I have an 8 year old male long haired chihuahua that I have had since I was 16. He was born on the couch on my brother's feet and I have had him ever since. His mom got hit by a car when he was a puppy which is why I had decided to keep him. He is my baby. I spoil him rotten. I love him very much, he goes everywhere with me.

I am starting to become concerned about whether he is aging appropriately. I have to take him to the vets for his annual checkup at the end of July. I don't want to sound too much like a hypochondriac and bombard the vet with too many questions (like I usually do:p ) but I want to make sure that I cover everything that is concerning me.

He seems to snore a lot lately and I am not sure if that could be cause for concern or just something that old dogs do. He snores REALLY loud sometimes. You wouldn't think that such a little dog could make so much noise. Should I be concerned about his breathing or what not?

Also, he seems to be more fussy about his food. He won't eat the science diet senior mix. He prefers kibbles and bits to anything. I feel like he's not really getting enough to eat with that but, he won't eat the better food. Do senior dogs HAVE to eat senior food?

I also have to ask the vet about various other things but I don't want to bring up his snoring or eating habits unless it is pertinent that I do so. I just want to make the best out of the remainder of my dog's years. (I hope he lives to be 100! :D ) Thank you for your opinion, any advice will help.

Eight isn't that old for a Chihuahua. I wouldn't worry about feeding a senior chow now. They are for dogs that have slowed down enough regular dog chow has too many calories for the amount of other things they need.

Some of the problems may be from being over weight due to over feeding. Chi's are easy to over feed. With the right care, he could easily have another good 8 years. All you need and more are in the sticky at https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...tml#post254171

What about his snoring?

Maybe losing weight if needed will help it.

I have a chi/rat terrier mix, that is not over weight and I have caught him snoring before, not all of the time but every once in a while. I just figured he did this when he was very tired. Btw he is 3 years old. If I were you I would write down all of my questions for the vet and ask him about them, do not worry about taking up his time you are paying him for it.

Bring up your concerns with the vet. Do you get blood work done? That would be my advice to you, since it can show aging problems before they get serious and let you start treatment.

Labman: No, my chihuahua is not over weight at all, his weight has been a steady 8 1/2 pounds since he reached adulthood. He's on the bigger/taller end for a chihuahua since his mom was about 6 pounds. Can dogs have sleep apnia?

bushg: That is a good point... The vet that he sees is a good one in my opinion and is usually very thorough anyhow. Along with snoring my dog also has his "rabbit chasing dreams" where he sometimes barks in his sleep and his little legs go like he's chasing something. Lol It's really cute. He only does that once in a while however.

froggy7: That is a good idea, thanks. I usually do not get blood work done unless he's getting checked for heartworm... but I will make sure his next visit is more thorough than usual.

Thanks everyone for the advice, I certainly do appreciate it!

I do think you need to talk to the vet more. If you mention things like the snoring, the vet may take a closer look at the throat, and even find something otherwise would be missed. Diagnosing a dog can be a mystery. Give the vet all the clues you can.

Snoring can be a common issue with many dogs. My Bernese Mountain Dog snores too! I agree with others that you should mention all your concerns and questions to your vet. That's what you go for! As labman says, the vet needs all the information.

Usually snoring is not something to be overly concerned about. Just like with people snoring can be due to sleeping position, allergies, being overweight, or having some loose tissue in his throat (especially as a dog ages).

Now, as to this snoring, because you find it's been happening a lot recently, I wonder if he might be suffering from allergies. The pollens have been quite bad in my area this year, and a smaller dog can often find themselves exposed more than a larger one.

At any rate, tell the vet, maybe in the meantime give your dog a different bed/place to sleep in to see if that helps, and limit his exposure to pollens if you can.

As for his eating issues, usually if a dog is only given their food and nothing else they will eat as much as they require. Sometimes a dog will eat less in hot weather. As labman indicated, seniors diets help to prevent a dog from becoming overweight. Again, I would ask the vet his professional opinion as to whether your guy actually NEEDS to be on senior food, but, my opinion is that if your dog is happier on his regular diet and is not gaining weight, etc. then he should be fine. Remember, the dog will not WANT to eat as much senior food, and that is okay as long as he isn't getting thin. Regardless, the vet should know that his eating habits have changed.

Good luck and please let us know what your vet says.

Hugs, Didi

Didi: Thank you so much for the insight. I was also wondering if it could be allergy related because he sometimes does that coughing thing and the vet had said before that it was probably allergies. I too have allergies and know personally that congestion makes it harder to breathe in a lying down position.

Thanks for the idea about giving him a new place to sleep... but that is highly unlikely to occur. LOL He sleeps with me. He owns his own little doggy bed... but will not sleep in it. He's the boss. He would put me out of bed before I put him out. I'd better be careful before I have to start sleeping in the little doggy bed! Because of my allergies, I change the bedding often and I am actually allergic to him as well. Maybe he snores because he is allergic to me? Lol

My dog eats so little... it takes him a month to polish off an 8lb bag of kibbles. That is kind of why I was/am concerned about him having higher quality food. The vet once told me that his kibbles as opposed to science diet... is like eating nothing but lettuce as opposed to a well balanced diet. He just doesn't seem to care for the better food. I used to have to mix his science diet with alpo canned food to get him to eat it. He just really knows what he likes and refuses to change... like most males, he's quite pigheaded. Lol He's not too thin nor is he overweight... so I let him have his kibbles. He always wins ANY argument. He also loathes any type of dog treat... he'd rather have what I'm having which is a big no, no. He doesn't get table scraps.

Well, thank you so much for your insight... I will let you know how his vet check goes. Thanks again...

I am afraid I lost my trust in vets' objectivity on dog chow when they started selling Science. The truth is most dogs will thrive on most chows, although there isn't any chow or diet that is right for all dogs. So if he is eating enough of whatever you are feeding to hide his ribs, chances are it is OK. Just make sure you can still easily feel the ribs.

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Originally Posted by bushg

I have a chi/rat terrier mix, that is not over weight and I have caught him snoring before, not all of the time but every once in a while. I just figured he did this when he was very tired. Btw he is 3 years old. If I were you I would write down all of my questions for the vet and ask him about them, do not worry about taking up his time you are paying him for it.

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I have a chihuahua that is 15,and he snores,loud.All of the chihuahuas I haved owned in my lifetime have snored also.My dog is not over weight,he only weighs 7 lbs.Your vet expects you to ask questions when you visit,so don't
Feel bad,you pay for his advice every time you visit.:)

Labman: I have heard it said by many people that the vet is just trying to sell the Science Diet and any other brand seems to be perfectly fine. Ricky, my chihuahua likes his kibbles, I can't argue with that.

pompano: That makes me feel a little better about Ricky's snoring... does your dog snore REALLY loud though? Ricky wakes me up sometimes because he gets so loud. I used to blame my boyfriend. Lol