Rocky
Birthday
less then
1ounce
less then
1ounce
2 weeks old
3 ounces
3 ounces
| 4 weeks 4 ounces |
| Ar 8 weeks and 8 ounces Rocky is still smaller then his new litter mates of Beanie babies. We are waiting for him to get some size so he can go see his doctor and get some tests to see why it is he doesn't grow.. |
Rocky is use to his daily weigh
ins on the vegetable scale. Grow
Rocky grow!!
ins on the vegetable scale. Grow
Rocky grow!!
Ar 6 weeks rocky can still sit
comfortable in the palm of my
hand. Lola has started to grow
in leaps and bounds but
Rocky is at a standstill. At 7
weeks I had to move Lola in
with the rest of her litter and
poor Rocky misses her.
comfortable in the palm of my
hand. Lola has started to grow
in leaps and bounds but
Rocky is at a standstill. At 7
weeks I had to move Lola in
with the rest of her litter and
poor Rocky misses her.
Rocky sits in this basket and watches as I
clean his cage. I can't imagine what it is he
is thinking being so small and so alone.
But he knows I am here to protect him and
does just what I tell him to do almost like
he knows my words. I hope there is a
place for Rocky in this world.
clean his cage. I can't imagine what it is he
is thinking being so small and so alone.
But he knows I am here to protect him and
does just what I tell him to do almost like
he knows my words. I hope there is a
place for Rocky in this world.
On December 7th, Rocky is still not gaining. He is maturing mentally and he eats and drinks his water well but he
wont grow. His teeth are all there and he can chew the crunchy BilJack morsels. All other types of dry dog food are
too hard for his tiny jaw. On top of this he gets baby food. Twice a day I mix chicken baby food with some strained
carrots. He eats a couple tablespoons of this also. Its all a waitng game now. My hope is that something will
eventually click in his little brain and tell him to start growing.
wont grow. His teeth are all there and he can chew the crunchy BilJack morsels. All other types of dry dog food are
too hard for his tiny jaw. On top of this he gets baby food. Twice a day I mix chicken baby food with some strained
carrots. He eats a couple tablespoons of this also. Its all a waitng game now. My hope is that something will
eventually click in his little brain and tell him to start growing.
December 12th
Rocky weighs about 10 ounces now. That is a pretty good weight gain for him. Although I do feel relieved I am
afraid to let my guard down. He is still chewing on the hair on his legs but his other hair loss has stopped now that
he is eating the BilJack puppy food so well.
Rocky weighs about 10 ounces now. That is a pretty good weight gain for him. Although I do feel relieved I am
afraid to let my guard down. He is still chewing on the hair on his legs but his other hair loss has stopped now that
he is eating the BilJack puppy food so well.
Pictures top left to bottom right.
Rocky begs for me to come play with him.
The cow doll is his favorite toy. He still
cant quite grab its feet, but he gives it a
good try and if he can just get it he can
grab its tail and play tug-a-war with me. I
think the bright colors make this toy easy
for him to see. His paws are still smaller
then my fingernail. Rocky looks back at
how far away the safety of his cage is
when I lift him out of the cage. He generally
crawls onto my hand and I lift him up.
Rocky begs for me to come play with him.
The cow doll is his favorite toy. He still
cant quite grab its feet, but he gives it a
good try and if he can just get it he can
grab its tail and play tug-a-war with me. I
think the bright colors make this toy easy
for him to see. His paws are still smaller
then my fingernail. Rocky looks back at
how far away the safety of his cage is
when I lift him out of the cage. He generally
crawls onto my hand and I lift him up.
