Hypoglycemic nightmare - YorkieTalk.com Forums

tmorrow26 · 05-23-2010, 02:29 PM

Hi everyone. My name is Tamra and I have the sweetest little 11 week old baby I got one week ago. He is around 1-1.5 pounds. He has been great all week however this morning I awoke to what appeared to be a dying puppy. He scared us so bad. He could not lick his nutrical so I forced waffle syrup (all I had) in his mouth with a syringe. I have been so careful with my baby but this morning I made a mistake I think. He woke up at 4 am this morning like every morning to go to the bathroom. He was playful and I gave him a lick of nutrical because I am paranoid. Usually we get up at 6:30 for breakfast but this morning I overslept because when I woke up at 8am he was in a diabetic coma. He always has food and water in his crate but I guess he was too weak to eat it. Could this small amount of time have caused this? Is this my fault? What can I do to stop this from ever happening again. It was terrible. I really thought he was dead. Another thing that is bothering me is I called the vet who met me at the office and I think he thought I was overreacting. He did not even examine my puppy. (My puppy was a little better when we got there-at least his eyes were open). This vet told me my puppy wasn't "wired right" because he was too small for his age. He really upset me because he did not try to do anything for him. Not wired right....what the heck does he want me to do....let him die? If anyone has any advice on what to do to prevent this....please help me. I love this little guy to pieces! I cannot lose him. Thank you! Tamra

Another question? When we got home I gave him some wet dog food that he has never had before just so he would eat. He is playful....actually bouncing off the walls from all the sugar

but still not himself. Does it take a while for him to recover from such a terrible event? Should I let him eat anything just so he will eat... like his treats....wet dog food...nutrical....etc. or should I just wait for him to want to eat?

Woogie Man · 05-23-2010, 08:09 PM

You did good in saving your boy. He is small and you need to make sure he eats often. Don't just have the food in with him....make sure he eats at least 4 meals a day, with one being at bedtime.

Once they've had an episode, it's easy for them to repeat it...especially in the first few days following. They don't recover 100% for some time and you may want to give him a small amount of Nutrical a couple times a day for the next few days.

Besides making sure he eats, also limit his playtime. Such a small puppy has so little reserves that he can easily over-exert himself. He needs his rest.

If you have another episode, you can use karo syrup or Nutrical to get his sugar up. I use karo as it is supposed to get in the bloodstream faster than Nutrical and time is important. Always follow up by giving him some protein. The sugar helps them recover but isn't meant to sustain them.

Wrenee4 · 05-23-2010, 08:21 PM

Woogie Man has given you wonderful advice! They are very important things to do for a little one like your guy. Keep him warm too because you don't want any extra energy taken from keeping his body warm.
I would FOR SURE find another vet!! That is horrible that they didn't look at him or do anything for him. They should have at the very least did a glucose test to see where his sugars were at. Not wired right and stating he was small for his age he may have been hinting that it could be liver shunt. Still even if it was that there are things you can do and tests once he is a little bigger that he should have suggested. Not a good vet IMO.

ladyjane · 05-23-2010, 08:31 PM

Sounds to me "like your vet is not wired right". I would definitely find a new one.

Woogie Man has given you good advice. Hopefully, you won't have any more scares like that one.

Good luck with your puppy and welcome to YT!

Ladymom · 05-24-2010, 09:53 AM

At only 1.-1.5 pounds, your little guy is more prone to hypoglycemia. His breeder should have kept him until he was two pounds. That would have made your life much easier.

Food is much more important than Nutrical. Nutrical, karo syrup, pancake syrup, etc, all are just for an emergency, like this morning, when you need to get his blood sugar up quickly. Without a meal of protein and carbs ASAP, he will just crash again.

Giving Nutrical too often just sets him up for another hypo attack as his blood sugar keeps peaking and dropping. You want to keep it consistent until he is bigger and can regulate it better himself. The way to do that is to keep his tummy full.

What are you feeding him? You want to make sure he is getting a high quality food (wet is fine for a puppy) every 2-3 hours, not filling up on treats. You may want to set your alarm during the night so you can check on him and make sure he has eaten.

Did you have your vet give him a thorough check up when you brought him home or was this your first visit? Did he have a fecal exam? Parasites and bacterial infections can make a puppy more susceptible to hypoglycemia.

Here is a great article:

Toy Breed Hypoglycemia

Nancy1999 · 05-24-2010, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ladymom

At only 1.-1.5 pounds, your little guy is more prone to hypoglycemia. His breeder should have kept him until he was two pounds. That would have made your life much easier.

