Factors influencing ease of whelping and its relationship with maternal behaviour and puppy perinatal mortality in commercially bred dogs

Abstract

For dog breeders, parturition is a critical stage in the reproductive cycle of the dam. Evidence in other mammals suggests that a difficult labour can influence maternal behaviour and offspring viability during the first hours postpartum. However, the effect of whelping difficulty on the onset of maternal behaviour has not yet been investigated in domestic dogs. Here we developed an ease of whelping (EoW) index in dams maintained within a Commercial dog Breeding Establishment (CBE) environment and investigated the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic factors (breed group according to size/weight, litter size, parity, whelping season and origin of the dam), EoW, early maternal behaviour and puppy perinatal mortality. The behaviour of 30 dams was observed throughout the whelping process, starting 24 h before delivery of the first puppy until birth of the last puppy. Parturition duration, birth interval, and behaviours indicative of distress, restlessness, and general activity were scored and included in a Principal Component Analysis to construct the EoW index. Subsequently, mother–pup interactions and puppy perinatal mortality were recorded during the first 24 and 72 h postpartum respectively. Results showed that EoW was significantly affected by whelping season, litter size and origin of the dam (whether she was born and raised within the CBE or brought in). Furthermore, mothers that experienced more difficult parturitions (higher EoW score) spent more time lying in contact with their puppies during the first 24 h postpartum. Time in contact with puppies was also significantly affected by breed group. Nursing duration was significantly affected by breed group and origin of the dam. Additionally, medium-size breed (10–20 kg) puppies were significantly less likely to experience perinatal mortality than large breeds (> 20 kg). These findings are particularly relevant for the welfare of breeding dams maintained in large-scale CBEs where the staff-to-dog ratio might be insufficient to adequately manage multiple simultaneous parturitions.

Positive Human Interaction Improves Welfare in Commercial Breeding Dogs: Evidence from Attention Bias and Human Sociability Tests

“…A previous study found that both periparturient and early maternal behaviour differed between CBE dams that were born and reared within that particular CBE and mothers brought in after 6 months of age. Dams reared outside the CBE were more restless during parturition and spent less time nursing their puppies in the first 24 h postpartum, probably reflecting higher stress levels and reactivity (Baqueiro-Espinosa et al, 2022). It is possible that some of the dams included in our study were reared in a different environment before being introduced to the CBE and were, thus, likely to be more anxious during the tests.…”

Uterine dynamics, blood profiles, and electronic fetal monitoring of primiparous and multiparous bitches classified according to their weight

“…A similar result was obtained in the present study, where the proportion of stillbirths was higher in primiparous bitches in G 4. Apart from the higher frequency of stillbirths, primiparous bitches have an increased risk of requiring C-sections ( p = 0.004), and this is directly related to the presence of stillborn puppies ( 40 ). Some authors attribute this effect to the longer parturition duration and the lack of experience in primiparous bitches ( 48 ).…”

“…In this sense, the quality and amount of nutrients obtained during gestation influence fetal growth ( 56 ). Another study assessing the influence of breed and average weight found that puppies of medium-sized breeds (10–20 kg) had 0.99 times lower perinatal mortality rates than large breeds (> 20 kg) ( 40 ). Regarding parity, the higher weight recorded in puppies born from multiparous dams in this study is different from the results of Tesi et al ( 57 ) in toy and small-sized dogs, as parity did not affect puppies’ birth weight or neonatal mortality in that study.…”

“…Similarly, Zonturlu and Kacar (39) did not find significant differences in the length of expulsion between German Shepherd (7.49 ± 2.44 h) and Labrador Retriever bitches (7.38 ± 1 h). However, the expulsion interval between puppies differed, with ranges of 20-415 min and 5-405 min, respectively, while Baqueiro-Espinosa et al (40) found that the most extended whelping duration (369.73 min) was observed in dams of different breeds and parity (ranging from 0 to 4).…”