Parvovirus and herpes virus are the main culprits in the death of puppies between 2 and 12 weeks of age. Bacterial staph and strep infections also play an important role in the early death of some puppies. Premature or sudden death in puppies is generally known as fading puppy syndrome. Death is usually preceded by few or very brief signs of illness.
This is most common in the first week of life, but can occur up to 3 weeks of life. Several different conditions can cause fading puppy syndrome. Sometimes solitary puppy deaths are related to a birth defect that didn't immediately become apparent. Sometimes the mother does not care for the weaker or smaller members of the litter.
Young puppies have an underdeveloped immune system. They acquire antibodies from the milk produced by the mother dog directly after birth, called colostrum. Puppies that don't breastfeed properly will not receive these antibodies and are much more likely to get a serious infection. Sometimes, a breast infection (mastitis) or calcium deficiency in the mother can limit her milk supply.
Canine herpesvirus is another common cause of fading puppy syndrome. This virus can be transmitted from the mother in utero or through infected fluids after birth. It is usually not symptomatic in adults, but causes death in puppies up to about 3 weeks of age. If the mother has the virus, puppies may be born weak to begin with, or even be born dead.
Your puppy's body temperature drops too low for any reason, it's one of the main reasons young puppies die. If a puppy is born with a compromised immune system, it will usually die within the first five days of life. Like other mammalian species, canine puppies are very vulnerable during their first few weeks of life, partly because they do not have the ability to regulate their own body temperature and their immune systems are not yet fully developed. They can move away from the litter and rest in the corners, while healthy puppies will sleep and crawl against each other.
This is one of the reasons why small puppies need to be close to their mother and littermates; they are a source of heat. About 30% of pedigree puppies die in their first few weeks of life, and only about half of them die from identifiable causes. Puppies only truly stabilize within their bodies around 8 weeks of age, and are at increased risk until this point. She said other telltale signs you're buying at a puppy farm, where unscrupulous breeders are constantly raising dogs solely for profit, is if you don't see the puppy with its mother or if there are many different breeds of puppies in the house.
There are a variety of different things that can cause fading puppy syndrome because newborn puppies are very vulnerable, but there are some common causes to consider. While a litter of puppies will generally look the same while they are born, within a few days you will likely notice larger and smaller puppies. There are many reasons why puppies are extremely vulnerable during the first few weeks of life. While breastfeeding puppies is the most natural thing in the world for a dog mother, just like human mothers, dogs don't always have enough milk or nutritious enough milk to feed all their puppies, especially if they have a large litter.
Fading puppy syndrome (or fading complex) is when a puppy dies within the first few weeks of life without a clear cause of death or clinical signs, that is, it fails to thrive. However, puppies are still at high risk for the first three weeks, which is when they are most likely to develop fading puppy syndrome. The best thing to do is to keep a close eye on puppies for the first few weeks of life so that you can quickly detect problems and symptoms. During the first few weeks of life, puppies cannot regulate their own body temperature and need a source of heat to keep them warm.
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