Food is much more important than Nutrical. Nutrical, karo syrup, pancake syrup, etc, all are just for an emergency, like this morning, when you need to get his blood sugar up quickly. Without a meal of protein and carbs ASAP, he will just crash again.

Giving Nutrical too often just sets him up for another hypo attack as his blood sugar keeps peaking and dropping. You want to keep it consistent until he is bigger and can regulate it better himself. The way to do that is to keep his tummy full.

What are you feeding him? You want to make sure he is getting a high quality food (wet is fine for a puppy) every 2-3 hours, not filling up on treats. You may want to set your alarm during the night so you can check on him and make sure he has eaten.

Did you have your vet give him a thorough check up when you brought him home or was this your first visit? Did he have a fecal exam? Parasites and bacterial infections can make a puppy more susceptible to hypoglycemia.

Here is a great article:

Toy Breed Hypoglycemia

Great post!

AddieandMiaMom · 05-24-2010, 11:06 AM

You've gotten some great advice here. Do find another vet; when Addie had her episode her vet immediately recommended blood work be done to find out if it was a liver shunt (luckily it wasn't). She also said Addie will be more prone to them, but we've never had another incident. For 3-4 weeks, I fed Addie first the high calorie wet food given by the emergency vet, then wet food bought at the pet boutique, and finally wet food mixed with dry food. I did have to hand feed her for awhile, and did make sure she had several wet food meals per day as well as the dry stuff out at all times. Don't leave the wet food out all day. Try to get him to eat a small bit of it and then give more later (3-4 times as someone suggested above). You can measure out the dry food that you leave out at all times and 24 hours later, measure it again so you can see if he actually ate any of the dry stuff. But note, he might not with the wet food given to him several times per day.

TLC · 05-24-2010, 11:47 AM

Children's Vanilla Pedisure is good to have on hand as well, it has nutrients and protein to keep him in balance along with trying to get him to eat some kibble

TwoforFun · 05-24-2010, 12:01 PM

How scary, I'm sorry you went through that.

Best thing you can do is to feed him. If he doesn't eat anything you put out, boil some plain chicken for him.

My vet told me a good quality can of wet food is just as good as dry food. I personally use Merrick, good luck!!

tmorrow26 · 05-24-2010, 02:33 PM

Thank you so much everyone! I really appreciate all your advice and caring words. At least someone out there knows how I feel and how scary that was! That was not my first visit to the vet. My husband had to take him for his first check up (he picked that vet in particular

but nothing was checked like parasites, blood, etc.....I have a new appointment tomorrow with a different vet whom I know is kind and caring to all sizes of animals. My baby is acting much better today. I was up every 2 hours last night....just checking....being a bit paranoid maybe too. We also slept on the floor together and snuggled

He is so much better. I think I did get carried away with the nutrical but I made sure he ate protein right after too. I just did NOT want to go through that terrible episode again. I felt so helpless!

I am going to try the chicken thing because all he wants to eat are treats and a bit of baby food. For some reason he doesn't want to eat his dry food at all. Picky little guy! Should I slowly 'wean' him off the nutrical back to like 3 times a day or does it matter if I wean him as long as he is eating well? One more.....is it okay to get him to eat whatever I can as long as he is getting something? I feel like I have bombarded him with a bunch of different things in the last 24 hours because I was trying to get him to eat anything to get better. For example-baby food, wet food, dry food softened with water, his potty training treats, water with a bit of sugar dissolved in it. He did have a few bouts of soft poo but no diarrhea thank goodness! His tummy was upset due to all of the syrup and sugar he was given during our scare. To be honest, I have no idea how I am going to take care of this baby since I have to work!?! I really wish that the breeder (who is super-nice) would have kept him for a bit longer. I am scared now of not being able to do this but I love him to bits! Thanks again everyone!

ladyjane · 05-24-2010, 02:38 PM

Maybe when you go to the vet you can ask about options for when you are at work. Perhaps you can hire a pet sitter for the time being?

Ladymom · 05-24-2010, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ladyjane

Maybe when you go to the vet you can ask about options for when you are at work. Perhaps you can hire a pet sitter for the time being?

