Research Communications of the 24th ECVIM-CA Congress

282 puppies from 33 breeding kennels were included in the study. Puppies were between 5 and 14 weeks of age (meanAEStandard Deviation (SD): 7.8 AE 1.5 weeks). Depending on the mean adult body weight of their respective breed, the puppies were divided into small (if mean adult body weight < 25 kg) or large (>25 kg) breed puppies. For each puppy, fecal consistency was evaluated using a 13-point scale and feces were collected for the evaluation of presence of fecal enteropathogens and fecal IgA concentrations. The presence of enteropathogens in fecal samples was evaluated by qPCR for canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV2), qRT-PCR for canine coronavirus (CCV), coproantigen quantification for Giardia (ProSpecT-Giardia, Remel), and McMaster flotation technique for other parasite eggs and oocysts. Fecal IgA concentrations were measured by an ELISA test. Statistical analyses were performed using SAS software. A linear mixed model (proc MIXED) with fecal IgA concentration as outcome was used to determine the following effects: enteropathogen infection, breed size, age, and fecal score. The respective influence of litter and breeding kennel as random effects was also determined. Data is presented as mean AE SD.