What is Meant by “Runt of the Litter?”
If you’ve ever heard someone refer to a small dog as the “runt of the litter,” you may have wondered what they meant. The term “runt” is often used to describe the smallest puppy in a litter, but it can also be used more broadly to describe any smaller or weaker animal than its peers.
In the case of puppies, the runt is often at a disadvantage when it comes to competing for food and attention from its mother. As a result, runts are often smaller and more vulnerable than their siblings.
While this term is typically used in a negative way, some people see the runt as a symbol of resilience and determination. After all, despite being at a disadvantage from the start, the runt has still managed to survive and thrive.
The Term “Runt” Doesn’t Have a Universal Meaning
Is the categorization based purely on size? Or is it a matter of a puppy being weaker than the others? Are runts just small, or do they also have to act sickly to qualify as a runt? It seems like the parameters of what qualifies a puppy as a runt are blurry and subject to personal interpretation. Even among veterinarians, there doesnt seem to be a consensus as to what constitutes a runt, and the term seems to be used loosely.
There are a few common myths about runts that, while widely believed, are not actually true.
There are several inaccuracies on the web as to what causes a runt to be a runt. Two of the most common misconceptions state that runts are simply puppies that were positioned in the middle of the uterus or ones who came from the eggs that were fertilized last.
What does a quiet puppy mean?
While this pup may simply be catching up on their sleep and is possibly as active as the others at other times, you may have found yourself looking at a dog that is simply a little more laid back and sedentary than the rest of the litter.
Do runt puppies stay small?
Shelters say smaller animals get adopted faster, and animal experts say the runt of a litter tends to be better protected by the mother. Pet owners-to-be tend to heap attention on them, since they’re attracted to big heads on little bodies.
‘‘Humans are drawn to animals or beings of any kind whose proportion of eyes to head is large,’’ said Dr. Julie Meadows, a faculty veterinarian at the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of California-Davis. ‘‘It’s why we all coo when we look’’ at babies, whether they’re human or animal.
For runts destined to become family pets, their size is their greatest risk before birth but also their greatest appeal after birth.
‘‘It’s the underdog, undercat thing,’’ said Gayle Guthrie, founder-director of Stray Love Foundation in Magnolia Springs, Ala.
At Stray Love, smaller rescue dogs are adopted five times faster than the larger ones. Meadows said that could be a result of the growing popularity of so-called pocket puppies — teacup dogs bred to be small and stay small.
‘‘Pet owners are looking for that really cute runt equivalent, almost like we are selecting for runted creatures because we like those little things that can ride around in our purses and strollers and never weigh more than 5 pounds,’’ Meadows said.
A litter has only one true runt, but not every litter will have a runt. Litter-bearing mothers have Y-shaped uteruses. Those at the center of the Y get the least amount of food and have the greatest chance of being runts, while those closest to the mother’s blood supply get the most nourishment and have the highest birth weights, Meadows said.
When runts are born, ‘‘they have to fight harder because they are small, weak, and others often pick on them or push them away from their food source. All of these things tend to press on the mother in many of us to protect them,’’ Guthrie said.
In most cases, if the runt of a litter makes it to six to eight weeks, it will probably survive and likely grow close to full size, experts said.
Cheddar, the runted kitten of an abandoned litter that Kristin Ramsdell fostered for the Black and Orange Cat Foundation, weighed less than half a pound when he was found in June 2011 with the rest of his 8-week-old littermates.
‘‘I stayed up for three straight days with him, giving him fluids and antibiotics, warming him with IV bags heated in the microwave, using a humidifier and watching him round-the-clock. I didn’t think he would make it,’’ she said.