Kristopher’s Pet Blog

Hypoglycemia, also called low blood sugar is known as a condition resulting in a sudden drop in blood glucose in a puppy. It is an issue frequently seen within the toy breeds. It may also be present in smaller puppies of a litter in comparison to other litter mates or underweight puppies. It is generally brought on by lack of food consumption, stress, infections or poor diet. Puppies and yorkie puppies alike are most susceptible to hypoglycemia from 2 days to 5 months of age. 2 day old puppies having hypoglycemia can usually be attributed to a newborn puppy nursing on its mother but not being successful in getting enough milk. Supplement feeding is required for a puppy in this situation to avoid fading puppy syndrome which will lead to dehydration and death. Newborn puppies should be weighed at birth and then again everyday to observe weight gain. If no weight gain is noticed within 24 to 32 hours after birth, or any loss of weight, supplement feeding needs to be given to avoid fading puppy syndrome. Other signs besides no weight gain or even weight loss is that the puppy will become colder as body temperature lowers, and the skin will lose elasticity indicating dehydration. If gone untreated, the result is deadly.

Signs of hypoglycemia in an older puppy’s may be the puppy will appear limp and lethargic. The gums and tongue will lack color, they can shiver or tremble. Other signs can be weakness, confusion, wobbly gait, frothing or drooling, wobbling of the head, and even seizures and convolutions.

Some causes of hypoglycemia can be as follows:

Over-handling young puppies, not allowing them enough rest or sleep.
Puppies not getting enough nutrition nursing on their mother, or eating an adequate amount of food during their meal.
Stress due to any change in its environment.
Switching diets to a different brand of food and or weaning .
Stress due to any type of traveling. (Regular outings should be limited until five to six months of age).
Bacterial infections or intestinal parasites.
Poor diet or poor eating habits.

Newborn puppies require plenty of rest. It is wise to contain them to at least one room when young. Keep puppies confined with lots of water, puppy pads, a soft bed, toys and do not skip scheduled feedings. This can help avoid the potential for your new Yorkie puppy over exerting himself when playing. It is vital for them to get plenty of rest. Limit playtime to small intervals throughout the day.

Hypoglycemia in older Yorkshire Terrier puppies is usually triggered by stress or a missed meal or a combination of both. Always keep available a highly palatable high calorie paste. Some such brands are Nutri Stat or Nutri Cal. To help you avoid hypoglycemia, puppy paste should be given to your puppy during and before any kinds of stressful situations such as travel, vaccinations, strenuous exercise, low temperatures, changing of homes, absences of a recent meal, or lack of rest.

Stress and improper nutrition may cause the blood sugar to drop to dangerously low levels. Always feed a high quality dog food 3 to 5 times a day depending on age. The younger they are, the more frequent they need to be feed.

Treatment:

Blood sugar levels should be restored as soon as possible. One way of doing this is to use something such as Nutri Cal or Nutri Drops ¼ cc per pound. Take note to follow directions on the Nutri Drop bottle. When using Nutri Cal place two inches on your forefinger and wipe it on the roof of your Yorkie puppy’s mouth. Repeat in 30 minute intervals if needed. Honey, sugar or Karo syrup will work in a pinch if rubbed on the roof of the mouth. Only use puppy paste or Nutri drops, or the honey or Karo syrup substitute. Never combine them. Follow the above with spoon feeding your Yorkie puppy with baby food, stages 1, beef flavored.

Making sure the Yorkshire Terrier puppy is warm is another essential part of treatment as body temperature goes down whenever a puppy has hypoglycemia. In progressive stages of hypoglycemia this occurs very rapidly. A temperature that falls below 96 degrees usually leads to a coma. Keeping the puppy warm with blankets or heating pad set at low during treatment will aid in the puppy’s recovery process.

Yorkie breeders give frequent feedings of 4 to five times each day is usually recommended for puppies at risk to avoid hypoglycemia. Feed moist or semi moist food to ensure it is more palatable and use only high quality dog food made specifically for puppies. Puppies that are more vulnerable to hypoglycemia are tiny puppies, underweight puppies, puppies weaned to early or placed to soon to new homes (12 weeks should be minimum age). Most outgrow this condition at 4 to 6 months of age. Puppies with estimated adult weight under 4 lbs are at higher risk of occurrence and may have several episodes throughout their lifetime. Always pay careful attention to eating habits and diet of any tiny toy puppy.

You should start to begin lead training to your yorkies puppies at a fairly young age. Preferably at about 12 weeks old. Each period should be kept very, very, short and exceptionally positive. Start first by purchasing a nylon collar for your puppy. Put the collar on your puppy for a short time each day while you are readily available to oversee, giving him phrase and encouragement the whole time.

Once the yorkshire terriers is use to the collar being around his neck you can advance to the next phase which would be to add a very light weight short leash to the collar. You should again do this for a short time each day while you are there to supervise. Fasten the leash to the collar and let your puppy just drag the leash around. Do this inside the house and be sure not to let it get tangled and hung up on anything. This is done to get your puppy use to the sensation of something tugging at the collar that is around his neck. Never pull on the leash or scold your Yorkie at anytime. Only reassure and phrase him the whole way through each training session. You can even try this at his dinner time or treat time as to associate the experience with something positive. You should continue with this every day until your puppy is comfortable with this process.

The next stage is to pick up the leash and simply follow your puppy wherever he wants to take you, the whole time telling your puppy what a good dog he is. Never put him in the position where you will be pulling or tugging on the leash. Instead, try to coax him to you by offering your puppy a treat or toy if you need to redirect him to go into a different direction for any reason. Never punish or scold your puppy during any of his lead training sessions, as this will only make him frightened of the leash and he will learn to dislike it. Positive reinforcement is a must with lead training.

Once he leads you around with confidence you can then venture outside for short sessions. Repeat until he is no longer frightened. Never force your puppy to walk as this will only impede the lead training process and make him frightened. Although leash training your akc yorkshire terrier puppies can be a challenge, it is necessary for the safety of your dog when he is taken places and you need to have total control over him. Having your yorkie puppy leashed trained can make taking your new puppy so much easier and safer for him due to the unforeseeable accidents that can and do happen with other dogs, traffic and such things. It will also put you at ease when traveling with your companion dog.