, and chest x-rays to see what is causing her symptoms so she can be treated. If she did have heart disease, it cannot be cured but the symptoms can be managed with medication. I would have her seen by a vet on Monday or Tuesday. I hope this helps!

I am sorry to hear about your chihuahua. Because of her age and her symptoms (lethargy and decreased appetite) I would definitely recommend an examination by a veterinarian. We can certainly see medical problems in older dogs that can cause these symptoms such as kidney disease, infections, liver disease, and more. An exam by your vet and some bloodwork may help to be sure there isn't a treatable medical issue. If there are no abnormalities found, then they may recommend some over the counter products that can help with anxiety such as Adaptil which is a pheremone product available as a plug-in or collar, Zylkene or Composure which are calming supplements, a thundershirt which is a compression vest that calms some dogs. And in some cases prescription strength medication may be necesssary from your veterinarian.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. If you are noticing a loss of weight, especially at this age, I would recommend having his blood tested to make sure that there are no changes on his bloodwork that might indicate a systemic disease or infection. If blood work is normal then an abdominal ultrasound would be my next recommendation to find out why he is losing weight. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

Hi there and thanks for posting this question. She is older and her immune system may be not as robust as we would like. I would recommend that you have another appointment with your veterinarian to see if she needs another injection. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Peanut. I recommend that he sees a veterinarian today. Small breed dogs are prone to neck and/or back pain which can be excruciatingly painful. He will be carefully examined to determine if this is the case or if he has another problem. Based on these results and any diagnostic testing, treatment recommendations can be made. In the meantime, do not give any over-the-counter pain medications as these can be toxic to dogs. I hope this information helps!

Lady should have a physical exam at least once a year regardless of her age because pets age much faster than humans. Geriatric pets should get an exam every 6 months and bloodwork at least once a year. Small breed dogs are considered geriatric at 9 years old. At that time, she should definitely have an exam and a discussion about different foods, exercise recommendations, bloodwork...etc. Good job on thinking proactively! I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.