Q. We have a long-haired Chihuahua that is hypoglycemic and is a very picky eater. He loves honey and it seems to keep his sugar from crashing. But honey is not enough. We put about nine different flavors of different dog foods out to see which one he goes to and he wasn't happy with any of them. We've tried baby foods--nothing works. We tried some cheese and he ate that, so I mixed a little bit in with some dog food and he ate some, but not a lot.
Do you have any suggestions?
A. It sounds like your little Chihuahua is now the Master of the House. Although he is hypoglycemic, don't let him use that to dictate how and what you feed him.
Offer a high-quality, "active dog" type of diet, or possibly puppy food, and let him decide when he is ready to eat. If he appears to be getting hypoglycemic, rub some honey or Karo syrup inside his mouth. Try to avoid mixing people food into his food in order to maintain a consistent diet that is specifically formulated for dogs.
Don't let Mr. Finicky Eater call the shots. Once he's eating on a regular basis, you can offer an occasional treat, but make him earn it.
Be sure to follow up with your regular veterinarian if he appears to be having any trouble with his blood sugar, but usually an occasional dose of honey will do the trick.
Best,
Jon Geller, DVM
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