EuroChihuahua

This is a condition where the Chihuahua’s blood sugar (glucose level) drops to a dangerous low. Several things, such as parasite infestation or a lack of calories can bring it on because the Chihuahua was too busy playing and forgot to eat. The very small Chihuahuas are most prone to this, but are by no means the only ones. Often puppies that are growing quickly and close to weaning age do not eat enough puppy food, but mom is starting to limit her milk or has said they had enough milk. These are very susceptible since their growing bodies require so much energy from food. Other times a dog may not eat because he/she is pouting or just not feeling well.

Some of the signs to watch for are sudden lethargy or wobbly movement. They stop playing and curl up to sleep but do not respond with eye/ear movements to normal household activities. While this condition is the easiest thing in the world to treat, it can be deadly if not treated quickly. They just go into a deep sleep, passing over into a coma, and then death.

The treatment is to immediately put some Nutrigel (or honey or any type of sweet syrup) immediately under the tongue. This can be repeated every 15 to 20 minutes until the pup will suddenly spring back to normal wanting to know why you are in a panic. (Do keep the pup warm and quiet at this time.) In very severe cases, if no change in 30 minutes, start this treatment and continue it while on your way to the vet. Your dog may need glucose intravenous to get over the episode.

I also recommend leaving dry dog food always available all the time for Chihuahuas, but especially young, growing pups, for soon-to-be-mothers, and for any Chihuahuas whose body weight is less than 3 pounds. My own preference is to also give a small amount of Nutrigel once or twice a day to all pups that are in the process of being weaned just as a precaution. And never put a pup to bed without feeding him first until 4-6 months of age (the night is long).

There is also another uncommon condition where there is a consistent hypoglycemia rather than different episodes. Unfortunately this condition does not respond well to treatment. It is caused by an enzyme deficiency.

I have found that pups can get this between the ages of 7-10 week, depending on the pup, some pups develop at differently. And it is also depending on when Mom loses her milk. When pups are born they can only digest milk-sugars and as they grow they have to change they capacity to digest the sugars from normal foods, this accrues slowly and at different rates depending on the pup. Some Chihuahua pups can get this until +/- 6 months of age.

I have learn to give honey (honey is already is pro-digested by honeybees so it can be absorbed into the bloodstream directly thru the tongue) or Nutri-gel/Nutri-plus. I use a 2.5 syringe, pulling out the plunger and putting the shell to the opening of the Nutri-gel (fits perfectly) putting 2cc in the shell then I replace the plunger or honey (dip the small opening of the syringe straight into the honey-pot and pull the plunger back pulling the honey into the syringe, this can be a bit slow depending what type of honey you have) and I am ready to treat the pup. Inject 1cc, at a time, into the mouth and wait for the puppy to swallow it. Wait 10 minutes, most of the time the pup will look at you and wonder what all the excitement is about, if the pup does not responds or responds slowly CHECK THE TEMPERATURE of your pup, if it is low, Hugo' s was 35.5ºC. WARM HIM UP!!!!!!!!!!!! If you do not have a warming cushion or something like that put him under your clothes against your bare skin. Give him a second dose of Nutri-gel or honey.

When I heard that Hugo temp was so low I send Kristy right then to the Vet. This can kill a pup. Some vets have never seen this. Never leave your pup alone by the vet, take him home a really nurse him for the next 24-36 hours. Make sure he eats, lots of small teats is the best, cooked chicken go down easily and as we all know chicken is a favourite of Chihuahuas .

I always feed my pups (ages 6-12 weeks) right before I go to bed and really watch that everyone eats well. The night is long, and you are asleep so you do not see if a pup begins to get low bloodsugar, that is what happen by Kristy, she called me at 8:45 in the morning that Hugo was in Low Bloodsugar, and at 9:05 I sent her to the vet, 15 minutes away. And I tell my new owners that they HAVE to give this late night feed until their pup is 6 months old, then they can slowly bring that meal back until a normal feeding time.