Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Low immunity in newborn puppies and how to prevent it in large kennels
By Mila, H et al.·Published in Preventive veterinary medicine·2014·Université, France·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Inadequate passive immune transfer in puppies: definition, risk factors and prevention in a large multi-breed kennel.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of puppies from a large kennel faced high mortality rates due to inadequate immune support from their mothers. Researchers found that the puppies' survival was closely linked to the amount of immunoglobulin G (IgG) they received from colostrum within the first two days of life. They tested a treatment involving oral supplementation with plasma from immunized adult dogs, but this did not improve the puppies' IgG levels or reduce mortality. The key takeaway is that ensuring puppies get enough quality colostrum shortly after birth is crucial for their survival and health.
People also search for: puppy neonatal mortality · colostrum importance for puppies · how to improve puppy immune system
Abstract
The prevalence of neonatal mortality is high in the canine species and far from well-studied. In most domestic neonates, an appropriate colostrum intake is a key element of the control of neonatal mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of passive immune transfer on puppy mortality, assessed through serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentration at 2 days of age. Factors impacting passive immune transfer and the value of an oral immunoglobulin supplementation to prevent it were also analyzed. A total of 149 puppies from 34 litters (12 breeds) within one breeding kennel were included. Blood samples were collected at 2 days of age and colostrum was collected from their dams 1 day after whelping to assay IgG concentration. Puppies were weighed at birth and at 2 days of age for calculation of growth rate. Mortality was recorded until 3 weeks of age. Seventy randomly assigned puppies were orally supplemented with hyper-immunized adult plasma twice within the first 8h of life. IgG concentration at 2 days of age was significantly correlated with weight gain during the first 2 days of life. The multivariable model with litter as a random effect demonstrated that neonatal mortality was not influenced by breed size, sex, supplementation, litter size, nor colostrum IgG concentration, but by puppy IgG concentration at 2 days of age. According to the ROC curve, the minimal IgG concentration at and below which puppies were at higher risk of death was determined at 230 mg/dl. Puppy IgG concentration was significantly associated with growth rate, but not with breed size, sex, supplementation, litter size or colostrum IgG concentration in a multivariable model with litter as a random effect. This study demonstrates that neonatal mortality in puppies is related to the quality of passive immune transfer. The oral supplementation with hyper-immunized canine plasma neither decreased risk of mortality, nor improved serum IgG concentration at 2 days of age in puppies. Attention must thus be paid to early colostrum intake to control the neonatal mortality in puppies.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24880625/