TIPS & SUGGESTIONS
Useful Information About Line BreedingFading puppies' is not a diagnosis
Puppies need 3 things to survive after whelping:
If a puppy gets chilled it will die. If a puppy becomes hypoglycemic it will die. If a puppy becomes dehydrated it will die. Those are the parameters of fading puppies.
Puppies may die due to developmental problems in the uterus such as a malformed heart or other anomalies. These puppies we cannot help. We may be able to keep them going for a few days, but they will eventually die.
Puppies may die due to infections. Herpes virus is one such infection. We prevent this with proper management of the bitch, the kennel and our show, training and social activities. Unbilical cord infection leading to septicemia is another source of infection for puppies. Proper treatment of the cord at birth, coupled with good sanitation -- keeping the bitch, the box and the puppies scrupulously clean -- will prevent this problem.
The greatest infectious risk to the puppies comes from an E. coli infection in the vagina of the bitch. We're assuming that an E. coli infection in the uterus will result in no puppies. However, if E. coli is found with a high vaginal culture, the bitch must be treated before breeding, and again just before whelping even if the infection is only in the vagina. In addition, puppies born to a bitch with a positive E. coli culture must be treated for 5 days after they are born with cephalexin pediatric suspension beginning within a couple of hours of birth. Puppies not treated in this way will often begin to die from about two to four days after birth. If antibiotics are not begun until after puppies begin to die, typically half to all of the litter will die before the drug has a chance to become effective in the remaining puppies.
Puppies must get their colostrum from the bitch within their first 12 hours of life. If necessary, colostrum should be expressed from the bitch's breasts and fed by dropper to each puppy to ensure this. A puppy cannot get colostrum from another bitch with an older litter. It is only produced by the dam for a short time after she whelps, and it can only be passed through the puppies intestinal mucosa in the active form for the first few hours of life. If a puppy doesn't get colostrum, it will be much more susceptible to infections.
We've observed several instances of bitches that whelp part of a litter naturally, but require a C-section to get the last puppies out. If puppies from these litters develop infections such as neonatal ophthalmia or puppy strangles, it will be the puppies delivered by section, that don't have as good a chance to obtain colostrum, that develop the infections. There are breeds which are thought to have poor immunity based on puppy infection data. One such is the Norwich Terrier. We feel strongly that this is due to the fact that nearly all of some lines are delivered by C-section, and that we can, in fact, reverse this tendency by expressing colostrum and feeding it to the puppies by dropper, or by using colostrum we have frozen from other bitches to provide some immunity to the puppies.
Fading puppy is not a diagnosis, it is a description. After we exclude the puppies discussed above, which are malformed or infected, we are left with the puppies which are dehydrated, hypoglycemic, or chilled. These are the 'faders'.
It's often said that the 'mother knows best' when a bitch rejects a puppy - as though she has x-ray eyes and can spot a malformed heart or other defect. The fact is the bitch can't tell the difference between a malformed puppy and one that is chilled, dehydrated or hypoglycemic. She only knows that it isn't thriving.
Every puppy is a Best In Show puppy. This is the premise we work on in this practice. Until the puppies are old enough to be evaluated, we assume any one of them may turn out to be the pick of the litter. There are plenty of occasions where the runt of the litter turns out to be a Best In Show winner later in life. Knowing this, we would like to preserve all the puppies we can to grow up and realize their potential.
What a fading puppy needs is fairly simple - first determine if something else, such as an E. coli infection, needs addressing - this particular information is best obtained by culturing the bitch before breeding. Then, provide the heat, calories and fluids to support the puppy for first 2 to 4 days of its life.
Remove the fading puppy from the whelping box and put it into a small box with a heating pad. Provide different amounts of padding over the heating pad at different parts of the box so the puppy may find the amount of heat most comfortable for it. Partially cover the box with a towel. We must do this because the bitch will allow the puppy to get chilled when it is not as vigorous as the rest of the litter.
To provide the water and sugar needed, we inject sub-cutaneous fluids under the skin on the top of the neck of the puppy. You should do this every 2 hours while the puppy is in the box. You must go over this with your veterinarian so that you can be instructed on how to do this safely. However, that being said, this is the most totally effective thing you can do for this puppy and you will save nearly all of your fading puppies with this technique. The fluid is dextrose in saline. This means that in addition to preventing dehydration, it will provide energy - the dextrose part is sugar. With this method, you can satisfy any fluid requirements in a dehydrated puppy and you can leave a repository of fluid for the puppy to draw on for the next two hours. A few other things such as stimulation to urinate and defecate, and you've got it managed. After about 48 hours in the box, nearly all the puppies you undertake this with will be strong enough to rejoin the litter full time.
