Pomeranian Hypoglycemia

by Nicole
(Tallmadge, Ohio, USA)

Turi sleeping

My husband and I purchased a 9 month old pomeranian about a week ago (her name is Turi). The breeder warned us about hypoglycemia eposides due to her size (she is 3 pounds and not expected to grow any more) and really pushed making sure she eats to reduce/avoid this possibility.

We have encountered what we believe to be an episode of hypoglycemia and coccidia (she is currently being treated by her vet). The vet feels that the coccidia is the larger concern due to the stress of coming to a new home, being vaccinated, etc. She also feels that the puppy is not hypoglycemic, but rather had an instance of hypoglycemia. We are just looking for as much information as possible about the hypoglycemia and pomeranians by age, but cannot find where this has been addressed.

Basically, we are wondering if a pomeranian's risk of episodes of hypoglycemia reduce as they get older or if they have an episode of hypoglycemia at 9 months old, is this a sign of potentially being hypoglycemic? The breeder did tell us that she had an episode of hypoglycemia prior to us purchasing her, but she said that was soon after weaning and she realized that she was not eating properly.

We understand that episodes can occur under stressful situations, but with age and maturity is this something that she can outgrow? Our concern is that if she is hypoglycemic that she will need care that we may not be able to provide because we both work.

Thank you.


Hi Nicole
I can't give you a 'set in stone' answer to this question I'm afraid, but I do know that hypoglycemia is most often seen in puppies for several reasons.

These include the fact that they're growing rapidly and therefore 'using up' their food faster than a mature or adult dog. Also, their livers are not mature and often not able to produce glucose fast enough to keep up with the demand.

At 9 months old your pup is not a baby anymore, but she's really not fully adult either. She won't be until about a year old. I'm not a veterinarian so anything I say here is purely my personal opinion, but if she's only had one instance of low blood sugar previously, and this one seems to have been brought on by stress and her body being weakened by the coccidia, I wouldn't necessarily expect her to be considered hypoglycemic.

However, as you only have the breeders word for her history, and no firm guarantee that this was an isolated incident, I think you need to give it a little time once she's over the coccidia before you can really be sure.

I would tend to agree with your vet that the coccidiosis is more of a concern than the hypoglycemia at this point. Coccidia is definitely an illness that is often triggered by stressful events and needs prompt treatment.

If once your pup has recovered, you wait a few weeks without noticing any more hypoglycemic incidents I think you can expect your pup to be one that may suffer a drop in blood sugar if the circumstances are extreme, but not one that experiences them on a regular basis.

There are things you can do to help offset any tendency to hypoglycemic incidents. Those are to continue feeding her a puppy food (which contains a higher proportion of calories than adult food), feed her at least 3 times a day, and make sure that she doesn't overtire herself.

These tiny breeds have very small tummies but a high metabolic rate so it's important that they eat often, and don't 'use up' their stores of food before it's replenished. 'Running on empty' is the major cause of a drop in blood sugar.

She will be fully grown soon, with a mature liver and a decent store of body fat, and if you follow the above guidelines I think she should be fine. BUT if she does continue to have more incidents or seizures, then you may need to rethink your situation.

She looks absolutely adorable and I hope that she's feeling much better soon and that it works out well for you all. Best of luck!