Hi From A Newbie....and a Question

[Tiffanybrooke]

Thanks guys.....appreciate it so much!!

[Nancy1999]

I'm so glad he's doing better! Joey's breeder suggested I keep food out 24/7 the first 7 months or so. They don't have much fat and they use their energy reserves very quickly so hypoglycemia can be a real threat, having food available, all of the time helps prevent low blood sugar.

[Tiffanybrooke]

Me again.....Diesel is still not eating great and yesterday morning I believe he was very hypoglycemic. In the morning he wouldn't come out of his crate, was very lifeless, and his head was very wobbly. Scared us to death. Gave him karo syrup on roof of his mouth twice, gave him water in a syringe and got him to eat and after a few minutes he was ok. I am heading out to get some nutri cal and am going to start giving him that until he starts eating good. What I wonder is should I continue to put karo syrup in his water after I start the nutri cal or should I not do that? Never sure exactly how much karo to put in his water either......it is a very small metal bowl. Thanks!!

[Amazing Yorkies]

I would stop the karo syrup as soon as you get the Nutri-Cal which I hope is very soon! Sugar (Karo) gives him the quick spike in sugar but they need protein to keep it up. The Nutri-Cal gives a more stable form of sugar. I would give him a dime sized dose of Nutri-Cal 2-3 times daily as a preventative on the roof of his mouth, if he doesn't lick it off your finger.
Since some of my 8 week old puppies don't even have good teeth yet, I grind my puppy kibble to allow them to lick at the food all the while Mom is teaching them to eat. It may be that Mom didn't have the time to teach your baby to eat kibble. You can also mix a little milk replacement to the ground food for a mush on a saucer. I don't start weaning until 10-12 weeks, so this little guy lost important teaching time with his Mom.
You will have to keep a very close eye on him, it is a very dangerous time for him.
Good luck and let us know how he's doing.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by Amazing Yorkies

I would stop the karo syrup as soon as you get the Nutri-Cal which I hope is very soon! Sugar (Karo) gives him the quick spike in sugar but they need protein to keep it up. The Nutri-Cal gives a more stable form of sugar. I would give him a dime sized dose of Nutri-Cal 2-3 times daily as a preventative on the roof of his mouth, if he doesn't lick it off your finger.
Since some of my 8 week old puppies don't even have good teeth yet, I grind my puppy kibble to allow them to lick at the food all the while Mom is teaching them to eat. It may be that Mom didn't have the time to teach your baby to eat kibble. You can also mix a little milk replacement to the ground food for a mush on a saucer. I don't start weaning until 10-12 weeks, so this little guy lost important teaching time with his Mom.
You will have to keep a very close eye on him, it is a very dangerous time for him.
Good luck and let us know how he's doing.

Karo syrup is corn syrup, it's fast acting sugar that gets to the blood stream immediately, Nutri-Cal is the EXACT same type of sugar which is corn syrup. Nuti-cal has a few vitamins thrown in and oil, but they do nothing to help with low blood sugar or to even stablize blood sugar. There's really very little difference between the products, the Nutri-cal is more convenient to carry and it "sounds" better, but I don't think it's has anything in it that helps stablize blood sugar, that's where you need protein.

Tiffanybrooke, it's good that you are giving him protein after you give the Karo, or Nutical, it's said that protein should be given within 20 minutes or you get another episode of low blood sugar. Remember, too much Nutrical or Karo, can bring about an attack of low blood sugar, so you really need to be careful how you use it. Sugar produces an increase in insulin, and too much insulin, can produce low blood sugar, so that's where the protein is useful, it takes longer to digest and turn to sugar.

[Tiffanybrooke]

Thanks so much for the replies. I just worry about him so much. I gave him some nutri cal, which he didn't enjoy btw, and then tried to get him to eat some food but he wouldn't. He started shaking a little but I'm not sure if it was related to his sugar or the fact that I had to crack the window in my kitchen because I was cooking and ended up with smoke.... Don't ask lol. Anyway now we are snuggled up on the couch with a heated blanket and he seems fine. He ate a fair amount at breakfast and hopefully he will eat good this evening. I am moistening his kibble and smashing it with a spoon and mixing about a tbsp of canned food with it. He just doesn't eat much at one time. I also leave food out all day but I don't think he touches it.