Every couple of hours, you should place a drop of Karo syrrup on the tongue of the puppy. About 5 minutes later, place the puppy on the bitches nipple to nurse. Find a good nipple, make sure there is milk there, and that other puppies aren't going to get in the way - it might be necessary to put the rest of the puppies in a box while this puppy nurses. If you are using oxytocin, put the fading or slow gaining puppies on the bitch about 15 minutes after the oxytocin shot, while leaving the other puppies aside for as long as the weaker ones will nurse.
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I hadn't raised a litter of my own pups since I whelped my wirehair bitch a few years ago. But then recently a client/friend who breeds, shows and judges beagles asked us to whelp out one of her bitches and raise the pups to five or six weeks of age.
Breeding dates indicated that the anticipated whelping date would be within a week after the bitch's arrival at our clinic. The day of arrival we did an abdominal radiograph to determine the size of our anticipated litter and found five pups that appeared large.
The next morning the bitch was put in an inside
run to eat and eliminate. By midmorning we began to notice uneasiness in the
bitch's behavior and obvious contractions started soon thereafter. In two hours
a puppy was presented in the birth canal, head first. We had a great deal of
difficulty delivering a large, dead puppy.
The next morning the bitch was put in an inside run to eat and eliminate. By
midmorning we began to notice uneasiness in the bitch's behavior and obvious
contractions started soon thereafter. In two hours a puppy was presented in the
birth canal, head first. We had a great deal of difficulty delivering a large,
dead puppy.
Anesthesia of the dog for C-section is an important consideration as the bitch should be pain-free and the fetuses should not be so depressed that they do not start breathing when removed from the uterus. I have used a combination of glycopyrrolate, diazepam and isoflurane with very good results. Recently, I have used propofol as the induction agent and feel it will make the surgery even smoother.
Another important aspect of a successful C-section is to have experienced people on hand to receive the puppies and to get them dried off and breathing. I am fortunate to have excellent technicians who use towels to rub pups, syringes to suction the mouth, warm beds made from water-filled plastic bags, chest compressions, gentle swinging and doxapram as a respiratory stimulant.
With the four surviving pups active and going, we tied their cords and introduced them to the waking mother for a feeding of her colostrum. When the bitch had completely awakened from the anesthesia she and the puppies were moved to a small crate that was covered with towels to retain body heat and maintain the puppies' temperature. As the pups grew over the next two to three weeks, towels were removed and the family was transferred to a larger crate.
I often see whelping setups where the owners keep the environmental temperature so high that the bitch becomes sick with vomiting, diarrhea and mastitis. The important point is that the puppies need a dry, warm, draft-free area to nest up in and the bitch needs an ambient temperature that keeps her comfortable.
When the pups were up on their feet and walking well I started putting them in a six-foot diameter exercise pen, located in our heated clinic. Gradually they were exercised for longer periods of time. While the puppies were exercising, the bitch had a chance to be alone for some rest and recuperation.
I commonly encourage clients to keep a journal of the puppies' developmental progress, post-partum. I've noticed that as I have become older I have also become more observant or maybe that is a nice way of saying, "more sedentary." Anyway, these are some things I observed in the beagle pups I was raising:
10-14 days: Eyes open, iris color of a mossy gray.
2 weeks: Pushing up onto feet, starting to walk, and lapping water from a shallow pan.
3 weeks: Ears open, walking well, fighting with each other, recognize me, actively starting to come to sound and motion, teeth just visible under gum line.
4 weeks: Walking well, running, fighting, playing with objects, starting to eat well, front teeth starting to emerge.
5 weeks: Dominance patterns forming, running well, fair coordination and good recognition of me, coming when called, eager to interact but with short attention spans, baby teeth fully emerged and sharp.
This is only a partial list of the observations you might make while raising your next litter of puppies. Try keeping a log; it will be rewarding.
Puppy nutrition certainly starts with the bitch as far back as the pre-breeding period. I recommend feeding a normal maintenance ration up to the middle of pregnancy and the switching to a puppy formula that is customized to the adult-sized dog you are raising. Expect the bitch to gain 25 to 30 percent of her pre-breeding weight before she whelps.
