# Sticky  Sweet Elena and the perils of hypoglycemia



## bellaratamaltese

I was just looking through my photo bucket account and came across these 'before' photos of Elena and I just wanted to share them as a precautionary tale. 

Thanks to a bug that we brought home from a dog show last year, (vomiting/diarrhea that made Lucy and Emma feel crummy for a day but really hit the litter of pups hard) Elena had a very very bad hypoglycemic episode when she was 9 weeks old and almost did not make it (went into shock with eyes rolled back and was completely non-responsive. Marina is still traumatized by it). Elena was in ICU for a few days and then I brought her home. As often happens with hypoglycemic puppies, she lost most of her coat except for a few stringy strands, in addition to the shaved areas from the ER vet. 









Missing most of the hair on her neck and legs. Definitely not looking like a show puppy!

White gums are one of the signs of hypoglycemia









And they can act like they are drunk - not able to walk straight, etc. This video is a little disturbing to watch but I had given the pup karo syrup already and was waiting for it to raise the blood sugar. They go from looking like this to hauling their little fannies all over the place very quickly though - karo syrup is a wonderful thing to have on hand!

Floppy pup again - YouTube


This is another reason why it can be scary to see how young some breeders sell their puppies to new puppy owners and why I whole heartedly agree with the 12 week rule! 









And a year later, Bellarata's Prophecy Girl. 









No hair on her legs






































I have to say though that even though this traumatic event happened during the 'fear' stage, Elena came through it emotionally unscathed and is almost obnoxious with how friendly she is. The judges have to smile at her because when ever they approach her on the table, Elena is always smiling and wagging her tail frantically. 










She has 5 points towards her championship now, with one major (needs two majors) and I am so glad she came through this experience as such a happy, healthy and outgoing girl. This was definitely a learning experience for me and I can say without a doubt that hypoglycemia is NOT something you want to mess around with or vomiting/diarrhea in puppies. It knocked her on her butt soooooo fast and I think if we had taken any long to get Elena to the ER vet, she would not have made it. Her blood sugar was at an acceptable level because of the karo i had shoved down her but her body had shut down and she was completely limp and unresponsive. Scary scary stuff! I have a video of a hypoglycemic puppy that I can post to 'show' how they act when their blood sugar is too low, so just let me know if I should. It can be kind of hard to watch so I don't want to just add it here.


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## Snowbody

OMG, Stacy. Had to be one of the most frightening experiences you've ever had and poor Marina - an awful thing for someone that young to see, especially with how much she loves those pups. She is so amazing now that it's so hard to believe she went through that and looked that way. Thank goodness!!:chili: I'd like to see the video just as a learning opportunity to know what to look for. Anyone who doesn't want to see it can read your warning. I guess put it in that post.


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## zooeysmom

Wow, I had no idea Elena went through that as a pup  Thank God she made it. She has grown up to be such a gorgeous girl. I love her smile


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## CheriS

Stacy, while I'm probably not really 'up' to it today, I think it would be a very valuable tool to have on here!


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## Zoe's Mom88

Stacy, thank you for sharing Elena's story. I am so happy that she made a full recovery. She is so beautiful, her personality shows in those pics of what a happy little girl she is. :tender:


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## .13124

She is so precious and I'm glad she survived and her, Lucy & Emma's health is better now!
Her coat is beautiful


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## hoaloha

Oh my goodness-- the before pics are shocking! but her recovery is beyond beautiful :wub2: I just love Elena :wub: Stacy, thank you for sharing this story as it really is a lesson to us all. This shows just how vulnerable young puppies are and that hypoglycemia is no joke. I don't even want to think about what could have happened without the karo syrup on hand . 

Obi and I are cheering Elena and Marina on as she finishes her championship!!! Go Elena!!!


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## bellaratamaltese

Snowbody said:


> OMG, Stacy. Had to be one of the most frightening experiences you've ever had and poor Marina - an awful thing for someone that young to see, especially with how much she loves those pups. She is so amazing now that it's so hard to believe she went through that and looked that way. Thank goodness!!:chili: I'd like to see the video just as a learning opportunity to know what to look for. Anyone who doesn't want to see it can read your warning. I guess put it in that post.


