Neonate Defects and Difficulties

• Neonates with no tail/anus
• Non-viable puppies
• Potential causes of stillborn or extremely small puppies
• Fading puppy protocol

Neonates with no tail/anus

Q: This is the dams first litter and the sires 3rd. One of my puppies was born without a tail and a slit where the anus should be. His penis is not functioning either, and I believe he is urinating from that same slit. Is this just a weird situation that happens every so often? Should I retire my dam from my program? Or should I just try a different dam and sire combination? This is the sires 3rd litter, and I have not had any issues like this in the past three litters that he has sired. The puppy is doing really well, actually, but we are still discussing his future and what would be the best life for him. 

A: It sounds like it could possibly be hypospadias, but your veterinarian is the one who can confirm that diagnosis. There are midline defects like this, or neural tube defects, which can be ventral (stomach), or dorsal (back) midline defects. They can also be open or closed and covered by skin. While you did not have it in your litter, another midline defect is a cleft palate. In my breeding program I have found that using Folic Acid, or Folate, has been beneficial. The use of Folic Acid will mitigate midline defects, but it is not a 100% cure. Royal Canin has done a comprehensive study on this, specifically on brachy breeds that you might find interesting, found in this journal. (https://www.ivis.org/library/veterinary-focus/canine-and-feline-reproduction-veterinary-focus-vol-162-jun-2006/royal)

Sadly, sometimes defects like this simply happen. If this were my breeding program, I would make a note of it, not cross those two pedigrees again, and be sure to add folic acid to my feeding protocol. Additionally, working with your vet to find the best life for your puppy is a good course to follow.

Non-viable puppies

Q: What is your advice for those of us whelping puppies in rural areas after hours with non-viable puppies born alive? How should we put them out of their misery?

A: Breeding can be heartbreaking at times. Whelping a puppy who has a terminal issue is one of the things we need to be prepared for. I will tell you that I have found the best thing to do is to talk this over with your veterinarian before time and work out a protocol for the “what if” scenario. They will be able to give you the tools to safely and humanely let puppies that are not viable go. I have done this with my veterinarian, and I strongly recommend doing it with your Vet. If the protocol you develop is to take the puppy to the vet, I find that making the puppy comfortable, keeping it warm and near Mom until you get to the Vet seems to make it easier on the Mom. You will grieve for the loss of the puppy, but knowing that you loved it for every moment that it was with you can make it easier to deal with.

Potential causes of stillborn or extremely small puppies

Q: What would cause a stillborn and two pups to be so small they also die?

A: It is never easy to lose a puppy, regardless of the reason. The uterus only has so much room, and frequently in a larger litter, you will have puppies who have not had a great uterus placement. Think of it as real estate where it is all about location-location-location. The same is true of fetal attachment and abnormal uteroplacental or fetal circulation, which compromises the puppy’s development and growth. This can be one cause; another can be a bacterial infection or even an illness like Kennel Cough. These are all reasons that we should be making sure that before we breed our dogs, we do a thorough pre-breeding checkup, including bloodwork and a review of maternal nutrition, vaccines, and parasite control with our Veterinarian.

Fading puppy protocol

Q: I know there are lots of thoughts on this but could you share an overview in identifying and immediate interventions of a fading puppy?

A: My belief and practice with a fading puppy are swift and proactive interventions, using every tool that I have at my disposal. For the first two weeks of the puppy’s lives, I do my best to weigh them daily, twice a day if I feel like something is off, or I am working with a challenged puppy. I also choose to weigh in grams versus ounces, giving me the smallest unit of measure to track progress or regression in weight.

Once I have determined that a puppy is fading, I loop in my vet, just in case I need to bring in the puppy. I want to give the vet a heads up that I am dealing with a problem puppy. First, I want to make sure that the puppy is not chilled. A chilled puppy will not be able to digest food and has a higher probability of fading too. I do not have an incubator, but one is on my Christmas list! I can create a warm place by using my snuggle disks or rice filled white athletic socks. I position the puppy between the warm socks and snuggle it in to warm up. The immediate reaction with a chilled puppy is to use your body warmth, but that is not warm enough to quickly bring a puppy to the correct temperature. I also have a small bottle of oxygen that I can use blow-by oxygen or use a plastic cup to create a zone for the oxygen where I can lay the puppy's head. So now I can combine the heat and the oxygen to give the puppy a boost, often, this is enough to get the puppy back on track.

If warmth and oxygen are not enough, one of the other things I check for is dehydration, and for this, my vet has trusted me to have lactated ringers on hand that I can use. If the puppy’s skin tents when I gently pinch it or the mouth is sticky, I know dehydration needs to be addressed. I give 0.5cc per ounce of weight between the shoulders, creating a bolus. I watch for it to be absorbed, and if it is absorbed within 15 minutes, I administer again as I now know that dehydration was part of the issue. Dehydration can be caused by a variety of things, but often is the result of overhead heat lamps in the whelping box. This is why surface heating of the floor of the whelping box or using a heated whelping nest in the box is the most efficient way to keep puppies warm without dehydration.