Volume: 57 Issue: 1
Year: 2026, Page: 40-45, Doi: https://doi.org/10.51966/jvas.2026.57.1.40-45
Received: Sept. 9, 2025 Accepted: Nov. 18, 2025 Published: March 31, 2026
The identification of new, reliable amniotic fluid markers for evaluating neonatal maturity is crucial in canine clinical practice to optimise perinatal outcomes. The current study assessed the impact of elective caesarean section (ELCS) and emergency caesarean section (EMCS) on amniotic fluid glucose and cortisol concentrations in relation to perinatal outcomes in different breeds of dogs. Twelve high-risk pregnant bitches underwent ELCS (n = 6) or EMCS (n = 6), resulting in a total of 53 pups. Amniotic fluid was collected from 24 pups at delivery and analysed for glucose and cortisol. Survival at birth and neonatal mortality within 48 h were recorded. The proportion of liveborn pups was higher in ELCS (87.50%) than EMCS (86.21%), with stillbirth rates of 12.50% and 13.79%, respectively. Live pups showed significantly higher amniotic glucose (43.81 ± 4.68 mg/dL) and lower cortisol (21.12 ± 2.49 nM/L) compared to stillborn pups (25.22 ± 2.43 mg/dL glucose; 48.51 ± 8.66 nM/L cortisol; p<0.05). Mode of delivery influenced amniotic glucose levels among liveborn pups, with significantly higher levels in ELCS compared to EMCS, while cortisol levels did not differ significantly. No neonatal mortality occurred within 48 h in the ELCS group, whereas it was 8% in the EMCS group. An advantage of planned ELCS in high-risk pregnancies was reflected in better live birth rates compared to EMCS. The results suggest that higher amniotic cortisol and lower glucose are associated with perinatal mortality, indicating their potential as prognostic markers for identifying pups that may require special care.
Keywords: Amniotic fluid, caesarean section, neonatal survival, dog
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© 2026 Kavin et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Kavin, S., Jayakumar, C., Simon S., Becha, B.B., Kariyil, B.J. & Krishna, B.D. (2025). Amniotic cortisol and glucose levels as predictors of perinatal outcomes in pups delivered by elective and emergency caesarean sections. Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences 57 (1), 40-45 , https://doi.org/10.51966/jvas.2026.57.1.40-45