I posted the video. It didn't slow Elena down any, that is for sure. Every video I took before she crashed, she is getting into trouble. And today, she is still getting into trouble :thumbsup:



zooeysmom said:


> Wow, I had no idea Elena went through that as a pup  Thank God she made it. She has grown up to be such a gorgeous girl. I love her smile


Elena is always smiling. Or smirking. She is just a happy girl! I'm glad her coat grew back though - even though it feels like it's taken forever!



CheriS said:


> Stacy, while I'm probably not really 'up' to it today, I think it would be a very valuable tool to have on here!


Oh i understand *hugs* How are you doing? 



Zoe's Mom88 said:


> Stacy, thank you for sharing Elena's story. I am so happy that she made a full recovery. She is so beautiful, her personality shows in those pics of what a happy little girl she is. :tender:





BellaNotte said:


> She is so precious and I'm glad she survived and her, Lucy & Emma's health is better now!
> Her coat is beautiful


Oh Lucy and Emma were only feeling puny for a day or two, thank goodness! Elena bounced back fairly quickly though and continued her reign of terror 



hoaloha said:


> Oh my goodness-- the before pics are shocking! but her recovery is beyond beautiful :wub2: I just love Elena :wub: Stacy, thank you for sharing this story as it really is a lesson to us all. This shows just how vulnerable young puppies are and that hypoglycemia is no joke. I don't even want to think about what could have happened without the karo syrup on hand .
> 
> Obi and I are cheering Elena and Marina on as she finishes her championship!!! Go Elena!!!


Obi was the only one of the four who didn't really get that vomiting/diarrhea thing - geez, that was miserable! Lucy got it first after being at a dog show and bringing it home, then Emma got it, then the puppies. I sure learned a lot about puppy critical care during that time!


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## pammy4501

The video and pictures should be pinned so that new puppy owners can watch and learn.


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## edelweiss

Stacy, I agree w/Pam---this is a great learning tool for new owners! 
I am happy she turned out so beautiful & that you were on the ball. 
I had a neighbor in TX. who adopted a little Yorkie & it was tiny---it had a hypoglycemic seizure in front of us while we were talking on the street---she didn't know what it was. Thank God it happened there & then. It can be really scary!
I have hypoglycemia myself & it is nothing to fool around with. 
Little Elena has a beautiful build---I am rooting for her all the way! Do keep posting photos!


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## LuvMyBoys

Thank you so much for sharing this Stacy. I can't imagine how scared and upset you and Marina must have been. And look how y'alls love, caring and KNOWLEDGE paid off in that beautiful girl!


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## lmillette

Boy, what a scary thing!! I'm so glad Elena recovered fully and has no emotional damage from this experience especially at such a young age. She is a gorgeous girl. Thank you for sharing this with us.


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## revakb2

I didn't know about Elena's rough start. I'm so glad she came through so well, and that you knew what to do to help her. She's a little doll, and I'm sure she will be Champion Elena very soon.


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## Orla

I never knew Elena went through this. So happy that she bounced back and it didn't affect her in the long term. Her coat looks so stunning now!
Thank you for sharing.


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## Kaiser

Thank you for sharing this. I'm sure this will be very beneficial especially for new Maltese puppy owners to be wary of getting a pup less than 12 weeks old. 

I would have never thought Elena went through this horrible experience as a puppy. She is so gorgeous and has a great smile! She's a little trooper for sure.


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## TLR

Thanks for sharing such valuable information. I hope it gets pinned for new owners to see. 
So glad Elena had your experience otherwise the outcome might have been different.


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## Lacie's Mom

I'll be happy to "sticky" it -- do you think in the health section?


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## bellaratamaltese

Lacie's Mom said:


> I'll be happy to "sticky" it -- do you think in the health section?


Do you think the picture of the white gums and the video should be in the main post so people don't have to scroll down? I can't edit it, otherwise I'd do it! Thanks for making it a sticky!


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## aprilb

Stacy, thanks so much for posting about this..I had no idea that they can lose their coats from having hypoglycemia-it IS scary, oh my! You have done such a great job with Elena-she is so gorgeous..:wub::wub: You would never know she was so ill and lost her hair. Her coat is beautiful. I'm so glad she made it through and I know you are. :wub:


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## Deborah

She is a real beauty now.:wub:


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