# My dog is..a bit under standard..



## lucybabyy (Dec 31, 2008)

I am worried that her small body mass will cause health problems. Lucy is 2.2 pounds and 1 year old. Do you guys think her weight will effect her health? This worries me sometimes, but i just love how tiny she is!


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## allheart (Oct 3, 2008)

Your baby is a cutie puttie!!!

As long as you trust your vet, and has given her a clean bill of health...enjoy your little princess.

She certainly is a little doll. Just make sure she eats her meals...that would be the only worry I would have, as long as the vet gave her the thumbs up.

She is a little doll baby.


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

Has she had a bile acid test yet? It's always a good idea to make sure their liver is ok. That's always a possibility with the tinies....my, that is tiny!!!


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## casa verde maltese (Apr 7, 2007)

Well - that is super tiny.. but go with Bile Acid testing (there is a pinned thread about it) - like 2MaltMom said.


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## kodie (Aug 24, 2004)

There is a lot of info to ask when asking a size question... for example.. how big are the parents of your pup? what is you pups history? 
Your pup might fill out alittle more and gain more weight... kodie didnt get to max weight until 2yrs old, hes 3lbs (he developed slower than the average dog). Kelsie was and still is very small... 3lbs and will be 3yrs old at the end of Jan... but she is healthier than kodie! She was bred healthy... kodie on the other hand... he was in bred way too close.. like his mom and dad were sister and brother... so it caused him to have some issues... and his size is 3lbs... so i guess what i'm getting at is the way your pup is bred counts a lot. Just because your pup is tiny doesnt always mean health issues... but is something you should at least make sure of... you can do blood work on your little one so you have a baseline in case your little one ever shows sign of sickness and also to make sure things look good. 

just my 2 cents


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## lucybabyy (Dec 31, 2008)

When Lucy got spayed at 6 months im pretty sure the vet did all of that testing a few days before to make sure everything would be okay.

Lucy says: I didnt want to breed and contribute to the pet over population.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

You need to specifically ask the vet for a bile acid assay. It is not part of routine pre-op labwork.


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## CloudClan (Jan 31, 2007)

QUOTE (JMM @ Dec 31 2008, 07:20 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=696549


> You need to specifically ask the vet for a bile acid assay. It is not part of routine pre-op labwork.[/B]


As Jackie (JMM) said above the bile acid test would not be part of the regular lab workup for a spay. It is not routine, but it is a very good idea for all maltese as maltese are more prone than many other breeds to liver problems. Breed specific health testing is not yet standard in most clinics. You can read about the bile acid test in some of the other threads. You would know if the Bile Acid test had been done because they have to be tested twice pre-meal and then an hour post-meal.

Your little one sure is cute. I have a tiny 3 pound girl. I also love her tiny size, but I have to say I am glad that reputable breeders do not try to get them that small. Truly, they are more fragile. So you have to be even more careful of your little one. Also, it makes it very difficult sometimes to treat them with medications. One of the specialist vets that I have been to for my little one (who has allergies among other issues) told us that medications are much more tough to dose in any dog under 5 pounds. Almost no meds are made specifically for our super-tiny ones.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

QUOTE (CloudClan @ Jan 2 2009, 02:01 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=697394


> QUOTE (JMM @ Dec 31 2008, 07:20 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=696549





> You need to specifically ask the vet for a bile acid assay. It is not part of routine pre-op labwork.[/B]


As Jackie (JMM) said above the bile acid test would not be part of the regular lab workup for a spay. It is not routine, but it is a very good idea for all maltese as maltese are more prone than many other breeds to liver problems. Breed specific health testing is not yet standard in most clinics. You can read about the bile acid test in some of the other threads. You would know if the Bile Acid test had been done because they have to be tested twice pre-meal and then an hour post-meal.

Your little one sure is cute. I have a tiny 3 pound girl. I also love her tiny size, but I have to say I am glad that reputable breeders do not try to get them that small. Truly, they are more fragile. So you have to be even more careful of your little one. Also, it makes it very difficult sometimes to treat them with medications. One of the specialist vets that I have been to for my little one (who has allergies among other issues) told us that medications are much more tough to dose in any dog under 5 pounds. Almost no meds are made specifically for our super-tiny ones.
[/B][/QUOTE]

Has your vet ever mentioned compounding medications? Lady's over seven pounds, but she still has to get some medications compounded.


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## chloeandj (Apr 1, 2005)

I have a 2.8 pound yorkie that is 10 years old. The only issue I have had with him is hypoglycemia in the winter. I don't know if it is an age thing or size thing but he just doesn't seem to hold heat in very well. Sometimes he just can't get warm, even with jammies and a heating pad in his bed, and shivvers so much that if I am not making sure he eats often, he will have a little low sugar episode. He also doesn't do well with new foods or treats, he gets a messed up tummy. But he is generally very healthy and his size has never stopped him from anything.


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## CloudClan (Jan 31, 2007)

QUOTE (LadysMom @ Jan 2 2009, 10:51 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=697450


> Has your vet ever mentioned compounding medications? Lady's over seven pounds, but she still has to get some medications compounded.[/B]


Oh yes, we have done the compounding meds. We did it frequently with Clouseau when he was on all his heart meds he got 9 different compounded meds as much as 3 times per day. With Cameo she has had several of her meds compounded, but there are some things that the specialist said were difficult to dose even in a compounded form with the super tinies.


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