Hypoglycemia and your Puppy
If you buy a Chihuahua, or other breed of small dog you may already know about the risks of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) in smaller puppies.
Hypoglycemia is Blood Glucose or blood sugar concentration of less than 70 milligrams per deciliter(mg/dl) of blood. Symptoms depend on how quickly the blood glucose concentration decreases but rarely occur until it falls below 50 mg/dl.
Symptoms reflect the rate of decrease of the blood glucose concentration, the underlying cause of hypoglycemia, and the chronicity of the problem. One common form of hypoglycemia is called juvenile hypoglycemia because it occurs in puppies less than three months of age. Juvenile hypoglycemia is common in puppies because they have not fully developed the ability to regulate their blood glucose concentration and have a high requirement for glucose. Stress, cold, malnutrition, and intestinal parasites are problems that may precipitate a bout of juvenile hypoglycemia. Toy breed dogs less than three months of age are most commonly affected.
There has to be a reason for a puppy’s blood sugar level to drop. A happy, healthy puppy is not going to just get sick with low blood sugar.
First they must be eating well. If your puppy don't eat his dry puppy
food just give him some rice with can food, cooked chicken or browned
ground beef. Let him lick some corn syrup of your fingers and add syrup
to your puppy’s drinking water as a source of sugar.
Second, too much play over a long period of time isn't all that good for smaller puppies. They loose their energy very fast and that can cause low blood sugar. I recommend a Baby playpen to keep your puppy confined in when you are not playing with them. This must be a small area with enough room for their bed and easy access to food and water where they can rest and eat in peace. This area should be no larger than 3ftX4ft. (A 2ft x 3ft baby playpen is ideal.) Never give your puppy the run of the whole house until they are at least 4 or 5 months old. With such a large space to run around in, it is too easy for them to tire and lose track of where their food is. This could also lead to hypoglycemia.
Play with your puppy for a short time, then give them a small dose of Nutri-Cal® or Karo syrup (or even Pancake syrup) and then place them back in their playpen so they can eat and rest. Remember that Toy puppies are tiny babies and tire easily. Please be careful not to over-tire your puppy especially in the first few weeks. A puppy will play until it drops. It may play so much that it is too tired to eat. It is up to you as the owner to be responsible and see that your puppy gets enough rest. Most very small puppies need as much as 20 out of 24 hours rest. Be especially aware of the amount of time children play with the puppy. These are babies and must be treated as such.