
Young puppies and Hypoglycemia
Young
Puppies and small breed puppies can stress when shipping or adjusting
to new homes. Stress can also be caused by too much handling. Do not
overtire your new puppy. You should not allow your puppy to run and play
for periods longer than a few minutes at a time. The puppy needs quiet
time to rest and eat. A playpen works well for this purpose.
Water
should be available AT ALL TIMES. Puppies eat a small amount at a time
and need to replace this frequently to prevent hypoglycemia.
Do
not just assume your puppy is eating. The best way to make sure is to
put a small handful of food on or close to pups bed several times a day
and if this disappears you know the puppy is eating something. You can
also soften some dry food with warm water to entice your puppy to eat
until it is adjusted. PUPPY MUST EAT. If you feel puppy is not eating
enough, you can get some prescription diet canned AD from your vet to
use until is adjusted and eating well. No other brand canned is
recommended.
*ALWAYS keep Karo syrup on hand for emergency situations with blood sugar. Give
puppy 1 inch of morning and night for the first couple of months to
help maintain sugar levels through the night. It can also be given mid
day if you feel is acting tired or sluggish. You can also mix 1 cap of
white in of water for the first week or two to provide extra sugar
while pup is adjusting.
Hypoglycemia
(low blood sugar) can occur without warning when a puppy goes to a new
home, misses a meal, becomes chilled overtired or exhausted from too
much handling or playing. Small
breed puppies are more likely to develop hypoglycemia because they have
less ability to store and mobilize glucose. Puppies need frequent meals
to prevent hypoglycemic crises.
Hypoglycemia
or low blood sugar is a possible problem with all toy breed puppies.
Veterinarians unfamiliar with toys often the condition as viral
hepatitis or encephalitis. As a toy breeder or , it is important to
recognize the symptoms of hypoglycemia and know how to treat it.
Hypoglycemia is easily treatable in the early stages, but fatal if
allowed to progress. Many puppies are lost needlessly to hypoglycemia
because of ignorance on the part of their owner or veterinarian. The
first sign of hypoglycemia is the puppy slowing down and then acting
listless. The puppy will then begin to tremble or shiver. This is a
reaction caused as the brain is starved for glucose. The trembling is
followed by a blank stare and the puppy lying on his side. He may also
experience convulsions. After a time, the puppy will become comatose.
His body will be limp, lifeless, and the tongue and gums will be a
grayish/blue color. The body temperature will be subnormal. The puppy
may even appear to be dead.
Small
dogs often do not have the fat reserves to supply adequate glucose in
times of stress or when they do not eat regularly. Hypoglycemia most
often occurs when the puppy has not eaten for several hours. This is not
always the case, however. A puppy can have eaten recently and still
show of hypoglycemia if his system is stressed and the food has not
been digested and assimilated. It is important to feed toy puppies a
high quality food. Toy puppies simply have too high of an energy level
to be restricted to scheduled feedings. Most do fine if switched to
scheduled feedings when they reach adulthood, but they must have access
to food and water at all times when they are puppies. If you like to
give your puppy canned food, you can schedule the feeding of the canned.
A summary of important reminders is as follows:
1) Always keep Karo (Corn Syrup) on hand. This is the quickest way to revive a hypoglycemic puppy.
2)
If you ever see your puppy becoming listless, or on his side and
acting unresponsive IMMEDIATELY rub Nutri-Cal or Karo on his gums, under
his tongue, and on the roof of the mouth. Slowly warm him to normal
body temperature with a heating pad. Feed him as soon as he responds.
Call your veterinarian if the puppy does not quickly respond.
3)
Do not over-handle your puppy. Be sure to allow him rest time and alone
time. Like all babies, puppies need to have a regular schedule of rest,
meals, play and potty.