I agree. Maybe your new vet can suggest a pet sitter. An eight week old 1 pound puppy can't be left alone all day while you work. He is going to need meals every few hours and be checked for hypoglycemia throughout the day for at least the next month, maybe longer since he's so tiny.

megansmomma · 05-24-2010, 02:55 PM

You have been given excellent advice and I can see that you really do care and love the little guy. A pet sitter would be an excellent idea for when you return to work

Welcome to YT

AddieandMiaMom · 05-25-2010, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmorrow26

Thank you so much everyone! I really appreciate all your advice and caring words. At least someone out there knows how I feel and how scary that was! That was not my first visit to the vet. My husband had to take him for his first check up (he picked that vet in particular

but nothing was checked like parasites, blood, etc.....I have a new appointment tomorrow with a different vet whom I know is kind and caring to all sizes of animals. My baby is acting much better today. I was up every 2 hours last night....just checking....being a bit paranoid maybe too. We also slept on the floor together and snuggled

He is so much better. I think I did get carried away with the nutrical but I made sure he ate protein right after too. I just did NOT want to go through that terrible episode again. I felt so helpless!

I am going to try the chicken thing because all he wants to eat are treats and a bit of baby food. For some reason he doesn't want to eat his dry food at all. Picky little guy! Should I slowly 'wean' him off the nutrical back to like 3 times a day or does it matter if I wean him as long as he is eating well? One more.....is it okay to get him to eat whatever I can as long as he is getting something? I feel like I have bombarded him with a bunch of different things in the last 24 hours because I was trying to get him to eat anything to get better. For example-baby food, wet food, dry food softened with water, his potty training treats, water with a bit of sugar dissolved in it. He did have a few bouts of soft poo but no diarrhea thank goodness! His tummy was upset due to all of the syrup and sugar he was given during our scare. To be honest, I have no idea how I am going to take care of this baby since I have to work!?! I really wish that the breeder (who is super-nice) would have kept him for a bit longer. I am scared now of not being able to do this but I love him to bits! Thanks again everyone!

I've done the "chicken thing" for Addie in the past too.

It should be equal parts boiled, unseasoned chicken shredded up with rice. This gives a balance of carbs and protein (as explained by my vet). Even if Addie won't eat her favorite wet food, she gobbles this up in a heartbeat! Make sure it's cooled down before you let him eat it. I would make a batch, feed Addie, then put the rest in the fridge to warm up (just a bit) at her next feeding.

shoefelmeyer · 05-29-2010, 01:21 PM

I also have a tiny yorkie puppy. We brought her home when she was almost 12 weeks and only weighed 1 lb. 6 oz.

My biggest fear has been about hypoglycemia also. From day one, I gave her Nutri Cal a couple of times per day, in addition to her food.

My little girl had another challenge also, she was showing signs of having a cold and the vet diagnosed her with kennel cough. So for 5 weeks now, I have been taking her to the vet weekly to be rechecked, refill meds, etc.

"Princess" at first would not eat food or drink water from her dishes. So, I had to hold her , to eat and drink from her bowls. I was so worried about her. Each night for the first few weeks, we slept with her sleeping on our chest so that we could keep a close eye on her.

Now she is getting over the kennel cough, eating and drinking well on her own. She now weighs 2 lbs. 5 oz.

I think all the advice everyone has provided is excellent and very helpful. I am so thankful to be a member of this group.

I know you must feel as I do..... like a new "Mommy" would feel with a newborn human baby.

One thing my vet has encouraged, is to make sure a tiny puppy gets ALOT of rest and not have them get overtired.

Congratulations on your new "baby". I will praying for him.

05-23-2010, 02:29 PM	#1
tmorrow26 Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2010 Location: Ardmore, Oklahoma, USA Posts: 109	Hypoglycemic nightmare Hi everyone. My name is Tamra and I have the sweetest little 11 week old baby I got one week ago. He is around 1-1.5 pounds. He has been great all week however this morning I awoke to what appeared to be a dying puppy. He scared us so bad. He could not lick his nutrical so I forced waffle syrup (all I had) in his mouth with a syringe. I have been so careful with my baby but this morning I made a mistake I think. He woke up at 4 am this morning like every morning to go to the bathroom. He was playful and I gave him a lick of nutrical because I am paranoid. Usually we get up at 6:30 for breakfast but this morning I overslept because when I woke up at 8am he was in a diabetic coma. He always has food and water in his crate but I guess he was too weak to eat it. Could this small amount of time have caused this? Is this my fault? What can I do to stop this from ever happening again. It was terrible. I really thought he was dead. Another thing that is bothering me is I called the vet who met me at the office and I think he thought I was overreacting. He did not even examine my puppy. (My puppy was a little better when we got there-at least his eyes were open). This vet told me my puppy wasn't "wired right" because he was too small for his age. He really upset me because he did not try to do anything for him. Not wired right....what the heck does he want me to do....let him die? If anyone has any advice on what to do to prevent this....please help me. I love this little guy to pieces! I cannot lose him. Thank you! Tamra Another question? When we got home I gave him some wet dog food that he has never had before just so he would eat. He is playful....actually bouncing off the walls from all the sugar but still not himself. Does it take a while for him to recover from such a terrible event? Should I let him eat anything just so he will eat... like his treats....wet dog food...nutrical....etc. or should I just wait for him to want to eat?

