Puppy with low blood sugar?

Question

I have a tiny chihuahua. And I read that they can get low blood sugar in small breeds like mine. What are symptoms of their low blood sugar that I need to be watching out for?

Answer 1

extreme listlessness, sleepiness, loss of consciousness, etc
Just make sure he eats several times a day.

Answer 2

Some symptoms of low blood sugar are: being sleepy, weak, their eyes get glazed/glassy looking, they may get shaky or woble.
They can also have a seizure, go into a coma, or they could possibly die.

If your dog has been vomitting or had diahrrea then hypoglycemia(low blood sugar) can occur quickly. You really have to be on top of their illness. If at any time you think they are getting dehydrated or low sugar you have to take action immediately because these dogs can get very close to death quickly. You have to be able to get to the vet or a animal hospital. Call your vet as soon as possible.

Answer 3

They act lethargic or dazed. They may be walking sloppy and look drunk. Sometimes they'll lay down and have seizures. If you even suspect hypoglycemia give your puppy a little drop of caro syrup. Its a high sugar syrup that you can buy at any grocery store. You can also buy the supplement nutrical at any petstore. Its a dense high calories paste sold in a toothpaste like container. You just stick a little dab in your puppies mouth to raise the blood sugar. I would recommend having one or both of these always on hand at your home or with you when you travel. Stress or anxiety can also cause dogs to get hypoglycemia faster. Also, feed your puppy on a regular schedule, preferably 3x a day.

Answer 4

Low blood suger symptoms vary from mild to severe. the symptoms are excessive sleeping, wobbly legs with the animal falling over like it is drunk, a dry tongue , glaze eyes and even a comatose state.. this happens when the animal fails to eat proper foods and the sugar level drops when the animal excercises to the excess. A teaspoon of honey will usually do the trick in recovery.NOT PROCESED SUGAR.

Answer 5

The signs of low blood sugar are listness,Shaking,tremors,Seizures,Etc.,but it is very easy to control if the pup is eating good about three times a day.Usually a Dab of plain honey on tongue 2 X daily will prevent,or the vitiamin in a tube called Nutri Stat.

Answer 6

One of my Chihuahua's suffered terribly with hypoglycemia when he was younger. Symptons are weakness, shaking confusion etc just like with a diabetic.

Treat with Karo syrup or honey. You can also rub a little Neutrical on the gums.

I only had this problem with Pepper because he was a very picky eater. I also had this a few weeks ago with Snickers after surgery, but only because he's very emotional and would not eat.

If you leave dry food down 24/7 chances are unless your little one is very small it won;t happen.

Answer 7

The creation of different dog breeds represents centuries of selective breeding to create a true line of dogs all with similar desired characteristics. Somewhere in all this breeding and selection, toy breeds were deemed desirable and were hence developed. Typical examples of these very small dogs are:

Chihuahua

Yorkshire Terrier

Maltese

Toy Poodle

Pomeranian
And, of course, there are many others. Consider that if these dogs are so tiny as adults how tiny they must be as newborn puppies. These itty bitty babies have trouble maintaining body temperature, cut their baby teeth in late and thus have trouble with kibbled foods, and they have difficulty maintaining blood sugar. Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) creates listlessness, incoordination (the brain cannot burn fat or protein and relies entirely on sugar), and even seizures.

BEFORE YOU ADOPT

When you look at these darling miniature puppies, think twice before you adopt. The toy breed puppy is frequently a high maintenance project. This is not a living stuffed animal; this is a live creature with a handicap. You may need to feed this animal 4-6 times daily. Soft puppy foods are often needed as these puppies may not be able to eat hard food. They need extra warmth and it is important that you hook up with your veterinarian for a “well-baby” check up promptly.

Puppies of this size do not tolerate fleas. They are simply too small to have any blood to give away to blood sucking parasites. They need to be adequately dewormed and checked over for any signs of infectious disease. Diarrhea is common for puppies but a very tiny puppy cannot withstand the dehydration that accompanies diarrhea. Pet store puppies are high risk for kennel cough and the pneumonia that sometimes accompanies it in severe cases. Parvovirus or Distemper are particular disasters for puppies of this size.