The last week of the pregnancy is often a difficult time for the bitch to eat much, as she has an abdomen full of pups. This means her weight gains should come early to mid-part of the last half of gestation.
To start the pups on food I scattered some dry food on the floor of the exercise pen when the bitch was out. This seems to work well and gets the pups eating dry food by the fourth or fifth week. I have also used baby cereal mixed with meat baby food to start pups. This mixture should be prepared fresh at each feeding and the bowl and utensils cleaned well each time. I never feed soaked dry food to pups.
The routine medical needs of puppies in this age range are few. The beagles were declawed at four days of age. This would also be the time for tail docking in breeds where it is indicated.
All puppies should be wormed at two, four and six weeks of age. This is very important, as many pups have acquired intestinal parasites in-utero or through the bitch's milk. I also vaccinated the pups at six weeks for distemper and parvovirus, the most significant dog diseases.
The best thing I did was give these puppies
plenty of human contact. This ensures an easy transition to life in the human
pack. It also gives the caregiver an opportunity to form a bond with any puppies
they intend to keep. I believe if you let newborn pups nuzzle your skin they
will establish scent patterns that they will use to recognize you in the future.
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(INFECTIOUS TRACHEOBRONCHITIS)
WHAT IS IT?
“Kennel cough” is an infectious bronchitis characterized by a harsh, hacking
cough which most people describe as sounding like “something stuck in my
dog’s throat.” It is analogous to a chest cold for humans and is only a
serious condition in special circumstances (see below); in general, it resolves
on its own. A dog with Kennel Cough generally feels active and maintains a
normal appetite despite frequent fits of coughing. There is usually no fever or
listlessness, just lots of coughing.
NOT SURE WHAT A COUGHING DOG SOUNDS LIKE?
Dogs can make an assortment of respiratory sounds. Usually a cough is very recognizable but it is important to be aware of another sound called a “reverse sneeze.” The reverse sneeze is often mistaken for a cough, for a choking fit, for sneezing, for retching, or even for gasping for breath. In fact, the reverse sneeze represents a post-nasal drip or “tickle in the throat.” It is considered normal especially for small dogs or dogs and only requires attention if it is felt to be “excessive.” The point here is to know a cough when you see one. A cough can be dry or “productive,” meaning it is followed by a gag, swallowing motion, production of foamy mucus (not to be confused with vomiting). Here are some videos that might help:
COUGHING DOG (WITH
PRODUCTIVE COUGH):
REVERSE SNEEZING
DOG:
A coughing dog that has a poor appetite, fever, and/or listlessness should be evaluated for pneumonia.
HOW INFECTION OCCURS?
The infected dog sheds infectious bacteria and/or viruses in respiratory secretions. These secretions become aerosolized and float in the air to be inhaled by a healthy dog.
The normal respiratory tract has substantial safeguards against invading infectious agents. The most important of these is probably what is called the “mucociliary escalator.” This safeguard consists of tiny hair-like structures called “cilia”, which protrude from the cells lining the respiratory tract, and extend into a coat of mucus over them. The cilia beat in a coordinated fashion through the lower and more watery mucus layer called the “sol.” A thicker mucus layer called the “gel” floats on top of the sol. Debris, including infectious agents, get trapped in the sticky gel and the cilia move them upward towards the throat where the collection of debris and mucus may be coughed up and/or swallowed.
The mucociliary escalator is damaged by the following:
Without this protective mechanism, invading bacteria, especially Bordetella bronchiseptica, the chief agent of Kennel Cough, may simply march down the airways unimpeded.
Bordetella bronchiseptica organisms have some tricks of their own as well:
Because it is common for Bordetella to be accompanied by at least one other infectious agent (such as one of the viruses listed below), “Kennel Cough” is actually a complex of infections, rather than infection by one agent.
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Classically, dogs get infected when they are kept in a crowded situation with poor air circulation but lots of warm air (i.e. a boarding kennel, vaccination clinic, obedience class, local park, animal shelter, animal hospital waiting room, or grooming parlor). In reality, most causes of coughing that begin acutely in the dog are due to infectious causes and usually represent some form of Kennel Cough.
THE INCUBATION PERIOD IS 2 - 14 DAYS
HOW IS DIAGNOSIS MADE?
