chihuahua hip problem

Question
hi, i have a 1 yr old chihuahua... i recently took her to the vet and found out shes has really bad arthritis in hr left hip... i want to breed her and allow her to have atleast 1 litter, but i want to know if it would be safe or not....??? also, how old does she need to be before i breed her.??

Answer
HI MIchelle,
I personally would not breed her with a hip defect. This could be passed on to her puppies.  We have a responsibilty if we are going to breed dogs to try and improve the breed, and/or breed the very best.  If you breed a dog with a defect, then you are going to pass this on to some of the pups. It's not fair to her either, as it will be hard on her to carry puppies with an arthritic hip.  I strongly advise against it.

As far as age goes, one year old would be the youngest that you would want to breed any dog.


God Bless,
Becky

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