Parturition and neonatal care Flashcards
litter
group of puppies/kittens born from the same pregnancy
bitch
female dog
queen
female cat
dam
mother of a litter
stud
male dog/cat that performs during breeding
sire
father of a litter
neonatal period
time from birth to 4 weeks of age
whelping
act of parturition of a dog
queening
act of parturition of a cat
when does canine breeding occur?
during estrus
how can you tell when a female dog is in estrus?
measure progesterone (P4) and luteinizing hormone (LH) spikes to determine time through bloodwork, vaginal cytology, and bitch behavior (will stand for a male to mount and breed, more frequent urination, nesting behaviors, licking vulva, tail between legs during proestrus and will be held off to one side during estrus)
insemination methods
natural insemination and semen collection for artificial insemination
natural insemination
creates a tie that lasts around 1-1 1/2 hours or longer
bulbis glandis in penis causes penis to swell and literally become stuck in the female
semen collection methods
teaser bitch: using a dog in estrus to rile up a male before using another collection method
electroejaculation: low levels of electricity are used to get the male to ejaculate
what are the different ways an artificial insemination can be done?
vaginal, surgical, transcervical
can use fresh or frozen semen
how long is gestation?
63 days
canine placenta type
endotheliochorial with zonary area
what are the different times and methods for diagnosing puppies?
palpate: after 21-30 days
ultrasound: after 21-28 days (used to look for fetal viability)
radiographs: after 43 days (can get fetal count, size, and presentation 2-4 days before due)
canine parturition stages
stage 1: contractions to dilated cervix
stage 2: fully dilated cervix to expulsion of fetus
stage 3: expulsion of fetus to expulsion of placenta
what happens during stage 1 of whelping?
lasts 6-12 hours
restlessness, nesting behavior, anorexia
uterine contractions without abdominal component
temperature drop about 24 hours before stage 2 (< 100 F)
what happens during stage 2 of whelping?
puppies delivered, takes 20-60 minutes per puppy (no more than 2 hours in between)
what are the different ways a fetus can present during fetal expulsion?
anterior (60% of the time): front legs and head come out first
posterior (40% of the time): hind legs first
breech: butt first with legs folded against body, prevents other puppies from coming out and puppy is stuck
what happens during stage 3 of whelping?
expulsion of the placenta
usually passed 5-15 minutes after neonate
mom usually eats it
black-green discharge can be normal during parturition (from site of placental attachment)
1 placenta per puppy
feline estrus cycle
induced ovulators
daylight dependent
estrus behaviors: increased vocalizing, rolling, lordosis, treading in place, may have anorexia or spraying
breeding is best at day 3 of estrus
copulation (sex): LH released within minutes, less than 50% ovulate with single mating
3 possible outcomes: pregnant (CL), nonpregnancy (CL), no ovulation (no CL)
feline placenta type
zonary endotheliochorial
when would a kitten be considered premature?
under 60 days of gestation
not usually viable
what are the different tests and times for diagnosing kittens?
signs: larger teats, weight gain
ultrasound: heartbeat at 16 days
palpation: 18 days
radiograph: after day 40 (most useful at day 60)
*after days 32-35 the kittens are no longer individually discernible
how long does feline partuirition take?
takes a couple hours - over a day
what happens during stage 1 of queening?
uterine contractions, no abdominal contractions
nesting and decreased activity
increased fetal movements, lactational secretion
relaxation around perineal area
ends with chorioallantoic membrane rupture
what happens during stage 2 of queening?
fetuses delivered
what happens during stage 3 of queening?
placenta passed
uterus returns to normal
average canine litter sizes
avg: 4-10 puppies
smaller breeds: 1-4 puppies
larger breeds: 8-12 puppies
average feline litter size
1-5 kittens
birthing red flags
strong continual contractions for 30 minutes without progress
weak, infrequent contractions for 2 hours without progress
prolonged interval between puppies
malpositioning/ large size of fetuses
prolonged gestation period (70-72 days)
extreme pain/exhaustion of bitch/queen
dystocia
difficult birth
what are some materials used for a neonatal physical exam?
pediatric stethoscope (2 cm bell)
digital thermometer (measures as low as 85 F)
warm clean surface for examination (can’t regulate body temp for first 2 weeks)
freshly laundered towels or blankets (extremely susceptible to disease and might not have even drank colostrum yet)
congenital abnormalities
present from birth regardless of cause, born with the condition, can be genetic or environmental (trauma in womb, drugs, nutrition)
genetic abnormalities
cause based in DNA
neonatal physical exam: body hair
should cover most of body except ventral abdomen
lack of hair or sparse hair is caused by a genetic abnormality or premature birth
discharge from orifices is normal
what do the different neonatal ventral abdomen skin colors mean?
