Low Sugar

[Sheri ~ Oliver & Ginger]

My puppy Ginger had (what we think) a low sugar episode 2 days ago. I am finally able to take my worried eyes off of her and type this. She was lythargic. 1 eye rolling back and looking cloudy. limp, un-responsive. I immediately called the vet because it was way out of character of this 11 week old bundle of energy. (Now...keep in mind...her doctor has been a bit concerned about her size. She was 1 week ago only 3.1 lbs at 10 weeks old so of course I am thinking crazy thoughts even though she seems perfectly normal but just tiny. She is a ball of fire who loves food!) He said it sounds like her sugar is low. Give her some Nutracal if we have it on hand. So luckily within seconds of her eating this, she was responsive and feeling much better. What a scare. I was a basketcase since I have never experienced this with any puppy. So....just wondering who else has been through this nightmare and their stories....

[Sheri ~ Oliver & Ginger]

Thank you for the response. Believe it or not, Ginger's dad is a standard Poodle and her mom is just a normal size Golden. She has been feeling better the past couple of days so we will just be keeping an extra close eye on her. As per her Doctor....we give Ginger 1 inch of Nutrical 4 to 5 times a day so that is why I have an abundance of it on hand.
Thanks again

[Sheri ~ Oliver & Ginger]

Ginger was treated recently for tape worms (I understand it is not unusual where we live) so now with that behind us I am hoping that she will pack on the pounds. She has a great appetite.
Thanks. It is always great to hear back from other Doodle Owners

[Richard Crowe]

We always kept Nutracal on hand when we were breeding Maltese. Tiny puppies easily get low on sugar and need the supplement.

One time when we had no puppies in the house so had no Nutracal on hand, we were minding a friend's puppy while the friend made a visit to the doctor. The puppy became lethargic and evidenced low blood sugar. We improvised with corn syrup which worked. However, after that, we always kept a tube of the Nutracal supplement on hand.

[Tamara & Giada]

Oh, I am so sorry for you and Ginger.........hope she is ok:)

[Leslie and Halas]

Sorry you had to go through that. I'm glad Ginger's feeling better. I had no idea this could happen with dogs. Thanks for sharing your experience. That's another great thing about DK - you're posting to find out if anyone else knows anything about the topic, and people like me who don't know anything can also learn something from your experience and other's responses.

[Maya]

Scary! Will they do some tests to determine whether she'll need something long-term, or can it happen just like that, and the puppy is totally healthy again? I had a cat who became diabetic at 9 or 10 years old. I gave him insulin twice a day for 2 years and then at a regular physical the doctor checked his blood and it showed that he no more had it?!? The vet said it can happen in animals (I am 99% sure she said 'animals', not just 'cats'). I am telling you this just to comfort you - in case you find out that you, too, need to treat Ginger's sugar imbalance for a while - it might only be for a while.

Good luck and let us know how Ginger is doing these days.