Hypoglycemia - YorkieTalk.com Forums

missPenny · 01-16-2007, 10:03 AM

Riley has had several episodes of hypoglycemia. The first week we brought her home was touchy. Since then, she has perked up and acts like a normal puppy. Her appetite isn't the best, but we have her eating. When she got her shots on Friday, the vet said to keep her on the Nutri-Cal because of her low appetite.

She had another episode this morning, not the worst by far but enough to worry me. She had eaten a big lunch yesterday but then wouldn't eat dinner. I've been giving her Nutri-Cal twice a day, morning and night.

Anyone have experience with this? How long can we expect to battle this? She is 14 weeks today.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions and sharing.

JeanieK · 01-16-2007, 10:19 AM

Try putting Karo syrup in her water. and make sure she eats ast least three times a day even if you have to cook something for her or give her cottage cheese. How big is she? She should outgrow it soon.

missPenny · 01-16-2007, 10:25 AM

She is 1 lb 10 oz at 14 weeks, such a tiny baby. We feed her twice a day, and sometimes I have to force the second feeding with a syringe (but not too often anymore).

The thing is, when she is not hungry she won't eat anything.

I did buy some healthier chicken soft treats at our vets (made by a place locally), and I give her a couple of these now to help her get calories.

laurenhorne · 01-16-2007, 10:25 AM

My dog did that a few times (terrifying) and we went to the vet multiple times. We almost lost him around 10 weeks old (he weighed only 9 oz). He is now a little over 13 weeks old and weighs a little over 1.5 lbs but has recently gotten alot better about eating his food...I know when he had a very poor appetite I was told to give him cheerios...and I used the honey nut to give him a sugar kick. He would eat the cheerios way before he would want his puppy food..and it seemed to jump start his appetite!! Another thing that worked was my roommate's dog's eating habits...he would seem to want food if she did ( a bit of competive eating) so I feed her goodies all the time now to get him excited about food. It took time for my baby to want to eat regularly but it does get better..as far as the hypoglycemia..how much does your baby weigh? The more mine put on the better and it seemed the less nutrical I gave him the more he would eat on his own...of course, it is still good in emergencies at my house but we have had none lately.

Patti · 01-16-2007, 10:28 AM

Cali had 3 episodes starting at 10 weeks for the first and 6 1/2 months for the third one. She also has a mild liver shunt but the vet didn't feel they were related in her case. I had to feed Cali evry 2-3 hours for a few months and I still feed her 3 times a day as she throws up sometines if she goes without food for more than 10 hours. I just made sure she ate even if it was chicken or cesars wet food. Most grow out of it by 3 months or so and as they put more weight on. At the first sign of low sugar make sure she gets some Nutrical. Good luck.

laurenhorne · 01-16-2007, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by missPenny

She is 1 lb 10 oz at 14 weeks, such a tiny baby. We feed her twice a day, and sometimes I have to force the second feeding with a syringe (but not too often anymore).

The thing is, when she is not hungry she won't eat anything.

I did buy some healthier chicken soft treats at our vets (made by a place locally), and I give her a couple of these now to help her get calories.

...
One of our appetite problems in the beginning was a parasite called coccidia..have you taken a stool sample to the vet? Getting T.O. treated saved his life..otherwise he never would have started to eat and he also would have continued to have diarrhea..does your baby have that? Any vomiting?

Laur · 01-16-2007, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laurenhorne

...
One of our appetite problems in the beginning was a parasite called coccidia..have you taken a stool sample to the vet? Getting T.O. treated saved his life..otherwise he never would have started to eat and he also would have continued to have diarrhea..does your baby have that? Any vomiting?

Good point. Diamond was diagnosed with hypoglycemia and coccidia when she was a baby...she was just about 12 weeks. I was such a mess just because I didn't know what was wrong with her. She came very close to dying, when I took her to the emergency vet her blood sugar was at 11 or around there, I can't remember. Ever since then, I have been extremely careful.

She is now a little over 1...and she weighs 2 pounds, 10 ounces When she was younger, I would check her gums in the morning and at night to see if they were light in color...usually when they are really pale red or a gray almost that is a sign their sugar is low.

