Discovering the Infectious Cause of Miscarriages in Pets.

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There is a group of young men who always walk their pets in the early hours of the morning in my neighborhood, as a lover of pets I got to speak with them on that note, the last time I bumped into them, about three of the female pets were pregnant, but when I saw them again this week it was stated that they lost their pregnancy, it was painful for the pet owners who had high hopes of their pets becoming mothers that have been dashed. Writing about miscarriages in pets is what I will be doing today, the possible reason behind its occurrence and what can be possibly done about it.

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The occurrence of miscarriage in a pregnant pet is the death of a fetus during the stage of pregnancy. Fetal death can happen during any stage of pregnancy, and the signs of miscarriage are dependent on the stage at which they occur. While some miscarriages happen at the early stage of the pregnancy, that is during the first half of the pregnancy. In a case like this, the embryo gets reabsorbed into the body, and may even go undetected. Some other cases of miscarriage may lead to several other outcomes like stillborn either before their due date or on the specific date.

Infection is one of the common causes of miscarriage in pets, the infection could be viral, parasitic, or bacterial. Brucella Canis is a bacteria species usually linked with late-term miscarriage in a healthy pet. The bacteria could get transferred through contact with infected fluids, the infection could either be in the male who mated the female or the female carrying the pregnancy.

Other bacteria linked with the cause of miscarriage are; E.coli, Staphylococcus, Pasteurella, and Pseudomonas, it is usually difficult for us to nail these bacterial infections as the major cause of pregnancy loss because the bacteria may also be present in healthy females as well as those females with the miscarriage. Parasites like Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii are also miscarriage associates.

Hormonal shifts and abnormalities are also causes of miscarriages. Progesterone is the hormone responsible for maintaining pregnancy in dogs, so a low level of the hormone in your pet can lead to miscarriages. In a few cases, the low level of progesterone can be caused by medications.

Nutritional deficiencies, genetic defects, fetal defects, and endocrine disorders are factors that can contribute to pregnancy loss in your pet. Malnourished pets have a great tendency of having miscarriages since they lack the essential nutrient required to carry them through the pregnancy period.
With the diagnosis of miscarriage, ultrasound is used for pregnancy assessment, to help for the determination of whether the fetuses are alive or not. Progesterone level monitoring can also be an instrument for pregnancy monitoring. After a case of miscarriage, the mother and fetus may be scanned to look out for an infectious case, with a blood test carried out on the mother, cultural vaginal fluids, and histopathology of the fetus would help figure out the eventual reason for the miscarriage and prevent future occurrence.

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When a dog is developing a fever while pregnant, it could be an indication of an infection. Infections can be treated typically with intravenous fluids (IV) and antibiotics that are injectable, this may prevent miscarriage from happening and even if the miscarriage has happened, it could prevent future complications.
If hormonal imbalance is the suspected issue in this case, a progesterone supplement could be recommended. The medication is given to pets on a daily basis just before the expectant due date, this is to provide appropriate support all through the pregnancy period.

In a case where your pet has a miscarriage, she would require extra attention from you while she recovers. Most dogs could show signs of depression after losing a pregnancy, but they could recover and return to their old self, what you need to do is to limit her activity during the first few days after her miscarriage, ensure she has access to fresh, clean water and comfortable space where she would be able to rest properly.

Another thing you should pay close attention to is monitoring the presence of vaginal discharge and as soon as you notice one, you should tell your vet about it, as the cute pet recovers, the discharge would reduce and even completely stop.

The question about if miscarriages can be prevented is an absolute No because, in reality, certain things are just beyond our control, and unfortunately, there is no sure safe way to prevent miscarriages in dogs, the entire process happens much more beyond our control. However, these steps could help prevent any case of miscarriage in your pet;

Before your pet mates, take care of proper veterinary health checks
including blood tests to ensure there is no underlying health issue that would contribute to miscarriage.
Get herpes vaccination.
Feed your pet a completely balanced diet during the pregnancy phase.
Ensure low-stress level for your pet while pregnant.
Test for Brucella Canis before mating your pet.

Conclusion.

Like the case of the young men I always meet walking their pets, miscarriage in a pet can be very painful, especially if the dog loses the pregnancy at a later phase of pregnancy growth, but if it happens the best thing is to test for underlying medical problems in order to prevent future occurrence. If it hasn't happened then keep your pet safe, well-fed, and properly taken care of during its pregnancy phase.