# Underweight at birth: any health risks for puppy?



## BlueOdyssey (Feb 21, 2021)

Does low birth weight affect a dog's health over their lifetime? Would love advice from anyone with knowledge of this.

A breeder we are talking to has a girl SPOO available out of a litter of 9. The girl was born at 5oz (their puppies are usually 7 to 8oz) but is gaining weight quickly now.

One of the 9 puppies didn't make it  and was also born small.

The breeder said that the girl would be smaller than her mother when fully grown.

We are considering a girl SPOO because we've been looking for small standards / moyens .... but are not sure about this one?


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## Ava. (Oct 21, 2020)

I'm sure it will be ok, there is very often the runt of the litter.


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## Fenix&Felix (Oct 21, 2020)

BlueOdyssey said:


> Does low birth weight affect a dog's health over their lifetime? Would love advice from anyone with knowledge of this.
> 
> A breeder we are talking to has a girl SPOO available out of a litter of 9. The girl was born at 5oz (their puppies are usually 7 to 8oz) but is gaining weight quickly now.
> 
> ...


My boy was from a litter of nine and the runt. Really, he was about half the size of the biggest puppy. BUT, he’s working on fulfilling his genetic potential: at nine months old, he’s 25” at his shoulder and 64 lbs! I chose him because i was hoping to get the “Moyen” poodle in the litter—Ha!—the joke’s on me! I’m not sure there’s any way to know for sure how big a puppy will be except by their parents?


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

My concern would be the overall health of the pup. Is this an experienced, reputable breeder? This article is from a husky site, but it goes into some of the possible issues associated with runts:









Is It OK To Pick The Runt Of The Litter? Complete FAQ Guide


When looking at a litter of puppies, you may notice one that is particularly smaller than the rest. This puppy is known as the runt of the litter. Often times …




www.myhappyhusky.com





That another puppy was also undersized and didn’t make it does make me wonder about the age and health of the dam. However, I have no breeding experience. Hoping others chime in.


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

I would be terribly concerned, many times in a litter there will be one of two really small pups, especially if the bitch has a large litter for her size.


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## Vita (Sep 23, 2017)

I can only speak to my limited experienced with runts I had in my two cocker spaniel litters and Himalayan kitten litters several decades ago. They needed milk supplements and turned out to be healthy and robust. All were tough little guys and had to be, to compete for a teat. They remained slightly on the small side.

Bonus: the extra handling from me feeding them made them extremely affectionate - and smarter - compared to their litter mates. I've also personally known people who only wanted a runt when choosing a dog.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

It really depends. Sometimes the runt is small because it has a congenital problem. Sometimes it just had a bad situation in the womb. One of my coworkers got a pup with a liver shunt. It was small and had problem after problem. My boys Snarky and Galen were both runts as well. 

Snarky matured to about an inch shorter and 5-10 pounds lighter than his littermate Pogo. That's within the normal variation of a motley litter like theirs. 

Galen is also maturing to a normal size. His breeder had predicted he would end up around 44-45 pounds. Based on his size at 13 months I suspect he's probably going to end up a whisker over 50.


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## BlueOdyssey (Feb 21, 2021)

PeggyTheParti said:


> My concern would be the overall health of the pup. Is this an experienced, reputable breeder? This article is from a husky site, but it goes into some of the possible issues associated with runts:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks Peggy, this article was super helpful! It says that runts do have health risks but these risks can be reduced if they are well taken care of by the breeder and subsequent pet parent. Also, that they may not be smaller than their parents but are likely to be underweight compared to them.

It's great to hear everyone's experience, and to hear of runts that grow up healthy.


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## BlueOdyssey (Feb 21, 2021)

Mufar42 said:


> I would be terribly concerned, many times in a litter there will be one of two really small pups, especially if the bitch has a large litter for her size.


In this case, 5 out of 9 the puppies in the litter were underweight.......


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Does anybody know what the typical variation of weights is in a litter that size? How is "underweight" determined?


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Rose n Poos said:


> Does anybody know what the typical variation of weights is in a litter that size? How is "underweight" determined?


I don’t know how the threshold is determined, but from what I’ve read on the topic, “underweight” is a medical diagnosis based on overall condition and not just relative to the rest of the litter.

@BlueOdyssey, how old is the dam? A recurring factor with underweight puppies seems to be dams in poor health and/or over the age of six.









Low and very low birth weight in puppies: definitions, risk factors and survival in a large-scale population - BMC Veterinary Research


Background Neonatal mortality (over the first three weeks of life) is a major concern in canine breeding facilities as an economic and welfare issue. Since low birth weight (LBW) dramatically increases the risk of neonatal death, the risk factors of occurrence need to be identified together with...




bmcvetres.biomedcentral.com


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

I'm still researching but find no studies about birth weight in re long term health. I do see suggestions of immediate potential impact and also that regardless of birth weight the most important factor seems to be if they continue to grow and gain weight. There will be normal variations in birth weight in litters for various reasons. 

