Hypoglycemia
This article is re-published with permission from Parker's Precious Poms Thank you!
Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is common in toy breed dogs and puppies. Because Pomeranians carry little body fat or reserves, if they become stressed, miss a meal, overexercise, become ill, etc....they may experience a dangerous drop in glucose (sugar) in their blood. This drop causes the Pom to become weak, lethargic, nauseous and generally unwell. Hypoglycemia is LIFE THREATENING if left untreated. You MUST intervene and get your Pom's sugars up and stabilized.
When a Pom experiences a hypoglycemic episode, his or her brain is literally STARVED for glucose(sugar) and the Pom's brain begins shutting down.
Hypoglycemia is not a disease and it's not contagious, it's a condition that can happen to any small dog, regardless of health or age. It's most common in puppies up to six months old and up to a year old if the Pom will be exceptionally small.
SYMPTOMS
The puppy may exhibit SOME or all of the following: appearing weak, disoriented, acting "drunk", not responsive when you call his or name. Vomiting. Can't stand up or walk well.Trembling or being nervous, uneasy or agitated. Most will seem VERY lethargic and listless.
Advanced hypoglycemia can include seizures, brain damage, loss of consciousnesses and if left untreated, coma and death.
Most hypoglycemia cases can be treated at home, however you Must SEEK IMMEDIATE VETERINARY CARE IF:
The Puppy loses consciousness, experiences a seizure, is non-responsive to at home treatment, OR if you don't know the cause of the episode.
If you are aware that your puppy missed a meal or was over exercised, then providing at home care is acceptable as long as the Pom responds immediately to care.
AT HOME TREATMENT
#1) DO NOT PANIC
These little dogs bounce back fast when treated properly, so keep calm, follow the steps below and please, CALL US if you need some reassurance. It can be scary to see your little puppy suffering from low blood sugar, but they recover very quickly in almost all cases, so take a deep breath!
It is imperative to keep INSTANT GLUCOSE GEL on hand at all times (and with you when you travel with your pom!) This can be found in the HUMAN Diabetic department of your pharmacy for about $6. This gel is absorbed through the gums quickly to get sugar into the bloodstream and glucose to the brain.
If you do not have instant glucose gel, you may use any color Karo Syrup (very small amount). Nutrical (a high calorie pet product that's like a thick syrup) works well too and can be given in advance of a hypoglycemic episode if you know your puppy is under stress, not eating well, was overexercised, etc...Do not over-do it on treatment or you could upset the puppy's stomach or cause loose stools.
Keep your puppy warm and put several PEA sized drops of gel in his or her mouth (by force if you have to-unless he is having a seizure).....every 20 minutes or so until the puppy "perks up". You should see a huge improvement within 30-60 minutes.
If the puppy is CONSCIOUS, then offer him SOFT FOOD (jarred baby food in a meat variety, vienna sausages, hot dog/lunch meat/srambled eggs......something soft and tasty to entice the puppy to eat! He will not want his hard kibble, he isn't feeling well at this point.)
If he won't eat, give him some time and glucose...remember, he is nauseous from the hypoglycemia. It's okay if he/she vomits the food up at first, but he should be able to keep it down within the first few hours. (Vomiting can be a symptom of worm infestation, blocked intestine or Parvo) Monitor the puppy closely, continue to keep him warm and watch to see how he does. If there is little or no improvement, take him to your vet asap. If he relapses for an unknown reason, it's to the vet.
If the at home care is working you'll see your puppy "perk up", eat the soft food well and begin acting normal again within a 1-2 hours. Do not let him or her run around or exercise for a day or two. Keep him or her warm, calm, quiet, well fed and monitored VERY closely for a relapse. Keep the puppy with you when you sleep and check him or her every two hours or so (in a small laundry basket in bed with you works well).
AT THE VET
If your puppy needs to be taken to the vet because he is unconscious, has experienced a seizure or is not improving, here is what to expect.
