[luvmytiger]

So we've had our puppy Carmella for a couple of weeks now and she's been to the vet a few times already. The most recent time I rushed her into the office because she was unable to walk, she seemed weak, stumbling about. We tried to feed her, she ate a little and then pretty much passed out. When I took her into the office she seemed to be back to her normal self and the dr. looked at her and said she was fine, looked her over and said everything seemed normal. she got her first shots and we brought her home. this morning the same thing happened to her, i put her down and she was falling over and pooping on her side. i brought her in and held her and when we offered her food she burried her face in the food eating like she was starving. i have been feeding her 4 small meals a day as the dr. instructed me to, the last meal being late in the evening last night. after she ate, again she seemed back to her normal self. i'm thinking hypoglycemia? she is scheduled to go in again tomorrow and also have her 2nd deworming.

Also, I have noticed a couple of times that her ears and head look almost black, nothing like bumps or crust or anything, she looks like she just got a little dirty but black.

This little girl has had so many problems in such a short amount of time, I'm so worried about her all the time. I'm really hoping that all this will pass and she will grow into a big strong girl

 

[20887]

That seems really strange... If it were me, I would insist the vet look her over more carefully. That doesn't sound normal at all. Hypoglycemia can become serious fast.

 

[tonya_bella]

hiya when i had my pup i had only had her for 2 days woke up to her in a hyperglycemic comba,had to rush her to the vets,she was just out of it her mouth and fur around it was soaking wet,she was unresponsive and breathing just about,she nearly died.. cut a long story short the vets sorted her out,but for a few times after that i caught her going into one a few times,it was like she was paralized on one side she couldnt stand and her eyes where rolling,the vet told me if this happens to give her some honey or glucose so i rubbed glucose powder around her gums and tongue,and it perked her straight back up,
i was constantly worried about her blood sugar levels dropping as she wasnt a very good eater,so the vet nurse gave me a tip,to make up a pint of water and dissolve 1 table spoon of glucose powder in it and giv it as her normal drinking water.
i think there prone to it up until about 16 weeks old because there so small,and the stresses of a new home and having there injections and worming thing just stresses them out.

hope you get it sorted out,take care

 

[Lisajazzi]

get some nutrical and if she ever begins to show some signs put it in her mouth, hypogycemia is horrible and my Pixel suffered a few times despite 4 meals a day.

 

[michele]

Same as above nutri-cal or if you haven't any some honey,what food are you feeding ?

 

[MChis]

If she were mine & was having issues such as these I'd be feeding her every 4 hours around the clock! I agree...hypoglycemia can become VERY serious VERY quickly. Feeding often is SUPER important & that means in the middle of the night as well as an 8 hour stretch is too long for a baby who is having these issues. I also (personally) wouldn't vaccinate or worm while she's actively having these issues either. She needs to be stablized & on a good routine first w/o showing any signs like she has. Very scary indeed!! How big is she out of curiousity...and how old? Just wondering if she was having these issues at the breeders & if they gave you any specific instructions?

 

[MChis]

what food are you feeding ?

Another good point. I would personally use an all meat food that didn't have any carbs as carbs can raise blood sugar quick & then it quickly drops. A food with higher meat protein keeps it higher longer w/o the drop. A food such as ZiwiPeak would be great! Depending on how old/big your baby is they have canned that may work great for her right now--as I know it took our puppies a bit to be able to chew the jerky squares--though I did start by breaking them up in quarters & half when they were tiny. Something to think about & consider!!

 

[wild.irish.rose]

about the black 'dirt'-is it in her ears like you would c w/ear mites??in her ears is there drk brown/black clumps/crust.that would sound like ear mites 2 me.or,could it be flea dirt?head/ear area is the numb 1 spot to find flea dirt n this year more people r having issues w/fleas

 

[KrystalLeigh]

Poor thing. When Odie was younger, she was so tiny. We fed her every two hours, even through the night. Maybe more frequent meals would help? I would also get a second opinion from another vet if possible, just in case. Has she ever had blood work done or anything?

