HELP!! My 9 week old Chi won't eat and her blood sugar keeps...

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Answer by chimama
Submitted on 1/5/2004
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My first thought is that you need a different vet. Nothing against your current vet, but I suspect s/he's not all that familiar with toy breeds in general and chihuahuas in specific. Please realize I only know what I read into your question, if I am wrong about your vet I apologize. Can you tempt her with human food? I'm talking about small bits of cooked chicken, cooked vegetables like carrots, other low-fat but high-nutrition foods? Ordinarily I don't believe in using human food except in very small quantities as rewards and even then only the healthiest foods, but a chihuahua doesn't have a lot of reserves, so it's important to get calories down them on a regular basis. Was she fully weaned and eating normally before you got her? She should have stayed with her mother for at least eight weeks and been on some sort of solid food before she was taken away. Will she take canned food? Will she take it more readily if it's warmed up slightly to improve the smell and taste? Is she having a reasonable fecal output relative to what she's taking in? Does she seem distressed or uncomfortable after eating and/or when she has to go? Has she been checked for an intestinal problem, maybe she has a sensitive stomach or allergies to something in the food? Does she drink water? Maybe she's drinking too much water so not room for food? I realize I'm asking a lot of questions and maybe giving not many answers. This is the kind of question that is so hard for me to answer, mostly what I do is try to relate it to my experiences with my chi's and those of my fellow chi owners. Please let us know how things go, I care and especially maybe I can learn something that will help me or someone else in the future.

Answer by jtshack
Submitted on 1/5/2004
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Elfie was weaned when we got her and ate well until the second day we had her. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what went wrong. Her fecal output was okay considering how little she was eating (if we didn't force it down, she didn't eat). She did drink a lot, but it was mostly after being given NutriCal to stop the blood sugar attack. She doesn't ever seem to be in any sort of distress, and actually plays for a short while after being forced to eat. She wasn't interested in table food, canned food, dry food -- nothing. In my heart, I believe the breeder was trying to sell as many puppies as possible before Christmas and rushed this little girl's litter before they were truly ready. I may be answering prematurely, but I think we may have found the solution. After speaking with a new vet, I bought one of almost every kind of soft dog/puppy food available on the market. A local grocery store (Food Lion) sells a brand of food called "Reward". This will sound stupid, but the food SMELLS good. Like you cooked it yourself. We warm it just slightly in the microwave. When I put the bowl in front of her, she drops on it like a lion over its kill. Now, I'm having to watch to make sure she doesn't eat too much too fast. Your thoughts on the old vet mimic our own. This wasn't the first instance that's made us question his abilities. Fortunately, we've found another vet who owns Chi's too. He's the one who told me to try the different foods. He also said that some of these little guys have VERY particular likes and dislikes. Seems I may have a Diva on my hands that simply insists on eating ONLY what she likes. We've made it through today with her eating the Reward food like gangbusters. If the trend continues, I'll follow up and let everyone know. This message board is a Godsend and is so helpful for a new Chi owner. Thank you so much for such a quick response!!

