Care of your new puppy/ hypoglycaemia
Thank you to whoever wrote this valuable information. I’d like to share it with everyone .
There are several initial concepts I want every chihuahua owner to know before bringing a puppy home. They aren’t complicated, but will help explain some of the dog behaviours.
✨ Puppy area - minimize initial stress by setting up the area the for the first week the same way as it was at a breeder’s home. It gives feeling of safety and the puppy knows where to find a bed and a potty area. It will let puppy to focus on exploring the new home and connecting with owners. Once settled, the set up can be removed or rearranged to your preference.
✨ Hypoglycaemia - low blood Sugar (no time for vet interaction (even if your puppy is non responsive you can still save them)
...READ...READ....READ....Everyone must read this before buying a puppy or small dog...Vets are letting pups die or putting them to sleep ..saying they are hydro when they are sugar crashing..these vets do not know how to treat or recognize this in small dogs....so you must read this before buying one...The Dangers of Hypoglycemia in Small Dogs and How to Prevent It.
Hypoglycemia for small dogs is one of the most dangerous and deadly conditions that a toy breed puppy can encounter. I’ve seen too many cases where a new owner is not properly educated about hypoglycemia in small dogs, and the puppy dies because the owner did not know what to do. This post does not only apply to puppies, but adult toy breed dogs as well. Hypoglycemia can occur in adult dogs if you are not careful. I feel this is THE most important piece of information that any new owner should have when it comes to a puppy’s health. It should be MANDATORY that anybody thinking of buying a toy breed dog read this article before they bring their puppy home. It could save you dog’s life!
First off, Hypoglycemia is basically a term that describes a condition in a dog where the concentration of glucose (sugar) suddenly drops. Glucose is used as a primary source of energy in all dogs. Small breed dogs, especially puppies, are extremely prone to this condition. The younger the puppy the more chances they have of becoming hypoglycemic. On a side note, I do not recommend buying a puppy from any breeder that releases their pups earlier than 8 weeks of age .Okay, back to the subject at hand. Small breed puppies obviously have less muscle mass than a breed such as a Labrador. When I ment is small breeds, I’m referring to dogs such as Yorkies, Shih Tzu’s, Chihuahua’s, Pomeranians, etc. With the low amount of muscle mass that these breeds have, retaining proper glucose levels is tougher. This is why smaller dogs are more susceptible to hypoglycemia.
As long as your puppy or dog eats on a regular basis they should not have any troubles with this deadly condition. However, if your puppy even misses one meal, they could fall victim to hypoglycemia. Furthermore, the following could speed up the onset of hypoglycemia even further:
1.Stress
2.Change in diet
3.Infections
4.Poor Nutrition
5.Low body temperature
The signs to look out for if you suspect your dog to becoming hypoglycemic are: laziness, lethargic, shivering, non-responsive, stumbling, and worst of all, comatose. Checking your dog’s gums is also an excellent method in detecting hypoglycemia. A healthy dog should have warm and pink gums. If your dog’s gums are cold and white, they are most likely in a hypoglycemic state. If you notice your dog experience any of these symptoms, IMMEDIATELY feed them a couple finger full doses of glucose. There are some products that you can buy that are made for this purpose, such as Nutri-Stat or Nutra-Cal. I’ve also used Karo Syrup or Honey which you can find in your local grocery store. Simply place a dab on your finger tip, and scrape the syrup on the back of the top row of teeth. I would repeat this a couple times. Some dogs may recover within 10 -20 minutes, while others may take hours. If you do not see any improvement in their condition within the first 30 minutes, immediately take your dog to the animal hospital.
Raising a smaller dog should be a very fun and rewarding experience. With some proper education beforehand, the process will go a lot smoother and ensure that your puppy grows up healthy. Just remember that hypoglycemia can be prevented by:
1. Keeping a close eye on your puppy’s condition at all times
2. Proper feeding
3. Proper rest
With this information, you should be properly guarded against your dog falling victim to hypoglycemia.
✨ Potty breaks - even if a puppy is reliably potty trained, if it’s engaged in a game, you may see it potty right where it is, as the initial body signals were missed. No reason to scold the puppy - at this period of life it is the owner’s fault as we are the ones to set our puppies for success. Puppies tend to potty about 20 mins after being fed - walk them after feeding and do several breaks in between an activity (including sleeping on the couch - yes, they will be so cozy with you they’ll forget to go pee and do it on the couch which will frustrate you).
✨ No Stairs Rule - for correct bone development it is highly suggested not to allow the puppy to use stairs of any kind up until at least 6 months old. To avoid back issues in your puppy when it gets older put gates for the first 6 months to 1 year. As tough as it sounds now, the dog that lives to 15 years old will have a solid bone structure thanks to your responsible approach early on in its life.