 

[catz4m8z]

TBH im surprised the vet said only feed 4 times a day for a chi puppy. I would of thought 6 small meals a day would do a much better job at stablizing her blood sugar (poss more often if its not working).

 

[Kaila]

You can check to see if the black stuff on her is flea dirt. Just scrape some off gently and put it on a white paper towel or tissue. Add a drop of water. If it turns red or pink when it gets wet, then it's likely flea dirt. ('Flea dirt' is a nice way of saying flea feces, which is largely made up of the blood of the host.) I've had better luck with Comfortis and Advantage Multi for fleas than I ever did Frontline, so some products' success depends on your climate. (I live in Florida where the fleas are horrendous. Teddy was majorly infested 4 times and got intestinal parasites each time during a period of a few months while on Frontline Plus. Once I switched to Comfortis, no fleas whatsoever.)

Speaking of which.. If the black stuff IS flea dirt and your pup is hypoglycemic, make sure you have your vet screen a stool sample for intestinal parasites. She needs all the nutrition she can get and those little buggers will steal it from her.

Teddy only had hypoglycemic incidents while infested with worms and after vaccines as a puppy. I used Karo Syrup (you can get it near the baking supplies at the grocery store, it doesn't matter of you get the light or dark color but the light one is less messy) and clear Gatorade or Pedialyte throughout the day after the incident. Ask your vet for a 1mL (1CC) oral syringe. It'll make your life so much easier.

 

[luvmytiger]

Thank you everybody for your advice. I'm going to definitely order the Ziwipeak today, my other chi needs it too. I did feed Carmella over night last night and she woke up feeling fine. She is about 12 weeks now and she weighs 1 pound 6 ounces.
And as far as the black on her head and ears, my husband thinks it's part of her colors because her nose is black and near her eyes is black, maybe I just get myself in a panic, but it does seem to have gotten darker over the past couple of days. I took this picture of her last night, maybe you can see what I'm talking about.

 

[Kaila]

Ohh. Yeah, I see the gray/black part that you're talking about. I think it's just her colors developing into adulthood. Puppies change colors a lot.

Also, you won't be let down by ZiwiPeak. Good stuff. Just give them a while to get used to it before making a final judgment because, depending on what you're switching from, it can be kind of rich for their little bellies. You might see some diarrhea or soft stool for a day or two, nothing serious. Teddy didn't even get that though.

 

[MChis]

Ahhh that's great!! So glad she woke up feeling ok with the night feeding. Sounds like she just needs to get through that iffy stage since she is quite small. Usually once they hit 2lbs it gets a bit easier but since she's had issues keep up the feedings around the clock. Hopefully once she gets some more weight onto her she'll stablize more. She is adorable & yes that does look like pigment developing on her skin. Since she's not been feeling well I can see why you'd panic about it though.

Glad you ordered the ZP too! Hopefully your pups take to it ok & don't get any tummy upset. I've switched 8 dogs cold turkey to ZP w/o any tummy upset (canned as well!) so hopefully that rings the same for you. You'll have to keep us posted on her & let us know how she & your other pup does on ZP. Good luck!

 

[20887]

That is so great that she is feeling better. You will love ZiwiPeak! I switched my dogs to ZP cold turkey, and now we do a mix of raw and ZP. They loooove it, and no tummy problems here

 

[luvmytiger]

2nd deworming done! Carmella has gained another 6 ounces and she's looking good We discussed feeding her every 2 hours to avoid another incident. The color on her ears is most likely just her colors coming in. Got her nails trimmed too. Feeling much better. Thank you everybody!!!

 

[Gingersmom]

At 15 weeks Abby was just under a pound...(she's 2.25 right now, has been up to 2.5) anyhoo...I had an automatic feeder for the overnights and when I was at work...two bowl with separate timers..it worked out great..except when she was laying on it waiting for it to pop open...LOL

 

[luvmytiger]

At 15 weeks Abby was just under a pound...(she's 2.25 right now, has been up to 2.5) anyhoo...I had an automatic feeder for the overnights and when I was at work...two bowl with separate timers..it worked out great..except when she was laying on it waiting for it to pop open...LOL

That's so funny & cute!!