Answer by chimama
Submitted on 1/7/2004
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I Am So Glad you have found something that she will eat that is properly designed for dogs, and that you have found a vet that understands the unique challenges and joys of being owned by a chihuahua. I've been very lucky, both my girls eat whatever kibbles I give them, but canned food didn't agree, gave them the trots. I did find that they self-regulated as long as food was always available, but then I fed only dry kibbles. If you want to get eventually to using only dry kibbles, ask him if maybe you can start mixing kibbles into the Reward, just a little, and the flavor will seep into the dry. I personally don't recommend moist or packeted dog foods. What keeps them moist is that they have a lot of sugar in them, and a chihuahua doesn't need any help bouncing off the walls. Trust your vet, he's got more experience than I do. Don't waste the other foods you bought, your local animal shelter or humane society would probably be thrilled to accept them as donations. Food is expensive, and anything that helps them stretch the dollars available to them is welcome. Yes, some chi's can be quite the prima donna, demanding just the very thing they want and turning up their tiny noses at everything else. Not just food, mind you, there may be other battles still to come. My Gremlin is a velvet whore. What I mean is, I do Renaissance costuming, and she likes velvet. Not brocade, not satin, not silk, just velvet. She will sit on the couch and shake and shiver but no matter what you cover her with, she keeps shaking. But give her a piece of velvet and she immediately stops shivering. You can almost hear her sigh with contentment as she curls up and goes to sleep. She actually has her own piece of velvet. Not only that, but both my girls can tell which fabric is the most expensive. If I have two fabrics on the floor being cut, they will immediately pick the most expensive one, and that's where they want to lie down and/or eat. They like having a tablecloth to eat off of. If you haven't already, please invest in the book Chihuahuas for Dummies. It's the best one I know on the care and maintenance of these adorable furry creatures. Do keep us informed. Congratulations.

Answer by jtshack
Submitted on 1/11/2004
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We had another scary episode with Elfie even after finding her favorite food. We woke up one morning to find her in the midst of a seizure and frothing at the mouth. We immediately gave her 1cc of NutriCal and simply waited. I had to massage it into her gums because she wasn't even swallowing. About an hour later, she seemed much more alert and I offered her food. Lo and behold, she ate. I added a little Karo syrup to her water and for the next several meals, I would "jump start" her eating by placing a little food in her mouth with a tongue depressor. Evidently it was enough to get her going. Today makes day three since the seizure and adding the Karo syrup to her water. We've had no further problems and she appears to be doing well. I do agree with you about the soft food. Her stools are very loose right now and the vet has recommended giving her Kaopectate. Once we get out of the woods with her blood sugar, we'll begin to wean her off of the soft food. For now, we're just counting our blessings that we didn't lose her and she's doing so good!

Answer by chimama
Submitted on 1/13/2004
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I've gotten around the loose stools by wetting my girls dry kibble with water so it's softer. I would use some of the water from her water dish to do this. You could start mixing a little moistened kibble into her Reward wet food, then gradually switch the proportions until she is on full kibble. This especially worked well after my Gremlin had her baby teeth pulled. She'd retained them all, had two full sets and looking like that creature from Alien when she smiled. Even though the kibble is soft and water-logged, it didn't give her diarrhea. As for her runny stools, I've had to bathe my baby Gremlin's bottom before, baby wipes like for human babies are very soothing and were Vet recommended. Also, a little Vaseline on a q-tip applied to the outside and just a 1/4 of an inch inside her anus will help prevent irritation from acid poops.

Answer by Kym
Submitted on 9/29/2004
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I have a question. I recently got a teacup chihuahua for my birth date. He is 8 weeks old. About the 3rd day I had him he began to vomit and would stumble a lot. I took him to the vet and they gave him something like an IV. Everything was low, sugar, pressure, everything. He was also diagnosed with hookworms.We took him home with a catheter in his neck and several medications. It has been about 5 days, his hookworm medication is done and he is still not eating. We have tried several different foods but to no avail. We are having to give him NutriCal about 4 to 5 times daily. He drinks a little milk, no water, and no food. We have tried beef and chicken baby food and will not eat it. What should be my next step?

Answer by Sonja Horsak
Submitted on 6/14/2005
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Thanks for such great information! I just got an 8 week old female teacup Chi(Jolie), and am having some blood sugar problems with her. I give her Nutrical or Karo Syrup and feed her often. I'm even bringing her to work with me so I can watch her closely. She gets very lethargic at times and is hard to revive, even with the Nutrical. I have a standard Chi(Sasha), who had these problems as a puppy also, but nothing like this teacup. How long before blood sugar issues resolve themselves? I've heard that teacups often die as pups if not really well monitored. They are a lot of work, but well worth it. There is nothing more adorable than a baby teacup Chi!!

