Fading puppy syndrome has long been a perplexing silent killer of newborn puppies. If pet owners are not perceptive enough, they might not detect symptoms of this life-threatening health problem.
With the help of this article, you will find out the early clinical signs, treatment options, and preventative measures for fading syndrome in puppies.
Defining Fading Puppy Syndrome
What is fading puppy syndrome? Fading syndrome in puppies refers to the sudden death of neonatal puppies despite appearing healthy.
How common is fading puppy syndrome? Many pet owners are alarmed about this mysterious condition as it commonly occurs during a puppy’s first week of life. However, it can also manifest in puppies that are around 3 weeks of age.
7 Potential Fading Puppy Syndrome Causes
For years, experts cannot pinpoint the true cause of puppy fading syndrome. However, they have distinguished several contributing factors that may trigger this disorder to appear, such as:
1. Environmental Toxins
The skin of neonatal puppies is thin and extremely sensitive. It can quickly absorb harmful chemical residues such as pine oils and phenols, commonly found in household cleaners. Inhaling chemical fumes can gravely put them in danger of poisoning too.
2. Intestinal Parasites
If the mother is not regularly dewormed, she may pass on certain parasites, such as hookworms and roundworms, to her puppies through the placenta. Roundworms are also transmitted through ingesting contaminated milk from the mother.
These parasites drain the blood and nutrients of puppies, causing them to lose weight and potentially develop life-threatening anaemia.
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3. Lack of Immunity
The immune systems of neonatal puppies are not yet fully developed, leaving them vulnerable to many canine diseases. Research shows that puppies with low antibody levels are less likely to survive and reach their third week.
Puppies need to consume colostrum to acquire a better level of immunity. Colostrum is a special fluid produced by mother dogs 1–2 days after giving birth.
It contains nutrients vital for building a strong immune system in puppies. This fluid should be consumed within 12 hours after birth for better absorption into the puppy’s digestive tract.
4. Viral Infections
Mother dogs carrying a virus but remain unvaccinated can pass down this disease to their offspring. Some of the most prevalent causes of bacterial infections in puppies are E. coli, streptococcus, and staphylococcus, which thrive in the birth canal.
Highly contagious diseases such as canine parvovirus, adenovirus, and canine distemper are associated with fading puppy syndrome as well.
5. Birth Defects
Congenital disorders are prevalent in highly inbred litters. The shallow gene pool decreases the litter size and increases the mortality rate of newborn puppies.
Sick or deceased neonatal puppies also displayed physical abnormalities. The common birth defects they developed are cleft palates and lips, heart abnormalities, and portosystemic shunts.
6. Low Birth Weight
It is normal for newborn puppies to lose 10% of their weight during their first 24 hours of life. However, they should gain 10% of their birth weight daily for 3 weeks.
Puppies 25% smaller than their siblings are highly susceptible to health issues in the first 3 weeks of life. If they do not gain a healthy weight, fading puppy syndrome may occur.
7. Unable to Regulate Body Temperature
Newborn puppies do not have the proper ability to regulate their body temperature. They are poikilothermic during their first week of life. It means their body temperature will change according to the temperature of their surroundings.
Typically, their normal body temperature ranges around 95 to 98˚F (35 to 36.7˚C). Once neonatal puppies reach their second and third week, their normal body temperature should be around 97 to 100˚F (36.1 to 37.8˚C). In the fourth week, their temperature will be the same as those of adults.
If neonatal puppies are not given sufficient heating, they may succumb to fading canine syndrome in a form of hypothermia. However, avoid providing supplemental heat when in a hot climate; otherwise, hyperthermia may occur.
Contagiousness of Fading Puppy Syndrome
Is fading puppy syndrome contagious? Puppy fading syndrome can be infectious depending on its root cause. If a newborn puppy is infected with a transmittable disease such as canine distemper, other puppies in the litter may contract it.
However, fading puppy syndrome brought on by congenital abnormalities is not contagious. A neonatal puppy born underdeveloped or with birth defects will be unable to pass on these health issues to his siblings.
Common Symptoms of Fading Puppy Syndrome
What are the signs of fading puppy syndrome? Early clinical symptoms of fading syndrome in puppies usually appear 24 hours before death occurs.
Due to the late manifestation of symptoms, affected puppies often fade and die before proper diagnosis and treatment are carried out.
For this reason, pet owners should be keenly on the lookout for these delayed fading puppy syndrome symptoms:
- Lethargy
- Unable to suckle
- Low birth weight
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Repetitive whining
- Neglected by the mother
- Breathing difficulties
If your puppy exhibits signs of fading, drive him to the vet ASAP. Avoid any delays since the presence of these symptoms could mean he is in the final and fatal stage of fading puppy syndrome.
Mortality Rate of Fading Puppy Syndrome
How long do fading puppies last? Most puppies with the fading syndrome die within 3–5 days. Research also states that 55% of fading puppy syndrome cases have no known cause of death. The remaining 45% have known causes, with infections making up 20% of these cases.
Can a puppy survive fading puppy syndrome? Despite this condition’s relatively high mortality rate, having fading puppy syndrome survivors is still possible. However, it will greatly depend on the underlying cause and how early it is diagnosed and treated.