Your dog should outgrow this, just keep the nutrical on hand...best of luck

missPenny · 01-16-2007, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laurenhorne

...
One of our appetite problems in the beginning was a parasite called coccidia..have you taken a stool sample to the vet? Getting T.O. treated saved his life..otherwise he never would have started to eat and he also would have continued to have diarrhea..does your baby have that? Any vomiting?

We had diarrhea in the beginning but that cleared up. She has had a stool check so there should be no problems there. Thank you for checking that, though. I wouldn't have thought of it.

Sweetums · 01-16-2007, 11:30 AM

We feed our puppy 4 times a day since she is a tiny eater, and she weighs 3.5 lbs now. We found that warming the food works fairly well and also we've tried various flavors. She doesn't like the same flavor two days in a row. I have also had to actually make a trail of food from her to the dish in order to get her to actually eat out of the dish. I start by letting her lick the spoon, then I make a little trail with bits of food (sometimes I have to do it twice or three times), then I sort of act uninterested and she wanders casually over to the dish and eats.

I've also done the competition thing using our cat to get her to eat as well.

laurenhorne · 01-16-2007, 01:43 PM

Hmm, I give my dog those moist and meaty pieces of food sometimes when he is uninterested in his dry stuff..which is often. They are very fattening I think so I use them as food, treats etc. I get the hamburger flavor and he will eat a few of those..they can only eat so much anyways as small as they are but often is the key. I used to compulsively check his gums to check his blood sugar but the more he eats the better..I have been exactly where you are...even after the coccidia cleared up with the little bitty appetite. I think he will always be a little bird eater...just hang in there and your baby will get better about food. I give mine adult dog food when he wants it. I will let him eat anything so offer some adult food...my vet said it's ok..it's dog food and something about it sure excites T.O.~~Do you have any friends, relatives with dogs? Is this your only dog? I just really think dogs eat well together..assuming it doesn't cause a fight! They like the competition...

laurenhorne · 01-16-2007, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laur

Good point. Diamond was diagnosed with hypoglycemia and coccidia when she was a baby...she was just about 12 weeks. I was such a mess just because I didn't know what was wrong with her. She came very close to dying, when I took her to the emergency vet her blood sugar was at 11 or around there, I can't remember. Ever since then, I have been extremely careful.

She is now a little over 1...and she weighs 2 pounds, 10 ounces When she was younger, I would check her gums in the morning and at night to see if they were light in color...usually when they are really pale red or a gray almost that is a sign their sugar is low.

Your dog should outgrow this, just keep the nutrical on hand...best of luck

I hear that..when we took T.O. his blood sugar was under an 8! It is so scary..they tried to put him down...I was like OMG, keep giving him dextrose and iv's and stuff and they did and I took him home the same night that they tried to put him down...crazy rollercoaster of a night!

tdavis · 01-16-2007, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by missPenny

Riley has had several episodes of hypoglycemia. The first week we brought her home was touchy. Since then, she has perked up and acts like a normal puppy. Her appetite isn't the best, but we have her eating. When she got her shots on Friday, the vet said to keep her on the Nutri-Cal because of her low appetite.

She had another episode this morning, not the worst by far but enough to worry me. She had eaten a big lunch yesterday but then wouldn't eat dinner. I've been giving her Nutri-Cal twice a day, morning and night.

Anyone have experience with this? How long can we expect to battle this? She is 14 weeks today.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions and sharing.

My pup had the same kind of episodes and was diagnosed with a liver shunt at about 14 to 15 weeeks of age. He just had surgery to correct the liver shunt. He never did enjoy eating. I would suggest to you to have the vet do a bile acid test specifically.

