What is Hypoglycemia and is my Chihuahua puppy at risk for it?
Hypoglycemia is a low blood sugar. “Hypoglycemia occurs when the body runs out of available energy stored as glycogen or as fat, depriving the nervous system of the energy it needs to function properly. Tiny puppies cannot store adequate levels of glycogen or fat to sustain them for very long, especially when they are burning energy rapidly.” “Chihuahua puppies are more fragile than larger breeds, and can succumb to hypoglycemia if they miss a meal or if they overexert themselves without sufficient nourishment.” (Chihuahuas, Barrons 2003) Many breeders elect to keep chi puppies until they reach 10 weeks to decrease the incidence of hypoglycemia. Say Chis Chihuahuas begins assessing puppy readiness after the age of 8 weeks.
