I have what I thought was a "long haired" Chihuahua. He is...

Answer by Raena
Submitted on 3/2/2004
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I have a long haired Chihuahua named Isabel and she loses hair all the time on her arms and around her eyes there is a disease they can have called alopecia. It doesn’t really hurt them it’s just hair loss for the most part. The vet can run blood test to see what is really going on. Does your dog itch a lot? Also we just moved and the veterinarian said that it is very common for dogs to lose hair with a climate change, of even a weather change. By weather change of course I mean more than the normal shedding and my vet said that it was okay, I have three other dogs that were losing lots of hair when we first got here. I wish I could help you more! Try this link: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_alopecia_x.html The only other thing I can say is if your dog is out in the sun make sure it has plenty of sunscreen on!Let me know how it turns out and I will keep looking around for you! Good luck!

Answer by Kelly
Submitted on 11/24/2004
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I have what was advertised as an "extra" long-hair chihuahua who is now 2. The breeder told me that it takes the first two years for the coat to grow in fully. My dog has gone through shedding vs. growing cycles and now has an extremely long coat. No one can believe he is a chi. I have learned from my vet that your dog may shed (or not grow new hair) when his food is not adequate in fat content. I don't feed mine any food with less than 16 percent fat content. When I do, he starts shedding immediately. He is a little heavier than he should be but he looks beautiful with the long coat and seems happy. When I go under the 16 percent to cut back on his weight gain, he starts shedding his hair immediately. I have also had good luck stopping the shedding with a supplement from Petco by the name of "Shed-Be-Gone" (I think that is the name - don't have it right now). Higher fat content, though there is weight gain, seems to be what works best on maintaining a fuller/longer coat. I had a second long-hair chi that passed away two days ago at 6 months. Her coat was extremely short except for a little fluff around her tail until she was about 4 months - then I put her on the high fat food and she started getting that long "mane" around her head and chest and was really starting to fill out all over the rest of her body. I hope this info will help someone trying to maintain a longer coat!

Answer by Matt
Submitted on 12/18/2004
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I have two long-haired chihuahuasa male and a female. My first one the male looked like a short-haired (except for feathering behind his ears)up to 8 months,I was really getting worried,but he's 11 months now and his hair has gotten pretty long.When I picked out my female I went to see a lot more breeders and found one that had really long-haired dogs I picked out a beautiful black white and fawn female shes now 6 months and also lost most of her furriness but I'm convinced that it will probably start growing soon considering both parents had really long hair. I have heard that some long-haired chihuahuaswont get their full coat up to 2 years, but some breeders now breed short-haired to long-haired so it could be many things.

Answer by bre
Submitted on 2/4/2005
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Usually,if your looking at a Chihuahua at the age of 8 weeks,and the coat isnt very full,and fluffy,like a ball of fur,it will never be,and you will not be getting the full coat,long hair chi you desire. In my search, I spent many weeks looking on Puppyfind.com for the perfect long hair chi.I was amazed on how many chis are supposed to be long hair,[but in reality are not as much of a long coat],as most people prefer! A lot of long coat chis have a fluffy tail,and ears,but their body coat resembles a smooth-rough coat look,[which actually shed more],rather than the true ball of fur people are looking for, in a long coat chi. Anyone looking for a beautiful long hair chi,in your search,get lots of books,look at pictures,tell the breeder what you are looking for,make sure you really look at the pics very closely before. Also,ask the breeder if the parents are both long hair.This can help in achieving the thick beautiful coat a long hair chi should have,but either way a great temperament is what really counts in a chi. My first encounter of a very long hair chi was at a store,he was the most fluffy chi,I had ever seen,and held,such a thick coat,almost curly,and the other long hair chi next to him was more of a rough coat,fluffy ears,a little fur on the tail, but that was it.This is how I came to distinguish between the 2 long hair chis in my search.Hope this helps!

Answer by Chihuahua Lover
Submitted on 4/17/2005
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There are a lot of reasons that pets loose hair. Some are skin conditions, some are more internal problems. It is not uncommon for hair loss in allergies, including but limited to food or environmental. There is testing that your doctor can do to test against all elements that your pet can be exposed to including food. Changing the shampoo prob wont work and I would not suggest using anything other than a product recommended by your vet. I use a product called episooth on mine. You may also want to have a skin scrap performed by your vet to rule out demodex. This is a mite that they get from their parents. It generally shows up in puppies, but at the hospital where I work, we have been seeing some adult cases as well. Blood work is always recommend at least once a year even in healthy pets to help monitor the changes that may be occurring internally that you can't see while they age. To sum up, to find out what the real problem is, you will need to invest in some quality testing to make sure you make the right decision on treatment.