[Tiffanybrooke]

Thanks for the advice again I got the nutri cal and put it on the roof of his mouth. He got shaky again right after but I had the window open in the kitchen for a few minutes so I don't know if it was sugar related or he was just chilly. He hasn't eaten since this morning so far. I moisten his dry food and smash it up and mix in a tbsp of canned food but sometimes he does eat dry pieces.....he can bite them into pieces and then eat the pieces. He just worries me so much. He is also starting to have more discharge from his eyes.....is that anything to worry about?

[Tiffanybrooke]

Here is a pic of my little guy
http://i309.photobucket.com/albums/k...347cde9aab.jpg

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by Tiffanybrooke

Thanks for the advice again I got the nutri cal and put it on the roof of his mouth. He got shaky again right after but I had the window open in the kitchen for a few minutes so I don't know if it was sugar related or he was just chilly. He hasn't eaten since this morning so far. I moisten his dry food and smash it up and mix in a tbsp of canned food but sometimes he does eat dry pieces.....he can bite them into pieces and then eat the pieces. He just worries me so much. He is also starting to have more discharge from his eyes.....is that anything to worry about?

Is the discharge a clear tearing or is it another color? Most puppies have some clear tearing due to teething. If it's another color, I'd want to check with my vet. You'll find that most Yorkies like it warmer than other dogs, they only have the single hair, not the double coat or fur like most dogs, so it's harder from them to stay warm and it's harder for them to stay cool, they don't do well in high heat either. He could have been shaking due to the window being open, but I'd put a little nutrical in his mouth anyway. Does he have many teeth yet? Some people moisten the food with warm water or salt-free chicken broth.

[Patti]

If you haven't already, I would get him to a vet and a complete check up. Hope he is feeling better soon.

[Tiffanybrooke]

Took him to the vet this morning and the vet thinks he has an upper respiratory thing going on so he gave him a steroid injection and started him on an antibiotic. I also spoke with the breeder who recommended I try Cesar canned food for puppies and he is actually eating it so far. Still not eating a lot but at least he is eating some. Hoping the medicine does the trick! Thanks again for all of the input. So nice to have a place to go for advice. I feel so clueless sometimes......feels like I have babies all over again

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by Tiffanybrooke

Took him to the vet this morning and the vet thinks he has an upper respiratory thing going on so he gave him a steroid injection and started him on an antibiotic. I also spoke with the breeder who recommended I try Cesar canned food for puppies and he is actually eating it so far. Still not eating a lot but at least he is eating some. Hoping the medicine does the trick! Thanks again for all of the input. So nice to have a place to go for advice. I feel so clueless sometimes......feels like I have babies all over again

Glad you took him to the vet, I agree with you one "feels like I have babies all over again." Lol, that's the good and the bad of Yorkies!

[Chas W]

Welcome to the site! All the advice you've received here is good, and comes from well-intentioned people, some of whom would probably qualify as "Yorkie experts". I know that 8 weeks is VERY young to be away from mommy, and the balanced nutrition that her milk provides, so your concern is well-founded. But you are obviously attentive and willing to do whatever it takes to care for your baby, so you have that much going for you. And about not liking the NutriCal; my Graysee didn't much like it, either. Not to worry, as the Karo syrup seems to be doing the job. Best wishes to you and your baby.

[Tiffanybrooke]

So just got home from work expecting him to be better since vet said I should see improvement by this evening but he actually seems worse to me. I am so scared and worried. I called vet back and the doc will be back in an hour.....they said I could call back then or bring him back to the office. He just looks like he is losing weight by the minute. you guys have experience..... Should he be doing some better by now?

[GeorgiesMomma]

Awe poor guy I would be on my way to the Vet now if I were you. I hope he feels better. Also try plain boiled chicken to entice him to eat.