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Hypoglycemia is a disorder of the central nervous system caused by low sugar. It occurs mostly in teacup breeds, but it can
also occur in the larger breeds as well. Hypoglycemia can occur without warning when a puppy goes to a new home, misses a
meal or doesn’t eat full meals, becomes chilled, overtired, or exhausted from too much handling or playing. Signs to
look for are depression, weakness, being wobbly or jerky ( the head appears to be tilted to either left or right side, the
neck appears stiff and in a locked position, the body may soon appear the same way, the teeth may be clamped tightly.) convulsions,
seizures or coma which can result in death. The gums will appear white or gray instead of pink. Remember, this is only a
puppy, compare it with an infant child which requires extra care. You would not wake your baby up to show your friends or
neighbor, so do not wake your puppy up as it needs rest too. All of this is very important to your puppy’s health.
Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is a health problem that affects some small breed puppies, or toy puppies between the ages
of 5 to 25 weeks. Hypoglycemia is recognizable by a healthy puppy suddenly becoming weak, listless and unaware of its surroundings,
even unable to walk or stand. Advanced stages include seizures before lapsing into a coma, which is followed by death. Steps
should be taken to immediately give the puppy glucose or sugar, Karo syrup is an excellent, easy source to have on hand,
mixed with warm water and administered by a eye dropper, it can save the puppy’s life until veterinary help can be found,
A veterinarian may administer glucose injections to the pup until the blood sugar is stable. The puppy should be carefully
watched from that point on. No one knows why small puppies actually are more susceptible to this condition. Some think it
is due to nutrition and advocate a natural, well balanced diet which is believed to keep the electrolyte level stable throughout
the puppy’s fast growing period and extremely active stage of life. Some suggest the precaution of giving their puppies
a daily sugar supplement. Whatever is done to handle the problem if it arises, you have the responsibility of keeping this
up until the puppy stabilizes itself All we can do is to precaution you of this illness when you buy a small puppy, because
if left unattended for more than 2 to 3 hours without food and proper care, it could go into this, as we call it Sugar Shock
or Sugar level drop.
Please, before you buy a small puppy, be very aware of this and other conditions that go with them and be prepared to accept
responsibility for it. I cannot guarantee this health condition and it can be very heartbreaking if this happens to you.
So, if you want a small puppy, care for it as if it was an infant coming home from the hospital. Tiny puppies are adorable
and FRAGILE. Not being rude but I have spent many hours getting the puppy where it is and upon purchase it is your responsibility
from that point to monitor it’s health. I will not be responsible if you lose the puppy to a sugar level drop as it
is avoidable. Just make sure they eat and pay attention to how they feel.
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