Guidelines for postmortem examination of newborn dogs

Neonatal mortality in puppies is a problem frequently encountered by dog breeders. Often, only postmortem examination allows diagnosis and implementation of measures to save the rest of the litter. This article presents the key steps of the postmortem examination, namely, autopsy, histopathology, bacteriology, molecular identification of pathogens, and coproscopy. Sampling, samples' conservation, and interpretation of the obtained results are presented as well as their relative importance for the final diagnosis. Finally, examples of the most frequent syndromes observed under postmortem examination in canine newborns, together with the results from a complementary analysis looking for infectious agents responsible for death, are discussed.

Automated summary

This article discusses the importance of postmortem examination in diagnosing neonatal mortality in puppies, outlining key steps like autopsy, histopathology, bacteriology, and molecular identification of pathogens. It also emphasizes the significance of sampling, sample conservation, and result interpretation for final diagnosis, along with examples of common syndromes and infectious agents found in canine newborns during postmortem analysis.