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"Runt" Terminology
By
Good Dog is on a mission to educate the public, support dog breeders, and promote canine health so we can give our dogs the world they deserve.
Good Dog is on a mission to educate the public, support dog breeders, and promote canine health so we can give our dogs the world they deserve.
Good Dog is on a mission to educate the public, support dog breeders, and promote canine health so we can give our dogs the world they deserve.
Q: Can you speak to the terminology "runt" vs smallest of litter?
A: The term ‘runt’ is often used by the general public to describe the smallest in the litter, who may or may not have issues. For me it is an erroneous term as the smallest puppy is most often simply the one who generally has had bad uterine placement. Kind of like real estate, where it is all about “location, location, location!” In her book, “The Dog Breeder’s Guide to Successful Breeding and Health Management,” Dr. Margaret V. Root Kustritz, DVM states that “runts are simply puppies who had poor placentation. Runts are not weak because they were conceived last or happened to be positioned in the middle of the uterus, they just had the misfortune of having a poor implantation site while the other pups had better one.”
We need to make sure that we monitor that smaller puppy in our litters, making sure they stay warm and have adequate time to nurse so that they may catch up to their littermates. By doing this, we can help them grow to their potential.