05-23-2010, 08:09 PM	#2
Woogie Man Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mississippi Posts: 2,564	You did good in saving your boy. He is small and you need to make sure he eats often. Don't just have the food in with him....make sure he eats at least 4 meals a day, with one being at bedtime. Once they've had an episode, it's easy for them to repeat it...especially in the first few days following. They don't recover 100% for some time and you may want to give him a small amount of Nutrical a couple times a day for the next few days. Besides making sure he eats, also limit his playtime. Such a small puppy has so little reserves that he can easily over-exert himself. He needs his rest. If you have another episode, you can use karo syrup or Nutrical to get his sugar up. I use karo as it is supposed to get in the bloodstream faster than Nutrical and time is important. Always follow up by giving him some protein. The sugar helps them recover but isn't meant to sustain them. __________________ ORANGUTANS ARE DYING FOR THE SAKE OF CHEAP PALM OIL....AND YOU USE IT!!! http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/ani...m-oil-you.html

05-23-2010, 08:21 PM	#3
Wrenee4 YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Michigan Posts: 2,048	Woogie Man has given you wonderful advice! They are very important things to do for a little one like your guy. Keep him warm too because you don't want any extra energy taken from keeping his body warm. I would FOR SURE find another vet!! That is horrible that they didn't look at him or do anything for him. They should have at the very least did a glucose test to see where his sugars were at. Not wired right and stating he was small for his age he may have been hinting that it could be liver shunt. Still even if it was that there are things you can do and tests once he is a little bigger that he should have suggested. Not a good vet IMO. __________________ ~Wendy~

05-23-2010, 08:31 PM	#4
ladyjane Resident Yorkie Nut Donating YT 20K Club Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 27,450	Sounds to me "like your vet is not wired right". I would definitely find a new one. Woogie Man has given you good advice. Hopefully, you won't have any more scares like that one. Good luck with your puppy and welcome to YT! __________________ CLOUD NINE BEDS--YORKIE HAVEN RESCUE MY ETSY SHOP Last edited by ladyjane; 05-23-2010 at 08:34 PM.

05-24-2010, 09:53 AM	#5
Ladymom Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: North Carolina Posts: 8,317	At only 1.-1.5 pounds, your little guy is more prone to hypoglycemia. His breeder should have kept him until he was two pounds. That would have made your life much easier. Food is much more important than Nutrical. Nutrical, karo syrup, pancake syrup, etc, all are just for an emergency, like this morning, when you need to get his blood sugar up quickly. Without a meal of protein and carbs ASAP, he will just crash again. Giving Nutrical too often just sets him up for another hypo attack as his blood sugar keeps peaking and dropping. You want to keep it consistent until he is bigger and can regulate it better himself. The way to do that is to keep his tummy full. What are you feeding him? You want to make sure he is getting a high quality food (wet is fine for a puppy) every 2-3 hours, not filling up on treats. You may want to set your alarm during the night so you can check on him and make sure he has eaten. Did you have your vet give him a thorough check up when you brought him home or was this your first visit? Did he have a fecal exam? Parasites and bacterial infections can make a puppy more susceptible to hypoglycemia. Here is a great article: Toy Breed Hypoglycemia __________________ http://www.myladysdogbows.com/ http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref...6213341?ref=nf

05-24-2010, 11:06 AM	#7
AddieandMiaMom YT Addict Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Illinois Posts: 303	You've gotten some great advice here. Do find another vet; when Addie had her episode her vet immediately recommended blood work be done to find out if it was a liver shunt (luckily it wasn't). She also said Addie will be more prone to them, but we've never had another incident. For 3-4 weeks, I fed Addie first the high calorie wet food given by the emergency vet, then wet food bought at the pet boutique, and finally wet food mixed with dry food. I did have to hand feed her for awhile, and did make sure she had several wet food meals per day as well as the dry stuff out at all times. Don't leave the wet food out all day. Try to get him to eat a small bit of it and then give more later (3-4 times as someone suggested above). You can measure out the dry food that you leave out at all times and 24 hours later, measure it again so you can see if he actually ate any of the dry stuff. But note, he might not with the wet food given to him several times per day. __________________ Mommy to Addie, Dany, Mia, and Pickles R.I.P Miss Mis (Missy) 06.25.08 - Heaven just wouldn't be Heaven if you weren't there to greet me.

