My dog has hypocalcemia, twitching, and is wobbly. What to do?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Cookienear! Cookie needs to go to a vet immediately and be evaluated for hypocalcemia, which is low calcium. This is a serious condition after giving birth in some dogs. Once the diagnosis is conformed the Vet will give Cookie an injection to raise her calcium and prescribe medications. I hope this helps and i wish Cookiebear the best!

She needs to continue to eat puppy food which is high in calories and will help keep her from becoming hypocalcemic. She should not need supplemental calcium unless the vet has currently diagnosed her with hypocalcemia. She may be shaking because she is in discomfort from her recent labor. Keep an eye on her for the next 24 hrs and if the shaking continues you may want to give the calcium you got from your vet the last time she had an episode just to hold her over until she can be seen to make sure low calcium is truly the issue here. A simple blood test should be able to sort things out. I hope everything works out well for your pet Snow. Best wishes and take care.

I would not give any supplements to Cholo. This could be way more vitamin D than he needs and could cause other problems. It sounds like he has arthritis pain. Glucosamine chindroitin is ok but he may need something stronger that he would get from a vet. Good luck and kisses to Cholo!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If you are worried a dog will have low calcium the supplement would need to be given AFTER the puppies were born while she is nursing. In order to confirm that is why Millie is sick your Vet should do a Calcium level on her blood. The diarrhea could be making her weak and diarrhea can be from worms. Also a fever from a uterine infection or mastitis can make her sick. I am glad she is eating but if your Vet hasn't examine her I would have that done to be sure that all she needs is the calcium tablets. It is a bit odd to have a low calcium 4 weeks after giving birth. i wish you the best!

She could have a calcium deficiency from nursing the pups and being so young and small herself. If the twitching continues or her condition deteriorates then please take her in immediately since this condition can cause seizures and become life threatening very quickly. It is treated with intravenous medication so a veterinary diagnosis and treatment would be needed. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Flo.

Yes, i would continue with calcium supplementation (low blood levels can result in seizures in nursing mothers). Given her small size, i would recommend getting a dog version, in smaller, more accurate dosage such as canovel tablets or a calcium powder available from your vets office or petstore

The CBC that you posted does not show any significant abnormalities. Hypocalcemia (low blood calcium) is not terribly common in puppies, it is most common in pregnant or nursing dogs. Hypocalcemia can be caused by severe malnutrition. More commonly, small breed puppies, like chihuahuas, can easily become hypoglycemic (low blood sugar). Sometimes this is caused by not eating frequently enough. I recommend that Bread be fed a good quality puppy food every 6 hours to prevent hypoglycemia. If she is lethargic, you can rub honey or caro syrup on her gums to help. If she will lap it up, you can also offer her a small amount of sugar water (but don't leave it out longer than a few minutes as it can quickly go bad and grow bacteria). In the US, we have a supplement called Nutrical, but it is not a calcium supplement, it has some vitamins, fat, protein, and sugar to help prevent this from happening. Other causes of hypoglycemia in puppies are congenital defects like portosystemic shunt or hydrocephalus, and other issues like bacterial infection (less likely based on the CBC), intestinal parasites, stress, or diarrhea.