Day 25: Twinkie goes to the vet

I would like to introduce you to my Chihuahua, Twinkie Rico!

Twinkie in his sombrero

Twinkie is 4.4 pounds (a little overweight honestly) and just celebrated his 5th birthday. He is well traveled and has a slight case of napoleon complex. He will stand up to and growl at any dog, any size, which makes me nervous that he will get his head bitten off one of these days. When he has to be boarded they always tell me he is the Alpha dog and runs the show. He spends most of his time inside…I try to walk him but end up having to drag him down the sidewalk because he obsessively sniffs every single scent ever left by another dog in the history of the world. He doesn’t like little kids because they are unpredictable and make him nervous. If he spots a kid when I’m carrying him in his bag and walking through the airport, he will start vibrating with anger and bark his miniature sized head off. Of course kids always want to pet him because he is so small and cute which sends me into a complete panic. Twinkie likes to hump the air. And what is his most charming trait? He eats his own poo. I have tried everything to get him to stop doing this but nothing works! It is so vile…I consider giving him away every time he does it. Gross, disgusting, repulsive, foul and YUCK! The doctor says it is common in little dogs. WHYYYYY??? Smells come out of him that should not come out of a doggie so tiny!

Don't mess with his bone!

So now you know Twinkie…I will get on to the task I had today. I was a responsible mommy and took him to the vet! This task really isn’t that hard, but Twinkie had to have his medical records faxed from NYC, Texas and Los Angeles and usually his vet bills are far more expensive than my own medical bills. That is my excuse for putting off this appointment. In the past he has had teeth pulled, growths removed, and the most expensive bill was due to him eating a grape. ONE GRAPE. It was my fault for feeding it to him, I guess I had a blonde moment and forgot that grapes are highly toxic to dogs. Particularly miniature dogs. After several trips to the animal ER in New York, two overnight stays and over $3,000 in bills, Twinkie survived and I learned my lesson the hard way. Luckily today Twinkie only had to get two shots updated and everything was fine on his checkup.

The hard life

Today I also registered him with the city…only took me 6 months to get around to that. In order to get “pet of the week” in our building he needs to be registered, so honestly that was my motivation! (He really wants his picture in the elevator)

I will end this by saying I am lucky to have a healthy dog and Twinkie is lucky to have a loving home…but there are countless animals that are not so fortunate. We live close to the Anti-Cruelty Shelter and it breaks my heart to see all of the beautiful animals with no homes. I give a small monthy donation to the ASPCA and I encourage you to do the same! Every little bit counts.

“Animals are reliable, many full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their actions, grateful and loyal. Difficult standards for people to live up to.”                        

Alfred A. Montapert

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened.” 

Anatole France

Sleepy Twinkie on his birthday

My love!