Chihuahua found, bad shape.

Sal · 10-02-2009, 05:36 PM

We found this little guy crossing (or hobbling across) a street a few blocks away from our home. He was holding one leg up and looked malnourished from 30 feet away in the car, and after watching for a while and seeing that no one was with him, I decided to act.

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves regarding his condition:

There's a missing claw on the foot he won't walk on much, and his other claws are obviously out of control. His tail is bare and actually zig-zags near the middle but I couldn't get a picture because he obviously doesn't like it touched. His ears look like caterpillar-eaten leaves and he's bare of fur on all four legs. It's just skin over bones. I'm not sure if that's normal or not because I've never even met a Chihuahua before today.

It would be great if someone could tell me if this dog looks of any certain age. We live in the middle of no where and vets won't be open until Monday, so it's just us and this little scrap until then. We've given him some soft food and water, which he inhaled, and I'm going to give him a safe bath and a toenail clip.

He's extremely friendly. Loves being pet. What makes me sick is that he smells like a home... which can only mean that someone was consciously allowing him to get this way. I'm a little lost as to what to do about all of it.

Once again I'm unfamiliar with Chihuahuas, so I don't know bad his condition is by looking. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Renoman · 10-02-2009, 05:54 PM

Well first of all, thank you for taking this poor soul into your home and giving him sanctuary.

It looks like he's either been on his own for some time or has been neglected for some time.. in either case.. he needs help desperately. If he smells like a home as you say, then he was lucky to escape. Although it could have been a number of scenarios.. none of which are good.

Don't let him eat or drink too much at a time.. if he's starved (and he looks it) or dehydrated that could cause a problem. Lots of small frequent meals and drinks is the best way to go.

That poor baby!!!

Sal · 10-02-2009, 06:01 PM

Thank you, Renoman. I did make sure to take away the food for a while, as he seemed to be very ravenous. He was a lot more calm about eating and drinking when I gave it back the second time. He just seemed happy to see food and water again. It's not like he could pick through anyone's garbage.

He hates me a little after the toenail clipping.. lots of growling whenever I touch him, even though he did nothing of the sort before, but I'd be pretty upset too. He's mellowing out again, though.. and he still comes up to us and nudges our hands for petting. Bath is next.

Tried to look at his teeth to determine an age range but he does NOT like that at all. lol.

Renoman · 10-02-2009, 06:07 PM

Sal, I would say, just keep doing what you are doing until you can get this poor soul to the vet to get him checked out.

What will you do once he's been vetted?

Where did he get the collar? Was that on him when you found him?

Sal · 10-02-2009, 06:15 PM

We're not sure what we'll do with him after he's been taken to the vet. I do think he's very cute, even with his extreme crabbiness. The way he abandoned the apparent trust he had in us the moment I clipped a claw makes me think he may have been a little mistreated. I feel awful for him and we do have the facilities to keep him. Our pit bull was excited and curious at first but he's long since stopped caring. The Chihuahua seems to think he's the bigger man now.

If we, for whatever reason, decide not to keep him, I have many family friends who have taken in refugees and loved and cared for them in the past. We have options for this one, and I think he's just adorable. He'll have no trouble being homed, if not with us... but in all likelihood, I'm going to get attached.

The collar actually belongs to one of our ferrets (I believe it's actually a cat collar). It fits him perfectly on the widest setting and he has too fat of a head to slip out. hehe.

Renoman · 10-02-2009, 06:34 PM

Well, just to keep it legal... if I were you I would maybe run an ad in the lost and found, contact local vets and shelters to see if anyone called this baby in as missing, although, it doesn't sound like anyone would be missing him..

The rule in the dog world is: the smaller they are the bigger they think they are.. therefore,.. this little one thinks he's double the size of your other dog..

If your other dog is accepting of this little one, so much the better.

Please keep us posted as to what happens to this little guy..

Sal · 10-02-2009, 07:03 PM

Will do, Renoman. Thanks for all the helpful advice, it's much appreciated

lulusmom · 10-02-2009, 10:12 PM

Bless you for taking this sweet baby in and nurturing him. With respect to making it legal, I totally disagree as anybody that would let a tiny baby like this get to this condition should not be given an opportunity to continue the neglect. Even if he wasn't physically abused, neglect is a horrible form of abuse. Hell would freeze over before I returned him to the owner.

Your vet should be able to approximate his age by the condition of his teeth. If you want to try to find the owner, most vets have scanners in their offices so if he is micro chipped, a quick scan will provide the owners information.

FilleBelle · 10-02-2009, 10:44 PM

Aw, he looks like a little alien. Thanks for taking him in!

spugs · 10-03-2009, 05:45 AM

Poor baby, he looks quite old in the photos but thats prob just because of the state hes in.
He looks like a bag of bones

Meshkenet · 10-03-2009, 10:42 AM

It's hard to tell his age given his state, especsially because of his colour (my Chihuahua is tri-coloured, which means a black nose on which whitening shown very well). He does not look like a puppy or youngster to me, I would say at least 4-5 years, but that is more gut feeling that anything. Your vet will help you with that.

As for temperment, Chihuahuas can be crabby little beasts at time, very cudly as a rule, get attached to one human very strongly, love to please (mostly themselves), do not always find a good reason to obey commands, and all believe they are a cross between a rottweiler and a st. bernard and act accordingly.

Mine sleeps under covers only, growls at me when I have to put her coat on her, bosses my two other dogs around (they are 60 lbs and 110 lbs) and treats me like a couch... and I love her to death!

Enjoy your new family member, and don't worry about crabbiness after toemail clipping, it's juste the way Chihuahuas are.

CoverTune · 10-03-2009, 02:25 PM

I'd like to respectfully disagree with just about everything in the previous post. My chis are people lovers.. playful, cuddly...

Anyway, this is what a healthy 2y/o chihuahua should look like..

Please keep us updated on the little guys progress.

Thracian · 10-03-2009, 03:47 PM

Oh my word. That's horrible. Thanks for taking this guy in and caring for him. He's definitely in bad shape.

Meshkenet · 10-03-2009, 08:55 PM

Lucky you! Mine also loves people, don't get me wrong, but it is on her own terms. This means I can do whatever I want without getting a growl, except dress her; my bf serves as a willing couch and can mostly pet her anywhere and anytime; the rest of the human race must ask for permission before any contact :P

She is quite the character, very headstrong in a loveable way.

Didn't mean to come off as anti-chihuahua :P

JLWillow · 10-03-2009, 11:15 PM

Oh, my goodness! He's in such bad shape! I'm just so happy that you've decided to take care of him for now, and will either take him in yourself or help him find a good home. The only thing with me is that he really doesn't look that starved from what I can see (I could be wrong, though). You can't even see any of his ribs, but maybe that's because of the position he is in in the picture, or I'm thinking of a more extreme case of starvation. It's so strange that he has no fur on his legs, though...

lilmate · 10-06-2009, 02:13 AM

did you get to take the dog to the vet?