The words Dog Breed Info with the letter D inside of a black paw print

Imperforate Anus in Dogs

Whelping and Raising Puppies

When whelping any breed, or type, of dog things do not always go as planned. Some puppies are stillborn, some come out with genetic and congenital defects.

Puppy born without an anus being held by a lady

This puppy was born with no anus (imperforate anus).

Breeding to show your kids the miracle of life is not always the outcome; you can introduce them to great sadness, and in some children, nightmares. Any congenital defect can present itself, from a cleft palate, heart defects, liver shunts, organs growing outside the tummy/skin to a bowel exiting out the wrong place on the body.

One pup from this litter is not going to make it; he has no bum hole (anus). I am reverse feeding him, pulling out the poop, and replacing with new milk every couple hours, but he is fading. I see the specialist at 8 a.m., but he will likely not make it through the night. All 11 other pups are thriving. It's just a fluke congenital defect, and likely no lower bowel has formed. I filled his tummy with warm water, and put sub-Q IV fluid in him, so he is not crying now. This is a defect in one in 5000 human babies, and is a common dog defect too. In human babies there is a surgical option.

The surgery is complicated and in most cases, not practical for a puppy. To operate on a puppy, you would have to move fast and it may be hard to find a vet specialist qualified to perform the operation in the amount of time you have before the pup passes away.

The puppy peacefully passed away.

Ask yourself, WHAT are you going to do when presented with an ill puppy?

Courtesy of MistyTrails Mastiffs

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