Usually the history of exposure to a crowd of dogs within the proper time frame plus typical examination findings (coughing dog that otherwise feels well) is adequate to make the diagnosis. Radiographs show bronchitis, though severe cases can progress to pneumonia, especially if the canine distemper virus is involved.
HOW CONTAGIOUS IS IT?
Bordetella infection can be picked up by rabbits, guinea pigs, pigs, cats (if they are very young and housed in groups), and other dogs. Bordetella is generally not considered contagious to humans though it is closely related to Bordetella pertussis, the agent of Whooping Cough. Immune-suppressed humans potentially could be infected.
Among dogs Kennel Cough is fairly contagious depending on stress level, vaccination status, and exposure to minor viruses. Dogs shed Bordetella organisms for up to 3 months after infection.
Our hospital
recommends keeping all dogs current on their Bordetella vaccinations
as you never know when they will be in an unexpected situation.
HOW IS KENNEL COUGH TREATED?
Although most cases will go away on their own, we like to think we can hasten recovery with antibiotics to directly kill the Bordetella organism. Alternatively, Kennel Cough may be treated with cough suppressants to provide comfort during natural recovery. Alternatively, antibiotics and cough suppressants can be combined.
WHEN IS IT A SERIOUS CONDITION?
Very young puppies, especially those with a recent shipping history (i.e. pet store puppies) are especially prone to severe cases of infectious tracheobronchitis (frequently progressing to pneumonia).
In dogs where the distemper virus is involved (usually shelter or pet store puppies), there is tremendous potential for serious consequences. (For more information on distemper, click here.)
VACCINATION OPTIONS:
There are basically two options for Kennel cough vaccination: injectable and intranasal. It is important to realize that not all members of the Kennel Cough complex have a vaccine. Also, because Kennel Cough is a localized infection (meaning it is local to the respiratory tract), it is an infection that does not lend itself to prevention by vaccination. Vaccination must be regularly boosted and often vaccination simply muffles the severity of infection without completely preventing it.
INJECTABLE VACCINE
Injectable vaccination is a good choice for aggressive dogs, who may bite if
their muzzle is approached. For puppies, injectable vaccination provides good
systemic immunity as long as two doses are given (approximately one month apart)
after age 4 months. Boosters are generally given annually.
There is some
controversy over whether previously vaccinated dogs generate
better immunity receiving injectable or nasal boosters for Kennel Cough.
Parainfluenza, Adenovirus type 2, and canine distemper, all members of the Kennel Cough complex, are all covered by the standard DHLPP vaccine, the basic vaccine for dogs. Adenovirus Type 2 serum also immunizes against Adenovirus Type 1, the agent of infectious canine hepatitis.
NASAL VACCINE
Intranasal vaccination may be given as early as 3 weeks of age and immunity
generally lasts 10-12 months. (Usually this vaccine is also boosted annually.)
The advantage here is that the local immunity is stimulated, right at the site
where the natural infection would be trying to take hold.
It takes 4 days to generate a solid immune response after intranasal vaccination so it is best if vaccination is given at least 4 days prior to the exposure. Some dogs will have some sneezing or nasal discharge in the week following intranasal vaccination. As a general rule, nasal vaccination provides faster immunity than injectable vaccination.
There is some
evidence that young puppies in a high risk environment may benefit from
both injectable and nasal vaccination (rather than simply receiving one or the
other).
IF A NASAL VACCINE IS ACCIDENTALLY GIVEN AS AN INJECTION, AN ABSCESS CAN RESULT UNDER THE SKIN! Nasal vaccines cannot be given as injections.
VACCINATION IS NOT
USEFUL IN A DOG
ALREADY INCUBATING KENNEL COUGH.
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WHAT IF KENNEL COUGH DOESN’T IMPROVE?
As previously noted, this infection is generally self-limiting. It should be at least improved partially after one week of treatment. If no improvement has been observed in this time, a re-check exam (possibly including radiographs of the chest) would be a good idea. Failure of Kennel Cough to resolve suggests an underlying condition. Kennel Cough can activate a previously asymptomatic collapsing trachea or the condition may have progressed to pneumonia. There is also another respiratory infection called Canine Influenza, which seemed to be a racing greyhound issue exclusively until late 2005. This infection produces fever and pneumonia but starts looking like a routine Kennel Cough. This particular infection is much more severe, highly contagious, but for now seems to be uncommon.