Companion Animals

Dog Canine Herpesvirus Neonatal Welfare

Canine herpesvirus (CHV-1) causes fading puppy syndrome in neonatal pups with very high mortality, driven by the virus's dependence on temperature below normal body temperature for replication.

Key Facts

CHV-1 is endemic in most dog populations but causes disease only in neonatal pups
Neonatal pups cannot thermoregulate and have body temperatures around 34-36 degrees
CHV-1 replicates at this lower temperature causing fatal systemic disease
Keeping pups above 37 degrees prevents viral replication and protects against fatal disease
Vaccination of pregnant bitches provides colostral antibody protection to pups

Welfare Considerations

Fading puppy syndrome causes rapid deterioration and death. Simple temperature management prevents most CHV-1 deaths in neonatal puppies by raising body temperature above the viral replication threshold.

What You Can Do

Maintain neonatal puppy environmental temperature above 30 degrees Celsius
Discuss CHV-1 vaccination of pregnant bitches with your vet
Monitor neonatal litters closely for fading in the first two weeks of life
Provide supplementary warming for pups separated from the dam