Fading Puppy Flashcards
How should a normal new pup act?
A normal puppy is contented with 90 per cent of its time asleep, showing an activated form of sleep pattern,
waking for short periods of regular feeding;
the puppies only vocalise until sucking is recommenced.
Weight gain is very regular from birth, with doubling of the birth weight by day 10
Why is brown adipose tissue important, and how do fading puppies’ stores of it appear?
role in thermogenesis. Fading puppies typically showed extremely depleted brown fat, with loss of cytoplasmic vacuolation, resulting in solid-looking, non-vacuolated, atrophied lobules
What are the most common infections in neonatal puppies?
peritonitis, septicaemia, pneumonia and pleuritis. The most commonly isolated pathogens were beta-haemolytic streptococci (BHS), staphylococci, Escherichia coli and Pasteurella species.
Are viruses important in neonatal puppies?
CHV infection (Fig 6) is found to be sporadic, particularly in litters of maiden bitches, causing high mortality in seven- to 14-day-old puppies, but not usually resulting in deaths during the first week of life. Neonatal parvovirus infection is unlikely, except when puppies are colostrum deprived in kennels where the virus is endemic.
Why is weight important with puppy care?
It is recommended that breeders use an accurate scale for monitoring puppy weight gain or loss at least once a day and should any puppies fail to gain weight over a 24 hour period or lose weight then supplementary feeding should be considered. Low birthweight pups should be identified for special care. Puppies that lose more than 10 per cent of their birth weight have poor survival prospects
Which of the following is the most important when considering neonatal care?
Hypothermia
Dehydration
Hypoglycaemia
all important and are likely to be present at the same time.
What is the body temperature of a one day old puppy?
35.5 degrees
When does the body temperature of the puppy rise to that of the adult value?
End of the fourth week
Below what gestational age is a puppy unlikely to survive?
56d
The neonatal puppy cannot regulate its own body temperature. True or false?
The neonate can actually regulate its own body temperature but only to a limited extent within a narrow ambient temperature range when segregated (at birth between about 28 – 36 degrees C).
Macroscopic postmortem findings in cases of canine herpes virus infection are pathgnomonic. True or false?
Generally this is true, but it is better to confirm by histopathology as sometimes lesions are small and petechiation of the kidneys can be caused by bacterial infection.
What is the most likely cause of peritonitis in the neonate?
It is most likely to be caused by bacterial umbilical infection. Sometimes it can result from an intussusception of the small intestine following enteritis or obstruction following ingestion of hair from the dam.
Increased vocalisation of the neonatal puppy is a sign of ill health? True or false?
Increased vocalisation can be a sign of ill health; it has been frequently cited as a feature of fading puppies; however, a significant number of fading puppies just become lethargic and die without the plaintive crying. The puppies may increase vocalisation because they are hungry or because of pain.