Was there something that you read or were told that's causing this concern?


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## BlueOdyssey (Feb 21, 2021)

@BlueOdyssey, how old is the dam? A recurring factor with underweight puppies seems to be dams in poor health and/or over the age of six.









Low and very low birth weight in puppies: definitions, risk factors and survival in a large-scale population - BMC Veterinary Research


Background Neonatal mortality (over the first three weeks of life) is a major concern in canine breeding facilities as an economic and welfare issue. Since low birth weight (LBW) dramatically increases the risk of neonatal death, the risk factors of occurrence need to be identified together with...




bmcvetres.biomedcentral.com




[/QUOTE]

hmm, the mom is only three years old, and the health tests were all good. The breeder did say that the usual weight was a few ounces more than these girls.


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## BlueOdyssey (Feb 21, 2021)

Rose n Poos said:


> Was there something that you read or were told that's causing this concern?


I guess that in humans when babies are born underweight or preemie it could possibly affect health?


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Ahhh, ok.

It may be then that the reason I'm not finding any studies indicating a long term issue for dogs is because there isn't a long term issue based on being smaller at birth. A range of smaller to larger pups in a litter are quite normal. For dogs, the key factor is continuing to add weight pretty steadily after birth. If she grew normally and is fine now, I can't think of why it should be an issue later.

Humans and dogs do share many medical concerns so I'd really expect to see studies if this particular issue translates.
I'm not sure they're comparable tho. Humans are almost always a single birth per pregnancy.

Dogs vary depending on breed and variety. With standards usually running from 6-9 per litter, a range of sizes would seem more the norm, I was actually sort of surprised that their litter weights would be so consistent thru various sires and dams, ages, litter sizes, all those variables.

ETA: Thinking more, it's not surprising after all that the breeder would be able to give an average weight of pups from their years of record keeping and figuring averages. Human normal ranges from 5.5lb up to 10lb. I think nature would allow a similar range for puppies .

I personally wouldn't be concerned about the pup being born smaller. She could even outgrow her sire and dam. My mpoo boys both did .


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## Brick (Sep 11, 2021)

Fenix&Felix said:


> My boy was from a litter of nine and the runt. Really, he was about half the size of the biggest puppy. BUT, he’s working on fulfilling his genetic potential: at nine months old, he’s 25” at his shoulder and 64 lbs! I chose him because i was hoping to get the “Moyen” poodle in the litter—Ha!—the joke’s on me! I’m not sure there’s any way to know for sure how big a puppy will be except by their parents?


I'm afraid of this too! Been looking at a tiny pup (boy) from a standard poodle litter and breeder thinks he might end up smaller, but what if he doesn't?! I want a 30-35 lb. dog.


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Brick said:


> I'm afraid of this too! Been looking at a tiny pup (boy) from a standard poodle litter and breeder thinks he might end up smaller, but what if he doesn't?! I want a 30-35 lb. dog.


If he doesn't, you'll be in love with him by then, and it won't matter.
If the above statement is not true, then you may be better off getting a miniature poodle.


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Brick said:


> I'm afraid of this too! Been looking at a tiny pup (boy) from a standard poodle litter and breeder thinks he might end up smaller, but what if he doesn't?! I want a 30-35 lb. dog.


Even with a breeder who knows their lines and those of the other breeders, there's simply no way to predict with any certainty. It's no different from what happens with humans. Genetics will have it's way. Born small doesn't mean stays small. Within the varieties, weight isn't a determiner. That will be by height at the shoulder. Poodles are lean, leggy, and athletically built. 30-35lbs in a standard typically will be a female, about 20-21" at the shoulder.

The parents size is your best visual for range, but is still a guess.

As for what if he doesn't, 94Magna_Tom has said it. Either you'll love him as he is, or consider looking for an oversize miniature. They'll probably hit 20-25lbs.

Preferences are understandable. Is your preference based on some other external requirements, or simply a personal preference? Although the varieties each have a size range, most are bred hoping to reach the upper end of the limit. Neither the AKC or UKC purebred registries have an upper limit but there is a preferred size for standards in the conformation ring. I think that's in the 21-25" range but can't be sure without a bit of research.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

Brick said:


> I'm afraid of this too! Been looking at a tiny pup (boy) from a standard poodle litter and breeder thinks he might end up smaller, but what if he doesn't?! I want a 30-35 lb. dog.


My boy Galen was the runt of his litter. His breeder said the entire litter should end up in the 45-50 pound range. Indeed, Galen's weight now bounces between 47 and 50 pounds. 

I would look at both the dam and the sire if size is important to you. My current puppy Ritter is out of a 35 pound dam and a 55 pound sire. His breeder thought the litter would be on the small side, due to the dam's diminutive size. Nope. Ritter is a big boned lad who weighed over 50 pounds at 6 months. He clearly takes after his dad.


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