Causes of Runting in Raccoon Dogs and Its Prevention and Treatment Methods

Runted raccoon dogs are those that fail to develop into commercial raccoon dogs during the growing period after weaning and separation from the litter. They present with no visible growth, small body size, emaciation, and a ruffled coat; by the growing period they reach only 2.5-3.5 kg, and at market time only inferior-quality skins can be obtained.

1 Causes of runting in raccoon dogs

1.1 Unreasonable feed formulation and incomplete nutritional value. Keepers, in an attempt to save money, feed only corn or mix in very little other feed. Because the feed is severely deficient in nutrients and cannot meet the growth needs of raccoon dogs, the animals fail to grow, and this is the most important cause of runting.

1.2 Insufficient milk from the mother raccoon dog. Reasons for insufficient milk: ① genetic factors, congenital milk deficiency; ② poor quality of feed fed to the mother, preventing her from producing enough milk; ③ illness of the mother during lactation, resulting in insufficient milk. Because of the mother's insufficient milk, the pups do not get enough to eat, their bodies are weak, and after weaning they are light in weight (normal pups weigh 1.5 kg at 45 days when separated from the litter); pups weighing less than 1 kg are prone to becoming runted.

1.3 The mother gives birth to too many pups. For example, a litter of 13-18 pups with no foster @#@252@#@ found; because of insufficient milk, some of the pups cannot get enough to eat, are small in size, and become runted after weaning.

1.4 Among the pups born to the mother, although the litter is not particularly large, 1 or a few small-bodied pups are produced, the so-called "tail-enders," and such pups easily become runted.

1.5 The pups suffer from an unhealed or incompletely healed illness. For example, long-term dysentery, big-paw disease, infectious hepatitis and other diseases that are not cured lead to runting.

1.6 Mange and fungal skin diseases that are not cured very easily lead to runting.

1.7 In the early growing stage, trauma such as fractures, falls, and bites from one another stunts the growth of the pups and leads to runting.

1.8 The mother has the vice of carrying pups in her mouth. Before weaning she injures individual pups by carrying them, and after weaning the injuries do not heal for a long time, ultimately resulting in runting.

1.9 Multi-generation inbreeding causes congenital physiological defects; although the pups survive, their constitution declines and they become sickly and weak, ultimately becoming runted.

2 Prevention of runting

2.1 After the pups are weaned, feed them a complete-price feed; within 10-20 days after weaning, it is best to add some milk, eggs or soy milk so that for a period after weaning the feed tastes good, the pups eat well, and the nutrition is rich, which is beneficial to growth.

2.2 For mothers that give birth to many pups, transfer some of the pups out for fostering; if no suitable mother can be found for fostering, some of the small ones may be discarded (generally a mother can raise no more than 10). Some mothers, although they do not give birth to many pups, produce 1-2 particularly small pups, which may also be discarded as appropriate.

2.3 When the mother's milk is insufficient, first determine whether it is congenital milk deficiency, malnutrition, or mastitis. If it is congenital milk deficiency, milk-inducing drugs can be used, injecting 50-100 g of oxytocin per animal each time, while feeding pig trotters with dandelion (decocted). If it is malnutrition, add milk, soy milk, eggs and fresh fish to the feed, and additionally inject 5 mL of dexamethasone. If none of these methods work, some or all of the pups can be transferred to other mothers for fostering, or artificially fed.

2.4 For sick weaned young raccoon dogs, treatment should be strengthened so that they are not plagued by disease. For runted animals that cannot be cured within 1 month after weaning, they may be resolutely discarded.

2.5 Do not breed closely related animals; replace the breeding male or female in a timely manner, establish raccoon dog farm records, and it is best to introduce breeding stock from a distant location once every 3-5 years.

2.6 Eliminate old raccoon dogs or young females that produce uneven litters as much as possible, cutting off runting at the source. Mothers with insufficient milk should also be culled; such mothers not only have poor milk themselves but also pass it on to the next generation. When selecting breeding stock, be sure to choose mothers with good milk as breeders; this is one of the effective measures to prevent runting.

3 Treatment of runting

3.1 For small raccoon dogs caused by large litters and poor milk, feed them individually in separate troughs after weaning. On the basis of a complete-price feed, add milk, eggs and soy milk, but do not feed too much or to satiation; feed small amounts more frequently, 5 meals a day or more. Milk and soy milk should not exceed 100 g per animal per day, eggs should not exceed 5 g per animal per day, and they should be mixed into the food and fed in 3-4 meals; additionally feed 3-5 tablets of human-use yeast per animal per day.

3.2 Mix 250 μg VB12 with 1 mL inosine and inject intramuscularly for 7 days.

3.3 For young raccoon dogs with mange, treatment should be strengthened: bathe in a 0.5% Xinmielanling solution for 3 minutes, washing the whole body; a 1% trichlorfon or Decis solution may also be used for bathing; alternatively, inject 0.2 mL of ivermectin per animal each time, and inject once more after 7 days.

3.4 The Suzhuanfei additive exported by Shaoshan City Shiyuan Veterinary Drug Factory may be fed at 1 g per 7 kg of body weight, divided into morning and evening meals and mixed into the feed, fed for 2 consecutive days, then once every 15 days thereafter, for 8 feedings before the growing period; it also has the effect of preventing and treating internal parasites and preventing dysentery.

3.5 For runted raccoon dogs that are ineffective to prevention and treatment, they may be captured and killed and buried deep.