Time's definitely flying!!! And these babes are progressing right on schedule... ahead of schedule if anything. Walking around the whelping box with increased stability and staying awake a little longer each day. The bulk of their time remains devoted to sleep though. Sleeping and eating. Most often they're out like lights the moment they quit eating. The act of eating an exhausting activity apparently. Remedy remains an exceptional mom! Very dedicated, loving and nurturing. She was a fabulous mom to her first litter but I think her comfort with her pups and duties has been kicked up a notch with this one. Obviously loves them! Even so, she's progressively and appropriately spending more time outside the box. Most often keeping a watchful eye on her pups from the vantage point of the ottoman I placed along side the whelping box. The addition of the ottoman occurred a couple litters back; originally placed to facilitate easy in and out for mom. But about this stage of the game it becomes a comfortable spot to lay, remain close and watchful. Remedy looks down at her pups the same way I do... with admiration and interest. When awake the pups are definitely becoming more animated and the first attempts of play have been noted. Pink collared girl seems especially rambunctious. Each is discovering their mouths are good tools used for purpose of exploration. They lick each other and gnaw on each other. And bark. I'm pretty used to the noises they make and rarely do they wake me. But last night I woke to them having a little party. The whole pack was fired up and playing, squared off for the most part in pairs. Pretty dang cute! I watched for a while but before long they began to wind down and we all finished up the remainder of the night. Quiet and restful. The pups are pretty curious about me too. At times, if I'm watching TV I rotate them individually for snuggles and cuddles... Other times I get in the box with them where they waste no time climbing all over me. Not sure if it's curiosity or simply the beginning of the human-dog bond. Whatever it's meaning, I love it. Hope each of you have the merriest of Christmases! Halleluja! Things are settling!!! Ritz is doing fabulous! Remedy and the pups too! Spent the last couple days trying to get my life back in order! House cleaning for the most part and dealing with my Affie, Fancy's coat! More to do tomorrow... Both Fancy and the house have taken a pretty serious hit over the past couple weeks but I'm getting there on both. Fancy's brushed but needs a bath. Waiting for warmer temps. The house... getting there too! I don't think ever totally there though. Combination of old house and 8 dogs definitely presents an ongoing challenge. But... it is what it is. My life and I love it. Finally feel like I've reached the upswing I've been waiting for!!! Regaining a sense of control. Even took a few hours for myself yesterday and enjoyed a horseback ride with a friend. Needed!!! As for the pups and Remedy, they've really been the least of my worries the past week... Doing great!!! The pups are growing and getting their move on! Each more adorable by the day and no one falling behind. All began opening eyes a few days ago and all are wide open now but for the most part they continue to keep them closed. Don't think it makes much difference to them actually. While open it takes a while for them to really see. It's a process, beginning with shadows, acuity gradually increasing over the course of several weeks. I'm seeing no evidence that they can hear yet but that will be coming soon! The total awakening. This past week they've gotten more mobile but their ability to walk remains shaky at best. They're doing a lot of stretching, moaning and groaning and some throw in an occasional bark. Building muscles and vocals. l love having them at my bedside to get a good and regular view of the subtle changes that occur on a day to day basis. Having a hard time catching them on camera with their eyes open and for the most part they don't stay upright on all fours to catch them in action either. But that will quickly change. Amazing how fast they change. Not sure these are the best pics I've ever taken but they're what I've got... A few are pretty good but for various reasons I like them all. Some do a pretty good job of showing Remedy's level of comfort in her current role and a bit of her goofy side. Pretty content and happy to be a mom I think. Others show the rapid growth and increased strength of the pups. They really are growing fast and their strength I think surpasses any pups I've had of past. Couple days ago I witnessed two of them do a pretty fair job of getting up on all fours. Pretty early in the game if memory serves. Glad it's over... it was a rough one! First it was the C-section and then news Remedy is in need of a spay... Both harder on her than me for sure. But even so, the news did kind of throw a monkey wrench in my breeding program. The first one of the week...
