Causes of Puppy Stress in Young Teacup or Tiny Puppies...
Excessive puppy stress or a combination of various types of the below listed stressful situations, can weaken your teacup or tiny puppy.
Stressed out and exhausted puppies do not eat well, tend to get dehydrated and usually are sleep deprived as well. Any of the above can precipitate a hypoglycemic [low blood sugar] episode.
Please read on if your new pup is experiencing or has recently gone through more than 2 or 3 of the following points. In that case you should reconsider the way your pup is living in your home, and put more emphasis on quiet TLC, and a calm and emotionally serene & physically secure environment, and as always pay more attention to eating and supporting the pup with high calorie supplements.
Stressed out and exhausted puppies do not eat well, tend to get dehydrated and usually are sleep deprived as well. Any of the above can precipitate a hypoglycemic [low blood sugar] episode.
Please read on if your new pup is experiencing or has recently gone through more than 2 or 3 of the following points. In that case you should reconsider the way your pup is living in your home, and put more emphasis on quiet TLC, and a calm and emotionally serene & physically secure environment, and as always pay more attention to eating and supporting the pup with high calorie supplements.
Most Common Puppy Stressors...
- weaning and separating from the home it is used to
- moving to a new home with new people that are very excited by its presence, instead of calm
- being alone for long periods during the day
- being constantly held or passed from one set of hands to the next one...
- extensive rough housing, wrangling and wrestling with children, adults or other pets
- bigger dogs and/or cats that chase it or scare it
- frequently being on the floor with unsupervised, active children [or other pets] running through the house or around it [not only dangerous for the pup - but also very scary and intimidating for a wee pup, this can actually lead to a pup not wanting to be around or being scared of children]
- getting yelled or screamed at
- being hungry or thirsty, or getting too intimidated or distracted to eat
- being cold - shivering uses up precious energy
- being hot – excessive panting does the same
- grieving and crying – often times new puppies miss their litter mates and their previous care givers, even long after they have been weaned.
A Calm & Quiet Environment...
... can go a long way in helping a puppy settle into its new home and getting used to its new family. With teacups and tinies it is always recommended that you copy the set-up the breeder has used [at least initially], so the changes are less drastic for the new puppy.
While it is often recommended to ignore or not pay attention to a larger size pup's whining, this does not apply to teacups and tinies. Provide frequent cuddles and smooches – but keep it calm and mellow. Talk to it with a soothing loving voice. Offer food and tidbits often and encourage it to eat often on its own as well. Keep Nutrical or Dyne handy and don't be shy in its useage!
When the pup is in its playpen, make sure it has a stuffed toy and a warm blanket or snuggle-sack for comfort, and that the playpen is set up in a quiet, draft free and if possible - sunny location [watch for overheating though!].
While it is often recommended to ignore or not pay attention to a larger size pup's whining, this does not apply to teacups and tinies. Provide frequent cuddles and smooches – but keep it calm and mellow. Talk to it with a soothing loving voice. Offer food and tidbits often and encourage it to eat often on its own as well. Keep Nutrical or Dyne handy and don't be shy in its useage!
When the pup is in its playpen, make sure it has a stuffed toy and a warm blanket or snuggle-sack for comfort, and that the playpen is set up in a quiet, draft free and if possible - sunny location [watch for overheating though!].
Learn more about Hypoglycemia!
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