The vet techs will wisk the puppy to the back while you fill out paperwork (be prepared for an emergency exam fee). The vet will want to start to check the glucose levels (with a pin prick to the puppy's paw pad or ear) and then immediately start a GLUCOSE DRIP (which is an IV into the puppy) which delivers glucose directly into the bloodstream. This is the quickest and best way to get the puppy stable and prevent seizures, brain damage, coma and death.
After getting the puppy stable, they'll want to run hundreds of dollars in tests. We recommend starting with one or two and working your way slowly to find out what caused the episode (if you don't know already). In addition to the glucose test and glucose drip, we recommend starting with a FECAL CHECK to look for parasites that may have caused the puppy to lose his appetite which resulted in the episode. If parasites are found (worms, cocci or ghiardia), then treatment should begin when the vet says it's safe. If nothing is found (or the puppy is exhibiting other symptoms) then a PARVO test is next on the list. Parvo is almost always fatal, even in large breed puppies/adults. It can be kinder to euthanize a parvo toy breed puppy than to drag out it's suffering. Parvo symptoms will show up 10-14 days after exposure. Keep your puppy UTD on vaccines and off public grasses/sidewalks until he is 4+mths old and fully vaccinated.
We've never sold a puppy that has tested positive for Parvo after being placed, we work hard to keep vaccines up to date and to keep our whelp boxes and playpens clean, but your vet will need to rule it out. (March 2013)
If the parvo and fecal check come back negative, then the vet will want to run a blood panel. Some toy breed dogs can have liver or kidney problems that can result in hypoglycemic episodes. We've never had a test come back positive (or had any puppy we've placed who has been treated come back positive) but it's the next step in testing to be sure.
There are other tests, but these are the most common ones to expect.
The bottom line is that although low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) is common and easily treated in Pomeranians (if caught early), your vet will most likely want to run (and have you pay for) lots and lots of tests. Low blood sugar can happen to a healthy puppy who missed a meal, is stressed, overexercised, etc.....so don't let your vet push you around. Do your research, be informed and get a second opinion if you're not sure.
This article is re-published with permission from Parker's Precious Poms
Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is common in toy breed dogs and puppies. Because Pomeranians carry little body fat or reserves, if they become stressed, miss a meal, overexercise, become ill, etc....they may experience a dangerous drop in glucose (sugar) in their blood. This drop causes the Pom to become weak, lethargic, nauseous and generally unwell. Hypoglycemia is LIFE THREATENING if left untreated. You MUST intervene and get your Pom's sugars up and stabilized.
When a Pom experiences a hypoglycemic episode, his or her brain is literally STARVED for glucose(sugar) and the Pom's brain begins shutting down.
Hypoglycemia is not a disease and it's not contagious, it's a condition that can happen to any small dog, regardless of health or age. It's most common in puppies up to six months old and up to a year old if the Pom will be exceptionally small.
SYMPTOMS
The puppy may exhibit SOME or all of the following: appearing weak, disoriented, acting "drunk", not responsive when you call his or name. Vomiting. Can't stand up or walk well.Trembling or being nervous, uneasy or agitated. Most will seem VERY lethargic and listless.
Advanced hypoglycemia can include seizures, brain damage, loss of consciousnesses and if left untreated, coma and death.
Most hypoglycemia cases can be treated at home, however you Must SEEK IMMEDIATE VETERINARY CARE IF:
The Puppy loses consciousness, experiences a seizure, is non-responsive to at home treatment, OR if you don't know the cause of the episode.
If you are aware that your puppy missed a meal or was over exercised, then providing at home care is acceptable as long as the Pom responds immediately to care.
AT HOME TREATMENT
#1) DO NOT PANIC
These little dogs bounce back fast when treated properly, so keep calm, follow the steps below and please, CALL US if you need some reassurance. It can be scary to see your little puppy suffering from low blood sugar, but they recover very quickly in almost all cases, so take a deep breath!
It is imperative to keep INSTANT GLUCOSE GEL on hand at all times (and with you when you travel with your pom!) This can be found in the HUMAN Diabetic department of your pharmacy for about $6. This gel is absorbed through the gums quickly to get sugar into the bloodstream and glucose to the brain.
