Placental and other risk factors related to the survival and development of neonates from birth up to 10 days of life in bitches

Although the association of several neonatal risk factors has been described previously, the relationship between placental alterations and neonatal viability, vitality scores, growth, and development in canines remains unexplored. This research aimed to study placental and other risk factors related to the survival and growth of neonates from birth up to 10 days of life in bitches. A cohort of 27 bitches, 93 neonates, and 53 placentas was included. Weight, macroscopic and microscopic lesions, and vascular density were evaluated in the placentas, while mortality, viability, APGAR, reflexes, and weight progression until day 10 of life were assessed in neonates of three groups: 1) emergency cesarean (EMC, n = 43), 2) elective cesarean (ELC, n = 11), and 3) natural parturition (NAP, n = 39). Neonatal mortality was higher in the EMC group (56.0 %) compared to the NAP group (10.2 %) and the ELC group (0 %). Macroscopic placental lesions were associated with reduced neonatal viability, and the type of parturition, specifically EMC, significantly increased neonatal mortality, the number of puppies under distress, and those with reduced reflexes. In conclusion, this study suggests that macroscopic placental lesions and parturition type are risk factors for the viability, vitality, and growth of canine neonates. As gross placental lesions are easily identifiable in clinical settings, their evaluation, combined with APGAR scoring and reflex evaluation, could help identify at-risk puppies and improve the neonatal outcomes in veterinary practice.