Appetite and Weight on a Very Small Scale
For a Chihuahua, home monitoring starts with the food bowl and the scales, because this breed has almost no reserve to draw on. Record meals eaten, meals refused and any day where a usually keen Chihuahua only picks, noting whether a new food, a stressful visitor or a sore mouth might explain it. Weigh weekly on a kitchen scale and log the exact number; a loss that would be invisible on a large dog is a significant share of a Chihuahua's body weight. Puppies and very small adults deserve an extra entry for energy between meals — note episodes of unusual sleepiness, wobbliness or disorientation, especially if a meal was missed, and treat those signs as a reason to call the vet the same day rather than waiting for the next feed.
Coughing, Honking and Breathing Sounds
A Chihuahua's breathing sounds are worth a specific log because this breed commonly makes a honking or goose-like cough when excited. Record when episodes happen — during play, after drinking, when a collar pulls, in cold air — how long they last, and whether your Chihuahua recovers calmly or seems distressed. Note whether a harness walk produces fewer episodes than a collar walk, since that comparison is useful information for the vet. Also log breathing at rest: a Chihuahua who breathes fast while sleeping, coughs through the night, or tires on a short familiar walk is showing a different category of change.
Legs, Knees and the Skipping Step
Watch a Chihuahua's hind legs for the characteristic skip: a few normal steps, then one back leg carried briefly, then normal movement again. Record which leg skips, how often it happens in a walk, and whether it follows jumping down from furniture or running on smooth floors. Log any reluctance to jump up, new bunny-hopping, or a leg that seems stiff after rest. Because Chihuahuas are often carried, also note changes in how your dog tolerates being picked up — flinching or snapping when lifted under the chest can be a pain signal in a dog too small to show a limp clearly.
Teeth, Breath and the Crowded Small Mouth
A Chihuahua's tiny jaw crowds a full set of teeth, so dental monitoring earns its own weekly entry. Lift the lip and record tartar build-up, red gums, a broken tooth, or breath that has become noticeably stronger. Note dropped kibble, chewing on one side, pawing at the mouth or a Chihuahua who suddenly prefers soft food, since these behaviours often say more than the visual check. Retained baby teeth are a puppy-stage item to log and raise at the next visit if an adult tooth has erupted beside a baby tooth that never left.
Trembling, Warmth and Behaviour Shifts
Chihuahuas tremble for many ordinary reasons — cold, excitement, anticipation — so the log's job is to capture context. Record whether trembling came with a cold room, a thunderstorm, visitors, or nothing obvious, and whether your Chihuahua ate normally and settled when warmed or held. Trembling paired with appetite loss, vomiting, wobbliness or unusual quietness is a different entry entirely and warrants a prompt call. Also note behaviour changes that are easy to dismiss in a small dog: hiding, sleeping more, snapping at handling that was previously fine, or losing interest in a favourite lap.
Keeping Small Notes From Getting Lost
Chihuahua monitoring produces many tiny observations that evaporate if they live in memory alone. KinsLe's Pet Passport keeps your Chihuahua's weight entries, cough log and dental notes in one portable packet, so a vet, sitter or family member can see the whole small picture at once instead of hearing fragments.