You are about to learn more than you ever wanted to about low blood sugar, but also probably more than most long time breeders I know.
Part of the reason I have been so successful at Breeding little dogs, is my willingness to learn for myself and not take what other breeders say at face value. I have bred extremely tiny moms. I have learned so much about Hypoglycemia, and most of which you will find so interesting as to the why, its not what you think.
What to look for if you think your puppy might have hypoglycemia
– Being lethargic
– Slow jerky movements
– White gums
– Lack of appetite
Treatment of Hypoglycemia in dogs and puppies
Anyone who has yorkies, or a small breed dog, should have DYNE on hand. It is a high calorie gel that will bring your little puppy or adult dog back from the brink. Seizures can come on quick if your dog doesn't eat for a long time and gets low blood sugar. Seizures can cause death. Low blood sugar episodes can be very common, the smaller the dog the more common. Yorkies are picky eaters so its a perfect storm. The nutri cal at petco or petsmart is very low quality ingredients that can cause a low after giving a blood sugar spike. Just stick with DYNE!
1. Get sugar into your pups bloodstream as quickly as possible. White Karo syrup is something most families have on hand, and its great because they aren't getting it into their stomachs as much as right into their blood stream through their gums. This is why Karo is the preferred method, or a nutrical gel.
2. Make sure the pup is warm and relaxed. Once a pup is showing signs of hypoglycemia and you are in treatment mode, get that sugar in and then, make sure your young pup is not struggling to keep itself warm. Young pups can really struggle with heat production when in a sugar crisis. If you place a very low temp heating pad under the pup that will help — just be careful about turning the pup from side to side so they don't get burned. You can also get a ziplock of warm water and put it next to your pet. Helping your pet to stay warm and calm takes some of the demand for energy down so your pets body can focus on other important tasks on a cellular level.
3. It's time to eat. Once the pup has had some sugar, and laid down in a warm spot to rest, you need to evaluate if they need real food. If your pup hasn't eaten for a while, this could be the reason they have low blood sugar. Once their blood sugars start to rise, they will most likely be willing to eat. A classic sign of hypoglycemia is no appetite to eat, but once their blood sugar levels rise from the karo syrup or nutri cal, that's when they start to feel hungry again. Offer them some food, to prevent another hypoglycemic drop once the effects of the Karo drop off. If your pet normally eats kibble, lets try the kibble — human made foods don't stay in their GI affording nutrition over a long period of time like kibble does.
4. You should now be out of the woods. But the major question remains: What caused it? Is it simple or a sign your pup has a major health issue?
What causes hypoglycemic episodes in dogs and puppies?
At the beginning of this article, I stated you might learn more than veteran breeders I know. Here is the whole kit and kaboodle of what you learn when you breed extreme micro Momma Dogs and puppies.
1. Over playing and heat. If your pup is young, and has been playing hard for more than 20 minutes and they keep going without water and without food, this can precipitate a low blood sugar episode. Let a tired pup sleep, don't let children keep a puppy up after a long stretch of playtime. Their bodies are growing like crazy and they need rest often.
2. Worms my friends. Everything I have learned from studying parasites is that they are so so common. If you got a pup with worms, don't freak out. In my personal opinion and my Veterinarian's, all dogs constantly have worms and parasites moving through their gut. In a normal dog's body, with a healthy strong immune system, they fight and deter these pesky parasites found everywhere. What we are talking about here is the worm load. When your pup is born, they eat colostrum and get antibodies from the mom in the first 4 hours that create their entire immune system for the next 5–7 weeks. Around that 6–8 weeks old mark, that's when your pup's body starts utilizing its own immune system. For a pup that gets stressed from changing homes at the same time, its a perfect storm for a parasite to try to take over. Get to the vet, get tested for giardia, coccidia, etc.
3. Your puppy could have an underlying condition, like a disease, or major organ defect causing continued hypoglycemic drops. For example: a liver shunt, common in small dogs, causes a build up of ammonia in their blood and they will lose their appetite. So you see — the hypoglycemic episode can be a symptom of something much larger. The first time I see a pup have a hypoglycemic episode, its a concern. If they recoup and then crash again, its automatic additional 3 months in my home, so I can look for other symptoms of an underlying health condition like a liver shunt, hydrocephalus, etc.
What are the signs and symptoms of Hypoglycemia in dogs and puppies?
1. Probably the first sign you will see, is your pup vomiting up yellow foamy liquid. This is stomach bile. Your pup's belly has been empty for too long. They may not even want to eat, because they went so long they lost their appetite. Hit them with karo syrup and then try to get them to eat their regular food.
2. Lethargy is a classic sign of low blood sugar and hypoglycemia. So if your pup doesn't want to play, and just wants to lay down for longer than ordinary amounts of time, start looking for the other signs.
3. White gums. This is one I ask all my puppy families to look at before there is an issue. I tell them to look at the puppy's gums, how do they look? They should look nice and pink. If you think your pup is acting lethargic, go right to the gums. White gums means low blood sugar. If your pup's gums are gray, your dog is literally in the process of dying and you need to get to the vet immediately. I never run to the vet, but I have never seen any animal with gray gums that wasn't on their way out the door with needed life saving measures.
Please make sure you understand that this is a serious thing, that if gone unnoticed can turn life threatening really quickly — and this is even more true the smaller your dog is.
