hypoglycemia in puppies

[JDS]

Hello. I am new here. I'm currently searching for a yorkie baby to add to our family. I have a quick question about hypoglycemia and young puppies. I've tried the search button, but it said "hypoglycemia" was either too common, too short, or too long...so the search didn't work.

When a hypoglycemic attack occurs in a young puppy (around 7 weeks old, just beginning to wean from mom), could anything bad happen b/c of the attack? As far as I know, the puppy was just very weak & did not lose conciousness or have any seizures. She was taken to the vet for treatment promptly. The last word was that the puppy was walking around and showing signs of improvement. Could there be any lasting ill effects? Should I be concerned about this happening?

For the record, I do not have this puppy. She is still with her mommy & breeder.

[John Stelting]

I wouldn't buy a wooden stick from this breeder..........

It is obvious she does not take care of her puppies........

My 2cents and 498 more will get you a cup of Starbuck coffee

[SID]

I received my pup from this D&S Kennel, here is their website www.littlepups.net. They have a great information on this topic on their resources page. They were very good at giving directions about giving my small pup nutri-cal every 6 hours to prevent an attack. My little boy is perfectly healthy and never came close to an attack (thank goodness). I hope their information helps you as much as it did me. Good luck with your new baby.

[LunasMomma]

Originally Posted by John Stelting

I wouldn't buy a wooden stick from this breeder..........

It is obvious she does not take care of her puppies........

My 2cents and 498 more will get you a cup of Starbuck coffee

WOW, that was pretty harsh! The breeder obviously took the puppy to the vet, so what makes you think that they don't take care of their pups?

[LunasMomma]

Originally Posted by JDS

Hello. I am new here. I'm currently searching for a yorkie baby to add to our family. I have a quick question about hypoglycemia and young puppies. I've tried the search button, but it said "hypoglycemia" was either too common, too short, or too long...so the search didn't work.

When a hypoglycemic attack occurs in a young puppy (around 7 weeks old, just beginning to wean from mom), could anything bad happen b/c of the attack? As far as I know, the puppy was just very weak & did not lose conciousness or have any seizures. She was taken to the vet for treatment promptly. The last word was that the puppy was walking around and showing signs of improvement. Could there be any lasting ill effects? Should I be concerned about this happening?

For the record, I do not have this puppy. She is still with her mommy & breeder.

Hi

I'm sorry that your future furkid had a hypo event. Most of the time, especially with quick vet treatment, there doesn't seem to be any lasting effects from this, though it may be a sign of other things going on, such as liver shunt. I'd ask the breeder if they plan on doing any bloodwork at the vets before you take custody of the puppy. I'm not real experienced in this, so hopefully the veterans here will come soon and help

Welcome!

[SID]

I'm sorry if this posts twice or if it shows up somewhere else, I'm still getting used to this site, anyhoo here is my post again (not sure where the 1st one went).

I received my pup from D&S Kennel, here is a link to their website www.littlepups.net. They have really good information about this topic on their resources page. They were also very informative and good about requesting that I give my pup nurti-cal every 6 hours to prevent an attack. My little guy is perfectly healthy and never came close to an attack (thank goodness). I hope their information helps you as much as it did me and informs you about hypoglycemia.

I agree with John, I wouln't get your pup through the breeder you mentioned if it seems they're showing signs of hypoglycemia because it's something that can be avoided and shouldn't happen (unless it's a chronic case), especially when with the breeder. Good Luck!

[JDS]

Thank you for the welcome & the replies.

I haven't agreed to purchase this pup yet...she's just one that the breeder has that I'm interested in. We are scheduled to go meet her, view her home, see the adults & pups, etc. this weekend. I'm very excited about it!

I just want to go in as well informed as I can before making a decision. I know hypoglycemic attacks can happen & I'm not really faulting the breeder. She acted quicky and got the pup to the vet quickly. I'm simply wanting to know if any longterm complications could occur due to a hypo. attack at this age. The puppy will not go home until at least 12 weeks (longer if needed according to the breeder). I feel comfortable with that from all I've read. I guess my question is should I go ahead and not consider this puppy b/c of the hypoglycemic attack?

[LunasMomma]

She sounds like she cares very much about her puppies A "greeder" would not have "wasted" money on a vet visit, they're all about profit

I wouldn't let one hypo attack keep me from selecting this puppy, if she's the one you fall in love with. However, I'd definitely ask what kind of testing the dam and sire had before breeding, and if the puppies will be having any lab work at their pre-adoptive vet visit. Also, I'd be concerned if there were additional attacks, as it can indicate a deeper medical issue (but not always!!)You can always keep posting here with any questions/info----there are so many great breeders here that can guide you on questions to ask and whatnot.

[JDS]

Thank you, LunasMomma. You've been very helpful. I've got my list of questions ready for our meeting this weekend.

[LunasMomma]

Aww, you're so welcome Can't wait to hear about your visit with the pups!!!!

[Ellie May]

When you say the pup is recovering, does that mean that there seem to be problems that didn't clear up immediately? I'd be extremely concerned if hypo symptoms continued for hours to days.