Answer by CINDY BURNS
Submitted on 6/17/2005
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My chi isn't eating either sounds as if we have the same puppy. I've done all of the above and he won't budge. He was drinking day before yesterday and now nothing. I'm afraid he may die. This place sold me a sick puppy it has kennel cough on top of everything else. Don't purchase a puppy from Texas Teacups. com This is where Paris Hilton bought her dog among other celebrities Jessica Simpson and various others. It is just another puppy mill. They are milking this for everything it is worth. This dog was sick the day I bought it! I called them and they said they wouldn't take the dog back. I took the dog to the vet that day and we practacally are living there trying to get this dog well. landguth@copper.net

Answer by Allie
Submitted on 8/22/2005
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I have a year and 2 month old chi and about 3 months ago stopped eating. He would eat a small amount and now it has gotten so bad he won't eat at all. This is strange to me considering that I had no problems with this earlier. Anyways, I've been to two different vets. One of them didn't tell me much, which made me think he didnt know what he was talking about. The other said that it could be a liver shunt, but Chilly (my chi) doesn't throw up or have diaharrea which is a main symptom of shunts. So he was given an appetite increasing shot, and it worked for the whole month and then he stopped eating again, the next month he was given another one of these shots and it worked for two weeks, and then the following month he was given another and it lasted one day. They kept giving him these thinking that if he was sick he'd eventually get over it. He has to be fed liquid dog food through a syringe and nutri cal in order to keep weight on him. He will not eat anything on his own, not canned, not his dry dog food, and not even people food (which I will add that he has never eaten people food). Two blood tests spread out among the time have also been given. One showed his liver count was high which also had them thinking it was a liver shunt, but from this simple blood test I guess doesn't reflect anything to do with shunts. The second test showed his liver was normal and his white blood cell count was a little high. Nobody knows what is wrong with him. All the test that would define something are about 500.00, plus surgery for anything would be in the thousands...i am a college student...unless I win the lottery this isn't going to happen. I am so upset I don't know what to do. If you have any suggestions please let me know. I have tried to get in touch with this chi vet, but she never calls me back, even so I don't have much more money to be putting into this.

Answer by Chastity
Submitted on 9/29/2005
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Hello this is my first time on this site and I am needing to get some help. My chihuahua Sandy was mated the last days of July now she has colostrum I know that this is colostrum it is like a yellow or tan color and sticky. My problem is I am not 100% sure if she is pregnant or not she doesn't look to be pregnant but that is easy to explain if she is only having 1 puppy her vulva isn't swollen either the thing i am wondering is it possible for her to get colostrum and NOT be pregnant or does this mean she could be pregnant. At first the milk came through on Sept. 20,2005 and it was white but just here in the last 2 days it has changed to colostrum the yellow tan looking color and sticky. Is this possible or do you think she just might be pregnant please someone get back with me ASAP her temp has been running about 98.7 to 99.3 today.

Answer by skyhawk203
Submitted on 5/10/2006
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HELP OUR Baby Yorkie IS NOT EATING We have been breeding puppies for 10 years and nothing like this has ever happened. My 6 1/2 week old 1lb. female Yorkie of a litter of 4. She was the 2nd one to be born, But she has completely stopped eating!!! I brought her home yesterday from town, it was warm outside maybe 83 degrees and had the windows down, bringing in lots of air. I noticed that she was a little limp, So I immediately put her under the tap of cool not cold water. I did this 3 times over a 45 minute period. She started to act better, but wouldn't suckle at all or eat her soft puppy food. She usually suckles from her mother 8 times or a day.. Then she eats about 40 or so pieces of soften puppy food during the day, and she drinks from her water bottle. So I tube fed her some water. and then I tube fed her puppies milk Then this morning after she still wouldn't eat or suckle. She had no interest. She wobbles alittle when she tries to walk, She will wait until I put her on the newspaper before going potty, she will nestle with her mother, she looks around when there are noises, her head moves quickly. She seem alert and now walks ok without the wobble.. The only thing that seems to be the problem, Is that she will not eat or drink from mom, the bottle, just from the feeding tube Any idea's I even tried putting canned dog food in front of her and even human food.. But to no avail! Thanks to anybody that can help us, in advance!!! Lewis and Becky

