This spring has been a very busy time with lots of puppies getting ready for their new homes and welcoming several new litters! Yes we are a little behind posting litter announcements but we will get to that soon! We want to make sure all our puppies are well and keep their health before posting pictures. We lost a couple from our Bonny x Johnny litter and Charms litter arrived early and Gemmas litter consisted of giant puppies that required intervention in the delivery process.
It is always a great loss when a puppy does not make it. Regardless of how hard we tried to help them along sometimes they are just too weak to pull through. Bonnies runt had good days and bad days until he had no more days. Some days he would try and nurse, others we would supplement with formula, but his weakness took over and has moved on to the heavens above. Another one, momma had slept on and she had suffocated, something that sometimes just can't be avoided. We are blessed with her 8 remaining Puppies and all are doing just fabulous!
Wednesday morning, 2 am to be exact, I woke up with a coughing attack so I figured I would go out to check on Gemma who was showing signs of labor earlier that evening to find her in distress. I came into the house and grabbed a pillow and some blankets and laid out in the kennel with her and comforted her for a while as her water bag was hanging out and hard labor was about to begin. I gave her some time and still no progress. Finally I decided to check her and see if puppy was stuck in the brith canal and sure enough I could feel it but it was not coming out! I tried to assist her but she was not having it! So back in the house at 4:45 am to wake the husband up for an extra hand!
Not exactly what he wanted to do at the crack of dawn but nevertheless he was up! With no success, I was on the verge of calling Dr. Kim for an emergency C-section. But I was still determined, I brought her in the house and found that using gloves I could not grab the puppy to help pull him out. I removed my glove and went for it and was able to get around his head (you can only imagine how slippery those little suckers are still in the sack and all) and pulled him out! Yay! An 11 ounce puppy, and 6 more to follow all about the same size! I have never experienced such a large litter in my life! This being her first litter, and will be her last, was an all day event. Hours between each puppy and two more that needed assistance in delivering. Needless to say I was covered in amniotic fluid and pretty much wore my pj's all day. At least she didn't quit on me! Poor momma! She is such a trooper and is doing very well now and I can only imagine how relieved she must have felt after they were all out.
We have a new baby heifer calf, and one still to come. The snow is finally all gone and spring cleaning is in full swing! We have joined the Good Dog platform, raised garden beds are ready for seeds, round pen is groomed, pasture is harrowed, the kids are enjoying spending much more time outside and playing with all the puppies! Life is great!
Stay tuned for updates on our new litters!