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Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar is a common
problem with all toy breed puppies including the yorkshire
terrier. 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 Yorkie puppy . In small breed
puppies from post-weaning to 4 month 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 yorkie 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
including yorkshire terriers are lost needlessly to hypoglycemia
because of ignorance on the part of their owner or veterinarian.
It is important to understand that just
because a puppy has an episode of hypoglycemia, it does not mean
that the puppy is truly "hypoglycemic." True hypoglycemia is a
chronic condition caused by overproduction of insulin by the
pancreas. Even though the pancreas may normally function
properly, toy puppies can still have an isolated hypoglycemic
incident in reaction to stress or fasting. Pups of any breed are
more likely to develop hypoglycemia than adults, because their
skeletal muscle mass and liver size are smaller and brain size,
larger, in proportion to the rest of their body. Therefore,
there is less glucose being put out into the blood and more
being used by the brain, which is dependent upon adequate
glucose in order to function. In small and toy breeds, this
discrepancy is more pronounced. Even a brief period of fasting
or stress in a toy breed puppy can trigger a hypoglycemic
"attack. Yorkie puppies with Transient Juvenile Hypoglycemia
have normal liver size and function, but inadequate glucose
precursors or glucose in its stored form (body fat).
Hypoglycemic incidents are almost always preceded by a stress of
some kind. Some examples of common stresses include: weaning,
teething, vaccinations, a change in environment, shipping,
over-handling, cold temperatures, intestinal parasites,
infections, anorexia, etc. Many yorkie puppies simply play too
hard and stress their system or forget to eat. I have heard of
young males experiencing hypoglycemia when a female in heat is
around. They become so worked up over the female that they do
not eat and their blood sugar drops.
The first sign of hypoglycemia is the
yorkshire terrier puppy slowing down and then acting listless.
The puppy will then begin to tremble or shiver. This is a
reaction caused as the brain is starved for glucose. More signs
of an attack are a weakness, confusion, wobbly gait, frothing or
drooling from the mouth - sometimes even a seizure and drain of
blood from the head. His body will be limp, lifeless, and a
check of the gums will show them to be pale, almost a grayish
white in color rather than a healthy bright pink.. The body
temperature will be subnormal. After a time, the puppy or Yorkie
puppy will become comatose and may even appear to be dead. The
puppy can go into shock and, if not cared for properly and
promptly, may even die.
If Yorkie hypoglycemia is caught in the early
stages, rub Nutri-Cal (Caro syrup will do if you have no Nutri-Cal)
on the puppy's gums, under the tongue, and on the roof of the
mouth. Get a heating pad or heating blanket and slowly warm the
puppy to proper body temperature. If the puppy responds, all is
well. Feed a quality, canned food containing, high-carbohydrates
and protein right away (you may want to mix it with egg yolk)
and then monitor the puppy to be sure that the condition does
not recur. Be sure to eliminate the stress that caused the
episode if at all possible.
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