View Full Version : My bulldog puppies are dying... why
doonenberg
Jun 30, 2011, 05:13 AM
My bulldog has given birth to 11 puppies by c-section ,she was 5 days early,we got them home and one by one they keep dying ,I took they back to vets who said it was fading puppies ,we know only have 4 left,what can I do to stop this happening to the rest
JudyKayTee
Jun 30, 2011, 06:24 AM
It could be anything - what does the Vet say? He/she is the person who has physically examined all of them.
I always thought Fading Puppy was more a collection of "problems" than a diagnosis. Here is what I found: "The common term, "fading puppy syndrome", describes the symptoms, rather than an actual or separate disease, in young puppies. Affected young puppies are generally less active, lack vitality, and often fade away, and finally die within 2-3 weeks of birth. They often fail to gain body weight in proportion to their age and their litter mates, despite appearing to suckle well and consume part of their special puppy food, e.g.. Farex and milk, from the first week of age. In most cases, fading puppies will suffer a low-grade infection with a virus or bacterial germ. However, occasionally, failure to thrive can be due to inborn metabolic errors, from a genetic or development abnormality, or other internal digestive malfunction in the young puppy. Puppies that seem normal at birth but rapidly deteriorate within the first 2-4 days, are most likely to have a bacterial infection, which can cause them to lose interest in nursing and deteriorate from the first day of birth. Usually, these puppies die within the first 2-5 days after birth, although some may linger on, depending on the amount of nursing and any other type of therapy that is given."
Fading Puppy Syndrome (http://www.wolfweb.com.au/acd/fadingpupsyn.html)
Aurora_Bell
Jun 30, 2011, 08:23 AM
Like JKT mentioned FPS can be a collection of issues. Has your vet done a necropsy with the other pups to see if there is an infection? A lot of pups who die at birth die from infections such as E coli. Was a proper culture done on the B*tch before she was bred, and what kind of pre natal care did she receive? There are many infections possible from an unsanitary environment (not at all saying your home isn't clean, but if the whelping box/nest/kennel wasn't properly cleaned it puts mom and pups at a higher risk for contracting infectious deadly diseases).
Some pups die because of abnormalities in the fetus, such as under developed heart or other organs. Are the puppies getting enough milk, and did they get the colostrum with in the first few hours? With many smaller breeds, people need to express this themselves and feed by dropper. A lot of pups that are delivered by C-section do not get the chance to get that colostrum that they need. Your vet should have told you these things.
If you notice a pup that is "fading" remove him from the pack, keep him in a different box with heating pads and different levels of padding and heat so the pup can find his own comfort zone. Try to cover the box partially with a towel. Females who know their pups aren't going to make it, usually reject them and the b*tch may le thim get cold or starve so not to take the energy and nutrients she needs for the other pups.
Make sure he is getting fed on a regular basis. Talk to your vet NOW about what to supplement and when and the proper scheduled. Remember if at any time you feel that your vet is not giving you and your family the attention or answers you deserve look for another one. FPS is a description not a diagnosis.
I am so sorry you are going through this. My heart goes out to you and your family. Please keep us posted.
Hopefully our breeding expert Shazzy will be on soon. She is in Australia, so the time difference is a little strange. If I don't see her on soon I will send the link to her.
shazamataz
Jun 30, 2011, 08:51 AM
I really can't add much else to the replies above, just reiterate. Some great info there ladies.
FPS isn't a disease as such, it is more a way of describing the symptoms, pups just literally tend to fade away over the course of a few days or weeks. Sadly, it is a common problem and even the best of breeders can have pups die as a result of FPS so don't take it to heart.
You will need to keep a very close eye on the remaining puppies. If any of them even show a hint of FPS then get them to the vet immediately.
As Bella mentioned bacteria and infection are common causes and can sometimes be treated if caught early on (before they do too much damage to the pups system).
Make sure the whelping box is kept at an optimum temperature.
I am not a fan of heating pads personally, pups can easily crawl off them and get chilled or the other end of the scale: can't find their way off them and overheat and dehydrate.
I use heat lamps and thermometers and monitor the overall temperature of the box so the whole area is a constant, comfortable temp.
Another problem can be that a pup misses out on its regular feed, this can be due to lack of milk from the mother or larger pups pushing them out of the way (more common with larger litters). It's important to make sure every pup gets its fair share, you can do this by rotating the pups if necessary.
If a weaker pup doesn't get enough milk blood sugar levels can drop, the pups can become dehydrated and as a result, be weaker.
The cycle continues as the now even weaker pup has no chance of pushing its way in for a feed.
If you suspect that may be happening you can give the pups a small amount of water and glucose from an eye dropper of small syringe to give it a boost of energy and encourage it to start feeding again.
doonenberg
Jun 30, 2011, 09:18 AM
thank you for all your answers,just got back from the vets and she has given the last 4 antibotics and an injection under there skin to hydrate them,the last 4 have put on weight since yesterday ,and now mum is showing some interest,last 3 days she would have nothing to do with them,so been feeding them by hand every 2 hours ,fingers crossed that little tresures pull through x
JudyKayTee
Jun 30, 2011, 09:33 AM
For a while there I thought the Vet was totally unhelpful - now I see she IS trying to figure things out, help you along.
Watching the puppies die must be heartbreaking. I feel terrible for you.
Typing with MY fingers crossed, too.
doonenberg
Jun 30, 2011, 11:58 AM
thank you,they are feeding at the moment ,and it is heartbreaking to have a puppy die in your hands ,very very sad ,such a shame x
Alty
Jun 30, 2011, 08:02 PM
I can't add anything that hasn't already be said, just want to add that I too am crossing my fingers for you and the remaining pups. All the best to you.
Please keep us posted, let us know how they're doing. So many times people post, then leave, and every post works its way into our heart. We'd really like to know how things go from here.
Aurora_Bell
Jul 3, 2011, 10:08 AM
I'm glad the vet is helping. Also keeping my fingers crossed. Please keep us updated.