Growth of Australian Cattle Dog puppies in the neonatal period and its relation to birth and parent weight and litter size

Abstract

The monitoring of behavior as well as growth and development during the neonatal period allows to guide the health of the puppies, contributing to the adoption of measures capable of reducing risks and thus contributing to animal welfare. The aim of this study was to identify relationships between growth, birth weight, mean number of puppies in the litter and weight gain of Australian Cattle Dog (ACD) puppies in the first 45 days of life with parental weight. The study was conducted in a prospective, longitudinal manner, 17 8litters born in 2020, totaling 100 pups, a 1.17:1 male/female ratio was 9observed, in a FCI kennel. The mean number of pups per litter was 5.88 and mean birth weight was 258.98g. Lower birth weight and lower weight gain indicate diminish performance in the period. Average daily weight gain was strongly related to the average birth weight