DianeW · 01-16-2007, 04:32 PM

Hello
My little Harvey is 9 months old and he weighs 3.5 lb - he also has a small appetite (which worries me sick). He eats ceaser gourmet, and a little small bite mixer - but I am lucky if he eats one of the meals I give him. I feed him twice a day, but he only will eat at around 5 ish, then in a morning I give him a small gravy bone biscuit, and if he doesnt eat much we give him a doggy sausage as well to keep him going. He is so full of energy and healthy so he must be getting the food he needs, but it is a worry all the same.
Take care Diane and Harvey

hifaluetin · 01-18-2007, 06:32 AM

Hi, As a yorkie breeder , I am very familiar with this. The Honey Nut cheerios is an excellent thing to feed, especially at night.Also, if her appetite is poor, try feeding a mixture of baby rice cereal, diluted with pedialyte, with a little honey mixed in. As your baby developes a little body fat, she will outgrow it. With one that small you probably always need to give her free choice food.

furbabyluv · 02-07-2007, 01:02 PM

I have frantically reading everyone's posts today under the search of low blood sugar because I am extremely worried that my baby may be suffering from the same thing. We have only had her for a week and her first ver check up was fine but for the past few nights while we are watching TV on the couch she will fall into a deep sleep and my husband and I cant hardly get her to wake up even by shaking her

. Eventually she seems to snap out of it and is ok once awake but once she falls asleep again its hard to wake her up. At first I thought it may be that she was just really tired from playing but I called the Vet and she said possibly low blood sugar. Has anyone had experiences like this with yorkie's sleeping????

Also she hardly ever wants to eat (except the cats food) and barely finishs her 1/2 cup a day...any suggestions as to what I can add to her food to get her to eat without upsetting her belly?

01-16-2007, 10:03 AM	#1
missPenny & Riley-bear, too! Donating Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Kansas Posts: 1,259	Hypoglycemia Riley has had several episodes of hypoglycemia. The first week we brought her home was touchy. Since then, she has perked up and acts like a normal puppy. Her appetite isn't the best, but we have her eating. When she got her shots on Friday, the vet said to keep her on the Nutri-Cal because of her low appetite. She had another episode this morning, not the worst by far but enough to worry me. She had eaten a big lunch yesterday but then wouldn't eat dinner. I've been giving her Nutri-Cal twice a day, morning and night. Anyone have experience with this? How long can we expect to battle this? She is 14 weeks today. Thanks in advance for any suggestions and sharing. __________________ My goal in life is to be the kind of person my dogs think I am. Mommy to Penny and Riley.

01-16-2007, 10:25 AM	#3
missPenny & Riley-bear, too! Donating Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Kansas Posts: 1,259	She is 1 lb 10 oz at 14 weeks, such a tiny baby. We feed her twice a day, and sometimes I have to force the second feeding with a syringe (but not too often anymore). The thing is, when she is not hungry she won't eat anything. I did buy some healthier chicken soft treats at our vets (made by a place locally), and I give her a couple of these now to help her get calories. __________________ My goal in life is to be the kind of person my dogs think I am. Mommy to Penny and Riley.

01-16-2007, 10:28 AM	#5
Patti Donating YT 30K Club Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Illinois Posts: 35,509 Blog Entries: 6	Cali had 3 episodes starting at 10 weeks for the first and 6 1/2 months for the third one. She also has a mild liver shunt but the vet didn't feel they were related in her case. I had to feed Cali evry 2-3 hours for a few months and I still feed her 3 times a day as she throws up sometines if she goes without food for more than 10 hours. I just made sure she ate even if it was chicken or cesars wet food. Most grow out of it by 3 months or so and as they put more weight on. At the first sign of low sugar make sure she gets some Nutrical. Good luck. __________________ Cali Pixie Roxie : RIP Nikki; RIP Maya;RIP my sweet Dixie girl 1/17/08 http://callipuppyscastle.bravehost.com/index.html

01-16-2007, 11:30 AM	#9
Sweetums Donating Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Kirkland WA Posts: 431	We feed our puppy 4 times a day since she is a tiny eater, and she weighs 3.5 lbs now. We found that warming the food works fairly well and also we've tried various flavors. She doesn't like the same flavor two days in a row. I have also had to actually make a trail of food from her to the dish in order to get her to actually eat out of the dish. I start by letting her lick the spoon, then I make a little trail with bits of food (sometimes I have to do it twice or three times), then I sort of act uninterested and she wanders casually over to the dish and eats. I've also done the competition thing using our cat to get her to eat as well. Last edited by Sweetums; 01-16-2007 at 11:34 AM.

