I just saw Violet again and she seemed a lot more coherent and alert. Still not well, but certainly better than earlier this evening. Thank goodness! I sat and rubbed her little head for a while and told her what a good girl she is. Thank you again for all of your support.
I had been wondering about the honey issue (I've been trying to think of any possible cause of poor Violet's illness), so I asked one of the ER vets a couple of days ago and she said she's never heard of any reason not to give a puppy honey. I certainly hope she wasn't wrong! But it's possible, as this vet was pretty young. I did a lot of research a few days ago and learned that human infants are susceptible to the particular strain of botulism that is found in about 10% of honey, but dogs are not susceptible to it, as far as I know. Dogs do get botulism, but it's generally type C, and they usually get it from the ground or from eating a dead animal. And botulism in dogs is very, very rare, in any event. I do agree that in an abundance of caution, there are plenty of alternative treats for dogs, especially because honey is sugary. But I was desperate to get Violet to consume anything, and there have been times where she'll only take the honey.
But I was thinking that once she is well, and willing to eat other things, the honey may go in the trash, not because Violet has botulism (she definitely does not), but just to be safe. I just don't know.
Lots of breeders actually recommend honey... one of the books I have on yorkies even recommends it for low blood sugar. It's one of those weird issues that people seem to disagree upon, so it's hard to know the right thing to do. Either way, honey should be perfectly safe for adult dogs, just as it is for human babies over age 1. A lot of dog biscuit recipes actually contain honey. And honey actually has natural antibacterial and antiviral properties. It is also a known immune system booster, and lots of vets recommend it for dogs suffering from kennel cough. I also read that a lot of people give the dogs honey before car rides if they are prone to car sickness, as it soothes the stomach.
That said, I would love to know if anyone's vet has ever told them yay or nay on honey for puppies?
On a similar note: Does anyone give their yorkie human popsicles? I was thinking of trying that to keep Violet hydrated, but I was too nervous to do it, so I stuck with plain ice cubes, but she was getting bored with those...
p.s. I'm so glad Bessie recovered from her upper respiratory infections! How scary that must have been. Poor Bessie! Breathing troubles are awful.