RESUMO

Congenital malformations can affect almost 7% of canine newborns. The increase of commercial dog breeding and inbreeding used to maintain the striking characteristics of each breed, the appearance of malformations has become increasingly common, especially in brachycephalic dogs. The causes are diverse, and include genetic, nutritional, iatrogenic, and infectious factors, often making it difficult to establish a cause-consequence relationship. The high mortality associated with malformations comes not only from the fact that some are incompatible with life, but also because even if many undergo surgical treatment or correction, they require specific management, monitoring, and clinical treatment for an indefinite period of time. The most common malformations such as cleft lip and palate, hydrocephalus and anasarca have been studied for a long time, and it is currently known that brachycephalic dogs have a greater predisposition, however, for other less common conditions as gastroschisis and hypospadias, there is only a few case reports. The appearance of congenital defects in a litter leads to financial losses for the breeder, emotional losses for the owner and the veterinarian and harms the well-being of that individual. For this reason, the aim of this review article is to gather relevant information on the characteristics, diagnosis, and management of the main malformations in puppies. It is essential that the veterinarian is prepared to diagnose and treat these conditions, reducing negative impacts on animals and owners.

Assuntos

Fenda Labial , Fissura Palatina , Craniossinostoses , Doenças do Cão , Masculino , Cães , Animais , Fenda Labial/veterinária , Fissura Palatina/veterinária , Endogamia , Craniossinostoses/veterinária , Doenças do Cão/diagnóstico , Doenças do Cão/terapia

RESUMO

The popularity of brachycephalic dogs has increased in recent years due to their docile temperament and peculiar features. The historical inbreeding and consequent lack of genetic diversity involved in the development of these breeds led to an increase in the manifestation of deleterious genes that may lead to malformations. In addition, there are serious health issues intrinsic to the conformation, mainly attributed to these extreme characteristics. Therefore, this retrospective study aimed to observe the frequency of malformations in brachycephalic dogs compared to the pure and mixed breeds (MB). The medical records of pregnant bitches admitted at the Service of Obstetrics and Animal Reproduction (SORA) from January 2017 to December 2021 were retrieved from the hospital's computer system and analyzed one by one. Seven hundred sixty-eight neonates born from 168 litters were included in this study. Of these litters, 72.6% (122/168) were brachycephalic. Malformations were found in 52 puppies, with an incidence of 6.77% (52/768). Of the 32 litters that produced malformed puppies, 28 were brachycephalic (87.5%). In total, 23 types of malformations were registered, the most common being cleft palate (1.30%) and anasarca (1.17%). Ten of the puppies (10/52; 19.23%) presented two or more associated malformations. Bitches above 7 years were more prone to present malformed puppies in their litters. Brachycephalic breeds were 3.03 times more likely to present malformed neonates when compared to other breeds; the odds ratio increased to 5.07 when modern brachycephalic was compared to ancestral brachycephalic. Regarding the mode of delivery, elective cesarean sections accounted for 66.6% of births while 19.64% were eutocic vaginal deliveries, and 13.69% were dystocic. The presence of malformed puppies in a litter causes suffering for the owner, the bitch and for the puppy itself, therefore, the veterinarian plays a key role in this scenario. Knowledge about congenital abnormalities, their causes, diagnosis, and approach is essential to reduce the incidence of malformations and improve the quality of life of these animals.