Causas de mortalidade neonatal em cães na região sul do Rio Grande do Sul no período de 2017 a 2019

Abstract

Canine neonatal mortality is frequent, being around 20 to 30% in a litter and is associated with several factors, whether congenital or acquired, such as infectious diseases or the neonatal triad. Neonatal mortality represents economic, genetic and emotional losses. Studies in relation to the diagnosis of diseases that affect neonates are necessary to understand their causes and indicate the proper management of offspring. Included in this thesis are four scientific papers. The first article is a literature review on veterinary neonatology, focusing on the main pathologies, such as bacteria and viruses that potentially cause neonatal mortality. Still, physiological and inherent causes of the newborn were addressed. The second article aimed to list the causes of neonatal mortality in cadavers sent to SOVET-UFPel. The most frequent diagnoses were congenital anomalies (32.1%), including meroanencephaly, gastroschisis, and anasarca, which represented 23.2% of the total deaths. The second most common cause in our study was infectious diseases (39.2%), being Streptococcus sp. and Staphylococcus sp. the bacteria most involved. Also, 28.7% of the cases had different causes or were inconclusive. The importance of complementary exams is emphasized, since only the autopsy provides little data for diagnosis in neonates, and complete data regarding the environment, management, delivery and, mainly, in relation to the parturient woman. The third article aims to report a case of meroanencephaly in a newborn dog, which has an area cerebrovasculosa, composed of rudimentary and disorganized glial and nervous tissue, rarely seen in veterinary medicine. The fourth article is a case report of neonatal septicemia in dogs, caused by Streptococcus canis, despite being a common bacterium, it is capable of causing serious injuries in animals and humans. Lesions are poorly described in neonates. The animal in the report had severe liver damage and bacterial emboli in several organs, in addition to a positive culture for the bacteria in all analyzed organs. In view of the work carried out, it is noted the importance of diagnosing neonatal pathologies in order to contribute to reduce mortality and expand scientific knowledge about neonatal pathologies.