Guidelines for postmortem examination of newborn dogs

Abstract

Neonatal mortality in puppies is a problem frequently encountered by dog breeders. Often, only postmortem examination allows diagnosis and implementation of measures to save the rest of the litter. This article presents the key steps of the postmortem examination, namely, autopsy, histopathology, bacteriology, molecular identification of pathogens, and coproscopy. Sampling, samples' conservation, and interpretation of the obtained results are presented as well as their relative importance for the final diagnosis. Finally, examples of the most frequent syndromes observed under postmortem examination in canine newborns, together with the results from a complementary analysis looking for infectious agents responsible for death, are discussed.

Preductal Segmental Tubular Aortic Hypoplasia in Perinatally Died Stabyhoun Puppies

“…Because of the high reported prevalence of PDA in the Stabyhoun breed and its suspected potential role in the high perinatal mortality before the start of this study, special attention was paid to the patency of the ductus arteriosus and the surrounding vascular structures at necropsy [3]. Dissecting the intrathoracic aorta and the aortic arch in newborn puppies at post-mortem examination is challenging because of the small size; therefore, it is not routinely performed [17]. Consequently, aortic coarctation and segmental tubular aortic hypoplasia might be underdiagnosed, as they might be more common in stillborn and perinatally deceased puppies than reported so far.…”

“…The most commonly reported congenital malformations are cleft palate and hydrocephalus [15]. However, many congenital anomalies, such as those of the cardiovascular system, may not cause any clinical signs in the first weeks of life, and they cannot be appreciated by inspection alone and not even at routine necropsy [1,2,[15][16][17].…”

Neonatology: Topics on Puppies and Kittens Neonatal Management to Improve Neonatal Outcome

“…Neonatal mortality in puppies and kittens is a problem frequently encountered by dog and cat breeders. Often, postmortem examination allows determination of the cause of miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death, which is essential for the implementation of measures to save the rest of the litter and for the prevention of risk factors in future breeding litters [ 78 ].…”