| December 17. Rocky sits and poses when he sees the camera. He knows it flashes light in his face and he knows that it wont hurt him. He must think this is some sort of game we are playing. I don't think he thinks its a very fun game. At 10 onces now at 10 weeks old there is still not a lot of things he can safely play. He is still growing but so very slowly Lola is the one closest to his size and she is now a whole 14 ounces. She will be leaving for her new home soon. |
| Rocky thinks this big cat is a comfortable place to take a rest. We had a few more scary days in there but he is back on the mend again. He didn't want to eat after Lola left and got a little hypoglycemia. But he is doing better. I didn't for see that he would miss her this much. Again I have underestimated my dogs ability to love. |
| Lola went home with her new Mom Adrianna. Lola was 14 ounces the day she left. I know she will be given the care a small dog needs in this family. This family bought another one of Snoopys puppies from me 2 years ago. Little Diego. Rocky has not wagged his tail once sense Lola left. I know he misses her. Lola deserves to have her own family and I know she will be happy in this one. |
| This is the beautiful and small Diego older half brother to Rocky and Lola. He is small but in the more safe 3 pound size. He is the son of Snoopy and Buebear. |
| December 29, 2007 The guinea pig cage is starting to be to confined. But he is frightened when I put him on the floor with the other puppies. We have to figure something new out for Little rocky as the regular dog cage still has wires spaced to far apart. He does get along with one very gentle dachshund puppy and one kitten who I believe is deaf. So I need to figure out a way to make a safe area for Rocky and at least the kitten. This is one of the many problems you have with a dog this small. He really has no safe place in this world and he certainly can not play rough the way puppies are suppose to. So His playmates are limited also. Rocky is starting to become withdrawn and frightened. I didn't want to see this happen but he is so tiny I have so many fears for his safety. He is not frightened of people, just other animals who are just too rough for him. His little legs are like sticks that I fear will easily break. |
| Lola was wore out ofter opening all her presents. She looks very content here. What a cute face. This picture was submitted by her new family. Lola is still a very small dog and her new family is willing to take on this responsibility. She is much healthier then Rocky. It takes a lot of effort to keep these tiny dogs healthy. They need round the clock care for their entire lives. Anyone wanting one of these dogs should talk to either their veterinarian or a family who has one to make sure they really want to do this. A lot of the breeders who have these will not tell you what a big responsibility it is because they want you to buy their puppy and possibly want you to spend more to get it. There are only a few who will put you and the puppy before the sale. Lolas family was not looking for a tiny puppy like her but when I told them she was going to be extra small, ( I offered to give them their deposit back) they were already in love with her. I think they were not counting on what a brave little puppy she is. They tell me she chases poor Diego around the room. Shes a happy little puppy. |
| January 4th Rocky is finishing up his third month of life and though it has been a rough trip so far, he seems to be doing very good. The roundness of his head is starting to get more normal looking. His ears look larger now more like the rest of the litter. He has started growing better and eating better. He eats Ceasars puppy food mixed with his formula. He also eats BilJack puppy food available to him all the time. The hair loss is still there but I can see it is trying to make a comeback. I still give him Nutrastat on a regular schedule to keep his blood sugar correct. It is time to schedule another appointment with the veterinarian to see what else can be done to help him and if he is well enough to chance his inoculations. He seems to have a lot of teeth for his small muzzle and I am afraid he may need some teeth removed in the future. But all in all he looks good. His favorite game is to play with a paper towel or napkin which he tries to get away from me. He seems thrilled when it tears and drops the torn piece to get more. He terrorizes the kitten who is a few weeks younger then him but his size. I am sure the tables will turn once the kitten gets bigger then him in the next couple weeks. My scale says he weighs about 12 ounces. |
| Oh How cute! I hear this wherever I go and people saying they want one. I don't always have time to let them know about Rocky and his story. I do agree he is adorable but if Rocky was to be given a choice as to what he wanted to be, I am sure he would not choose to be this tiny. He knows he is small and most things frighten him because of this. He lives in the prison of his own tiny body. I do what I can for him to make his life fun but most of his day is spent in fear and confinement. This is his curse. He didn't ask for it but he has to live it because of the decisions people have made for him. It is not only the breeders who carelessly breed these dogs smaller and smaller, but it is the consumer who is wiling to pay the thousands of dollars to get one of these puppies, who have built the prison for these little dogs.. Ive been offered $2000 for this puppy so far but I can not sell him due to the fact that I don't believe to many people out there know how to take care of him. These pages are not here to get money for Rocky. It is here to tell his story and show the other side of the coin in the teacup puppy world. I am trying to let people see the