First off let me say that there are many caring and educated dog breeders. I like to think of myself as one of them. I think all of you will agree that there are far more reckless breeders which places the burden on the consumer of finding the flowers amidst the weeds. The average consumer thinks that tiny puppies and hypoglycemia go hand in hand. Many breeder's fail to warranty for deaths or illnesses related to low
blood sugar, they blame on the buyer.
The fact is that any size puppy, including large breed puppies, can develop hypoglycemia because low blood sugar is very often caused from a puppy being ill.
Of course, as far as food is concerned, the tinier the puppy the less fat reserve held in the liver, so the smaller puppy does need to be fed more often, but healthy, happy puppies love to eat and should have excellent appetites. Investigate lack of appetite by blood tests of kidney and liver functions.
Primary hypoglycemia would be low blood sugar brought onfrom simply not eating, for no real serious reason except the puppy is under stress from a new move. The solution is simple: Tempt the puppy to eat with Esbilac puppy milk, Gerber Baby Meatsticks, soaking dry food in chicken broth until soft. If the puppy is not sick then he will eat if you find the right food. Do not use canned food on puppies under 6 months.
Secondary hypoglycemia is low blood sugar that results from a primary illness, either chronic or acute in nature. Hypoglycemia can also occur as a result of a puppy becoming hypothermic. A tiny puppy on a cold evening with a heating pad that shuts off leads to a rapid burn off of calories as the pup's body shivers to try and increase heat. Eventually the body temperature lowers along with the body sugar level falling because of the calorie loss. Hypoglycemia can also result from body chemistry imbalances resulting from a poor diet. Also malfunction of an organ through disease or defect can cause imbalances of body balance including the sugar levels. Vaccinations are well known to lower the immune system causing a temporary illness or imbalance of the body chemistry and low blood sugar can set in. The human body and all mammals have a set norm for salts, water, sugars and hormones. Anything that causes a disruption from normal can affect the sugar levels, for instance, fasting, or dehydration.
Hypoglycemia from illness and organ defects is very common due to mass production of puppies under unsanitary conditions, accompanied by inadequate diet, uncomfortable housing and daily stress. Ill health begins in the womb where a developing puppy is unable to receive the proper nutrients from a poorly nourished mother, and the fetus is bombarded with abnormally high levels of the stress hormone (cortisol). Stress hormones are known to cause adrenal exhaustion. Such puppies are born weak, and many die shortly after birth or weeks later, often while in the hands of the consumer (during the major stress of a new environment).
it seems common sense that Hypoglycemia would be very common in weak and sickly puppies who come from incompetent breeders who lack knowledge of biology in general, especially that of the canine system and nutrition.Current laws do not require dog breeders to take any courses in canine pathology, microbiology, parasitology and genetics before breeding to produce puppies for sale to the consumer. If veterinarians can be incompetent after 8 years of study in an accredited school, doesn't it stand to reason that breeders who are not required to study at all can be incompetent?
Careless or unskilled Breeders do not provide simple comforts you and I take for granted such as heat in winter, cooling in summer, and they fail to provide premium quality foods and supplements which hits the female dogs and puppies the hardest. Such females cannot afford the strain of bearing offspring while they themselves lack essential minerals, vitamins and proteins. How can they produce strong youngsters? The result is weak puppies and degenerative diseases found in young dogs.
Adult breeding dogs from such breeders do not receive proper medical attention for infected teeth, which leads to the gums becoming swollen and infected. Imagine if all you had to eat was hard food while you suffered with a mouth full of swollen painful gums. The bacteria in the mouth finds its way into the blood stream and such bacteria with it's toxins find the way to the unborn puppy through the placenta. The placenta does not block out all toxins, bacteria and viruses.
IN CONCLUSION:
Hypoglycemia is commonly found in a sick puppy. A puppy with Parvo will not eat and the puppy WILL develop low blood sugar. A weak puppy with failing adrenals will become sick at vaccination time and will have an immune fail. Weak puppies chill faster, become hypothermic and WILL develop low blood sugar. A poorly bred puppy will have imbalances in the delicate body chemistry from weak organs, and poor nutrition. Such pups WILL develop low blood sugar during any mild insult to the body such as vaccinations.
It is extremely rare for a healthy puppy to become hypoglycemic simply from not eating and even more rare for a puppy to actually die from starvation alone.
If simple lack of food through starvation would actually be the case then the owner of the puppy is liable because one must force a puppy to eat and never allow a puppy to go without food and starve to death. Perhaps this is why some Breeders refuse to warranty for hypoglycemia, because that 1 in a million person might allow a puppy to starve to death because the puppy doesn't show interest in food?
More likley the lack of warranty is to protect bad breeders from liability.
I am certain though that the combination of insults from poor nutrition, weaning too young, being vaccinated with polyvent vaccines too young and stressed from a move to a new environment at too young an age, causes the young puppy to become ill with resulting low blood sugar.
