Many Toy Breeds are susceptible to a form of low blood sugar called hypoglycemia. Small dogs have a very small fat reserve around the liver. When they get stressed for some reason (like going to a new home), or if they play too hard (using a lot of energy), or they miss 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. Puppies that do experience hypoglycemia will usually outgrow it by 16 weeks of age. You should keep the puppys stress level as low as possible during the critical period and make sure he is eating. Puppies that are stressed often won't eat well the first few days, which puts them at a risk for hypoglycemia. You can put some sugar in their water for the first few days. Once the puppy has adjusted to his new surroundings and is eating well, the sugar in the water should be stopped. Often the most dangerous period is between six and ten weeks of age. Signs of hypoglycemia vary; usually the dog will get a sad look on its face, it will become inactive, shiver, eventually staggering, falling down, or just laying down, followed by what looks like sleep. This sleep like condition will turn into a form of tooth-clenching seizures and spasms, followed by a comatose condition, and, eventually, death. If your puppy seems too sleepy, wake him up, stand him up and make sure he stands and can walk normally. If he lies back down, falls, or staggers, then get some sugar into him(such as Nutri-Cal or Karo(corn syrup) and put the puppy on a heating pad. If the puppy does not show improvement, or seems to be getting worse, call your Veterinarian immediately. You need to leave food & water available to young puppies at all times and make sure they are eating and drinking it. Some puppies can be picky so if they do not seem to be eating well try giving them canned food, boiled chicken breast or boiled hamburger.
Collapsing Trachea
Toy Breeds can sometimes make a quacking type of noise. It does not adversely affect
their health in any way. They usually do it the most when they are excited, and sometimes
if you rub their throat, it can help.
Luxating Patellas
Patella luxation can either have genetic causes, or environmental causes (injury). If patella luxation shows up at an early age, it could be due to genetic causes; however, injury might also cause patella luxation to show up in the first year. Sources of injury could include being overweight, too much jumping (jumping off furniture), or too much stress on the patella and surrounding ligaments (a dog dancing on its rear legs). These causes are especially dangerous when a puppy is in the developmental stages.....from a young puppy to 1 or 2 years of age. Puppies might also damage their kneecap by hitting it, and even an unskilled Veterinarian might cause permanent looseness if he is forcibly trying to see if the patella is loose. As a dog ages, slight looseness might be seen, especially in dogs that are very overweight and have continued pressure on the ligaments/patella.
Teeth Issues
Because Toy Breeds are small, they also have a very small mouth. This small mouth can cause problems with the mouth being too small for the teeth, which causes overcrowding. Overcrowding of teeth can cause food to be trapped between the teeth, resulting in plaque and tarter buildup, as well as premature tooth-loss. Keeping the teeth clean is essential to keeping the mouth and the rest of the dog healthy. Dogs that have dirty teeth are found to be at much more at risk of heart, liver and kidney damage from the bacteria entering the bloodstream.
You can help keep the mouth clean by offering dental biscuits, dental chew toys, including edible dental chew toys (greenies, dentabones, etc.), feeding dry food instead of semi-moist or canned food, brushing your dog's teeth, using the available edible water additives for dental hygiene, as well as taking your dog to the veterinarian for a dental cleaning, etc.
Another issue, although less serious and easily corrected, is retained puppy teeth. Toy breeds are more prone to this problem, and it is caused by the adult tooth growing beside the puppy tooth, instead of the puppy tooth falling out.
Retained puppy teeth can be removed at the time of spay/neuter. This way the dog is only under anesthetic once.
Puppy Uglies!!
There is a developmental stage that puppies go through that is commonly referred to as the "puppy uglies". This is the time between puppy-hood and adulthood, usually starting at about 3 to 4 months of age and diminishing at about 6 to 8 months of age. During this phase the coat starts to thin and look scruffy - sometimes the puppy will have large patches of hair loss and look like he/she is moth eaten(more evident in Long Coated puppies), which coupled with a growth spurt causes the puppy to look gangly, scraggly and just overall awful! Many owners and even some Vets mistake the symptoms of the "Puppy Uglies" for more serious medical issues such as Allergies, Thyroid problems etc. At about 6 to 8 months of age this phase begins to end and your puppies coat will begin to fill out.
Male vs Female
We receive so many requests for female puppies, because it is believed that females make better pets, that we wanted to take the time to clear up some myths and partial truths about males.
First, many people believe that males are difficult to house train. This is partly because they are concerned about a behavior called "marking" where the male urinates on everything he comes across. This is not an uncommon behavior for INTACT males - and in a lot of cases, females! I have had several intact girls that lift their leg! In most cases, if you neuter your male before he begins to lift his leg, the chances that he ever will lift his leg, or mark his territory, are very low. Other things to consider - it is less costly to neuter a male dog than it is to spay a female dog and the procedure for the male is not as invasive with less recovery time. It is also easier to get a male in your choice of size/coat/color - most people are on waiting lists for a female and most litters have more male than female puppies.
Males are, in most cases, much calmer, more loving and much easier to get along with than females are. Females tend to have more temperamental personalities. They are moodier and generally not as laid back as males. Also, females tend to be more active - or in other words, more hyper than males.
It is agreed by most breeders that neutered males make much better pets than females. Males are highly loyal and protective and they form strong bonds with their family. They respond very well to commands and are usually quick to learn. Females are smart and will learn commands as well, but are more apt to ignore them.
We have also noticed with our own dogs that our females tend to bark more. Our males for the most part are quiet, sweet and content to be where ever you have them.