world through Rocky's eyes. I occasionally see tiny puppies in the news and not one word is said about the down side of life for these dogs. To me this only encourages people to try to breed these dogs this small as more people demand to make them their next handbag ornament.. I am only against it because I love what dogs are all about and I hate how they have become a fashion accessory for some people.. I still have a glimmer of hope that Rocky will grow and someday I will see him playing with other dogs the way dogs are suppose to. But for now his whole life is riding in my apron and playing tug of war with a paper towel and knowing things are not really right in his world. This is not a normal teacup size puppy. He is too small too frightened, too confined. Chihuahuas can be perfectly healthy weighing 3 pounds or more. Being small is one of the things that make chihuahuas special. If you are going to breed them then you must also try to keep them small as they should not weigh more then 6 pounds. This is truly a small dog. I don't have anything against breeding chihuahuas or any toy size dog. When you do this you will occasionally get a dog like Rocky. Usually they die in the first few weeks.. No one knows why these tiny babies even happen. Some day I am hoping science will discover this and maybe in so doing open up a world of knowledge about all dwarfism. But I think it is wrong to intentionally try to get all toy dogs to be this way before we know what it is that causes this to happen. Money is just not a good enough reason when there is so much ability to gain knowledge first. A little dog like Rocky should never be used for breeding knowing all the problems he has had. And yet there are people who would use him for this if they could get him and pass on a lot more troubles in the chihuahua world. It wont be me who does this and it wont be Rocky used for this as long as I have breath in me. There has been some research done on dogs who weigh under 20 pounds and it was discovered what caused this mutation. I am waiting on the day when someone studies the DNA of dogs who weigh less then 5 pounds and maybe we will discover why these very tiny ones ( weighing less the 2 pounds grown) are born and why they are often sickly and mentally slow. But for now, it is irresponsible to purposely breed dogs like this before we know how to avoid the problems that a lot of these puppies have.. |
| This playpen has made the perfect home for Rocky. He has plenty of room to play and he feels safe. He will bark and growl at the other dogs in the house while inside his pen. If he is outside the pen, he is afraid and will only hide. |
At fourteen weeks Rocky
weighs less then 1 pound
still. He is 4 & 1/2 inches
tall. He loves to ride
around in this apron
pocket bought especially
for him.
weighs less then 1 pound
still. He is 4 & 1/2 inches
tall. He loves to ride
around in this apron
pocket bought especially
for him.
Sense writing this I learned that there may be a type of dwarfism that effects
toy dogs. This would explain why only one parent needs to be small to
pass this on to some of his offspring. It is another type of dwarfism.
Another mutation. It may be closely related to the dwarfism that makes
chihuahuas the smallest dogs in the world. This is still theory. An educated
guess. But its very interesting.
toy dogs. This would explain why only one parent needs to be small to
pass this on to some of his offspring. It is another type of dwarfism.
Another mutation. It may be closely related to the dwarfism that makes
chihuahuas the smallest dogs in the world. This is still theory. An educated
guess. But its very interesting.
| Rocky was almost 4 months old when he got a fever from an unknown source that almost took his life. His temp went to 106 degrees and he lost most of his hair. But he recovered form this too and as you can see from this picture his hair is growing back minus the black. His legs are long and he is very thin because he does not eat well. He wont eat anything but Biljack. Thats a good food but Rocky really needs more fat in his diet then this food provides. |
Rocky is almost 5 months old now and full of energy. He is still very thin. He loves his new home which can hold all his
toys and his cat tunnel. He likes the safe feel hiding in his tunnel provides. He busily pulls all his toys in his tunnel before
he sleeps and pulls them all out when he plays. He knows when hes forgotten one of his toys and will go search for it. He
likes anything that rattles or chimes. Most dog toys are to big but cat toys and baby toys that rattle he loves the most.
Everything is surrounded by a 4 by 4 puppy play yard so he is safe and there is plenty of room for him to explore. He has 2
made for cats homes now and he takes his toys out of one house into another. He keeps himself pretty busy with these
activities. He still hates his bath and bites me every time. Its the only trouble we have. He still weighs just over 1 pound. he
has not grown sense about the third month of life.
toys and his cat tunnel. He likes the safe feel hiding in his tunnel provides. He busily pulls all his toys in his tunnel before
he sleeps and pulls them all out when he plays. He knows when hes forgotten one of his toys and will go search for it. He
likes anything that rattles or chimes. Most dog toys are to big but cat toys and baby toys that rattle he loves the most.
Everything is surrounded by a 4 by 4 puppy play yard so he is safe and there is plenty of room for him to explore. He has 2
made for cats homes now and he takes his toys out of one house into another. He keeps himself pretty busy with these
activities. He still hates his bath and bites me every time. Its the only trouble we have. He still weighs just over 1 pound. he
has not grown sense about the third month of life.
