shivering a sign of nerve development?!

[UESyorkie]

Hi everyone! I just put down a deposit for a "little" yorkie male puppy (he's already nearly 3lbs at about nine weeks!) from a breeder listed on the YTCA website this weekend but I'm a little concerned about how the lil' guy had shivering "waves" when he laid down for a nap, pooped out after playing. I asked the breeder (who's been breeding for years and fairly well-known within the NY/NJ breeder grapevine) about it and he said that it was just nerve development and perfectly natural. He also had previously mentioned that puppy and his sister were voracious eaters, so I ruled out hypoglycemia at the time. Thinking back, though, it was the first time that the puppies had been taken to the "viewing" room to be exposed to and play with strangers, and they were, not surprisingly, hyper-playful before pooping out after about 20-30mins of running around, so maybe it was hypoglycemia? Anyways, I've never had a dog this small so should I be overly concerned? I can't wait to take him home in a couple of weeks, but I'm willing to forfeit my deposit if need be. I'd appreciate any feedback on this... thanks!

[Sweetums]

Our little girl has done that from the first day we got her. She did it right off when we took her home. I was able to calm her down and she fell asleep on the way home and stopped shivering. But ever since, we've noticed it always seems to happen when she's stressed out, going through a new experience and/or has not eaten enough recently and it is near her meal time again.

So we have come to realize that it is actually sort of the onset of hypoglycemia and whenever it happens, we try to get her to eat something or we giver her nutrical (which she hates) or rub some Karo on her gums. We also keep a supply of prepared baby-cereal/Gerber's-strained-meat "mush" which we give her with a syringe. We sometimes wind up feeding her the mush with the syringe because once she has started the shivering thing, she is usually fatigued and refuses to eat anything and occasionally she will throw up white foamy stuff indicating her stomach is empty and upset (it gets upset everytime it's empty).

You might want to prepare some of this "mush" for when you bring your puppy home so that you have a back-up, should puppy be the type that won't eat once his tummy is empty and feeling upset. Our little girl now seems to like the mush and will voluntarily lick it off the end of the syringe.

1/2 cup half-and-half (goat's milk if the half-and-half is too rich)
1/2 cup instant baby cereal (rice is preferable, but we've used oatmeal as well)
1 entire jar of Gerber's strained baby meat (anything but turkey)
1 tsp. Karo syrup (or maple syrup if Karo isn't available)

We warm the milk up and mix in the cereal which will congeal into mush, then add the meat and the karo syrup. Feed it at lukewarm temperature by inserting the syringe into the side of puppy's mouth and gently squeezing the syringe.

This will give settle your puppy's tummy enough to actually eat regular food and the shivering will stop as well.

[StewiesMom]

My Stewie has done that since I got him (at 16wks). He is now two and a half and still does it whenever he knows he is going to go in the car, or go outside in the cold, etc. I guess it could be symbolic of a problem, but I have chalked it up to just being a chicken.

[UESyorkie]

Actually, I think it was more like the lil guy was twitching rather than shivering while sleeping, but I'll be sure to have some of that "mush" ready for when he comes home. Thanks for the recipe!

[sassypup]

ours shivers in a car initially, in a new environment, before teeth brushing, just anything before an activity she is scared of or doesn't like. She has done this since we took her home.

[katie'smom]

Twitching while a puppy sleeps is normal. That is a good thing. If it was shivering or actually shaking....that could be a sign of hypoglycemia or maybe just being nervous. My Katie shivers when she rides in a car. She hates being away from home. Sometimes it is really intense but as soon as she gets out she is fine!

[UESyorkie]

Thanks y'all... this forum has been a god-send while I wait to pick up my lil guy. Nine days left

[Ramona]

Originally Posted by Sweetums

Our little girl has done that from the first day we got her. She did it right off when we took her home. I was able to calm her down and she fell asleep on the way home and stopped shivering. But ever since, we've noticed it always seems to happen when she's stressed out, going through a new experience and/or has not eaten enough recently and it is near her meal time again.

So we have come to realize that it is actually sort of the onset of hypoglycemia and whenever it happens, we try to get her to eat something or we giver her nutrical (which she hates) or rub some Karo on her gums. We also keep a supply of prepared baby-cereal/Gerber's-strained-meat "mush" which we give her with a syringe. We sometimes wind up feeding her the mush with the syringe because once she has started the shivering thing, she is usually fatigued and refuses to eat anything and occasionally she will throw up white foamy stuff indicating her stomach is empty and upset (it gets upset everytime it's empty).

You might want to prepare some of this "mush" for when you bring your puppy home so that you have a back-up, should puppy be the type that won't eat once his tummy is empty and feeling upset. Our little girl now seems to like the mush and will voluntarily lick it off the end of the syringe.

1/2 cup half-and-half (goat's milk if the half-and-half is too rich)
1/2 cup instant baby cereal (rice is preferable, but we've used oatmeal as well)
1 entire jar of Gerber's strained baby meat (anything but turkey)
1 tsp. Karo syrup (or maple syrup if Karo isn't available)

We warm the milk up and mix in the cereal which will congeal into mush, then add the meat and the karo syrup. Feed it at lukewarm temperature by inserting the syringe into the side of puppy's mouth and gently squeezing the syringe.

This will give settle your puppy's tummy enough to actually eat regular food and the shivering will stop as well.

I noticed in your post here that you said no turkey baby food. Is there a problem with pups eating turkey? I was wondering because the other day the gro. store was out of chicken so I bought turkey thinking it was close enough. Now I'm worried about feeding the pups turkey. What can happen?