Low Blood Sugar in Dogs: Honey on the Gums, Then the Vet

There is one question that decides everything here: can your dog swallow? Get that wrong and the treatment goes into the lungs.

A tiny dog, a long walk, a missed meal, and suddenly it is wobbling like a drunk and cannot hold its head up.

Low blood sugar comes on fast in the dogs that are prone to it, and it responds beautifully to something you almost certainly have in the cupboard. But there is one decision to make first, and getting it wrong is genuinely dangerous.

Conscious or not?

Everything below hangs on this.

A conscious dog can swallow safely. You can give it sugar.

An unconscious or seizing dog cannot. Anything liquid you put in its mouth goes into the lungs, and aspiration pneumonia is more likely to kill your dog over the next twelve hours than the low blood sugar was.

So look at your dog, decide honestly which one you have, and follow that branch.

If your dog is conscious

1. Rub about a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup onto the gums. Do not pour it into the mouth. Smeared on the gums it sticks, and the glucose absorbs straight through the lining, so the dog does not need to swallow anything for it to work.
2. Wrap it in a blanket. Cold and low blood sugar feed each other, and small dogs lose heat quickly.
3. Once it is properly alert and steady, offer a small meal of soft food. The sugar lifts the crisis; the meal is what stops it happening again in an hour.
4. Go to the vet anyway.

If your dog is unconscious or seizing

Nothing goes in the mouth. If it is lying on its side and you can reach the gums without putting fingers between the teeth, you can smear a little honey on the outside of the gums and the inside of the lip. Otherwise, nothing at all.

Then drive. Intravenous glucose is the only safe treatment for a dog in that state, and it works quickly once you are there.

Four things that do harm

Do not pour or syringe sugar water down the throat of a dog that cannot swallow. This is the big one.

**Do not use chocolate or sweets as your sugar source.** Chocolate is a poison, and anything sugar-free may contain xylitol, which causes low blood sugar and liver failure in its own right. Plain honey, maple syrup, or table sugar dissolved in warm water.

Do not give insulin to a diabetic dog that is collapsed or seizing. The problem is too much insulin, not too little, and giving more can be fatal within minutes. If you genuinely cannot tell whether the blood sugar is high or low, treat it as low, rub the gums, and let the vet measure it. That way round is far safer.

Do not put your fingers between the teeth of a seizing dog. It will clamp down without meaning to.

Go even when it works

The gum-rub often produces a dramatic recovery, and it is tempting to call it a good outcome and stay home.

Low blood sugar recurs within hours far more often than not, and more importantly, something caused it. An insulin overdose, a liver shunt, an infection, or xylitol. Until that is identified it will simply happen again, probably worse and probably at a less convenient hour.

Which dogs, and what triggers it

Toy breeds, especially Chihuahuas, Yorkshire Terriers, Maltese, Toy Poodles and Pomeranians. Puppies under about ten weeks. Diabetic dogs on insulin. Dogs with liver shunts, which are again often Yorkies.

The usual triggers are a missed meal after an insulin dose, cold, hard play, stress, illness or diarrhoea, or accidental xylitol.

What it looks like

• Wobbliness and walking as though drunk, usually first
• Listlessness, no interest in food or play
• Cold to the touch, especially paws and ears
• Trembling in a warm room
• Weakness, struggling to stand or hold the head up
• Seizures, or unconsciousness, at the severe end

If you own an at-risk dog, keep honey in the house and feed small, frequent meals. Both are cheap insurance.

Sources

This article was written using guidance from Merck Veterinary Manual, a peer-reviewed reference used by veterinary professionals worldwide; and American Kennel Club, the American Kennel Club's veterinary-reviewed health library. This guidance is for general information and does not replace a consultation with your own veterinarian. In an emergency, always contact a vet. Read [how we write our health guidance](https://rochsociety.com/how-we-write-our-health-guidance/). Last reviewed July 2026.