New Pomeranian Owners

NEW POMERANIAN OWNERS

In some respects, bringing your new Pomeranian puppy home is like bringing home a tiny newborn human baby. There are various things to watch for and some do’s and don’ts that are helpful.

Most Important! Pomeranians, like many other toy breeds, may be susceptible to a form of low blood sugar called hypoglycemia. You probably won’t experience low blood sugar with your particular puppy, but in the even that you do, it is an emergency. A little bit of sugar in the form of honey or Karo syrup may save his life. Listed below is a brief explanation of hypoglycemia.

Small dogs, especially Pomeranians, have a very small fat reserve around the liver. When they get stressed for some reason; like going to a new home, playing to hard (using a lot of energy), or missing a meal, the fat reserve is used up and the body will begin to draw upon the blood sugar for energy. If this condition is left unchecked the dog will grow progressively weaker until it falls into a coma and eventually dies.

The good news is that this condition is easily arrested and puppies that do experience hypoglycemia will usually outgrow it by 16 weeks of age. You goal, as a new owner, should be to keep the puppies stress level as low as possible during that critical period.

Often the most dangerous period is between six and ten weeks of age. During that time frame the puppy is weaned away from the dam, wormed, vaccinated, bathed, his toenails are trimmed and sometimes he is sold into a new environment. Also, the immunity that a puppy gets from the mother’s first milk will drop of around the ninth week (or sooner). That will increate his vulnerability to virus and bacteria. All together, these factors contribute to a very stressful time for the little dog. Some puppies breeze right through them and others have problems.

If I sell someone a puppy I always tell him or her to call me at any time that they see something in the dog that they do not like. If it is 3:00 am and the puppy has a problem, I want to be contacted so that I can help, but, if this dog is very sick take to the nearest Vet first and then contact me with the results. We breeders will be responsible for the creation of these little creatures and we owe it to them to make sure that we’re there for them as well as for the buyers.

Signs of hypoglycemia vary and can include, lethargic behavior, staggering, falling down, or just laying down, followed by what looks like sleep. This sleep like condition can turn into a form of tooth clenching seizures and spasms, followed by a comatose condition and eventually death. Not all symptoms may be seen at any one time so watch for any lethargic behavior or lack of coordination that is out of the norm. If your puppy shows any of these symptoms wake him up, stand him up, and make sure that he can stand and walk normally. If hey lies back down, falls or staggers then get some sugar (honey or Karo syrup) into him. If you are unsure of how to proceed then call your breeder and/or your veterinarian.

Hypoglycemia is seen most often in smaller specimens of Pomeranian puppy, but we caution all new owners to watch your puppy carefully until he is at least 16 weeks of age. Many breeders will not even sell a puppy until it is 12 weeks of age, but this can cause bonding and socialization issues as the first 120 days of the puppy’s life are like “the formative years” in the life of a human child. What it comes down to is a judgment call by the breeder as to when the puppy I strong enough to leave. Once that call is made the new owner has to take over as the

New Pomeranian Owners.doc Page 1 of 2 puppy’s guardian. It is hard to hold the breeder responsible for hypoglycemia when they aren’t there. While hypoglycemia could be a potential problem to any puppy, given the circumstance.

Karo syrup, pancake syrup, nutri-cal vitamin paste, nutristat, honey will all help to restore lost blood sugar. In severe cares a veterinarian may have to inject a glucose solution into the dog’s bloodstream. This occurs usually in cases where the dog is unconscious and unable to swallow.

One good idea is to make sure that your dog eats just prior to his being out of your sight for any extended period of time. You can also boost him with one of the recommended sugar replacement substances before you leave him. You must make sure to leave food available so that the dog can eat while you are away. Some Pomeranians are nibblers who very eat very slowly and some are down right finicky so take that into account and leave him with nutrition that is available while you are away from him.

Stress can be a real problem to some Pomeranians. Common sources for high stress are being sold and taken to a new environment, a temporarily depressed immune system caused by vaccinations, a radical and sudden change of diet. Being terribly frightened by something, or dropped or injured in any form. Some things humans might consider being of little consequence, such as trimming his toenails or giving him a bath, can be terrifying to your little dog. Like people, some dogs will handle stress better than others. The point being that you should minimize stress in you puppy’s life whenever possible and keep him eating to offset any possible bouts of stress including hypoglycemia.

A change in diet may cause your dog’s bowel movements to become loose for a while. A little bit of stress-induced diarrhea is often seen when a puppy is transferred to a new environment. Also, if you give the puppy sugars in this diet to offset the hypoglycemia you will probably see some loose stool. Again, don’t panic, just give him a little time and it should clear up.

If your dog is a finicky eater, try him on cottage cheese, boiled chicken, steak (cut into very tiny pieces), scrambled eggs, or any high protein source that he will eat (within reason). If you have a deer hunter in the family try the puppy on some lean venison. They usually love it and it is good for them. Things that you should avoid giving him are milk (hard on the digestive system), chocolate (poison to a dog’s system), raw eggs (at least the white part), cooked or uncooked salmon (uncooked is a poison, cooked contains tiny bones that may catch in their system). I like to give my puppy a nice round cooked bone, but be sure to remove it from their access before it gets dry and begins to splinter. Raw bones bring a risk of acquiring parasites upon eating the flesh of another animal.

New puppies need a series of vaccinations to build immunity against a variety of viruses and bacteria. Normally, when a puppy nurses for the first time he will receive a measure of immunity from his mother’s first mile. The amount of immunity he receives can be determined by how much of this first milk he gets and how much immunity is actually contained in the mile. If a puppy gets a good dose of immunity from the mother it will stay with him for several weeks. The accepted “drop-off-time”, according to vaccine manufactures is considered to be around the 4th or 5th week.

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