I'll be getting my Chihuahua puppy next month, and have been preparing for it by scaring myself silly reading about Hypoglycemia! Has anyone had any experience of this? I know that I should feed little and often and make sure it doesn't exhaust itself. I thought perhaps if it did suffer an attack I could give it a little honey - some sites say to do this, but one said do NOT use honey. Before I get him I'll call in at the Vets and see if he has anything I can keep in stock just in case. I am sure I am worrying unnecessarily, but want to be sure I know what to do if it does happen.
Janet I am bit confused as Hypoglycemia is medical term for low blood sugars & Hyperglycemia is medical term for high blood sugar As the little Chihuahua puppy got diabetes ?
You are right - Hypoglycemia refers to low blood sugar. Apparently some Toy puppies can suffer from it - symptoms are described as a staggering gait, glassy eyes etc. It can happen if they go too long without food or exhaust themselves. I think they usually grow out of it - and Chico isn't a tiny one so hopefully he'll be OK. I've no reason to think Chico will ever suffer from it - it's just me being paranoid!
No I don't know much about it tbh, I know it affects toy breeds and Pugs are a toy breed but they're the chunky munky's of the toy world. It can I believe be caused by fussy eaters skipping meals etc. The chance of a Pug skipping a meal is pretty unthinkable.They say feeding several small meals a day, avoiding over exertion, and avoiding overheating etc helps but tbh I only feed once a day, they get loads of exercise and avoid overheating themselves, if hot they stand in front of the fan until I take a hint.
I've never owned, or even known, a dog with hypoglycemia so I can only tell you about it from my own human experience. Usually with me its caused by skipping a meal or not eating enough during the day. (I'm quite tiny with a very small appetite) and is always worse when the weather is very hot or extremely cold. I'll start to feel lightheaded and then totally exhausted, but not the kind of exhaustion or tiredness you feel , for example, after playing sport. For a quick fix I'll have something sweet to drink to bring my blood sugar level back to normal. However, because sugar causes your blood sugar level to spike rapidly, its only a temporary measure because after a few minutes your level will drop again (if that makes sense). Over the years I've found its far better to have something to eat, even if its only a slice of toast or a piece of cheese to keep me going until my next meal! The symptoms will then disappear and I'll be back to normal again. Hope that helps a bit. I don't see why, if necessary, you can't give a dog honey. Its a natural product and has to be better than refined sugar. I've used it as an antiseptic and healing agent when my dogs have had cuts and grazes with good results. Love your new pups name BTW ..... my son once had a 90kg Boerboel called Chico .... who was terrified of my neighbours Chihuahua who couldn't have weighed much more than a kilo!
Making sure they don't go too long without food while they're so tiny seems to be the key - I've never yet had a dog which is a fussy eater, so fingers crossed this one won't be. Once he's grown up he'll be having exactly the same amount of exercise as the others, and I'm convinced he'll be able to cope. I suppose the big advantage though is that if necessary I can pick him up and carry him - that's certainly not my intention though, and will only be a last resort! My first dogs were only fed once a day as adults - that was the custom then, but somehow over the years I've changed to feeding them twice a day. Both routines seemed to produce healthy dogs!
Yes, this will be my first toy. Witty was one-quarter Yorkshire terrier, but the rest of him was almost definitely Jack Russell. So not exactly fragile! By the way, I've just seen a litter of Griffapoos advertised! Is there any breed a Poodle hasn't been mated with?
That is extremely interesting, thank you. I think I've going to have to be very careful that I don't make him overweight in my anxiety to make sure he doesn't go too long without food! Glad you like the name! It was going to be a toss up between Chico and Pedro, and then I found his father's name was Coco so decided Chico was vaguely similar and settled on that. The breeder bought Coco from another breeder, and since found that she was his tenth owner! Poor little thing. He'd been used as a stud with all of them, and she thinks he was being passed on because he wasn't producing the tiny puppies which they can charge silly money for.
He'd be on 4 meals a day when he comes home anyway so hopefully it won't be an issue. I've never had a fussy eater either, they've always been right greedy guts. I think he'll cope just fine too and I'm sure he'll be easier to carry than a 7 stone Pug Ok it's 7 kilo's but anything more than a couple of steps and it feels like 7 stone. Yeah I've fed all sorts of feeding regimes and never noticed a difference in the dogs. We settled on once a day because of the Dobermanns and risk of bloat, so no walking before a meal and no meal for a couple of hours after walking, and walking taking 2 hours a day. We don't have a routine as such and were forever saying, can't walk for another hour etc. it just became impossible to fit everything in. They're now settled on being fed at around 2 pm which at least means if they have a vets trip they don't miss out on breakfast, cos they never get it, unless they nick my toast. The Pugs are obsessed with toast, they don't care what's on it, they want it
Why on earth cross a Griffon? It is not as if they are that popular or there are that many Griffon breeders.
Smaller meals often are a good way to keep sugar levels stable Janet. It's normal to worry about these things - but that's what we're here for, to help put your mind at ease
I know what you mean - Standard Poodles are one of the breeds at risk from bloat, so I am very strict about waiting two hours before a walk. It works out OK for me - I give them their morning meal at about 8, then have my breakfast and get on with a bit of housework (i.e. sit at the computer) and take them out about 10.30 after the post has been. My poor deprived dogs have to miss out on toast, as I have porridge! If I've made too much I put a dollop in their bowls. They love it - but then, they'll eat anything!
Bit of a strange ad - they're in Boston, about twelve miles from here. They're 6 months old (doesn't say how many) and said the late advertising is due to ill health. Priced to sell at £225 because of a house move. No idea whether it was a deliberate or accidental mating.
dont worry about being worried about this. i spent the whole of phoebes mums pregnancy a wreck as vet told us we had to check them for bumholes when they were born and "deal" with them if they didnt have one. I thought he was joking but he said no bumhole and cleft pallet is common. I was a wreck, so was my brother and his girlfriend as none of us were willing to do it. I spent about 5 weeks freaking out about it, thankfully all pups had all body parts where they should be.
Well I must have led a very sheltered life! I've heard of cleft palate of course, but no bumhole? Never heard of such a thing! So pleased none of the pups had any design faults. I'd be hopeless at breeding. My son once bought a hamster from a pet shop which gave birth the next day, and we kept the lot. And we have Aloe Vera plants which keep breeding - we give the babies away to charity shops when they have plant sales, and I find myself worrying whether people will look after them properly!
well me neither so not sure if vet was winding us up or making out something very rare is more common. I hardly slept for weeks so if it was a joke it wasnt funny.
