Life is amazing.
On Wednesday I posted about my new litter of puppies born on the 9th. Rukia had been in labor for a long time. Her first puppy came just before noon. Her second an hour later. Her third, two and a half hours later. It wasn't until shortly before 8 pm she had her seventh. After that, she calmed down, settled in to take care of her pups and started letting us help take care of her.
Kris and I went to bed at midnight, satisfied all was finished.
In the morning, Kris checked on them, then woke me up to say two more had been born, and only one had made it.
Puppies should come no further than 3 hours apart, or they chance asphyxiation. We are pretty sure that's what happened to the one who didn't make it. The second was weak, not moving well and not making a sound or attempting to nurse.
I wasn't sure he was going to stay with us. I did know that I couldn't help the one while I was sleeping. I wasn't going to give up on the other while I was awake. And what a miracle. I fed him puppy formula four times, an hour apart each time. Finally, he was moving more, his body temperature had risen and stabilized. He still wasn't nursing, but that was an easy fix. He had begun to associate my smell with eating rather than his Mommy's. So, tricking him with my fingers, I finally got him to latch.
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| He's the middle puppy at his first latch on April 10. |
He has been nursing ever since. He's moving and squeaking and cuddling under his mommy's chin whenever he gets the chance. He's an amazing little boy and I am so very happy I helped him get strong enough to go on his own.
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| He is on his back, white belly up, nursing without help on April 11 and ever since. |
We went to the vet yesterday and he is impressed with the whole litter, loving how healthy they are. I drove home with a huge smile on my face.
Wonderful. You must be very proud.
ReplyDeleteThank you, I am. :) This was new territory for me. I've had 5 litters and a total of 41 puppies. This was the first one who didn't make it, and the first one I had to help nurse to health. It's certainly been a learning experience.
DeleteAwesomeness. I can't wait until their eyes open. That's the best part of a growing litter. :)
ReplyDeleteHaha. :D The best part of a growing litter is the part the mommy dog takes care of everything. Then there's that transition where I'm expected to clean up after them. _sigh_ ;)
DeleteOh they are beautiful, never seen puppies being born or that small before. Glad the vet has given them al the okay.
ReplyDeleteThank you. :) I guess I'm one of the few breeders who posts photos of puppies that young. I usually am able to photograph each one as it's born, but Rukia was really agitated this time (who can blame her with such a long delivery) and I wasn't able to.
DeleteHey Carrie
ReplyDeleteI have nominated you for a Liebster Award....I dont know if it means much to be honest. Check out my blog (and the 2 x bloggers who nominated me) for the rules and its upto you if you decide to do the questions etc
Thank you! I may not be able to get to it right away, but I will definitely do my best!
DeleteEven thou I am not a pet lover...Gosh! They look so adorable. :)
ReplyDelete-Fellow blogger from A to Z!
:) Pet lover or not, it's generally difficult to think the babies aren't cute. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteMy mother always had a gift for that. She would bring newborn pups back from the brink of death until they were good to go.
ReplyDeleteDropping by from A to Z. This is my first year participating and I am having a blast.
Brett Minor
Transformed Nonconformist
Oh, what did she breed? My grandmother is the one who taught me how to care for the sick ones. She bred beagles. Thanks to her, and a friend who also grew up with a mom who bred poodles, they have taught me enough that I have been able to help puppies who haven't started off breathing right if I was there. I try not to think of the 'what if's' with the puppy who died and focus on the triumph of the one who made it.
DeleteWe had nine lab puppies six years ago and all of them survived. Our dog was probably in labor no more than four hours in total.
ReplyDeleteThat was like Rukia's first whelp. She had 4 puppies twenty minutes apart, then took her time for two more. It seems the more litters dogs have, the slower their labor can go. This was her third, but even this one was too long.
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