dark pink= normal
blue= cyanosis
dark red= sepsis
1st week neonatal developmental landmarks
sleep 80% of time, nurse every 2-4 hours
motor skills: lift head by 3 days, crawl by 1 week, suckle, vocalize distress, purr
umbilical cord dries and falls off by day 3
only respond to odor, pain, and touch stimuli
normal body temperature of a neonate
94.7-100.1 F
2nd week neonatal developmental landmarks
body temperatures rise toward adult levels
double birth weight (kittens: 10-15 g/day, puppies: 5-10% of weight/day)
eyes open at 7-12 days (appear cloudy)
ear canals open at 14-16 days
sexing puppies and kittens
puppies: testicles descend into scrotum by 6-8 weeks
kittens: palpable at birth, not visible until 6-8 weeks
routine puppy/kitten maintenance
healthy mothers with good instincts will take care of healthy neonates without help (carefully monitor mother/neonate interactions for c-sections)
start deworming at 2 weeks (3-part deworming at 2-week intervals)
take weight BID for 3-4 weeks
provide care kits
head abnormalities to look for during neonatal physical exam
open fontanels (brain sutures don’t close, common in chihuahuas, causes coordination issues and seizures), cleft palate, neonatal ophthalmia (eye infection), abnormal nares (stenotic nares)
primary cleft palate
slit between nose and lip
good survival rate
hard to nurse until surgery can be done
secondary cleft palate
hard palate doesn’t fuse fully leaving a hole in the top of the mouth which causes milk to come out of the nose
chest abnormalities to look for during neonatal physical exam
pectus excavatum: constriction of thoracic cavity, common in Maine Coons, can be fatal
puppy/kitten body condition
puppies: pudgie but symmetrical (asymmetrical could mean distended abdomen from worms or ascites)
kittens: lean
abdomen and urachus abnormalities to look for during neonatal physical exam
never bloated, ensure no patent urachus
patent urachus: urethra connects with umbilical cord in the womb but should close when born, doesn’t close in patent urachus
how long do puppies/kittens need to be stimulated to urinate and defecate for?
until 3 weeks
what to look for with the tail during neonatal physical exam
muscle tone, length, kinks, curls
neonatal urine and stool
urine should be clear-pale yellow
dark stool= meconium (1st stool of a neonate)
yellow stool: milk feces
stool should be firm/formed
blood sampling a neonate
obtain from jugular vein
can only take 5% of circulating blood volume
urine sampling a neonate
can obtain by stimulating, manually expressing, or cystocentesis
cystocentesis: only do ultrasound guided and only a skilled tech should do, use 25G needle
neonatal illnesses that need immediate attention
hypothermia, dehydration, hypoglycemia, neonatal isoerythrolysis, malnutrition
hypothermia in neonates
take body temp to diagnose (only take rectally)
clinical signs:
- <94 F: suckling diminishes, GIT hypomotile (ileus)
- <88 F: restlessness, continuous crying, red mm, skin cool to touch, suckling stops
- 78-85 F: lethargic, uncoordinated, still responsive, moisture around corner of lips, decreased HR, decreased RR, no gut sounds
- <70 F: appear dead, hypoxia
ages and temps for diagnosing hypothermia
at birth: <94 F
1-3 days: <96 F
1 week: <99 F
what is important to know about resuscitation and hypothermia in neonates
if too cold they can appear dead so continue CPR until body temp is in normal range
if in normal range and still unresponsive then the neonate is considered dead
how to treat hypothermia
slow rewarming: about 2 F/hour (>4 F/hour will cause delayed organ failure/death)
monitor for thermal burns
warm IV fluids (no more than 2 F above current body temp)
can tube feed warmed LRS with 50% dextrose (only with audible gut sounds)
no food!!
dehydration in neonates
any disease process or imbalance of fluids can quickly lead to dehydration
fluid requirements are high in neonates
less able to conserve fluids
all fluids need to be warmed to 98-99 F
routes: oral, IV, IO
SQ can be used to prevent dehydration
only 1 puncture per bone for IO
hypoglycemia in neonates
dog: <30 mg/dL
cat: <50 mg/dL
neonate born with few glycogen stores and there is poor gluconeogenesis in liver so risk is great
healthy neonate can maintain normal glucose levels for up to 24 hours without nursing
hypoglycemia most common cause of seizures
neonatal isoerythrolysis: kittens
if kitten has type A blood and queen is type B, colostral antibodies will bind and lyse red blood cells in the kitten
causes severe anemia, nephropathy, and organ failure
CS: jaundice (2 days old), tail tip necrosis (10-14 days), death
purebreds usually have type B and domestic cats usually have type A
malnutrition in neonates
CS: constant crying, extreme inactivity, failure to gain weight
milk replacers for neonate feeding
warmed to 95-100 F
use commercially available milk replacers
never use cow’s milk or other milks
never use milk replacer if neonate is hypothermic
neonate feeding
should be fed every 2-4 hours (early intake is limited by stomach volume)
can tube feed for neonates that won’t nurse, have a poor suckle, or are not gaining weight
feed in sternal recumbency with head at relaxed position
hold bottle/syringe horizontal to minimize air ingested
burp and stimulate to eliminate agter feeding
never hold on back like a baby
amount per neonatal feeding
puppies: 10-20 mL
kittens: 4-5 mL
neonatal feeding energy requirements
~20-26 kcal/100g