Answer by Steph
Submitted on 9/14/2005
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I have a long haired FEMALE Chihuahua. And that may what some of you have... if so the female coats DO NOT get long at all. The most they usually get is longer hair on the tail and the chest and the ears, but their body fur never gets long. Now the males on the other hand are suppose to have longer, fuller coats. They look like a Pomeranian with a bad coat, vs. versa a Pomeranian with a bad coat would look like a long haired Chihuahua. Always ask to see pictures of the parents and other pups that they have had or just had. Some breeder do mix, your not suppose to. A long haired Chihuahua was made to be that way by selective breeding over many years. But now there is no reason for them to be breeding a Chihuahua to get a longer coat with anything else. If you may happen to have any more question drop me a line at DDivineL1980@verizon.net

Answer by dog lover
Submitted on 11/3/2005
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Hello, ok know for one i was reading you opions above and people kept talking about the breed of your dog being mixed but i am a vet. and here i will tell you that a full bread chihuahua can have a litter and have short and long haired puppies and i breed so i see this a lot. The jens may have gotten mixed up but if you long haired Chi. is acting normal it is fine just keep up the good work and if he showa any sings of emotion or discomfort try talkingg to hom in a very calm friendly voice and put him in a day of pampering or maybe a week and see how he changes and make sure he doesnt itch a lot at his bare skin. An i was woundering if you took him out on walks cause if you do even in your own back yard there is a very common allergic reaction to grass that he migh have so try to keep him out of the grass. And thank you for your time and i would appreciate it if you tried my options. Your Friend, Doglover

Answer by France
Submitted on 1/17/2006
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Make sure Fleas aren't an issue.. my male long hair is allergic to fleas and his hair in certain areas gets scratched off(like his rump by his tail or his flank)..but Flea treatments can help skin issues as well as fleas... also anything other than lamb and rice makes his skin flaky and dry. DO NOT use human shampoo on your dog.. there are many shampoo's on the market made of Oatmeal and other ingredients used especially for sensitive skin. Tea tree is also a good choice for skin ailments. I wouldn't worry about if its a mix between short and long coat but if it's a pure bred.. from your explanation it sounds like the dog is losing the hair where a Chinese Crested usually has no hair.. but hey I'm not there to see for myself. I'm appalled at all the problems with breeders selling long haired chi's that lose their hair. I have one pair and all of my pups have been long haired and have kept all the hair. Please check into the breeder and request pictures of parents and previous litters.. if they dont have pictures or dont want to show them DO NOT BUY THE PUP FROM THEM!!!!!!! And if these dogs are papered and come from someone who is a respected breeder contact them and ask.. I always ask my buyers to contact me if they have any questions. If they want nothing to do with you after they are likely a puppy mill or just dont give a crap about the buyers let alone their dogs. all they hear is PROFIT. Try another vet and find out about Alopecia or exema or other skin diseases. But unfortunatly it might be poor breeding. Good Luck in your search for a fix.

Answer by Pamela
Submitted on 5/15/2007
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Long Haired chi's can come from the very same litter as short haired, so I don't think thats the problem. Also the person with the 10 month olds..just wait it out. Long Haired dogs can take several years to develope a full coat like the ones your thinking of. As for the original post Have the vet run full alergy test and blood work including thyroid. You might have to resort to going to a skin and coat specialist, much like a people specialist. Thats what we had to do for my cat, who it turns out is allergic to his self. so we have to give the poor guy a bath once a week but the fur is growing in nice. It will cost a bit more than the vet, but would be well worth it to find out whats up with the little guy.

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Question by Kristina
Submitted on 12/17/2003
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I have what I thought was a "long haired" Chihuahua. He is 1 year old. His hair never really grew in on his back. In fact, it has now almost all fallen off although his skin seems very healthy. His neck and upper body hair and his tail have always been long until recently, it is getting thin. I have taken him to two vets and they cannot find anything wrong. I have spent about $500 on this. Any suggestions?

Answer by CelticArcher
Submitted on 12/22/2003
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Try having the vet do a full panel thyroid test. Might want to rule out cushing's disease too. If nothing else, it's probably just the genes. -CelticArcher

Answer by Chico
Submitted on 2/10/2004
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Well maybe you should try a new shampoo that will make his hair grow. I had the same problem with my dog and I tried pantene pro v. It worked miracles. Could you please post a picture of your dog so I can see if it looks like my dog. It could be the same problem. Good luck!

Answer by kandycitten
Submitted on 6/14/2004
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Try switching the diet! I lot of dogs are allergic to beef. My chow mix kept loosing her hair on her back and tail until I switched her to dogfood made from lamb or chicken.

