Well it's been a long while since I posted an update on Minki and Max, my sibling Chihuahuas. (Minki is the tiny white female and Max is her tan brother)
We adopted these two little gems in August of 2020 during the pandemic. We had managed to move into our cottage in a new town and home was feeling quiet, so we decided to adopt a small dog. Little did we know that when we applied to adopt Minki through the Belville Animal Anti-Cruelty League, she came as a bonded pair with her brother Max.
We happily adopted them both and started the road of house training the 2 and a half year olds who also had only ever been fed from the table. We soon figured out they most likely had not been treated well as they were very afraid of doors opening and closing and large feet moving around. None of these were good signs, but we gave them all of the love and they soon settled in to a life of "luxury".
Since then life for them has been warm & sun-filled with treats on demand. They sleep in our bed every single night and want for nothing in their little lives.
Three months ago Minki developed a little cough that sounded almost like she was choking or needed to get something out of her throat. Initially it was inconsistent, but a month later it started happening more frequently and I made an appointment with the vet the next morning.
The vet took one listen to her heart and immediately said, "Oh she has a heart murmur!" I was in shock, because she had never been diagnosed with a heart murmur before, but to be honest they had both been so healthy that we had not needed to visit a vet for 6 years. When the vet realised it was a new diagnosis she immediately want to do an X-ray to find out the extent.
I agreed and left my tiny Minki at the vet office for an hour so that they could sedate her with a tiny dose of valium to get a clear Xray. An hour later they gave me a call to come and get the findings as well as collect my little bundle.
The vet was very serious when I held Minki and she gave us the news that her heart was infact so enlarged that it was almost filling Minki's chest cavity. This was causing her breathing to be affected and her oesophagus was now pushed up straight along her spine causing the cough.
Unfortunately there is no physical treatment for her enlarged heart other than a twice daily medication that will help her huge floppy heart beat a little better.
We then got strict instructions that Minki is no longer allowed to do anything strenuous - no jumping on or off beds or couches and definitely no walks. Well, I had to inform the vet that these two little ones had definitely not done any walks as they were never socialised and due to their size, the yard surrounding our property was a walk enough for their tiny legs. The fact that they also spent about 23 hours a day sleeping in the sun is most likely one of the reasons that Minki is still alive.
Their pampered lives have kept her safe and prolonged what may have been quite traumatic.
Now we have doggie steps in the bedroom, doggie steps in the lounge, new senior (7+ years) toy dog food and even more treats for Minki and Max. We celebrate them every single day.
We will keep on doing what were doing to give them the pampered life they enjoy, but we know that at some point this diagnosis might catchup with her. For the time being we are happy and enjoying the sun together whenever it shines.
Please pray for a little miracle for a tiny Chihuahua across the world. I will do my best to post periodic updates, but for now she is medicated for the rest of her life and is enjoying the sunshine every single day.