Influence of Breed Size, Age, Fecal Quality, and Enteropathogen Shedding on Fecal Calprotectin and Immunoglobulin A Concentrations in Puppies During the Weaning Period

Grellet, A.; Heilmann, R.M.; Polack, B.; Feugier, A.; Boucraut-Baralon, C.; Grandjean, D.; Grützner, N.; Suchodolski, J. S.; Steiner, J.M.; Chastant-Maillard, S.

A total of 254 purebred puppies from 64 litters from 33 different French breeding kennels were included. Puppies vaccinated within the preceding 10 days before the visit and puppies with clinical signs of weakness, dehydration, or anorexia were not included in the study. However, puppies with an abnormal fecal quality were included in the study. Each puppy was identified by a colored collar and its age and breed were recorded. Depending on the mean adult body weight of their respective breed, puppies were categorized into small breed size or large breed size as described above. For each puppy, fecal consistency was evaluated by a single operator using a 13-point scale as previously described. 6 Based on growth rate deterioration, thresholds for abnormal feces in puppies were previously validated and appeared to vary with breed stature and age. 6 Briefly, feces with a score ≤5 were classified as abnormal for large breed puppies regardless of age. For small breed puppies, fecal scores ≤6 and ≤7 were classified as abnormal for 4-5 week old puppies and for older puppies between 6 and 8 weeks old respectively.