Hypoglycemia in Toy Puppies
*VERY IMPORTANT* Please Read*
TINY PUPPIES require extra supervision, warmth, supplemental hand feedings & they
must stay with the breeder longer than a regular pup does. A breeder of tiny puppies will
be thinking of the puppy 24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week and will plan his/her life around
those puppies until the pups are older or big enough to go to their new homes.
HYPOGLYCEMIA or low blood sugar is a common problem with all toy breed puppies.
Hypoglycemia is the medical term for low blood sugar, which is a condition in which there
is a drastic, sudden drop in the level of blood sugar in the puppy. In small breed puppies
from post-weaning to 4 months of age, the most common form of hypoglycemia is called
Transient Juvenile Hypoglycemia: "Transient" because the symptoms can be reversed by
eating. "Juvenile" because it is seen in young puppies. Veterinarians unfamiliar with
toys often mis-diagnose the condition as viral hepatitis or encephalitis. As a toy poodle
breeder or pet owner, 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.
VERY IMPORTANT.....If your puppy is not eating buyers should SYRINGE feed their
new pups 3 to 4 times a day, approximately 5 CC's per feeding....15 to 20 CC's total per
day.... Gerber's chicken baby food mixed with waffle syrup for the first 10 to 14 days
after receiving their new pup and they will never have a sick pup. (1CC of waffle syrup
per small jar of chicken meat baby food). Draw the baby food up into the syringe and
disperse into the puppy's mouth. Nulti Cal is excellent for these little ones I suggest
giving this to them 3-5 times a day at least for the first week or two. These puppies are
very stressed from leaving the home they have always known, their litter mates and
their routine, so they sometimes do not eat.
THE MOST IMPORTANT rule is to always have food and water available for your puppy
at all times and be sure you actually see them eating. If your pup won't eat dry kibble
dog food, then cooked hamburger or chicken breast, cut up in tiny pieces. You can hand
feed it every 3-4 hours during the day if you are not sure whether it is eating at all .from
the time they wake up until the time they go to bed. A high quality food is a must. Tiny
puppies must replenish their energy more frequently than larger puppies. Hypoglycemia,
sometimes called sugar shock, low blood sugar (as in a diabetic), is a condition where the
blood sugar level drops to an extremely low level, usually due to lack of food, or by using
up all stored energy without it being replenished (playing/running for extended periods of
time, shivering out of nervousness or being chilled, stress, etc.) They can end up with
hypoglycemia.Tiny puppies are prone to this because they have such tiny digestive
systems and can only store a little bit of food (energy) in their bodies at one time. THEY
MUST EAT!
IT IS ALWAYS easier to PREVENT hypoglycemia than treat it...always make sure your
puppy is eating every 3-4 hours, even if only a small amount and even if you have to
hand feed. Just having food available is not always good enough. Nutra-Cal (a low volume
paste vitamin/mineral supplement for show, working, or dogs under stress) is highly
recommended to feed 1-3 toothpaste size globs 3-5 times a day....especially first thing in
the morning and last thing before bedtime. If your puppy is handled a lot by other people
or has a rousing/energetic time of play then give some Nutra-Cal at playtime. When your
puppy matures he or she may not need Nutra-Cal and should be able to go 3-5 hrs.
without eating if they are not having an active day. Keep it with you at all times.
SYMPTOMS OF HYPOGLYCEMIA, your puppy may exhibit one or more of these signs.
The gums of a normal puppy will be bright reddish/pink just like human gums....gums
that are pale in places or light pink means the blood sugar levels are dropping. If the
gums are white...your pup needs quick attention to avoid a hypoglycemic coma. If they
are white I recommend Karo syrup on the tongue 1 CC every 15 min. until the gums
return to the normal pink color (3 CC's max in the first hour). Another sign that is
usually seen is vomiting on an empty stomach (clear liquid or bile) or saliva (foamy at
the mouth). If your pup has not eaten in awhile give it food or waffle syrup immediately.
Other signs are acting listless, walking unsteady, shakiness, falling over and in extreme
cases laying on their side and unresponsive. This is extreme and you must pry their
mouth open and give Karo syrup. Karo corn syrup, honey,sugar water or Nutra-Cal to
raise the blood sugar quickly or coma and death will result. After giving the syrup you
should see improvement and the pup should be alert in about 10 min. if not, repeat and
give more syrup. If you see no signs of improvement and appears comatose rush to the
nearest veterinarian office for glucose by injection or I.V. to save it's life.
PREVENTING LOW BLOOD SUGAR IS THE BEST TREATMENT! Monitor gum color,
body temperature (teacups under 2 pounds cannot properly maintain the correct
temperature and frequently get chilled, expecially if they haven't had enough to eat. Feel
the ears, if the ears are warm you are ok cold then the puppy is cold. If you are not sure
put your finger in it's mouth, it should be very warm, almost hot. If it isn't warm the pup
with a towel or blanket out of the clothes dryer or a heating pad.