Neonatal mortality in dogs range from 11,9% to 34%, with highest rate during the first week of life. Many factors could predispose puppies to life-threatening conditions. Among all parameters that could be evaluated at birth in order to identify neonate at risk of mortality APGAR score, lactate, glycaemia and birth weight can give us an indication of the newborn’s criticality.
The aim of this research was to evaluate blood parameters(glycaemia and lactate), clinical parameters(APGAR index and birth weight) and macro- and microscopic parameters of the placenta. The study shows that APGAR score and lactataemia are the main parameters that allow the prompt identification of critical puppies. More studies are needed to establish the relationship between glycaemia and neonatal survival,and the identification of a threshold value to identify hypoglycaemic newborn.Interesting was the relationship between lactataemia,glycaemia and birth weight:hyperlactathemic infants were found to have higher glycaemia and lower weights than normolactatemic one.This result seems to reflects newborn maturity, in fact low birth weight is associated with an increased risk of neonatal mortality due to the patient’s metabolic immaturity.
Further studies are necessary to better establish the usefulness of macro- and microscopic parameters of the placenta as a prognostic tool for neonatal survival. However, as observed in other species, the size of the functional part of the placenta is correlated with the newborn weight. From the histological point of view data are insufficient to determine what is normal or not, and the impact that placenta lesion could have on neonatal morbidity.An important result was the determination of reference ranges that allow the definition of a normal birth weight regardless size and/or breed.This parameter was expressed as a percentage of birth weight to mother weight.Additionally,as already described in equine,was established the percentage of placenta weight to birth weight should have to be considered normal.