If you do not have instant glucose gel, you may use any color Karo Syrup (very small amount). Nutrical (a high calorie pet product that's like a thick syrup) works well too and can be given in advance of a hypoglycemic episode if you know your puppy is under stress, not eating well, was overexercised, etc...Do not over-do it on treatment or you could upset the puppy's stomach or cause loose stools.
Keep your puppy warm and put several PEA sized drops of gel in his or her mouth (by force if you have to-unless he is having a seizure).....every 20 minutes or so until the puppy "perks up". You should see a huge improvement within 30-60 minutes.
If the puppy is CONSCIOUS, then offer him SOFT FOOD (jarred baby food in a meat variety, vienna sausages, hot dog/lunch meat/srambled eggs......something soft and tasty to entice the puppy to eat! He will not want his hard kibble, he isn't feeling well at this point.)
If he won't eat, give him some time and glucose...remember, he is nauseous from the hypoglycemia. It's okay if he/she vomits the food up at first, but he should be able to keep it down within the first few hours. (Vomiting can be a symptom of worm infestation, blocked intestine or Parvo) Monitor the puppy closely, continue to keep him warm and watch to see how he does. If there is little or no improvement, take him to your vet asap. If he relapses for an unknown reason, it's to the vet.
If the at home care is working you'll see your puppy "perk up", eat the soft food well and begin acting normal again within a 1-2 hours. Do not let him or her run around or exercise for a day or two. Keep him or her warm, calm, quiet, well fed and monitored VERY closely for a relapse. Keep the puppy with you when you sleep and check him or her every two hours or so (in a small laundry basket in bed with you works well).
AT THE VET
If your puppy needs to be taken to the vet because he is unconscious, has experienced a seizure or is not improving, here is what to expect.
The vet techs will wisk the puppy to the back while you fill out paperwork (be prepared for an emergency exam fee). The vet will want to start to check the glucose levels (with a pin prick to the puppy's paw pad or ear) and then immediately start a GLUCOSE DRIP (which is an IV into the puppy) which delivers glucose directly into the bloodstream. This is the quickest and best way to get the puppy stable and prevent seizures, brain damage, coma and death.
After getting the puppy stable, they'll want to run hundreds of dollars in tests. We recommend starting with one or two and working your way slowly to find out what caused the episode (if you don't know already). In addition to the glucose test and glucose drip, we recommend starting with a FECAL CHECK to look for parasites that may have caused the puppy to lose his appetite which resulted in the episode. If parasites are found (worms, cocci or ghiardia), then treatment should begin when the vet says it's safe. If nothing is found (or the puppy is exhibiting other symptoms) then a PARVO test is next on the list. Parvo is almost always fatal, even in large breed puppies/adults. It can be kinder to euthanize a parvo toy breed puppy than to drag out it's suffering. Parvo symptoms will show up 10-14 days after exposure. Keep your puppy UTD on vaccines and off public grasses/sidewalks until he is 4+mths old and fully vaccinated.
We've never sold a puppy that has tested positive for Parvo after being placed, we work hard to keep vaccines up to date and to keep our whelp boxes and playpens clean, but your vet will need to rule it out. (March 2013)
If the parvo and fecal check come back negative, then the vet will want to run a blood panel. Some toy breed dogs can have liver or kidney problems that can result in hypoglycemic episodes. We've never had a test come back positive (or had any puppy we've placed who has been treated come back positive) but it's the next step in testing to be sure.
There are other tests, but these are the most common ones to expect.
The bottom line is that although low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) is common and easily treated in Pomeranians (if caught early), your vet will most likely want to run (and have you pay for) lots and lots of tests. Low blood sugar can happen to a healthy puppy who missed a meal, is stressed, overexercised, etc.....so don't let your vet push you around. Do your research, be informed and get a second opinion if you're not sure.
This article is re-published with permission from Parker's Precious Poms
