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Low Blood Sugar (Hypoglycemia) in Dogs
Signs of low blood sugar or hypoglycemia in dogs include wobbliness, twitching, blindness, seizures, and collapse.
Learn lifesaving skills in just 35 minutes! Sign up for our online Cat and Dog First Aid Online course today.
Emergency Steps
1If your dog has diabetes and signs of low blood sugar, rub corn syrup or glucose paste on the dog’s gums, even if the dog is comatose.
2If you do not have corn syrup or glucose paste, rub sugar water on the gums.
3Check if your dog’s ABC’s and perform CPR if needed.
4Immediately take the dog to the veterinary hospital.
- Bring the insulin and syringe with you.
5If your dog is diabetic, or has a history of low blood sugar, keep glucose paste, corn syrup, or molasses on hand.
Low Blood Sugar (Hypoglycemia) in Dogs FAQs
What causes hypoglycemia in dogs?
Causes related to diabetes include not eating after an insulin injection (always feed your dog prior to giving him insulin); an overdose of insulin due to a change in the type being used or improper administration; a reduced need for insulin; and vomiting up a meal after receiving an insulin injection.
Non-diabetic causes can include severe infection/sepsis, liver disease, or a tumor that secretes insulin.
Puppies, especially very young or very small puppies, can develop low blood sugar if they do not eat, vomit, and/or have diarrhea.
What are the signs of hypoglycemia in dogs?
A dog with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) may be unconscious or in a coma, disoriented, or experience seizures, shaking, and weakness. The dog may also be wobbly and drunken looking.
Download the FREE Red Cross Pet First Aid App
The American Red Cross Pet First Aid app puts veterinary advice for everyday emergencies in the palm of your hand. With videos, interactive quizzes, and simple step-by-step advice it’s never been easier to know pet first aid. Get the app and be prepared to act when called upon. iOS App, Google Play, or text "GETPET" to 90999.
Help Save Pet Lives with an American Red Cross Pet First Aid Class
Be prepared for any pet emergency! Sign up for our 35-minute Cat and Dog First Aid Online course. Learn the basics in caring for cats and dogs through a variety of topics – from understanding and checking your pet's vital signs, to preventative care for cats and dogs, to caring for the most critical emergency situations - including breathing and cardiac emergencies, wounds, bleeding, and seizures.
Our pet first aid online course can be good for: Pet Owners, Pet Sitters, Dog Walkers, and Dog Trainers, Animal Shelter Staff & Volunteers, Groomers, Pet Retail Employees, Other Pet Care Providers, and more!
Information Provided Deborah C. Mandell, BS, VMD
Pet First Aid information provided by Dr. Debbie Mandell, Professor of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine at the Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; American Red Cross National Pet Care Advisor for the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council. Visit redcross.org/take-a-class/scientific-advisory-council to see how we work, members, sub councils, scientific reviews, and recent research.
About Red Cross Training Services
More than 4.6M people turn to us, the trusted training provider for First Aid, CPR, BLS and more, every year to gain lifesaving skills. Trust us to deliver unmatched lifesaving training that will provide you the confidence and skills to act when moments matter. Training Services is a division of the American Red Cross with the mission to spread knowledge and educate as many members of the national community in lifesaving procedures. Our services include training courses for CPR and AED, First Aid, BLS (Basic Life Support), Babysitting, Caregiving, Lifeguarding Water Safety, and more.