Carlito

Meet Carlito, a teeny tiny Chihuahua puppy. In fact, he’s the smallest of his three brothers. While all Chihuahua puppies are small, Carlito is undersized. At six weeks old, he is only eleven ounces. That’s less than one pound!

All Carlito’s brothers are the size they should be right now, and soon, they will be ready to find forever homes. But Carlito has to wait in foster care until he’s bigger, stronger and more capable. He has to be watched closely so that no harm comes to him. Carlito is so tiny; he’s actually the size of a candy bar!

The reason Carlito is so small is because he didn’t develop fully. He is the runt of his litter, which is often smaller than the others, but Carlito is even smaller than normal. He is the victim of backyard breeding. Backyard breeders are people who don’t breed responsibly. We suspect that Carlito’s mother was made to have so many litters that things started to go wrong and problems started to arise. When animals are over bred, the bloodline gets tainted and genetic disorders are common and likely. Because of this, it is possible that Carlito may face future medical complications.

Carlito and his brothers came to North Shore Animal League America because the breeders had no use for male puppies. They only wanted female dogs so that they could continue the breeding and over-breeding cycle. However, Carlito and his brothers are very lucky that they wound up at the League instead of being left out to die, used in laboratory experiments, made to be breeding machines or brought somewhere else where they may have been destroyed.

Carlito is going to need regular daily medical care in the coming months. He will need to be monitored daily to make sure that he develops properly and grows up healthy. A special diet which includes a high protein puppy food will help him to gain weight and strengthen his bones and regular naps on a heating pad helps to keep him warm.

Fortunately, Carlito is part of the League’s life-saving program called HELP – Help for Every Little Pet. In this program, he’ll be able to get the constant care and medical attention he needs to survive. Carlito will have the best chance at growing up to be a healthy, happy dog.

Thanks to caring people like you who support this program, we can make sure that little guys like Carlito – and so many others – aren’t forgotten. Because you’re so generous, hundreds of orphaned and newborn puppies and kittens that are rescued or born at the League every year have real chance at a happy, healthy life.

Your monthly gift will give Carlito and so many other helpless animals get the intricate care they need. Don’t they deserve it?

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