Content
- Feeding errors
- How to avoid nutritional deficiencies in puppies?
- congenital hypothyroidism
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- pituitary dwarfism
- clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Heart problems
- Diagnosis of the ductus arteriosus
- Treatment
- other pathologies
When the puppy comes to our house, it is normal to ask ourselves about some basic questions, especially if it is our first dog. Questions such as how long it will take to learn to pee in the right place or how long it will take to reach your adult size are the most common ones in the veterinary clinic.
Sometimes we notice a difference in the growth of our dog in relation to others and we ask "Why doesn't my dog grow?".In this PeritoAnimal article, we'll explain some of the diseases that may be preventing your dog from developing normally.
Feeding errors
In this field, we include all the diseases that we ourselves unknowingly cause, which can cause delays in the puppy's growth.
If you want to offer a homemade diet to your dog, you run the risk of do not calculate the needs of all nutrients properly (proteins, carbohydrates, lipids...) and, at a critical stage, such as the first months of life, this can lead to irrecoverable changes.
The most common is the growth delayalong with the hypertrophic osteodystrophy that calcium supplements cause. "rickets", usually associated with a lack of calcium and phosphorus, but which can be caused by a lack of Vitamin D (without it, an adequate calcium metabolism cannot be carried out) comes to mind.
Regardless of our good will, we must understand that making food with love and care is not enough. Some nutrients prevent the absorption of others and foods with more protein are not always beneficial (everything depends on the biological value of this protein and the kidney ends up paying for the excess). Sometimes the problem is in the proper relationship of trace elements.
How to avoid nutritional deficiencies in puppies?
If we want to offer a homemade diet to our puppy, it is essential to seek the help of a veterinarian nutritionist that we prepare a specific and adequate diet for our dog, avoiding the risks to his health mentioned above. However, the ideal is to offer specific dog food that contains the information that it is nutritionally complete.
We should avoid offering nutritional supplements, as all medium-high quality feeds have an adequate calcium-phosphorus ratio, as well as digestible protein, percentage of lipids, unsaturated fatty acids, etc.
Are you wondering about a dog grow supplement? The puppy will not grow bigger or better by taking extra supplements. It is evident that they will be necessary if we opt for homemade diets, but avoid using them in this critical period, for the many advantages they may offer in the future. If you would like to know if your puppy will grow a lot, read our article on this topic.
At least in the first 12-18 months of life, depending on the type of dog breed, we should choose a quality commercial diet, which even detailed the daily amount they should eat and how to distribute it.
congenital hypothyroidism
If the puppy suffers from congenital hypothyroidism it means he was born with an inability to produce enough thyroid hormones. This leads to obvious changes:
- Growth delay.
- Apathy, loss of appetite, lethargy...
- A clumsy and inactive dog.
- Hair not shiny and sometimes alopecia (lack of hair in certain areas)
- Ossification problems in some parts of the bones.
At first we thought that his lack of coordination of movement and constant drowsiness were due to the fact that he was a puppy. As time goes by, it becomes more evident. If you know his siblings from the same litter, you can see that after a few months, they develop normally while yours remains tiny and inactive.
Diagnosis
One full analytics, which determines the production of thyroid hormones and the production of hormones such as TSH and TRH, guide the veterinarian for the pathology.
Treatment
The best option is the administration of thyroid hormone (thyroxine) every 12 hours. Regular visits to the veterinarian are essential to adjust the dose, as well as to carry out complete tests to control possible metabolic changes.
pituitary dwarfism
Fortunately, it is rare, although almost all veterinarians with more than a decade of experience have already had one of these cases on their hands. Is congenital growth hormone deficiency (somatotrophin), which is produced at the pituitary level. Hence its common name "pituitary dwarfism".
As its congenital condition indicates, it is a hereditary alteration, typical of certain breeds, the German Shepherd being undoubtedly the most affected. On a much smaller scale, cases have been described in spitz and weimaraner.
clinical signs
From two months onwards, we begin to notice that our puppy does not develop like the others. As time goes by, we find certain characteristics of this disease:
- Puppy coat persistence and, later, alopecia.
