Do 2-month-old Maltese puppies need sugar added to their water?

Hi and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Very cute puppies. Young puppies cannot maintain adequate levels of blood glucose and they depend on eating frequent meals. If the puppies are eating and drinking well and acting normally, additional forms of glucose such as NutriCal, Karo Syrup, others are not necessary. But if puppies don't eat well or skip meals it is certainly ok for you to provide some extra fuel for them to burn. If you notice them becoming mentally dulled, wobbly, weak, extra glucose is certainly something to try. If that doesn't work then have them evaluated by your veterinarian. Hope they continue to do well.

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.

The drop should have directions on them, however in most cases vitamins are best absorbed with food. These are my best recommendations for a multivitamin for Lexi. These vitamins are formulated for a puppy and provide the extras she needs to grow and develop properly. www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=19883

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.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Mystic. Being such a tiny puppy, she may have difficulty regulating her blood sugar. If very young small puppies go too long between meals, their blood sugar can drop too low. This results in a weak lethargic puppy that will be less interested in eating and drinking. You can try using a supplement known as NutriCal to keep her blood sugar up. If she seems unresponsive, place karo syrup on her gums and seek immediate veterinary care. Otherwise, leave puppy food available at all times so that she does not need to go extended periods between meals. Continue this until she is around 4 months of age. As far as another puppy food option, I would use a small or tiny breed formula from Purina or Hills. These are trustworthy companies with products backed by extensive research. You can add warm water to the dry kibble, mix canned and dry food or just offer canned. You may have to try different combinations to see what she likes. I hope this information helps!

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.

I recommend you feed dry food that is made for xtra small dogs like this one from Royal Canin. Yes, you can mix some canned food into it as well. It is best to feed multiple small meals per days with these little micro/mini breeds as they tend to get low blood sugar if they go too long between meals. Small meals 3-4 times per day is best - mostly dry food and just a touch of the wet food. Do this until about 6 months of age then you can go to feeding twice per day. ( ) ( ) Please don't give grain free diets. They are not necessary and there is actually a new study out that has linked grain free diets to heart disease/failure in dogs. Hope this helps. Best wishes!