Canine + Feline Paediatrics Flashcards
What is the normal HR, RR of a puppy or kitten below 4 weeks old?
HR: 220bpm
RR: 15-35/min
After this, both will gradually reach adult values after 4 weeks old
When do puppies and kitten’s eyes and ears open, and when are they crawling and walking by?
Eyes: fully open by day 10
Ears: open fully by day 17
Crawling: by day 14 - 16
Walking by day 22
What are the 3 biggest causes of death with neonate dogs and cats?
- Hypothermia: <34.5C and they won’t suckle
- Hypoglycemia
- Dehydration
Neonate dogs and cats cant shiver, so they must use their small glucose reserves to keep themselves warm and require the dam to keep them warm
You notice a newborn puppy or kitten is hypothermic (and <34.5C), what can you do?
- Slowly rewarm over 1-3 hours
Rapid re-warming can cause tissue hypoxia, SQ hemorrhage, and death
- Try feeding once body temp is 35C
You notice a newborn puppy or kitten is dehydrated, what can you do?
What is the fluid rate for maintenance, moderate dehydration and hypotension/ shock?
- Mix equal quantities 5% dextrose saline + Ringers solution
- Give warm fluids IV or IO
- Maintenance = 40 - 50ml/kg/d over 24hrs
- Moderate dehydration = 40 - 50 ml/kg over 4-8hours
- Hypotension/ shock = Up to 45 ml/kg/h
You notice a newborn puppy or kitten has been on IV fluid therapy and is experiencing coughing, tachycardia, tachypnea and nasal discharge, what are these signs of and what should you do?
- Signs of Overhydration
- Reduce IV fluid rates
- Weigh puppy/ kitten 3-4x a day
- Monitor urine output and colour: normal is colourless, and urine output should be 0.5 - 1 ml/kg/hr
You notice a newborn puppy or kitten is hypoglycemic, what can you give to a puppy that is moderately and profoundly (with depression/ seizures) hypoglycemic?
Moderately Hypoglycemic: 5% dextrose solution IV or IO slowly to effect
Profoundly Hypoglycemic (with seizures/ depression): 10% dextrose solution 1 - 2 ml/kg slowly to effect
You take a Prothrombin measure at birth of a newborn puppy or kitten, and notice it is low, why is this a concern and what can you do to Tx?
- Is a concern as it can lead to hemorrhagic syndrome between 1 to 4 days old
Tx:
- Inject all littermates with Vit K1
- Ensure food is fresh
- If a kennel problem, inject dams in the second half of pregnancy with Vit K1
When is the greatest risk of death of a newborn puppy or kitten?
What are the usual causes of death in that time?
Within the first few days of life
- Usually due to asphyxia, hypoxemia, or serious acidosis
You have a newborn puppy or kitten, and you diagnose it with asphyxia, what is the treatment?
- Stimulate the airways: remove mucus from airways using suction, rub them with a warm dry towel and allow the dam to lick her offspring
You notice a puppy requires antibiotic therapy, what is the dosing for a neonate under 5 weeks of age, and why?
What Antibiotic would you use in a neonate under 5 weeks old?
- 50 - 70% of the adult dose
Reasons for this reduction in Antibiotic concentration:
- higher % body water, so less of their weight is actual body mass
- lower total body fat
- lower concentrations of albumin
- poorly developed BBB
First choice: Beta-lactam drugs (Amoxyclav, cephalexin) due to higher safety
Give IV or IO as other routes of absorption are unreliable
What is toxic milk syndrome?
Toxic milk syndrome is a poorly defined syndrome recognized in puppies nursing on a bitch which is presumed to secrete toxins in her milk as a result of an infection of the uterus or mammary glands.
You notice puppies (aged 3 - 14 days old) are bloated and noisier than usual, what do you suspect is the issue and what is the Tx?
Suspect Toxic Milk Syndrome
- Remove pups from mother, feed formula and glucose
- Treat dam with Antibiotics and return the pups to the dam after 2 days: when her toxemia is cleared
You notice a litter of newborn puppies or kittens are born healthy, but once they ingested colostrum they became jaundice, lethargic, wont suckle and most in the litter died, what do you suspect?
Neonatal Isoerythrolysis (NI)
More common in kittens than in puppies
You notice an apparently healthy litter of pups/ kittens at births stopped suckling, were constantly crying and died one by one within a few days of birth, what is the name of this syndrome?
Fading Puppy/ Kitten Syndrome