- Pyoderma, skin infections.
- The body proportions are maintained (they are like an adult, but small).
- The gonads atrophy (the testicles, in males, are underdeveloped).
- The fontanelles, that is, the union between the bones of the skull, remain open much longer.
- Puppy dentition lasts a long time, there is a very obvious delay in moving to permanent dentures.
If we do not act in time, after a variable period of time, the effects of growth hormone deficiency and of lack of other hormones pituitary (hypothyroidism), something that often happens after a year or two. Thus, virtually everyone who suffers from pituitary dwarfism develops hypothyroidism at the end of that time.
- Hypothyroidism: inactivity, loss of appetite, lethargy...
- Kidney changes: damage caused by the thyroid hormone thyroxine.
Diagnosis
The clinical evolution of our dog's periodic visits will lead to the suspicion of the veterinarian, who will carry out a blood test to the IGF-I (Insulin-like GrowthFactor) that is something that the liver synthesizes in direct order of growth hormone or somatotrophin. It is easier to detect this factor than the hormone itself and thus its absence is determined. However, alterations of another type, such as metabolic or poor management, must be previously ruled out before determining a treatment.
Treatment
There is no exclusive option and the life expectancy of these puppies is less than that of a normal puppy, but they can still live a few years with a good quality of life if they are properly cared for.
- Growth hormone (human or bovine). It is expensive and complicated to acquire, but applied 3 times a week for a few months it can give good results.
- Medroxyprogesterone or Progesterone: Analogs of the hormone progesterone. Before starting any sex hormone treatment, it is necessary to neuter both males and females. They are widely used, especially the first one.
- Thyroxine: As everyone develops hypothyroidism after a couple of years, it is usual to measure the thyroid function frequently and, when noticing a decrease in the tests, to medicate for life.
Heart problems
sometimes a inadequate blood flow can cause delays in growth. It is common to observe in numerous litters some individual that grows less than the others and detect a heart murmur during auscultation.
It may be a valve stenosis (does not open properly), which means that the blood ejected by the heart to the organs is not the same. Clinical signs are an inactive dog with growth retardation. It is a congenital disease, which is why the parents of this puppy must stop reproducing, as well as the siblings of this litter.
Other times, we are facing a persistent ductus arteriosus, is a conduit that is present in the fetus before birth, through which venous and arterial blood (oxygenated and non-oxygenated) is mixed. In the fetus nothing happens, since the mother is responsible for providing oxygen for it, but if it does not atrophy before being born as it should, the consequences will be:
- A puppy that doesn't grow, with no appetite.
- Weakness, tachypnea.
- Extended head position to try to breathe better.
- Collapses, total exercise intolerance.
Diagnosis of the ductus arteriosus
Hearing a continuous murmur at the base of the heart (upper area) in a puppy that does not grow, along with weakness and exercise intolerance often indicate this pathology. If, in addition, it is of a susceptible breed (Maltese, Pomeranian, German Shepherd...) are strong indications of this disease. It would be necessary to perform x-ray, electrocardiogram, and possibly ultrasounds.
Treatment
The duct is easy to fix through surgery relatively simple, but it involves opening the chest. After the duct is connected, the heart will start working normally. The post-operative period is painful but the puppy can continue to develop normally and grow like any adult of its breed. It all depends on the state he is in when the disease is detected and the previous damage the heart has suffered before the intervention.
A valve stenosis (aortic, pulmonary, etc) is much more complicated and heart valve surgery is not as developed as in humans.
other pathologies
There are a lot of metabolic or structural problems that our puppy can be born with that can lead to a delay in his growth. We summarize some of them:
- Liver disorders: The liver is the body's purifier and its malfunction due to congenital or acquired problems can lead to abnormal growth.
- Intestinal problems: Calcium is absorbed intestinally and its metabolism is directly related to vitamin D levels. Any failure of enterocytes (intestinal cells) can alter calcium absorption.
- kidney problems: All calcium and phosphorus homeostasis depends on correct renal function.
- diabetes mellitus: Insufficient insulin production at birth can cause abnormal growth.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.