# Fading Puppy Syndrome



## cuttingedge (Nov 23, 2009)

Just have a couple of questions and am hoping for some insight.
I have recently put a deposit on a German Shepherd Puppy and the Breeder that I am using has whelped two litters in the last six months with different Females. The first litter was a large one with I think Ten (10) puppies (6 Males) and (4 Females) of which 4 were lost to Fading Puppy Syndrome.
The second litter was more recently Whelped (6 Males) and (2 Females) and so far 1 Puppy was lost to Fading Puppy Syndrome. As a buyer should this be cause for concern? How common is this? and could this lead to adverse health effects down the road for the rest of the puppies?
Thanks


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

Oh my gosh. 

Fading Syndrome

I think I will move to the breeder section. I've seen a number of rescue litters...from really bad circumstances who seem to do better than that...this seems odd to me. Will let the experts chime in!


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## ChristenHolden (Jan 16, 2010)

I wonder if this is what happend to Blackies litter. Or if something else killed all 14 pups.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

It sounds like fading puppy syndome is what they call it when a puppy or puppies die regardless of the cause, by that link. 

Canine herpes would have been my first guess with your litter Christen, because it killed the whole litter. Parvo would too, but if the bitch was vaccinated, it is less likely. At three weeks the pups should have been under the dam's immunity. 

If the dam had no immunity to herpes virus. then her pups would have been susceptible to it. It is just a slight fever that dogs get that kills the virus. But puppies' temperature is several degrees lower and they succomb to herpes virus. And the breeder can say, fading puppy syndrome. 

I did not see the pictures but crating a bitch is not the way to manage a litter. Even a child's swimming pool is better than that. Ideally you have a whelping box with a pig rail to keep her from lying on the pups and smothering them. 

Cuttingedge, I would move on from this breeder. While it could have been an environmental factor, inexperience, or a virus, there is know way to ensure that it is not a physical/genetic defect causing such a high neonatal mortality rate. 

Losing pups before they are born could be something different, like the bitch over stressed, or the whelping process being elongated. So if they lost a few puppies last litter and a pup in this litter at birth I would not necessarily count them out Once they are breathing and past day two, then puppies being lost is a much higher concern in my opinion.


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