The first few days after the pups arrived I spent quite a bit of time in the whelping room, aka my bedroom, watching TV for the sole purpose of making sure mom and pups were settled, nobody got layed on etc. Fortunately Remedy started out great and continues to be a stellar mom. And the pups are thriving!!! Acknowledging that fact was one of the highlights of my week!!! The day the pups were scheduled to arrive, the 7th, my planned (without confirmed date) roofing project began. It's the way with roofers... one job to the next to the next, so somewhat difficult to give an exact start date I guess. But just about the time I was convinced the pups were safe for some extended periods in the care of only their mom, I was back again, sequestered to the bedroom to ease Remedy's mind about all the banging and hammering going on overhead. She was in fact a bit uneasy... fine as long as I was present. I think more than anything she was worried about me when I left her due to the presence of strangers and her lack of understanding of who they were and what they were doing here. Always the protectors! Next night I noticed Ritz didn't seem to be feeling up to par. Not bad, but not herself. Monday morning I scheduled an appointment for Tuesday... next available. And Tuesday morning I woke to Ritz laying in a puddle of blood... reproductive problems or bladder... I wasn't sure but suspected reproductive. Considered tumor or possibly reaction to something toxic. Whatever it was I knew it wasn't good. I got dressed and headed, pre-appointment, to the Vets office. Unfortunately, or fortunately maybe for us, a woman walked into the office just ahead of us. Also a walk in. Her complaint... her dog hadn't been able to hold food for a couple days. Possible obstruction. In listening to the conversation between owner and Vet tech I learned the office was basically booked for the day and also that Xray wasn't available. "Might need to transport to sister office in Melrose". After considering options, my suspicion and what was and wasn't available I decided to place a call to my reproductive Vet rather than wait only to find out some needed services weren't available. Fortunately my explanation of Ritz's condition was taken seriously and I was told to come right in. There my suspicion was confirmed. Diagnosis Pyometra. A word no breeder ever wants to hear! Generally speaking treatment is typically somewhat of an emergent spay and quite a bit more involved than a normal spay. But there are a couple varieties... closed vs open Pyometra. And then treatment too is somewhat dependent on how quickly condition is identified. Between my Vet and I we've decided rather than to jump right into a spay, we'll do a 2 week regimen of some pretty hard core antibiotics and follow. I remain hopeful Ritz's breeding career isn't cut short but only time will tell. And by weeks end I'm happy to report she's looking and seems to be feeling much much better. If she eventually needs surgery I'd rather her go in generally healthy rather than sickly. If we've accomplished nothing else, at least we've accomplished that. Then there's Skye... I removed her from my breeding program a little over a year ago based on a failed routine Holter recording. Shortly after receiving that report I followed up with an echocardiogram which she passed with flying colors. I then repeated her Holter 6 months later and fortunately received a favorable report there as well. Had hoped the first report, which I questioned at the time, was faulty and I could eventually add her back to my breeding program. But that's all a wash now. I'm in the process of my yearly Holters and once again, she's failed. Two strikes you're out and she's out. Three dogs down in the course of a week for a small breeding operation is a pretty major insult! Adding in the worry I carry for each of them gets to be a bit much. But we're survivors and keep trucking on... Quit is an option of very last resort. On a more positive note... my roof is complete and looks fabulous! The pups are growing like weeds and things are starting to calm down around here! Thankfully!!! Weights are posted. I'll add a few more pics tomorrow. We've even got a few days under our belt! Of course those of you waiting on a pup are already aware of that fact. And I assume waiting for this post.... Some may be wondering "wow... what happened to the lead up?" It's not that I've been slacking but past events have got me thinking maybe it's best not to get ahead of oneself. Counting chickens before they hatch per say. While I try and be as transparent as possible with my pups and dogs I've decided sometimes it's best to wait to post until things have settled. Saves me the difficulty of writing about heartbreaking experiences and you from reading about them... Whelps that start out well but turn into emergency C-sections, pups that are born to small or too weak, for whatever reason, to carry on. All in all, over the years, I've been fairly lucky I'd say, but I've learned enough along to way to know breeding isn't for the faint of heart. Happy to report though we have 7 healthy babes on the ground, lovingly cared for by myself but most importantly, at this point in time, by their doting momma Remedy. With one litter under her belt, she's proven herself capable of being a truly great mom. And history repeats as she's equally as doting, caring and loving with our current babes. Pups arrived December 4th via C-section. While I hated the thought of surgery for Remedy, I kind of had to follow our Vets advise. I'm aware with each abdominal surgery whether human or animal, the development of adhesions are likely. Remedy is one of the aforementioned dogs who during her first litter required an emergency section. Trying to do everything possible to guarantee her safety, as well as the safe arrival of her current litter, I had an Xray done at the recommended 58 day mark. Based on Xray, presentation maybe, and her history of past section our Vet deemed planned surgery the best option. Fortunately all went well, mom and all pups came home later the same day and all are thriving. Unfortunately once opened up though, they found Remedy did in fact have some pretty severe adhesions. The result of her first section. Rather than a future litter, a spay is now recommended. And again, following our Vet's advise that's what will be done. Many of you know, I held a pup back from Ritz's litter so timing is far from perfect for keeping a pup at this point in time. But after much deliberation and thought, I've decided to exercise my right as breeder to claim one of Remedy's girls. Prepared or not, I'm really not prepared to let Remedy's bloodline fizzle. Sometimes we just do what we need to do to make things work. That being said, I'm watching these pups along with each of you, and at one point down the road, I'll have to make the tough choice of "which one will it be". Rarely an easy decision. So... the blog begins! I encourage each of you to comment along the way (click on comment tab) and to ask any questions you have that may arise along the way. I try and post pretty regularly and will be adding individual pup pages a few weeks down the line. I hope by following you enjoy watching the pups grow and change as much as I do. And they are growing. I've already had to adjust their collars once. I obtained weights on day two as I generally do but unfortunately have misplaced the tablet or scratch paper I jotted them down on. A quick look around the house came up empty. If not found by the end of the day I'll obtain another set. I will say I was pleased with the numbers. All pups were between 15 ounces and 1 pound 4 ounces. The girls I recall... Pink 15 ounces and Yellow an even 1 pound. Several of the boys measured in at a pound as well. The others just over a pound to the mentioned 1 pound 4 ounces. All good sized pups! Below are a few pics of our first few days, including the preparatory period. Colored collars have been placed on each and tails were docked on Friday. |
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