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Timing of the Intestinal Barrier Closure in Puppies
Author(s) -
ChastantMaillard S,
Freyburger L,
Marcheteau E,
Thoumire S,
Ravier JF,
Reynaud K
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
reproduction in domestic animals
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.546
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1439-0531
pISSN - 0936-6768
DOI - 10.1111/rda.12008
Subject(s) - colostrum , ingestion , passive immunity , antibody , biology , puppy , immune system , zoology , medicine , physiology , andrology , immunology , ecology
Contents As puppies are born with very low immunoglobulin concentrations, they rely on passive immune transfer from ingested colostrum to acquire a protective immunity during the first few weeks of life. The purpose of this study was to describe the timing of gut closure in canine neonates. Twenty‐two B eagle puppies received 3 ml of standardized canine colostrum at 0, 4, 8, 12, 16 or 24 h after birth using a feeding tube. Blood immunoglobulins G ( I g G , M and A ) were assayed 0, 4 and 48 h after colostrum ingestion. I g G absorption rate was significantly affected by the time of colostrum administration, and the I g G concentrations in puppies serum 48 h after administration were significantly higher when colostrum was ingested at 0–4 h of age than at 8–12 h or 16–24 h (1.68 ± 0.4, 0.79 ± 0.07 and 0.35 ± 0.08 g/l, respectively; p < 0.001). In the canine species, gut closure seems thus to begin as early as 4–8 h after birth and to be complete at 16–24 h. Consequently, this phenomenon appears to occur earlier in puppies than in most other species.