A Couple of Questions from a New Mommy :)

[tonyag9]

I haven't had a puppy in 16 years (my 16 year old baby passed away on Thanksgiving), and I've NEVER had a small dog, so I have a question about hypoglycemia. I am so glad I have been reading here, because I would not have even known that to be a problem!! Anyway, Pixel is only 3.5 pounds and I often have to BEG him to eat lol He always eats eventually, but sometimes it's 10-11 hours before I can get him to eat again. He's just not a big food motivated dog. He is 6 months old. Do I have to be concerned about this forever or is it just when they are young puppies? Thanks for clarifying for this new, clueless mommy

One more question. Pixel loves his new pen so much he is now spending much of the evening in there too. Should I shut the door to FORCE him to play with me and cuddle with me? LOL When he has no access he is all about me, but when it's open I usually only get about an hour of quality time with him at night because he will just play alone in his pen Mommy is lonely LOL

[chachi]

It is most common with young pups but smaller yorkies are also at risk if they have gone too long without eating or have an underlying health issue. I would try to get him to eat more often, Have you tried canned food or cook up a chicken breast and mix it in the food to entice hhim to eat

[tonyag9]

Thanks for replying Chachi How long is TOO long? I'm still not sure when I should start to be concerned. He is also getting neutered tomorrow and they say no food/drink after midnight - will this be okay???! I free-feed him and sometimes he has eaten it all when I get home from work and sometimes, very little. That's when I get concerned. He never seems to be anything other than a healthy energetic puppy though. I have tried canned food and he doesn't seem to eat that any better either. I will try chicken - thanks

[chachi]

Originally Posted by tonyag9

Thanks for replying Chachi How long is TOO long? I'm still not sure when I should start to be concerned. He is also getting neutered tomorrow and they say no food/drink after midnight - will this be okay???! I free-feed him and sometimes he has eaten it all when I get home from work and sometimes, very little. That's when I get concerned. He never seems to be anything other than a healthy energetic puppy though. I have tried canned food and he doesn't seem to eat that any better either. I will try chicken - thanks

It is fine to stop feeding at night just make sure you feed 1st thing in the morning. Leave food when you go to work and try to get him to eat when you get home. You should also have a tube of nutrical handy in case he ever gets sick or wont eat so you can keep his sugar up. If you cant find nutrical Karo syrup will work also. But try to find the nutrical because it has v itamins in it also

[tonyag9]

That's why I'm concerned about him being neutered tomorrow. They said no food/water after midnight tonight and I am not bringing him there until 7:30 a.m. tomorrow. Then I don't know when the actual surgery will be. Should I give him Karo syrup in the morning (been to a few pet stores around here and can't find nutrical - may have to order online)?

Also, how many hours of not eating puts him into the danger zone? I know there is no exact time but an idea would help me know when I should be concerned Thanks for all the help!

[chachi]

I dont think an adult should go any longer than 8 hrs less for a pup. Some yorkies dont eat much but a little of something is better than nothing. I know you probably work 8 hrs thats whay I would feed in the morning and right when you get home. I would give some karo while you are fasting for the neuter. By the way you can cook the chicken up a head of time and freeze it so its always available. Cottage cheese is also good to give

[rayray08]

My pup (7months old) had her days where she wouldn't eat till 2-3pm in the afternoon! It drove me crazy and nothing would entice her to eat. She just ate when she felt like it. She is bigger than your dog, she weighs 5.8lbs. She was spayed last Thursday and I don't know if it's just a coincidence but she's gotten better with eating. She will still only eat generally in the morning and night, maybe a few nibbles during the day. I plan to keep free feeding till she's 12 months old.

Oh and about the surgery, if the vet said no food or water after 12... that means no food or water. (Mine couldn't eat after 10pm) If you do feed them, they have to cancel the surgery. It's standard practice to protect your pet while under anesthesia. Same goes for us humans, we can't have food after a certain hour.
While under anesthesia it can cause nausea and vomiting. They don't have you eat because if you did eat and happened to vomit there's risk of it being aspirated into your lungs. This can be extremely dangerous and possibly even fatal.

If your concerned with hypoglycemia because he'll be restricted, talk to your vet before giving any karo syrup if he's going in for surgery.

Has he ever shown signs of hypoglycemia? If not and he's gone 10-11 hours w/o food, I wouldn't be too worried. Again it doesn't hurt to check with your vet to see what they say.

[chachi]

Yes check with your vet it was my vet that said I could give the nutrical so I did

[tonyag9]

Thanks RayRay08! I plan on calling the vet today to ask about it and what I should do. He has never showed any signs of hypoglycemia (as far as I know anyway). He isn't a purebred yorkie - he's part chi - would that make a difference? Is it the SIZE of the dog that causes that or is it strictly a yorkie thing?

Good to know about giving him cottage cheese - I'll try that too. Thanks chachi!

[chachi]

It is common in small breed dogs not just yorkies

[JoeyP]

Hypoglycemia is common in small breed puppies
esp since we have bred them done to such small sizes
Their metabolism is so high at this size in relation to what they can eat at one time that they can literally run out of fuel

so make sure that you pup eats at least every 6 hrs if he's really young
if he's fussy some Nutrical or Karo syrup will at least keep him from sliding into a coma

as far as the playing issue
he feels more secure in his crate
but playtimes should be about him getting out and seeing the world
I'd close the crate door or put it somewhere he won't see when you want him to play with you
but remember that puppies do need their sleep time too
Mine sleep half the day
Never mind what they do the rest of the time

[bellasmomok]

Even when my Bella was pretty little, she'd sometimes go 12 or more hours without eating. I'd coax her, but she ate when she was ready. I've since learned that lack of appetite CAN be a sign of liver diease which is VERY common in Yorkies (31 times more likely than any other breed). Now that I feed her homecooked food that is much lower in protein, she eats more often easily! She still sometimes snubbs food or sometimes doesn't eat everything I give her, but she eats VERY consistently now, even when she'd rather eat what's on my plate than hers .
Just something to think about.....since he will be at the vet, have you thought about getting some bloodwork done? I know he's a Yorkie mix, but I'd think the possibility was still there, and it's a good idea to have all Yorkie's tested for liver disease. (The best test for it is called a Bile Acid Test, but it won't be able to be done on the same day as the neuter because it is a 2 part test that requires eating between.)