Answer by B. J.
Submitted on 6/24/2004
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I am interested in who the breeder was for your long-haired Chi. We have a supposedly long-haired Chi from a breeder in the midwest. I don't believe he is a true long hair. He is beautiful, has a terrific personality and we love him; however, he is now one year old and has never developed the long coat of a well bred Chi. Apparently, short hair Chi's are mixed with Poms or other small long hair dogs to create a long hair Chihuahua. It could be that if our Chihuahuas were bred with something other than a Pom, that would explain why they are not getting the full coat.

Answer by Ashley
Submitted on 7/5/2004
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i have two long hair chihuahua's and they are about 10 months old and they don't have long hair at all and i try to switch food and shampoo but i doesn't work maybe your breeder that you got your dog from has sold you a cross mix of a short and a long hair chihuahua. you should ask him/her

Answer by cella
Submitted on 7/14/2004
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I have a longhair chi with a beautiful coat.Very full.Perhaps the breeder didn't have the right mix for parents

Answer by Sarah
Submitted on 8/23/2004
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I'm thinking about getting a long haired chihuahua would it be mean to my cat?

Answer by uh!oh!
Submitted on 12/7/2004
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Kristina i hope you find someone to figure out what is wrong w/ your dog. I have a long haired chihuahua and she doesn't shed that much she is so loving if you are wanting to get a dog that is loving a chihuahua is a ggod dog to have.

Answer by jbad
Submitted on 12/30/2004
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I have 2 chis/ both are long haired but one has a longer coat, the female is short, but not as short as the regular chi's.... I have read that if it doesnt have an apple head, its considered deer headed. It doesnt matter to me what type of head they have, they are awesome and they each have thier own personality.. she is a little Deer in my opinion LOL cute and fawn-like the male is spoiled rotten they are from the same mom if I were to breed them is this considered bad? I dont know anyone else with pups as mine

Answer by Leah
Submitted on 1/20/2005
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my lab always looses the hair on her back and tail, my cat also has the same problem. my vet told me that they are both having an allergic reaction to flea bites. i just put them on a stronger flea medicine (try front line) and it cleared up there problems really quickly.

Answer by jen
Submitted on 2/17/2005
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I have 2 longhaired chihuahuas and it is a phase that they go through. My breeder explained it to me and it should grow back within 1 year.

Answer by dog lover
Submitted on 3/21/2005
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I have a smooth coat Chi and for a long time his hair was falling out and he was scratching a lot. I took him to many different vets who treated his skin with creams and shampoo and other medicine and nothing worked, until finally one vet suggested he may have allergies and although he was always on high quality food, I should try a hypo allergenic type only available at vets. I did so and it worked miracles. His hair is now thick and soft, he doesn't scratch and all around happier. It is called ZD Ultra. I hope this may help your baby.

Answer by Kat
Submitted on 5/4/2005
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My long hair Chihuahua is almost 16 years old and she had trouble loosing her hair, it was allergies to grass, fleas, Pedigree dog food and human food. She is fine now. As far as the coat being too short, it may take awhile for it to get to its complete length, it did for Wright's SOuthern Sensation, my Sofee is a beauty.

Answer by Peso
Submitted on 5/5/2005
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In Chihuahua's, a longcoat which is bred to another longcoat can only produce longcoats because it is a recessive trait. All traits come from the parents, genes determine the traits. Each parent contributes half the genetic material, genes come in pairs. A gene can be either dominant or recessive. When paired up, if one gene is dominant and the other recessive, the dominant trait is what we see. In Chihuahuas, the smooth coat is the dominant trait and the long coat is the recessive.

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Submitted on 4/13/2006
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Submitted on 4/13/2006
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Submitted on 4/13/2006
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Answer by Donna
Submitted on 5/16/2005
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I have a long hair chihuahua and his entire coat is full and beautiful like a collie...except his tail. It used to be fairly full, never bushy, but now it has one area that is full and the other side half of his tail is hairless and the color of his tail is black and the skin looks tough. Any suggestions?

Answer by hellokitty23
Submitted on 5/17/2005
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yeah i have a "long hair chi" too and my dog lost all of it's hair when it was a puppy and it never seemed to grow back. She was diagnosed with dimodex, but she has never fully recovered. Its that she has patches of hairless spots, she just never grew a full coat. I think there has been a trend of very dishonest breeders in our country.

Answer by THINKING OF GETTING A CHI!!!!
Submitted on 7/11/2005
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lets say that i were to buy a long haired chi and one day i decide i want it to have short hair...is it okay to cut its hair so its hair is as short as a short haired chi or will it look odd....Also if I bought a short haired chi....will it every grow enough hair to look like a long haired chi or no???? Alsooo...sorry i have so many questions but....are there different textures in the 2 types of chi's hair??? please please please someone tell me caz i really like this great breed!!!!!

