ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition and Metabolism
Accelerated early weight gain of neonatal puppies from overweight bitches compared to lean dams in spite of similar milk macronutrient composition
Provisionally accepted
- 1Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, United States
- 2Smithsonian National Zoological Park and Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC, United States
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Lactation is the final pathway for the maternal metabolism to influence the neonate. Studies in women and animals have shown maternal body condition affecting milk composition and/or offspring growth and adiposity. The effect of body condition of the dam on neonatal puppy growth rate has never been examined, despite a growing population of overweight breeding dogs. The aim of this study was to compare milk macronutrient composition and puppy growth during the neonatal period between overweight and lean bitches. Sixteen litters from 15 medium to large breed client-owned dogs were enrolled after whelping. Dams were classified into lean (LE, body condition score (BCS):4-5/9, n=8) and overweight (OW, BCS: 6-7/9, n=8) groups. Milk was collected from bitches at 5 timepoints (Week 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 4 of lactation). Growth curves of a total of 106 puppies born alive to LE (n=58) and OW (n=48) mothers and exclusively nursing on the dam were analyzed until 21 days of age. Birth weight, daily body weights, average daily weight gain (ADGg), average daily percent gain (ADG%), average daily percent gain from birth (ADGB%), and total percent gain from birth (TGB%), as well as milk dry matter, crude protein, sugar, fat, ash and calculated gross energy were analyzed using mixed model ANOVA; significance was set at P<0.05. Puppy birth weights were unaffected by litter size and the dam’s BCS. Puppy growth curves and TGB% were significantly different between the two maternal groups. ADGg, ADG%, and ADGB% were significantly higher in OW dam puppies on day 2 and day 4 after birth. Puppies born heavier remained heavier, while ADG% and ADGB% were inversely related to birth weight. Litter size had no effect on these growth parameters. Swimmer puppy syndrome was observed in 8 puppies from three OW dam litters. Dam BCS had no significant effect on milk macronutrients in the first 4 weeks of lactation. In conclusion, despite the similar day-to-day neonatal body weights between maternal groups, puppies from OW dams grew differently, gaining more weight in the first week of life. Factors other than milk macronutrient composition are likely responsible for these differences.
Keywords: Adiposity, dog, growth curve, milk composition, neonate, Overweight, Puppy
Received: 15 Nov 2025; Accepted: 05 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 McCarter, Werre, Power and Balogh. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Orsolya Balogh
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