05-24-2010, 11:47 AM	#8
TLC Slave to My Rug-Rats Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Long Island Posts: 7,247	Children's Vanilla Pedisure is good to have on hand as well, it has nutrients and protein to keep him in balance along with trying to get him to eat some kibble __________________ Adopt Donate Foster www.yorkie911rescue.com

05-24-2010, 12:01 PM	#9
TwoforFun YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: TX Posts: 646	How scary, I'm sorry you went through that. Best thing you can do is to feed him. If he doesn't eat anything you put out, boil some plain chicken for him. My vet told me a good quality can of wet food is just as good as dry food. I personally use Merrick, good luck!! __________________ XOXO JiJi , JiJa Lil' Man and Mommy

05-24-2010, 02:33 PM	#10
tmorrow26 Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2010 Location: Ardmore, Oklahoma, USA Posts: 109	Thank you so much everyone! I really appreciate all your advice and caring words. At least someone out there knows how I feel and how scary that was! That was not my first visit to the vet. My husband had to take him for his first check up (he picked that vet in particular but nothing was checked like parasites, blood, etc.....I have a new appointment tomorrow with a different vet whom I know is kind and caring to all sizes of animals. My baby is acting much better today. I was up every 2 hours last night....just checking....being a bit paranoid maybe too. We also slept on the floor together and snuggled He is so much better. I think I did get carried away with the nutrical but I made sure he ate protein right after too. I just did NOT want to go through that terrible episode again. I felt so helpless! I am going to try the chicken thing because all he wants to eat are treats and a bit of baby food. For some reason he doesn't want to eat his dry food at all. Picky little guy! Should I slowly 'wean' him off the nutrical back to like 3 times a day or does it matter if I wean him as long as he is eating well? One more.....is it okay to get him to eat whatever I can as long as he is getting something? I feel like I have bombarded him with a bunch of different things in the last 24 hours because I was trying to get him to eat anything to get better. For example-baby food, wet food, dry food softened with water, his potty training treats, water with a bit of sugar dissolved in it. He did have a few bouts of soft poo but no diarrhea thank goodness! His tummy was upset due to all of the syrup and sugar he was given during our scare. To be honest, I have no idea how I am going to take care of this baby since I have to work!?! I really wish that the breeder (who is super-nice) would have kept him for a bit longer. I am scared now of not being able to do this but I love him to bits! Thanks again everyone!

05-24-2010, 02:38 PM	#11
ladyjane Resident Yorkie Nut Donating YT 20K Club Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 27,450	Maybe when you go to the vet you can ask about options for when you are at work. Perhaps you can hire a pet sitter for the time being? __________________ CLOUD NINE BEDS--YORKIE HAVEN RESCUE MY ETSY SHOP

05-24-2010, 02:55 PM	#13
megansmomma Donating YT 10K Club Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: S. W. Suburbs of Chicago, IL Posts: 12,235	You have been given excellent advice and I can see that you really do care and love the little guy. A pet sitter would be an excellent idea for when you return to work Welcome to YT __________________ “Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.” Mark Twain

05-29-2010, 01:21 PM	#15
shoefelmeyer Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: USA Posts: 839	I also have a tiny yorkie puppy. We brought her home when she was almost 12 weeks and only weighed 1 lb. 6 oz. My biggest fear has been about hypoglycemia also. From day one, I gave her Nutri Cal a couple of times per day, in addition to her food. My little girl had another challenge also, she was showing signs of having a cold and the vet diagnosed her with kennel cough. So for 5 weeks now, I have been taking her to the vet weekly to be rechecked, refill meds, etc. "Princess" at first would not eat food or drink water from her dishes. So, I had to hold her , to eat and drink from her bowls. I was so worried about her. Each night for the first few weeks, we slept with her sleeping on our chest so that we could keep a close eye on her. Now she is getting over the kennel cough, eating and drinking well on her own. She now weighs 2 lbs. 5 oz. I think all the advice everyone has provided is excellent and very helpful. I am so thankful to be a member of this group. I know you must feel as I do..... like a new "Mommy" would feel with a newborn human baby. One thing my vet has encouraged, is to make sure a tiny puppy gets ALOT of rest and not have them get overtired. Congratulations on your new "baby". I will praying for him.