Rocky has his toys tucked away
with him in his home. In the
morning he peeks out to see
whose making the noise. Seeing
his home the way he does it
looks like a pretty comfortable
place.
with him in his home. In the
morning he peeks out to see
whose making the noise. Seeing
his home the way he does it
looks like a pretty comfortable
place.
Rocky is busy moving his toys
from his tunnel home where he
sleeps to his teepee home. Toys
mean a lot to Rocky as their is no
one his size to play with. They are
always with him. He is pretty mad at
me right now sense we just
finished his bath.
from his tunnel home where he
sleeps to his teepee home. Toys
mean a lot to Rocky as their is no
one his size to play with. They are
always with him. He is pretty mad at
me right now sense we just
finished his bath.
Video of Rocky at 5 months old
This is a story about a very strong willed little chihuahua puppy we named Rocky. He was not named after the boxer in the
movie but a cartoon in a childs book. But his little life has been something like the prize fighter in the movie as he faced all
the things in life that tried to stop him from surviving and still he survived. Unlike the Rocky in the movie this little guy won his
battle to survive over and over again. No one gave him much hope not even his veterinarian. Each time I gave up on him he
would do something to make me change my mind and keep trying.
His story began back in September when he was born in a litter of 6 puppies. His mom was a big girl for a chihuahua
weighing over 7 pounds. His dad was small only weighing 3 pounds. For some reason the puppies in this litter were all small.
Ricky was the tiniest one weighing less then an ounce at birth. His sister (later named Lola) weighed only an ounce. But they
all nursed well although I had to make sure tiny Rocky was getting his turn. If things had continued like this I am sure Rockys
life would be different. But His mom got something called eclampsia so badly that she could not nurse her puppies. So at 4
days old The litter had to be bottle fed. I made a makeshift bottle out of a syringe and a small animal bottle nipple. This worked
well. Everyone did well except Rocky and Lola. Lola had a sensitive stomach and almost died one night in late October from
hypoglycemia. But she recovered well after I took her and Rocky to the veterinarian where they were treated for dehydration.
I thought this was it. But then Rocky got sick and again he had to go to the veterinarian. It was discovered that Rocky did not
tolerate cows milk formula. I switched him to straight goats milk and this also did not work. Poor Rocky was so sick and
seem to be shrinking before my eyes. At one point he lay listless in my hands. I decided to let him die. I wrapped him in a
blanket and got ready to lay him on the heating pad so he would be comfortable. I had decided to let him die there. But before
I left I gave him one kiss between his tiny eyes and he snapped awake. I could not give up on him after this. I took some
unflavored gelatin and dissolved it in warm water with a tiny bit of Karo syrup. He drank this down easily. I also gave him
Nutracal for nutrition. I was grasping at straws. I then lay him on the heating pad and turned away and decided I would not
look at him for an hour. I went back and uncovered him afraid of what I would find. Rocky stood up as soon as I uncovered
him and looked at me like he was saying 'told you I wasn't going to die."
I ordered goats milk Esbilac on the internet and continued with the gelatin feeding until it arrived. He did well on this formula.
We had some rough times with several more visits to the his veterinarian. But at 7 months old he is 2 pounds and full of life.
Nutrition is still a problem for Rocky. He is very thin. But he is alive and seems to make the most of his days as he has always
done. I am sure his story will continue for a long time yet.
movie but a cartoon in a childs book. But his little life has been something like the prize fighter in the movie as he faced all
the things in life that tried to stop him from surviving and still he survived. Unlike the Rocky in the movie this little guy won his
battle to survive over and over again. No one gave him much hope not even his veterinarian. Each time I gave up on him he
would do something to make me change my mind and keep trying.
His story began back in September when he was born in a litter of 6 puppies. His mom was a big girl for a chihuahua
weighing over 7 pounds. His dad was small only weighing 3 pounds. For some reason the puppies in this litter were all small.
Ricky was the tiniest one weighing less then an ounce at birth. His sister (later named Lola) weighed only an ounce. But they
all nursed well although I had to make sure tiny Rocky was getting his turn. If things had continued like this I am sure Rockys
life would be different. But His mom got something called eclampsia so badly that she could not nurse her puppies. So at 4
days old The litter had to be bottle fed. I made a makeshift bottle out of a syringe and a small animal bottle nipple. This worked
well. Everyone did well except Rocky and Lola. Lola had a sensitive stomach and almost died one night in late October from
hypoglycemia. But she recovered well after I took her and Rocky to the veterinarian where they were treated for dehydration.