Answer by kyky
Submitted on 7/28/2005
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I have a long haired chihuahua (3 1/2 months old) and she is starting to loose hair on her upper chest and belly. I am also wondering where you purchased your Chi from? I am taking her to the vet on tomorrow to be checked. I will post then what the vet says says.

Answer by LisaH
Submitted on 8/7/2005
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My long haired chihuahua lost all the hair on his neck or chest. My vet ran blood tests, he is just fine. It just sometimes happens, even on short haired chihuahuas. my vet did recommend fish oil though and it seems to help. Also Purina makes a dog food with special nutrients for a healthy coat. It seems to help, I don't think his hair is ever going to grow back fully, but he got some baby fuzz back.

Answer by Taylor
Submitted on 8/20/2005
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personally, I've never seen a long haired chi that lost it's hair.I think that they probably got a mixed breed or something.

Answer by lndaisy13
Submitted on 8/25/2005
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Hey, does anyone know how long it takes for a long haired chihuahua to develop their full coat. My long haired has a long smooth coat and furry ears and tail. I can tell his coat is getting longer but I am wondering about at what afe I can expect him to have his adult looking coat. He is only 5 months old.

Answer by Chesterwood
Submitted on 9/16/2005
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What color is your dog? Blue Chihuahuas are known to carry a recessive gene that caused alopecia. There isn't anything you can do about it. They will just have bald spots, usually on their backs. This is a sign of a poorly bred Chihuahua

Answer by Me
Submitted on 10/8/2005
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This lady got a Chi off me and when she got her she was a red/brown color at 12 weeks, and looked long haired. Now months later, she calls me complaining saying that the dog was mixed with a terrier and has whiskers. (she did have whiskers when she got her) Anyway, she says the vet says it's mixed with terrier and she is now all of a sudden brindle colored???? I think this lady is pulling my leg, and I want to know if there are any other Chi's out there that can change coat colors from red/brown to brindle, and if because it has some weird looking hairs here and there, that it's not a Chi, when it really is???

Answer by mina
Submitted on 11/20/2005
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i'm thinking of getting a chihuahua if you know any in the kentucky area e-mail me at mina103@alltel.net

Answer by Lissette
Submitted on 11/21/2005
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I had that that problem with my dog when she was a puppy and we didn't know what to do because she was looking like a bald rat. the doctor told me just put a copper wire around her neck, and within a few weeks her hair was already back

Answer by KennelDogs Rule
Submitted on 12/3/2005
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I like rusty spoons.

Answer by jinna
Submitted on 1/18/2006
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maybe he has a skin disease or a rash

Answer by sandy
Submitted on 3/30/2006
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my benji had an awful skin disease that the vet did not know what it was so he treated him for mange and antibodics and said that he would have to be on steroids for life. he was doing so well after several months i decided to slowly wean him off steroids. now three months later it is starting all over, he has practically no hair left, and even when he was well it did not grow back. he is 8 years old. i have him on a lamb rice diet.

Answer by Sarah Lee
Submitted on 5/28/2006
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I have a Long haired chihuahua that is now 6 months old. i was told he was bred by two LH Chi. about 2-3 months ago he shed like crazy and now he looks like a regular chi but with frayed ears. I dunno if he shed cuz its summer or cuz i changed his food from nutro to hill's health science. i changed it cuz my vet told me nutro was a little fatty. any ideas on how to make my puppy fluffy again? i love my LH Chi to death! he playful, loving, smart and really nothing like a reg chi. he only shivers when he gets out of the bath and doesnt nip at people and their ankles. best breed ever! i just need help growing his hair back lol. thanks

Answer by Annie
Submitted on 6/26/2006
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If the vet says that he is healthy then everything is ok. He doesn't have a disease. He's perfectly fine. Try some diet changes and shampoo changes, but if nothing works then it doesnt matter. Just love him for his personality. It shouldnt matter how he looks. And if you bought him for looks, then you bought him for the wrong reason. Just love him for who he is. Dogs always love us unconditionally no matter how we look so why should we treat them any differently?

Answer by ninacupendai
Submitted on 8/5/2006
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Is fine hair weak?

Answer by AnnaC27
Submitted on 8/7/2006
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My dog is a long hair chihuahua and she was diagnosed with "puppy strangles." She lost hair under her arms, around her eyes, and back towards her tail. It is rare so maybe your vet didn't know what it was. My vet has only seen 2 cases (she was the second)in over 16 years.

Answer by MaBelle
Submitted on 9/11/2006
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My breeder said that the males of the breed have longer, fuller hair, and that the coat wont be fully grown until the pup is about a year to a year and a half old. You also have to remember that although dogs are "adult" after 10 months old, they are still developing.

Answer by t
Submitted on 9/18/2006
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I have a blue long hair(I think) and he started of a lil ball of fur..but now its the same as yours the hair on his back never really grew and his long coat is so short he looks like a short coat