Fading syndrome in puppies caused by hypothermia, viral infections, and poisoning can be successfully treated if detected early.
If fading is brought on by congenital abnormalities and low birth weight, the probabilities of surviving are dim. Many puppies with these conditions do not respond to proper treatment, and their health continues to deteriorate.
Diagnosing Fading Puppy Syndrome
The vet will inquire about the mother dog’s diet, vaccinations, difficulties in delivery, and exposure to other animals. Other important things he might ask about are the location and temperature of the whelping box.
The vet will carry out a physical examination on your puppy. He may look into your pet’s weight as well as the history of fading syndrome in his ancestry. All this information will help determine the root cause of your puppy’s fading.
Taking the following medical tests might also be required for accurate diagnosis:
Complete blood count – This test will help spot any abnormalities in the number of white and red blood cells, which may indicate bacterial infections.
Biochemistry profile – This one tests glucose levels to see if hypoglycaemia is present and determines which organs are greatly affected.
Urinalysis – This test is used to find harmful bacteria in the urine, which suggests urinary tract infection.
Faecal examination – This test examines puppies’ feces for any presence of bacteria and parasites.
Treatment for Fading Puppy Syndrome
How to treat fading puppy syndrome? Determining the cause of fading syndrome in puppies can take time. Thus, the vet will initially concentrate on providing supportive care.
Intravenous fluid and oxygen supplementation will be given to manage dehydration. Puppies suffering from hypothermia need to be kept warm, with a temperature around 85–90˚F.
Puppies with bacterial infections will be treated with antibiotics such as amoxicillin or clavulanic acid. The vet may advise separating them from the rest of the litter if their illness is contagious.
Fading puppies with little to no sucking reflexes require tube feeding. Their stomach will be inserted with a small tube where a warmed puppy formula will pass through. They will be fed every 2 hours or so.
Fading syndrome caused by physical defects is often resolved through surgery. However, if these congenital abnormalities are too severe, the vet will likely ask you to consider euthanasia.
Home Remedies for Fading Syndrome in Puppies
Can you stop fading puppy syndrome? Fading syndrome in puppies is a condition that needs immediate vet treatment. However, if some circumstances are preventing you from going to the vet clinic, here are some ways on how to treat fading puppy syndrome at home:
Maintain appropriate temperature on the whelping box.
Use a heat lamp to keep the whelping box warm. If your puppy is around 4 days old, the temperature should be about 85–90°F (29.5–32°C). It is okay to lower the heat to about 80°F (26.7°C) if he is 7 or 10 days old.
Make sure the heat lamp does not cover the whole whelping box. There should be a spot where they can walk off if the heat becomes too intense for them.
Feed your puppy a colostrum substitute.
If your puppy’s mother refuses to nurse him, use a colostrum replacer as his meal. Here is a guideline on how much to feed him daily according to his age and body weight:
- 1st week of life – 13 ml per 100 g of body weight
- 2nd week of life – 16 ml per 100 g of body weight
- 3rd week of life – 20 ml per 100 g of body weight
- 4th week of life – 22 ml per 100 g of body weight
He should be fed 6 times a day, at least every 2 to 3 hours. The colostrum replacer must be warmed to 95–100°F (35–37.8°C) for better digestion.
Before feeding, check the opening of the nursing bottle. The hole should be small enough to allow only one drop of fluid at a time. The rapid flow of the colostrum replacer is dangerous as it can cause aspiration, pneumonia, or death.
Treatment and monitoring of puppies suffering from fading syndrome may last until they reach around 6–12 weeks of age.
If the unfortunate outcome happens wherein the puppy dies, getting a posthumous examination is recommended. It will determine if fading puppy syndrome is an isolated case or if it can manifest in other puppies in the litter.
Preventative Measures for Fading Puppy Syndrome
How to prevent fading puppy syndrome? There is no surefire way to prevent fading puppy syndrome. This mysterious condition often occurs in puppies without any cause.
However, there are ways to reduce the chances of fading syndrome in puppies, such as:
- Mother dogs prone to birthing fading puppies should not be used for future breeding.
- Pregnant dogs should be given fading puppy syndrome vaccine, also known as the canine herpes virus vaccination. It should be injected subcutaneously around 10 days and 52 days after mating.
- Providing a high-quality diet to mother dogs keeps them and their puppies healthy. It may help in lowering the risk of fading puppy syndrome.
- Make sure to place a whelping box in an isolated area away from other pets. This helps prevent transmittable diseases from spreading to the mother and her litter.
- Make sure to clean and disinfect the whelping box thoroughly twice a day. Only use dog-friendly cleaners to prevent poisoning from happening.
- Ensure that your puppy consumes his mother’s colostrum within the first 12 hours of his life. If the mother excludes the puppy from feeding, extract the milk from her breasts. Use a dropper to feed the colostrum to your pooch.
- Regularly check your puppy’s weight. As we have mentioned, their body weight should continue increasing by around 10% daily for 3 weeks. Keep a record so you can easily compare any changes in his weight.
- Get the mother dog and her puppies checked by the vet 48 hours after giving birth. The vet will inspect the mom to ensure she produces enough milk for her offspring. This will also be a chance to examine if the puppies have developed any birth defects or illnesses.
