My new chihuahua/terrier puppy just suffered a crash from hypoglycemia...?

Question

When I picked him up from my boyfriends house he was on the verge of dying. Extreme weakness, lifeless little body, his legs were sort of stiff. I rushed him to the vet and they said he suffered from a low sugar crash(hypoglycemia). Out vet suggested we give him a small syringe of Light Karo Syrup whenever he has one of those crashes again. They also suggested we feed him every hour once we brought him home. But upon our returning him, he won't eat a lot(we feed him eukanuba and the cans the vet gave us), and we even tried blending the food and feeding small amounts through another syringe. He's had one crash since we brought him home, but quickly resolved that with the syrup. Is there any other way to get him to eat? and drink his water? (hes also .8 lbs, if that makes a difference) (btw, the people we got the puppy from said he was about 8 wks, and after i told them about the crash, they said he was about 2-8 wks, and don't even know when he was born)

Answer 1

Something sounds very suspicious if the breeder doesn't know the age of the pup! Are you sure this dog isn't stolen???

I have never heard of a dog that seems to be continually crashing from hypoglycemia? If the pup is this bad, shouldn't it be on insulin??? What did the Vet tell you? It won't live long if it keeps going into shock.

Answer 2

Hypoglycemia in small breed puppies is quite common and they typically have several episodes in a few days when it happens. The best thing to do (like the vet said) is to syringe feed small amounts of food frequently (eukanuba max cal, Hills a/d). These episodes usually occur in the first few days of owning the pup, because of new stress etc. Most out grow this, and never have a problem again. If it keeps happening your vet will recommend a few different liver tests to make sure there is not a more serious problem. The syrup is only a temporary fix, if you cant get him to eat, or he keeps having these episodes tonight, he will need to be hospitalized on IV fluids. Dont ignore the symptoms, if the glucose levels drop too low it will lead to seizures, and possibly brain damage.

Answer 3

Many people recently have been breeding dogs to be small not healthy, I cant begin to tell you how many little chihuahua puppies have come through our hospital this year with low blood sugar.

If the vet has already ruled out a liver shunt and other medical possibilities besides his small size, the most important thing is to make sure he eats, as you already know. If he doesn't like the food the vet provided, try plain meat baby food, the usual favs are turkey, chicken, and beef. Always have something out for him and keep offering different things until you find something he likes, if he likes dog cookies feed him cookies. It sounds like you need to wake up in the mid of the night too to give him a snack.

The karo syrup is a great temporary fix, but he won't get the nutrients he needs with just that. Ideally smaller breed should be left with mom longer just for this reason, but obviously his previous owners weren't that responsible. So now it's up to you, as he gets older he should have fewer of these episodes.

If the vet hasn't done a complete blood panel he should be rechecked to make sure there isn't something else going on. its not fair when the little ones are sick but unfortunately it's all part of owning a dog.

Good luck

Answer 4

How old does the vet think he is?? He may still need to be fed formula!!! Does he even have any teeth?? The people you got him from are scum. They sure don' know aything abour caring for pups. I hope you didn't pay anything for the pup?? I would get puppy formula and bottles and try to feed him on that for a couple of weeks and see if he will start eating. Also you need to get a tube of NUTRICAL: and use it instead of the syrup. It is a high calorie vitamin.mineral supplement that can save his life. Give him a small dab abour 3 times a day. First thing in the morning, last thing at night and around the middle of the day. If you are going to keep this pup alive you are going to have to feed him often at first,

Answer 5

get some nutri cal. Give the dog it every two hours minimally, get some esbilac puppy milk replacer and start feeding the pup every four hours until it gets to be at least 2 lbs., along with the wet food, or soaked puppy eukanuba. Use tepid water, cover the food with it, let it soak, about one eighth of a cup at a time, prepared ahead for the next feeding. Use the esbilac in the water.
Poor pup, and stupid STUPID breeders that you got it from. Too many crashes can lead to permanent brain damage and other physical problems.
Glad you took it to the vet. Sorry you got a pup from an idiot.

Answer 6

Many toy breed pups suffer from hypoglycemia,often until they are six months of age or older,especially when they are as small as yours. I would offer this puppy anything and everything,within reason,to eat.Keep dry food and puppy biscuits ( try MAX Puppy Drumsticks,most dogs LOVE them) down at all times.If the puppy won't eat canned food,try cooking some hamburger and rice or chicken and rice for him,and also strained meat baby foods are great,and rice baby cereal mixed with puppy milk replacer might be appealing to him.Bil - Jac frozen dog food is great.Most dogs love it,and because it has molasses in it,it will help keep his blood sugar steady.Even bread would be fine,as it is a carb and will keep him from crashing.Try to feed it with a little protein,though - meat or eggs,even peanut butter.Just make sure he eats at least a tablespoon of food 4 - 5 times a day,and give a small amount of syrup at bedtime or when you're going to be away for a few hours, until he gets out of this very fragile state.Good luck.

Oh,I forgot to mention Nutri-cal,which is a vitamin and caloric supplement for dogs that are not eating well.It comes in a tube,and is malt flavored.It also has corn syrup in it,so it would really help your pup.You can buy it at most vets and pet stores.

Answer 7

MILK with an egg, corn syrup and vegetable oil.
One Cup Milk
one TBSP. Vegetable oil
two teaspoons corn syrup
one egg

She needs the protein and the sugar will spike it back up. The milk will get her stomach calmed down and the digestive tract will start to work on the 'food' maybe even make her a bit hungry. Also make sure she has a fresh water supply. Do not leave the mixture out for more than an hour if she doesn't consume it all. The egg will go bad and they do tend to carry salmonella. You can forego the egg if this concerns you.

Answer 8

Make sure you feed him often. Little puppies need to eat tiny meals several times a day. Hypoglycemic crashes can occur when a little dog goes too long without eating. Let him eat a few bites every hour or two.

Answer 9

unfortunately, the only thing you can do is force feed him. just like a human, your dog's tummy is probably hurting. my husband has hypoglycemia, and he has to force himself to eat when his blood sugar gets low. i also had it while i was pregnant, and i remember how hard it was to eat anything, because it just made my tummy feel worse. after you get your dog to start eating again, give him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich once a day. i know this sounds funny, but it is really good for him. use real fruit. dogs usually don't like strawberry, maybe use grape or peach jam. my dogs love grape. and the peanut butter is really good for them. you can also give your dog a little bit of raw meat once a day. i give my dogs raw hamburger. i learned all of this from some professional breeders i met at a campground where i used to work. they were in town for a dog show. oh, and the nutri-cal does work as well. you can get it at any feed store. also, you may not have to force feed that one, because it's sweet, and dogs really like it. it also has a lot of really good vitamins. and it may be a good idea to give it to him once a day after he gets better, just as a prevention method.

Answer 10

If it is prescripted food your vet gave you go to Nutro products they have good can foods. I wouldn't feed eukanuba. Maybe he just hasn't the appetite you'd expect. As long as he eats some maybe in time he will get his appetite back. Best wishes.