Mortality in dogs during the neonatal period has been estimated to reach 40%
[1]. Deaths may occur in the uterus, during expulsion, immediately postpartum, or during the first weeks of life
[2][3][4], but the highest number of stillbirths occurs during birth
[5] and the first 7 days of life
[6]. Approximately 60% of these deaths are associated with intrapartum asphyxiation
[7] caused by dystocic deliveries
[5][6][8]. Asphyxia during the birthing process also negatively impacts the newborns’ adaptation to extrauterine life
[9] by limiting their viability and vitality
[6][10][11][12][13]. A high neurologic morbidity increases the risk of neonatal mortality
[14]. The birthing process is the most critical phase for newborns
[15] because the transition from fetus to neonate involves physiological, biochemical, and anatomical changes accompanied by flows of hormones that trigger the respiratory function, vascular changes, and the activation of energy metabolism
[16][17]; additionally, the maternal behavior is critical for the parturition to take place in favorable conditions for the newborn puppy
[18][19][20][21]. Studies of dogs have reported that a certain level of transitory asphyxiation occurs during delivery. Though this is normal, it produces hypercapnia and transitory acidosis in puppies
[22][23]. If these conditions persist, they will alter gas exchange
[24], delay the onset of respiration, and generate metabolic acidosis in newborns
[25]. The challenges of the birthing process, together with these risk factors can determine the proportion of the liveborn (LP) vs. stillbirth (SB) puppies and the viability of the former
[26][27][28]. Morphological variability in canines is associated with the mother’s size and weight
[23], for these likely affect the birth weight of the puppies
[26][28][29][30] and their metabolic status. In both veterinary and human perinatology, analyzing blood gases and metabolites has emerged as an important tool for evaluating newborns
[13][31], but reports on dogs are scarce. Studying physiological indicators provides crucial information and allows researchers to estimate variations in oxygenation levels, metabolic profiles, and the acid–base balance
[32] that help determine the level of fetal hypoxia suffered during birth. Gasometry allows the monitoring of the respiratory function by measuring the concentration of certain gases (pO
2, O
2 saturation (SaO
2), pCO
2) and blood pH
[11][12][33][34][35][36] and the evaluation of the acid-base balance—to estimate the newborns’ metabolic status
[13][33][37][38]. Variations in metabolite levels, including lactate, play an important role in metabolic acidosis
[39][40] associated with hypoxic events
[1][41], high blood glucose levels
[36], and a general compensatory metabolism marked by excess base and bicarbonate in the blood
[25]. Identifying physio-metabolic alterations in the blood of newborn puppies will make it possible to determine the risk of complications due to intrauterine asphyxia. However, evidence on hypoxia in canines, its effects, and its relations to the mother’s weight as a risk factor is scant or has not been fully evaluated.