Neonatal Sepsis in Dogs Caused by Beta-Hemolytic Streptococcus Sourced From Maternal Mastitis-Case Report

Bacterial infections are common during the neonatal period, and sepsis is one of the main causes of mortality in dogs in the first 21 days. Maternal clinical and subclinical mastitis is one of the main sources of neonatal infection, leading to the ingestion of milk with bacteria and bacterial toxins, known as toxic milk syndrome. The objective of this report was to describe a case of neonatal sepsis in puppies secondary to maternal clinical mastitis, as well as its diagnosis and treatment. Three 5-day-old Pug dogs presented signs of neonatal infection: diarrhea, body erythema, and omphalitis. The bitch had purulent content in all of her breasts. Leukopenia due to neutropenia and monocytosis was observed in the puppies' blood count. The milk microbiological culture revealed beta-hemolytic Streptococcus, which was sensitive to antibiotics from the cephalosporin and penicillin classes according to the antibiogram. The puppies were separated from their mother, fed with breast milk substitute, and treated with ceftriaxone. The mother was treated with amoxicillin with potassium clavulanate. Neonatal and maternal infections were responsive to the antibiotics used, demonstrating the absence of signs of infection and blood counts without changes after 7 days of treatment. Early diagnosis and treatment were essential for the survival of the litter.