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Chihuahuas can get pregnant like all other dogs, but their small size puts them at greater risk of birthing complications compared to larger breeds.
Knowing how many puppies a Chihuahua can have in a litter can help you come up with an appropriate birthing plan and minimize the risk of serious complications.
Due to their tiny size, most Chis must give birth via a cesarean section to avoid risks associated with natural birth.
But before you start panicking, know that some Chihuahuas can give birth to completely healthy puppies without any help, in the comfort of their home.
Since there is no way of predicting how your Chi will handle this delicate state, your vet should monitor your dog from the early days of the pregnancy to the very end.
Your vet can guide you through your Chi’s pregnancy stages and be there to help your dog deliver a healthy litter of puppies.
To help you get prepared for new puppies, I will tell you everything you need to know about the average Chihuahua litter size and more. keep on reading to learn what to expect when your Chi is expecting!
What Is The average Chihuahua Litter Size?
Besides being very small and weighing up to six pounds, Chihuahuas are also a brachycephalic breed. This means they have a short nose and a flat face that puts them at a greater risk of breathing problems.
When you put two and two together, it comes as no surprise that Chihuahuas have smaller litters than larger dog breeds.
On average, a Chihuahua will give birth to three puppies in a single litter.
However, some Chihuahuas can give birth to only one puppy. So, when it comes to the average Chihuahua litter size, you can expect anything from one to three puppies per litter.
After they have had their first litter, older Chihuahuas tend to give birth to larger litters of five to six puppies. most Chis tend to have their largest litters the third or the fourth time they get pregnant, after which the litter size gets smaller again.
The biggest issue with a larger Chihuahua litter is that both the mom and the puppies can experience health complications.
This doesn’t always happen; however, with larger litters there is always a chance that one or several puppies will be underweight and weaker than the rest.
These puppies need additional help and support from the mother and may sometimes have trouble getting enough milk and nutrition from the mom. In this case, you as an owner will have to bottle feed and nurse the puppy to its full strength to help it grow and develop properly.
Please note, while small litters are the norm when it comes to such a tiny breed as a Chihuahua, there have been cases of surprisingly large litters.
A Kansas Chihuahua gave birth to 11 healthy puppies, breaking the Guinness world record for the number of puppies born in a Chihuahua litter.
How many Puppies Do Chihuahuas have The first Time?
Chihuahuas generally have small litters, but the first time a Chihuahua gives birth the litter will be even smaller. Don’t expect to see more than three puppies the first time, and it’s far more likely that your Chi will give birth to just one puppy in the first litter.
Guessing the number of puppies a Chihuahua will have the first time isn’t an exact science. But, anything more than three puppies the first time is highly unusual and very unlikely.
The age of your Chihuahua is one of the factors that affect the size of the first litter. Generally, the younger the Chi the more likely it is that they will give birth to just one puppy the first time around.
Like other toy breeds, Chihuahuas reach puberty very young, usually between four and seven months of age. As soon as a female Chi enters puberty, which will be her first heat cycle, she can become pregnant.
If by chance your Chihuahua gets mounted by a male dog during the estrus phase of the heat cycle, she can become pregnant.
This means that you can have a five-month-old Chihuahua, which is still technically a puppy, pregnant and ready to deliver her first litter in the next nine weeks.
As mentioned earlier, Chihuahuas are at risk of developing complications during pregnancy and delivery, and many must give birth via cesarean section.
This is mainly because Chihuahuas have narrow hips and their puppies have large heads, which puts them at risk of being stuck in the birthing canal.
This risk becomes even higher if a Chihuahua gets pregnant by mating with a larger dog. In this case, the pregnancy can become even more difficult since the puppies can become too large for Chi’snullnull