Yesterday we found a tick on our 12-week-old Yorkshire Terrier and removed it fine, but due to the heat (it's been about 80 here the last two days - air conditioning goes on tomorrow) and the tick, he didn't eat as much as usual.
He was sleeping last night while I was reading, and he jerked and whimpered maybe six times quickly in his sleep. I woke him up to check on him, and while he did wake up, he was having difficulty offering any sort of resistance to my holding him, feeling very limp and apparently having a hard time remaining conscious. His eyes kind of moved in and out and for maybe 15-30 seconds and he seemed unable to register his surroundings. I thought, oh, this is hypoglycemia. I'd heard that Yorkies in particular are suceptible to it, and I suffer from it as well, having passed out myself on three or so occasions. I gave Winston water and 1 1/4 teaspoons of corn syrup, as well as some gatorade. After the water he seemed tired and interested in lying down and resting, obviously lacking in energy, although he did not seem on the verge of passing out like he had earlier. After the syrup he had a natural sugar high and low, but didn't crash particularly hard. He seemed perfectly normal this morning, although he was not very interested in his food (perhaps wishing for syrup instead?) and we gave him 1/4 teaspoon syrup in the morning, to prevent his blood sugar levels from dropping again.
We took him to the vet for the tick and told the receptionist about the hypoglycemic episode, and she freaked out. She told us that he needed his full bloodwork done, he could have a neurological disorder, he was at least going to have to go on a special diet for life, etc. When we talked to the vet about it, he seemed unconcerned, however. He said it was likely hypoglycemia, or maybe even the heat getting to him. He said it was not unheard of for a dog to pass out from heat exposure, or even from the trauma of having the tick making him feel ill all day and then having it removed painfully.
I wanted to ask if anyone's pets have had hypoglycemic episodes and if they seemed similar to what Winston suffered last night. Being hypoglycemic, I felt almost 100% sure that I recognized his symptoms immediately, and I'm not that concerned because the vet said it was likely not a problem, but I would welcome input on how to avoid such attacks in the future. We feed him about a cup of Purina Puppy Chow a day, and his appetite varies. We've been feeding him three times a day at 10, 2, and 7 and not leaving the food out. I figured that he would eat enough to sustain himself, but do I need to monitor his intake more closely? Coax him into eating when his appetite isn't that great? Are there any tricks I should know?
Thanks for any input you can give!
He was sleeping last night while I was reading, and he jerked and whimpered maybe six times quickly in his sleep. I woke him up to check on him, and while he did wake up, he was having difficulty offering any sort of resistance to my holding him, feeling very limp and apparently having a hard time remaining conscious. His eyes kind of moved in and out and for maybe 15-30 seconds and he seemed unable to register his surroundings. I thought, oh, this is hypoglycemia. I'd heard that Yorkies in particular are suceptible to it, and I suffer from it as well, having passed out myself on three or so occasions. I gave Winston water and 1 1/4 teaspoons of corn syrup, as well as some gatorade. After the water he seemed tired and interested in lying down and resting, obviously lacking in energy, although he did not seem on the verge of passing out like he had earlier. After the syrup he had a natural sugar high and low, but didn't crash particularly hard. He seemed perfectly normal this morning, although he was not very interested in his food (perhaps wishing for syrup instead?) and we gave him 1/4 teaspoon syrup in the morning, to prevent his blood sugar levels from dropping again.
We took him to the vet for the tick and told the receptionist about the hypoglycemic episode, and she freaked out. She told us that he needed his full bloodwork done, he could have a neurological disorder, he was at least going to have to go on a special diet for life, etc. When we talked to the vet about it, he seemed unconcerned, however. He said it was likely hypoglycemia, or maybe even the heat getting to him. He said it was not unheard of for a dog to pass out from heat exposure, or even from the trauma of having the tick making him feel ill all day and then having it removed painfully.
I wanted to ask if anyone's pets have had hypoglycemic episodes and if they seemed similar to what Winston suffered last night. Being hypoglycemic, I felt almost 100% sure that I recognized his symptoms immediately, and I'm not that concerned because the vet said it was likely not a problem, but I would welcome input on how to avoid such attacks in the future. We feed him about a cup of Purina Puppy Chow a day, and his appetite varies. We've been feeding him three times a day at 10, 2, and 7 and not leaving the food out. I figured that he would eat enough to sustain himself, but do I need to monitor his intake more closely? Coax him into eating when his appetite isn't that great? Are there any tricks I should know?
Thanks for any input you can give!