Answer by nicoleee.
Submitted on 12/21/2006
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well its a thing called hypoglycemia. its a disorder that effects the central nervous system and is a result of low blood sugar. it occurs mainly in smaller breeds around the ages 6-14 weeks. trying to feed him frequents meals to provide a consant sourse of calories, the risk of hypoglycemia can be a greatly reduce. signs of it : lethargic. depression. loss of appetite. shaking/convulsions. underweight. make sure that there is water and food available all day and all night all the time.. cause this can happen with oput warning. maybe try canned wet food. and formulla milk for your chihuahua. or maybe it helps when you add puppy formula[do not use human milk] to the food. put them together. it helps then to eat better and not worry about so many dishes. it makes a great difference. or get a small botttle and feed them that way.. try adding Karo Syrup to the animals milk or water. if you have any questions contact your veterinarian. i know all this from exsperence. my new puppy got it.

Answer by HawtSauce
Submitted on 4/26/2007
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I have a Chi, she is going on 12 months old. We too had hypoglaucemic problems with her as a pup. she refused to eat for the longest time and even on her deathbed she still refused! We took her to the vet and he gave us a high calorie supliment to feed her till she got on her feet. once on her feet she again stopped eating. The Doc told us to find something...anything as long as she would eat it and recomended if we could get her to eat gerber wieners to give em to her and slowly whean her off and into kibble. Well as you lot said before she is the princess and refuses anything but and this has been an on going battle since DAY 1. he we are nearly 1 year later and she still hasnt decided what she like!

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Question by jtshack
Submitted on 1/4/2004
Related FAQ: rec.pets.dogs: Chihuahuas Breed-FAQ
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HELP!! My 9 week old Chi won't eat and her blood sugar keeps bottoming out. She's being fed with a syringe 5 to 6 times a day. If I don't force her to eat, she won't and I have a limp dishrag for a puppy. I originally took her to the vet because she vomited every morning. That stopped, but her appetite hasn't returned. Once in a while, she'll eat on her own, but it's fast becoming an exception to the norm. Is this something she'll outgrow?

Answer by Alex
Submitted on 2/14/2004
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i got a question... my friends dog is dieing.. its 12 years old and was recently pregnant, it wont eat, drink... its eyes have gone inside their sockets and he cant walk, I am quite sure it is his time to go but if there is any professional advice you can give, it would be well apprectiated, thank you.

Answer by R.E.Fouty
Submitted on 3/14/2004
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We have 2 chihuahua puppies 1 of them is 9 weeks old and the other one is 6 weeks old the 6 weeksold will not eat solid food. He eats very little of anything, dog or people food,Have him on puppie milk, he drinks very littke if it, Also the 6 weeks puppie was the onlyone in the litter. What can we do too make him eat.

Answer by Kathy Evans
Submitted on 11/22/2004
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I also have a new puppy, she is 10 wks old. She is a miniature chi. She has hypoglycemia and has to be fed frequently. She has no appetite and I have to force feed her with a syringe. I feed her canned food from the vets mixed with water to get it through the syringe. I give her nutra cal and also karo when needed. She has herrific diarrhea and I am very concerned about that. I hope one day she will like her food. She snubs the dry.

Answer by Emily
Submitted on 1/7/2005
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i have a 11 week old chihuahua puppy(very small 1.6 lb) she eats ok and goes to the bathroom ok, but refuses to drink by herself! i give her lots of nutrical and have to force her to drink pedialyte water and gatorade, any suggestions? thank you!

