Can I give glucose to my 4-week-old puppies if they're not eating?

Puppies have limited glucose reserves. This is why they need to be fed frequently. It is normal and not a reason for euthanasia. Have him examined by your veterinarian to rule out any medical causes. Feed a good quality puppy food and supplement with NutriCal, a calorie dense paste that is used for quick energy. As he gets older, you won't need to feed him as often and by one year of age, he should be eating twice daily.

Hi, thanks for using Petcoach! A lot of breeders cause panic in owners that purchase their small or toy breed puppies over the concern for hypoglycemia (or low blood sugar). If Lexi is eating well then she doesn't need sugar added to her water. I recommend feeding small and toy breed puppies multiple small meals through out the day until they are 4 months old/ After 4 months you can just feed 3 times per day. I find the biggest cause of low blood sugar in these puppies are intestinal parasites, specifically coccidia. I recommend taking a stool sample to your Vet for testing. And keeping a tube of Nutri-cal around is better than adding sugar to the water in my opinion. I hope this helps! https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/tomlyn-nutri-cal-puppy-dietary-supplement

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your puppy. This is not normal behavior for such a young puppy. If he goes too long between meals, his blood sugar will drop too low. I recommend having him evaluated by a veterinarian today. In the meantime, you can place karo or maple syrup on his gums to help raise his blood sugar. I hope this information helps!

She’s tiny, she could have low sugar or hypoglycemia. This can become life threatening. Please give her a 1/2 teaspoonful of honey or Karo syrup. You can rub it into her gums if she won’t lick it. I would try to have her eat small amounts of small breed puppy food at least six times daily until she’s bigger and stronger. If you still can’t get her to eat she will need veterinary treatment soon. This is a serious medical problem. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for your puppy.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that your puppy is not eating well and seems ill. Puppies need to feed approximately ever 2 hours when they are first born; if they don't, they can become dehydrated and also get dangerously low blood sugar levels. If the puppy is not feeding well and seems to not be thriving, I recommend bringing the puppy to your local veterinarian as soon as you can. Puppies can rapidly decompensate and even pass on their own when they aren't thriving. Bottle feeding is not the safest option for feeding puppies, as they can accidentally aspirate the milk into their lungs and develop fatal pneumonia. The safest way to feed newborn puppies is tube feeding, where you pass a feeding tube down into their stomach and directly deliver the food. This should be demonstrated by a veterinarian so you can do it safely. I hope this is helpful!

Hypoglycemia is a big problem in small breed puppies. At 10 weeks old I would worried about that and also it could be that he has a liver problem (shunt) or a cardiac issue. Teddy may need more testing to figure out what is going on. An ultrasound may be taken of the abdomen to try and identify a pancreatic, liver or other type of tumor that could cause hypoglycemia. Puppies and adult dogs that appear to be in a stupor or coma during a hypoglycemic attack should immediately be given sugar water or an oral concentrated solution of glucose, such as corn (Karo) syrup or Nutri-Cal. Rub it directly on his gums. The sugar will be absorbed directly through the tissue into the bloodstream. You should add two tablespoons Karo syrup to your puppy’s water for all day sipping. Be sure to dump out and add fresh each day or the sugar water could grow bacteria. Schedule several meals every day. Toy breed adults and any young puppy have trouble eating enough food at one setting. So a small meal several times a day helps keep the blood sugar levels normal. I hope this helps. You really need to keep in contact with your vet about Teddy's symptoms. Best wishes.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would give a little Karo syrup on her gums and see if she will eat some dog food for you. See how she is after this. With her being so small, her blood sugar could be having difficulties regulating, especially if she is a picky eater or doesn't eat that much. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine her now as well and see if there is anything else underlying predisposing her to these episodes. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.