Solan Yavru Sendromu: Belirtiler, Nedenler ve Yapılması Gerekenler

Why newborn puppies fade so fast

Puppies this young have very little in reserve. They cannot control their own body temperature until about four weeks of age, they store little fat or sugar, and they lose fluid quickly. When one thing goes wrong, the others tend to follow. A cold puppy stops nursing. A puppy that stops nursing runs low on sugar and fluid. A weak, dehydrated puppy gets colder still. This spiral can take a puppy from quiet to unresponsive within hours, so early action matters.

Dikkat edilmesi gereken belirtiler

A fading puppy often looks fine for the first day or two. Early changes are easier to spot if you handle and weigh each puppy every day.

• Crying a lot and not settling, or going quiet and limp
• Weak suckling, or not latching on at all
• Lying apart from the mother and littermates instead of in the pile
• Feeling cool to the touch, especially inside the mouth
• No weight gain, or weight loss after the first day
• Diarrhea, or dark, tarry stool
• Labored breathing, a swollen belly or pale gums
• Milk coming out of the nose during or after nursing

The mother can give clues too. Tell the vet if she seems unwell, has a fever, pushes a puppy away, or has a smelly discharge or hot, painful teats. Infections in the mother can pass to the puppies through her milk and body fluids.

Ne zaman acil durumdur

Any of these signs in a puppy under three weeks old is urgent. It is best to call a veterinarian the same day, and right away if the puppy is cold, limp, not suckling or breathing with effort. Some infections move very fast. With canine herpesvirus, a puppy can die within 24 hours of the first signs.

While you arrange care, focus on warmth. Vets recommend warming a chilled puppy slowly, over at least 30 minutes. You can hold it against your body or use a heat source covered with a towel, with room for the puppy to move away if it gets too warm. Vets advise against feeding a puppy that is cold or too weak to suckle. A chilled gut stops working, and milk can end up in the lungs. Ask the vet on the phone whether to give anything by mouth before you arrive.

Common causes

Chilling is one of the most common problems. In the first week, a puppy's normal temperature is lower than an adult's, about 35 to 37 °C (95 to 99 °F). In that first week, the area where the puppies sleep is best kept at about 29 to 32 °C (84 to 89 °F). A puppy that strays from its mother, or a litter on a cold floor, loses heat fast.

Poor feeding is another common problem. Puppies need colostrum, the first milk, in the first hours of life. It carries the mother's antibodies, and the gut can absorb them only for about the first day. A thin, sick or stressed mother, a large litter, or a small, weak puppy can all mean some puppies do not get enough. Low blood sugar and dehydration follow quickly. Small, weak puppies and toy breeds are at higher risk.

Infections are a major cause. Bacteria from an infection in the mother's womb or milk, or from a difficult birth, can reach a newborn's bloodstream and cause sepsis. Canine herpesvirus is especially dangerous in the first three weeks, because it multiplies best at the lower body temperature of a newborn. Affected puppies often have no fever and may show weakness, poor nursing, diarrhea and nasal discharge. Infectious canine hepatitis can also kill young puppies. It has become uncommon where dogs are routinely vaccinated.

Parasites play a part as well. Roundworm larvae pass from the mother to the puppies before birth, and hookworm larvae pass through her milk. Hookworms feed on blood, and a heavily infected puppy can become severely anemic before any eggs show up in a stool test.

Birth problems and defects are another cause. A long or difficult birth, a cesarean section, or being lain on by the mother can all weaken a puppy. Some puppies are born with defects that make survival hard. One example is a cleft palate, which is a gap in the roof of the mouth. Milk dripping from the nose and trouble suckling are the usual clues.

Veteriner hekimler nasıl teşhis ve tedavi eder

The vet will check the puppy's temperature, weight, hydration, gums, mouth and belly, and often its blood sugar. Depending on the case, they may run blood tests, examine a stool sample, and take samples to look for bacteria or viruses. The vet will usually examine the mother as well, including her milk and any discharge, because the problem often starts with her.

Treatment depends on the cause and is mostly supportive. It usually starts with slow rewarming, then fluids and sugar given by the vet, oxygen if breathing is hard, and antibiotics when an infection is suspected. Once the puppy is warm and stable, the vet may show you how to help it nurse, or how to bottle or tube feed. Some puppies recover well. Others decline despite good care, because the condition moves quickly and the signs often appear late.

If a puppy dies, ask the vet about a post-mortem exam. It is often the best way to find the cause and protect the rest of the litter.

How to prevent it

Most prevention is simple routine around the birth.

• Keep the whelping box warm, dry and free of drafts, with a warmer spot and a cooler spot, then lower the heat gradually over the next weeks
• Make sure every puppy nurses in the first hours after birth
• Weigh each puppy at birth and at least once a day for the first two weeks, and keep a written log
• Keep bedding clean and strong cleaning fumes away from the litter
• Keep the mother away from other dogs during the last three weeks of pregnancy and the first three weeks after the birth, and wash your hands before handling the litter
• Have the mother checked by a vet during pregnancy, and ask about vaccines and a deworming plan for her and the puppies

After the first day, healthy puppies gain about 5 to 10 percent of their body weight daily. A small loss on the first day, up to about a tenth of the birth weight, can be normal. Weight loss after that, or no gain, is a reason to call the vet. Vets often start deworming puppies at about two weeks of age and repeat it every two weeks for a while. In Europe, a vaccine against canine herpesvirus is available for pregnant dogs. Ask your vet whether it makes sense for a pregnant dog in your care.

Risk to other pets and people

Several causes of fading puppy syndrome are contagious. Canine herpesvirus and infectious canine hepatitis spread between dogs through close contact and body fluids. It helps to keep a sick litter apart from other dogs and to wash your hands between them. In adult dogs, canine herpesvirus usually causes only mild signs, such as a cough or eye irritation. It does not infect people.

Some parasites are a risk to people. Roundworms and hookworms from dogs can infect humans, especially children, so clean up stool promptly and wash your hands after handling puppies and bedding. If the mother has had miscarriages or stillborn puppies, the vet may test her for brucellosis, a bacterial infection that can, in rare cases, pass to people.

Rescue litters and new families

Rescue litters often start at a disadvantage. The mother may be thin, unvaccinated or carrying worms, the birth may have happened outdoors in the cold, and some newborn litters are found without their mother. Orphaned puppies may have missed colostrum, and they have lost the mother's warmth. They need a warm box, bottle or tube feeding as the vet shows you, and close watching. It is best to contact a vet as soon as you take in a newborn litter, even if the puppies look well.

At Paw Squadron, the first stop after every rescue is the vet, and every animal gets a checkup, treatment, vaccinations and a microchip before adoption. This condition strikes in the first weeks of life, well before adoption age, so it mostly concerns rescuers and fosters. You can find more guides in our PawPedia and meet dogs waiting for homes on our Adoptions page.