I thought this was it. But then Rocky got sick and again he had to go to the veterinarian. It was discovered that Rocky did not
tolerate cows milk formula. I switched him to straight goats milk and this also did not work. Poor Rocky was so sick and
seem to be shrinking before my eyes. At one point he lay listless in my hands. I decided to let him die. I wrapped him in a
blanket and got ready to lay him on the heating pad so he would be comfortable. I had decided to let him die there. But before
I left I gave him one kiss between his tiny eyes and he snapped awake. I could not give up on him after this. I took some
unflavored gelatin and dissolved it in warm water with a tiny bit of Karo syrup. He drank this down easily. I also gave him
Nutracal for nutrition. I was grasping at straws. I then lay him on the heating pad and turned away and decided I would not
look at him for an hour. I went back and uncovered him afraid of what I would find. Rocky stood up as soon as I uncovered
him and looked at me like he was saying 'told you I wasn't going to die."
I ordered goats milk Esbilac on the internet and continued with the gelatin feeding until it arrived. He did well on this formula.
We had some rough times with several more visits to the his veterinarian. But at 7 months old he is 2 pounds and full of life.
Nutrition is still a problem for Rocky. He is very thin. But he is alive and seems to make the most of his days as he has always
done. I am sure his story will continue for a long time yet.
At 7 months old he is a thin but
lively little chihuahua. The salt
box is there to show how small
a 2 pound dog is. He still has
problems tolerating fatty foods.
He eats Biljack dry only.
lively little chihuahua. The salt
box is there to show how small
a 2 pound dog is. He still has
problems tolerating fatty foods.
He eats Biljack dry only.
Lola, Rocky sister, is
doing well in her new
family with her pretty
moms Adrianna and
Wanda. They say she
loves her new
brother(who actually is
her half brother) as they
are best buds. Life is
good for these little dogs.
doing well in her new
family with her pretty
moms Adrianna and
Wanda. They say she
loves her new
brother(who actually is
her half brother) as they
are best buds. Life is
good for these little dogs.
This was a hard decision for me to make but I had to
place Rocky in another home. Rocky has found a
new mom. It seems this is best for Rocky sense I did
not have time to address his problems. It seem
Rocky is doing better here. His mom is having work
done on her house and the work men stop to play
with Rocky. The best part is that Rocky lets them. He
is starting to play with her other dogs and even lets
her bathe him without biting. His new vet found he is
blind in one eye which explains some of his
awkwardness and his fear of anything approaching
him on his blind side. This was caused when he fell
out of his cage when he was a puppy. Rocky may
have found a new mom but in my heart he will
always be mine. He recognizes me when ever I get a
chance to see him and seems to enjoy our visits.
But he is happy in his new home and I am sure he
doesn't want me to take him back. He still is thin
weighing only 2 pounds 6 ounces.
place Rocky in another home. Rocky has found a
new mom. It seems this is best for Rocky sense I did
not have time to address his problems. It seem
Rocky is doing better here. His mom is having work
done on her house and the work men stop to play
with Rocky. The best part is that Rocky lets them. He
is starting to play with her other dogs and even lets
her bathe him without biting. His new vet found he is
blind in one eye which explains some of his
awkwardness and his fear of anything approaching
him on his blind side. This was caused when he fell
out of his cage when he was a puppy. Rocky may
have found a new mom but in my heart he will
always be mine. He recognizes me when ever I get a
chance to see him and seems to enjoy our visits.
But he is happy in his new home and I am sure he
doesn't want me to take him back. He still is thin
weighing only 2 pounds 6 ounces.
November 5, 2008
| Rocky with his new mom Trudy. I am sure this is not the end of the story. |
I got the real news about Rocky. Even
though some people want to use Rocky
for breeding, Trudy has stayed true to
her word and refuses to allow him to
breed. Rocky is truly living a good life at
Trudys with the rest of the dogs she has
opened her home to.
though some people want to use Rocky
for breeding, Trudy has stayed true to
her word and refuses to allow him to
breed. Rocky is truly living a good life at
Trudys with the rest of the dogs she has
opened her home to.