Answer by chimama
Submitted on 3/18/2004
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Get him to the vet, he might have to be supplemented with a high calorie formula. He should also be checked for parasites. He might not have been taught to eat solid food by his dam before they were separated, your vet can help you teach him that. Don't give him human food, it's a very bad habit to get into and can stop him from eating puppy food. A chi's tummy is very small, they need to get maximum nutrition from everything they eat, so stick with a good quality puppy food.

Answer by Brooke
Submitted on 1/21/2005
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My 13 week old teacup yorkie still hasn't gained any weight since we got him from the breeder at 9 weeks. We had a horrible battle with hypoglycemia and we still have to force feed him most of the time and use nutrical. He has been wormed and checked for parasites. We have been to many different vets but can't figure out why he hasn't gained any weight. He is one pound exactly.

Answer by AD
Submitted on 7/11/2005
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I have a 6 week old puppy, this morning i went to go find him, and i couldn't. I looked everywhere, i finally found him. And he smelled like pee. I gave him a bath, and he nose dived in, and just layed there. I took him to the vet, and told me that he needed blood, cause he didnt have any barley. But i cant afford it. He want eat, or drink. But i have gotten woater down his throat by using a baby bottle, for no dehidrations. I DO NOT NO WHAT TO DO. And the vets odviously dont either, please help!

Answer by Casey
Submitted on 7/12/2005
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I am having a similar problem with my 8 week old Miniature Pinscher. She will not eat. We have tried everything from wetting her kibble with water and even canned food. She ate the canned food but it gave her terrible diarreah, and the vet told us she couldnt digest the canned food due to a high fat content. The vet told us to put sugar in her water, or even mix in Gatorade the keep her blood sugar where it should be. Please reply with suggestions. My email address is Skidmark24@aol.com

Answer by shaquana
Submitted on 12/2/2005
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i have a 9 week old puppy maltese a teacup and he does not eat well i have to force him to eat i brought he some ceasars puppy food he ate well then that evening i give it to him again and know he wont eat. what should i do

Answer by army chick
Submitted on 12/21/2005
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My little chi will only eat soft food. He occasionally has the runs, but will not eat dry food. Is soft food really bad for him even just once a day or should I take him off it completely?

Answer by Cary
Submitted on 1/23/2006
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this is hyper glucose syndrome it is not considered a disease but i have a 9 week old chi and we have this molasses flavored stuff that keeps her level up...some noticable signs of this is pale gums and tongue.;..get her to the vet! or to ur local pet store (petland) and they have the stuf there

Answer by DestinyGirl
Submitted on 5/13/2006
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I have a question.. i just purchased a 9 week old chihuahua. She wont drink any fluids. i have tried everything, she eats good, is playfull but wont seem to wanna drink any fluids, i have tried water, puppies milk, chicken broth nothing will work. please help me

Answer by leli
Submitted on 7/12/2006
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how many times my 3 weeks old puppy should eat? he eats 4 or 5 times a day small porsion. Even that he eats small portions he is getting fat.

Answer by Chi Mama
Submitted on 10/9/2006
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I found a tick on my chi the other day. after i removed it he has like a black like scab thing on his neck where the tick was. Now his fur coat is like bumpy looking and he doesnt stop shaking even when hes sleeping. can anyone tell me whats wrong with my puppy?????????? help me quick im so scared.

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Answer by person
Submitted on 5/10/2007
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Sorry, this is not an answer, but my two day old chicken will not eat we have to forde feed it with a medicen syring! She or he is very weak but it is doing better. Once again, WHAT DO I DO!!! P.S. DONT SAY LEAVE HIM BE AND LET NATURE TAKE ITS CORSE BECAUSE I WILL NOT TAKE 'DO NOTHING' AS AN ANSWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer by Debbie
Submitted on 7/7/2007
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I'm having the same problem with my 7 week old chi. She want, eat, just looks at me. I get up every 4 hours to force milk, food, nutra cal down her with a suringe.I'm at my wits end. My vet says to feed her. I do but I'm not getting anywhere. I want this puppy to live so bad, I rescued her so she can have a good life, she just gets worst. I need help...