If it was truly hypo, then I imagine everything will be fine later as long as you can prevent it from happening again.

[Woogie Man]

While a hypoglycemic episode can be a sign of a health issue, most are the result of a pup not eating well enough, playing too hard or a combination of the two. It can happen to any pup, whether they are the smallest or largest.

At this stage (7 weeks), the pups are just about weaned and are eating on their own. Sometimes, in a litter environment, one pup may gobble the food and another slower eater may not get enough. Or it can be that one is a picky eater and just doesn't eat well even though the food is available.

The breeder needs to make sure all pups are eating and not just putting the food down for them. Also, they need their rest. I strictly limit playtime out with young pups and stretch out the time as they get older.

At least the breeder was honest with you about the episode. So many just wouldn't mention it. She does need to keep an eagle eye on them as the weaning stage is a vulnerable time for pups. Also, a pup doesn't fully recover from an episode for a few days so should be closely monitored.

If this is a pup you're interested in, just keep the lines of communication open. I would think twice about the pup if there's another episode. If there's no further episodes and she's able to tolerate a fairly high protein food with no ill effects and has no reactions to vaccinations, chances are the pup will be fine.

One of the big things to worry about is liver function and failure to thrive and repeated hypoglycemic episodes are indicative of liver problems. There's no way to tell for sure until the pup is about 5 months old as the tests are not reliable until the pup's organs have fully developed.

Bottom line, a hypo episode can be just that... an isolated episode and nothing more. Just make sure you're dealing with someone that will stand behind the health of the pups and that you clearly understand the health guarantee before purchasing.

[ArmaniMan]

Obviously we know basically nothing about this breeder and cant say whether they are good or bad, but personally I would take it as a GOOD sign that they told you... most bad breeders would pretend it never happened.

If it is a one time thing, I wouldnt be too concerned.

If it happens again, I would want to have the puppies liver checked, although these things arent usually conclusive until after the puppy would have already come home (20 weeks).

[JDS]

Originally Posted by Woogie Man

While a hypoglycemic episode can be a sign of a health issue, most are the result of a pup not eating well enough, playing too hard or a combination of the two. It can happen to any pup, whether they are the smallest or largest.

At this stage (7 weeks), the pups are just about weaned and are eating on their own. Sometimes, in a litter environment, one pup may gobble the food and another slower eater may not get enough. Or it can be that one is a picky eater and just doesn't eat well even though the food is available.

The breeder needs to make sure all pups are eating and not just putting the food down for them. Also, they need their rest. I strictly limit playtime out with young pups and stretch out the time as they get older.

At least the breeder was honest with you about the episode. So many just wouldn't mention it. She does need to keep an eagle eye on them as the weaning stage is a vulnerable time for pups. Also, a pup doesn't fully recover from an episode for a few days so should be closely monitored.

If this is a pup you're interested in, just keep the lines of communication open. I would think twice about the pup if there's another episode. If there's no further episodes and she's able to tolerate a fairly high protein food with no ill effects and has no reactions to vaccinations, chances are the pup will be fine.

One of the big things to worry about is liver function and failure to thrive and repeated hypoglycemic episodes are indicative of liver problems. There's no way to tell for sure until the pup is about 5 months old as the tests are not reliable until the pup's organs have fully developed.

Bottom line, a hypo episode can be just that... an isolated episode and nothing more. Just make sure you're dealing with someone that will stand behind the health of the pups and that you clearly understand the health guarantee before purchasing.

Thank you. This was very helpful. This particular pup is the largest of the litter. The breeder was very honest with me about everything & has been emailing me back and forth the entire time even though I haven't even chosen a puppy to purchase yet. This is the pup that I am most interested in, though, b/c she is the largest one of the litter. The other two are quite small and could possibly not make it to 3-3.5 lbs...much too small for me. I still plan to visit even if the pup is still being monitored by the vet and not available for me to see. I think it will be beneficial for me to meet the breeder and the other pups even if I decide not to take any of her current pups. It's very hard to be patient, but I want to be sure to get the right puppy for our family.

Thank you to all who took the time to respond. It's been very helpful. The last update was that the puppy was doing better at the vets, but still would not eat so she is still weak & still has low blood sugar. Is this typical of a hypoglycemic attack at this age? BTW, the pup is staying the night with the vet for monitoring.

[Woogie Man]

Originally Posted by JDS

Thank you to all who took the time to respond. It's been very helpful. The last update was that the puppy was doing better at the vets, but still would not eat so she is still weak & still has low blood sugar. Is this typical of a hypoglycemic attack at this age? BTW, the pup is staying the night with the vet for monitoring.

The typical thing to do with a hypoglycemic episode is to get the pup's blood sugar up using Nutri-Cal or Karo. This would be followed by feeding some protein very soon after. Usually, a pup will come around fairly quickly with this treatment, though may be a bit weak for a day or so following. I'm surprised that the pup has not been made to eat and that the blood sugar is still low. Something doesn't sound right with this. It is imperative to get the blood sugar up and for the pup to eat. I don't see how the pup could be 'better' without doing these things. If it is hypo and they don't get the sugar up and feed that baby, they could easily lose her.