A toy breed puppy is a project more so than any other type of puppy. If this is more than you bargained for, you may want to get an adult toy breed dog or older puppy or even another type of dog.

PREVENTING PROBLEMS

So you already have a toy breed puppy. Remember how sensitive to problems these puppies are so if your puppy is coughing, has diarrhea, is vomiting, appetite loss (especially appetite loss!) or seems listless waste no time in seeing the vet.

Be sure your puppy is eating and well. If possible, look in your puppy’s mouth and see if there are teeth present. In particular look for the molars and premolars along the sides of the mouth. These are teeth needed for chewing and they may come in late. This will not stop your puppy from lapping up soft food. Be sure the food you are using is soft enough and that your puppy will reliably eat it.

Nutrical, a handy supplement

This product is frequently provided by both veterinarians and breeders for use in toy breed puppies. It consists basically of a malt-flavored paste with sugar and vitamins. Some puppies will readily lap it off fingers and others will only take it if it is smeared on the roof of the mouth. If a puppy seems listless, the first thing to do is attempt feeding. If the puppy will not eat, a finger tip of Nutrical may make all the difference.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU THINK YOUR PUPPY IS HYPOGLYCEMIC

Potentially, hypoglycemia is an emergency. The puppy will be listless maybe even uncoordinated. In an extreme case, the puppy will become cold, will lose consciousness and begin to have seizures. For first aid, a small amount of Karo syrup can be rubbed on the gums. (It will absorb through the gums; actual swallowing is not necessary). Beyond this, the puppy should be rushed to an animal hospital for treatment.

In the hospital, the puppy will be warmed and a blood sugar level checked. If intravenous access is possible, dextrose will be infused directly into the blood stream. Response is generally rapid once sugar is supplied in this way and a sugar drip or regular sugar injections will be continued. But the puppy has to reliably eat before he can go home. Anticipate the need for 24 hour care and expect a few days of care.

COMPLICATING FACTORS

Sometimes there is more to hypoglycemia than just low blood sugar. While being extra small and extra young is enough to drop one’s blood sugar, sometimes there is more to the story.

Bacterial infection
Bacteria can be tremendous consumers of glucose (blood sugar). For this reason, hypoglycemic puppies frequently are given antibiotics.

Portosystemic (Liver) shunt
This is a problem the Yorkshire terrier in particular. In this congenital malformation of the liver circulation, blood travels from the GI tract to the general circulation by-passing the liver. The liver does not develop properly and has abnormal function. One of the liver’s functions is to maintain the body’s blood sugar level. An abnormal liver leads to low blood sugar. This condition can frequently be cured with surgery. A liver function blood test is an easy way to rule this condition out as a complicating factor.

Parasitism/Diarrhea/Stress
Stress from any cause increases the body’s demand for sugar. This is why it is especially important to insure the general health of the toy breed puppy. When stressors are present, maintaining a healthy blood sugar level is all the more difficult.
When your puppy comes home again after a hypoglycemic episode, it is important to watch food intake and be aware of any changes in energy level. As the puppy gets bigger, risk factors diminish. Teeth get stronger, body fat stores develop, and the immune system matures. Eventually, hypoglycemia risks become minimal and the puppy can continue life as any other puppy, playing, chewing things up, and learning the behavior control necessary to be a good house pet.

Answer 8

Listlessness, excessive sleepiness, pretty much anything abnormal should be dealt with quickly. Making sure the puppy eats several small meals daily will help prevent this.

Keep some Karo syrup handy in case you suspect hypoglycemia is occuring.

Answer 9

My is Yorkie. Her parents are both under 3 lbs.
I was instructed by my vet. I feed my puppy Nutri-Cal before every meals. This will help to keep her blood sugar normal.

Answer 10

A Small dog like that is so easy to make sick....suger water is said to be the easiest pick me up