01-16-2007, 04:32 PM	#13
DianeW YT Addict Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Cheshire, England. Posts: 489	Small appetite Hello My little Harvey is 9 months old and he weighs 3.5 lb - he also has a small appetite (which worries me sick). He eats ceaser gourmet, and a little small bite mixer - but I am lucky if he eats one of the meals I give him. I feed him twice a day, but he only will eat at around 5 ish, then in a morning I give him a small gravy bone biscuit, and if he doesnt eat much we give him a doggy sausage as well to keep him going. He is so full of energy and healthy so he must be getting the food he needs, but it is a worry all the same. Take care Diane and Harvey

01-16-2007, 10:19 AM	#2
JeanieK Donating YT 12K Club Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Council Bluffs Iowa Posts: 12,552	Try putting Karo syrup in her water. and make sure she eats ast least three times a day even if you have to cook something for her or give her cottage cheese. How big is she? She should outgrow it soon.

01-16-2007, 10:25 AM	#4
laurenhorne YT Addict Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 305	My dog did that a few times (terrifying) and we went to the vet multiple times. We almost lost him around 10 weeks old (he weighed only 9 oz). He is now a little over 13 weeks old and weighs a little over 1.5 lbs but has recently gotten alot better about eating his food...I know when he had a very poor appetite I was told to give him cheerios...and I used the honey nut to give him a sugar kick. He would eat the cheerios way before he would want his puppy food..and it seemed to jump start his appetite!! Another thing that worked was my roommate's dog's eating habits...he would seem to want food if she did ( a bit of competive eating) so I feed her goodies all the time now to get him excited about food. It took time for my baby to want to eat regularly but it does get better..as far as the hypoglycemia..how much does your baby weigh? The more mine put on the better and it seemed the less nutrical I gave him the more he would eat on his own...of course, it is still good in emergencies at my house but we have had none lately.

01-16-2007, 01:43 PM	#10
laurenhorne YT Addict Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 305	Hmm, I give my dog those moist and meaty pieces of food sometimes when he is uninterested in his dry stuff..which is often. They are very fattening I think so I use them as food, treats etc. I get the hamburger flavor and he will eat a few of those..they can only eat so much anyways as small as they are but often is the key. I used to compulsively check his gums to check his blood sugar but the more he eats the better..I have been exactly where you are...even after the coccidia cleared up with the little bitty appetite. I think he will always be a little bird eater...just hang in there and your baby will get better about food. I give mine adult dog food when he wants it. I will let him eat anything so offer some adult food...my vet said it's ok..it's dog food and something about it sure excites T.O.~~Do you have any friends, relatives with dogs? Is this your only dog? I just really think dogs eat well together..assuming it doesn't cause a fight! They like the competition...

01-18-2007, 06:32 AM	#14
hifaluetin Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Georgia Posts: 12	Hi, As a yorkie breeder , I am very familiar with this. The Honey Nut cheerios is an excellent thing to feed, especially at night.Also, if her appetite is poor, try feeding a mixture of baby rice cereal, diluted with pedialyte, with a little honey mixed in. As your baby developes a little body fat, she will outgrow it. With one that small you probably always need to give her free choice food.

02-07-2007, 01:02 PM	#15
furbabyluv Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: South Carolina Posts: 26	Please help I have frantically reading everyone's posts today under the search of low blood sugar because I am extremely worried that my baby may be suffering from the same thing. We have only had her for a week and her first ver check up was fine but for the past few nights while we are watching TV on the couch she will fall into a deep sleep and my husband and I cant hardly get her to wake up even by shaking her . Eventually she seems to snap out of it and is ok once awake but once she falls asleep again its hard to wake her up. At first I thought it may be that she was just really tired from playing but I called the Vet and she said possibly low blood sugar. Has anyone had experiences like this with yorkie's sleeping???? Also she hardly ever wants to eat (except the cats food) and barely finishs her 1/2 cup a day...any suggestions as to what I can add to her food to get her to eat without upsetting her belly?