YOUR PUPPY MUST EAT EVERY DAY EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO HAND FEED.....TOY BREED PUPPIES require extra supervision, warmth, supplemental hand feedings & they must stay with the breeder longer than a regular pup does. A breeder of tiny puppies will be thinking of the teacup 24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week and will plan his/her life around those puppies until the pups are old or big enough to go to their new homes. Puppies go through a lot of stress when they are taken away from their siblings and go to their new homes.
HYPOGLYCEMIA or low blood sugar is a common problem with all toy breed puppies including the Chihuahua, Maltese, Yorkie and Morkie. Hypoglycemia is the medical term for low blood sugar, which is a condition in which there is a drastic, sudden drop in the level of blood sugar in the puppy. In small breed puppies from post-weaning to 4 months of age, the most common form of hypoglycemia is called Transient Juvenile Hypoglycemia: "Transient" because the symptoms can be reversed by eating. "Juvenile" because it is seen in young puppies. Veterinarians unfamiliar with toys often mis-diagnose the condition as viral hepatitis or encephalitis. As a toy Chihuahua breeder or pet owner, it is important to recognize the symptoms of hypoglycemia and know how to treat it. Hypoglycemia is easily treatable in the early stages, but fatal if allowed to progress. Many puppies are lost needlessly to hypoglycemia because of ignorance on the part of their owner or veterinarian.
VERY IMPORTANT.....If your puppy is not eating or drinking water buyers should SYRINGE feed their new pups 3 to 4 times a day, approximately 5 CC's per feeding....15 to 20 CC's total per day.... Gerber's chicken baby food mixed with waffle syrup for the first 10 to 14 days after receiving their new pup and they will never have a sick pup. (1CC of waffle syrup per small jar of chicken meat baby food). Draw the baby food up into the syringe and disperse into the puppy's mouth. Creamy peanut butter on the roof of their mouths a few times a day works wonders! These puppies are very stressed from leaving the home they have always known, their litter mates and their routine, so they sometimes do not eat.
THE MOST IMPORTANT rule is to always have food and water available for your puppy at all times and be sure you actually see them eating. If your pup won't eat dry kibble dog food, then cooked hamburger or chicken breast, cut up in tiny pieces or feed the puppy what you are eating. You can hand feed it every 3-4 hours during the day if you are not sure whether it is eating at all with the mixture in red above......from the time they wake up until the time they go to bed. A high quality food is a must.Teacups must replenish their energy more frequently than larger puppies. Hypoglycemia, sometimes called sugar shock, low blood sugar (as in a diabetic), is a condition where the blood sugar level drops to an extremely low level, usually due to lack of food, or by using up all stored energy without it being replenished(playing/running for extended periods of time, shivering out of nervousness or being chilled, stress, etc.) They can end up with hypoglycemia.Teacups are prone to this because they have such tiny digestive systems and can only store a little bit of food(energy) in their bodies at one time. THEY MUST EAT!
IT IS ALWAYS easier to PREVENT hypoglycemia than treat it...always make sure your teacup is eating every 3-4 hours, even if only a small amount and even if you have to hand feed. Just having food available is not always good enough. Nutri-Cal (a low volume paste vitamin/mineral supplement for show, working, or dogs under stress) is highly recommended to feed 1-3 pea size globs 3-5 times a day....especially first thing in the morning and last thing before bedtime. If your teacup is handled a lot by other people or has a rousing/energetic time of play then give some Nutri-Cal at playtime. When your teacup matures he or she may not need Nutri-Cal and should be able to go 3-5 hrs. without eating if they are not having an active day. Keep it with you at all times.
SYMPTOMS OF HYPOGLYCEMIA, your puppy may exhibit one or more of these signs. Listlessness, weakness, won't get up and play. The gums of a normal puppy will be bright reddish/pink just like human gums....gums that are pale in places or light pink means the blood sugar levels are dropping. If the gums are white...your pup needs quick attention to avoid a hypoglycemic coma. If they are white I recommend Griffins waffle syrup on the tongue 1 CC every 15 min. until the gums return to the normal pink color(3 CC's max in the first hour). Another sign that is usually seen is vomiting on an empty stomach (clear liquid or bile) or saliva (foamy at the mouth). If your pup has not eaten in awhile give it food or waffle syrup immediately. Other signs are acting listless, walking unsteady, shakiness, falling over and in extreme cases laying on their side and unresponsive. This is extreme and you must pry their mouth open and give waffle syrup. Karo corn syrup, ,sugar water or Nutri-Cal to raise the blood sugar quickly or coma and death will result. After giving the syrup you should see improvement and the pup should be alert in about 10 min. if not, repeat and give more syrup. If you see no signs of improvement and appears comatose rush to the nearest veterinarian office for glucose by injection or I.V. to save it's life.
PREVENTING LOW BLOOD SUGAR IS THE BEST TREATMENT! Monitor gum color, body temperature (teacups under 2 pounds cannot properly maintain the correct temperature and frequently get chilled, expecially if they haven't had enough to eat. Feel the ears, if the ears are warm you are ok cold then the puppy is cold. If you are not sure put your finger in it's mouth, it should be very warm, almost hot. If it isn't warm the pup with a towel or blanket out of the clothes dryer or a heating pad.
VERY TINY PUPPIES are best suited for someone who is home all day or can keep their pup with them the majority of the time making sure he or she is eating and kept warm. Teacups are not recommended for homes with small children or for for families with large animals.
OVER 2.5 lbs. or 4 to 6 months old if the puppy is real small is the magic number with low blood sugar in these small puppies.
