(no subject)
Last night it was around
6pm, Lucy was acting anxious so I knew she would be going into heavy labor any time... I also was supposed to pick up mac n duffs owner from the airport when the called that evening.. About 8 I rushed over to get them. When I got home Lucy was in active heavy labor. She jumped on my bed and as she was digging herself under my blankets I saw her sides tighten up in a contraction... I quickly scooped her up, put her in her box and got in there with her... Just stroked her head and encouraged her to push.. Praising her each time she pushed.. Well after a few minutes I see a dark balloon starting to come out... Im not sure if its her water bag or a puppy.. Since I had been gone I didnt know her water must have already broken because I eventually noticed movement inside the bag. After a few minutes the whole bag was hanging out of her, unbroken, literally like a balloon. She wasnt turning to break it and I wasnt sure if I should break it or give more time? I quicly grabbed my phone and called Debbie King, a chihuahua breeder friend of mine.. I told her I thought the pup was all the way out, but Lucy wasnt doing anything with the bag. She said break it, clear the pups airway... So I rip the bag open and was horrified to discover it was breach, and the head was still stuck in the birth canal... STUCK! I start gently pulling.. I felt like I was squeezing the pup way too hard.. When she came out finally she wasnt breathing or moving.. I cleaned all the mucus from her mouth and started trying to revive her... Though I was thinking I had just just killed that pup breaking the sac to early. It took a moment but she finally opened her mouth and took a big gaspibg breath in.... I flashed back to Monets babies born at MSU that night that those idiot vet techs didnt even try to revive and felt a flash of residual anger at that whole thing... She was breating a little shallow, and all the time I was working on her she was getting cold. After I got her breathing I still had to deal with the umbilical cord... I had read about how to tie it off in 2 spots with floss, then cut inbetween the two ties... Sounds easy enough.. NOT! Pup was tiny and slippery and wiggling, still attached to the placenta and it took me a good 5 minutes to get the job done... Poor little girl was cold.
It was harder because of the temps right now... While its in the negative outside, the house is 60. I was working with ice cold hands... Scurrying to get heat sources going... I grabbed an electric blanket to put the babies on while I worked on them...
While I was dealing with the first one Monet was hovering around, whining, wanting so bad to come in the box with us... I finally let her... She came charging right in and started licking the baby, cleaning her for lucy... While I was still dealing with the first pups cord... Lucy birthed the second pup. Monet went right to work licking and cleaning it.. Lucy did a little, but monet was the main one. Lucy didnt chew the cord on the second one either, so I tied ans cut that one... It was getting a bit easier... By the 4th
one Lucy was licking everyone, mother instincts kicking in.... Monet literally had to SHOW her what to do... Through all that the first on that I had pulled out still hadnt nursed. I was really thinking she wasnt going to make it... Especially when I weighed her the next morning and she had lost a quarter oz... Thankfully later that morning I started seeing her nursing strong...
Lucy isnt as attentive to her babies as monet was... She will come off her pups for anything. Monet would never leave her pups in the first couple days.. I would have to lift her out to go potty, and bring her food and water..
Lucy is off the pups everytime she hears anyone up in the kitchen making food, any old time she wants she leaves her babies unattended.. Monet always kept her babies spottless.. Lucys are always covered in puppy poop... I am always wiping them with grooming wipes... WTH Lucy? Shes getting better each day, but man.. Thought motherhood was instinctual for dogs... Not so apparently..
6pm, Lucy was acting anxious so I knew she would be going into heavy labor any time... I also was supposed to pick up mac n duffs owner from the airport when the called that evening.. About 8 I rushed over to get them. When I got home Lucy was in active heavy labor. She jumped on my bed and as she was digging herself under my blankets I saw her sides tighten up in a contraction... I quickly scooped her up, put her in her box and got in there with her... Just stroked her head and encouraged her to push.. Praising her each time she pushed.. Well after a few minutes I see a dark balloon starting to come out... Im not sure if its her water bag or a puppy.. Since I had been gone I didnt know her water must have already broken because I eventually noticed movement inside the bag. After a few minutes the whole bag was hanging out of her, unbroken, literally like a balloon. She wasnt turning to break it and I wasnt sure if I should break it or give more time? I quicly grabbed my phone and called Debbie King, a chihuahua breeder friend of mine.. I told her I thought the pup was all the way out, but Lucy wasnt doing anything with the bag. She said break it, clear the pups airway... So I rip the bag open and was horrified to discover it was breach, and the head was still stuck in the birth canal... STUCK! I start gently pulling.. I felt like I was squeezing the pup way too hard.. When she came out finally she wasnt breathing or moving.. I cleaned all the mucus from her mouth and started trying to revive her... Though I was thinking I had just just killed that pup breaking the sac to early. It took a moment but she finally opened her mouth and took a big gaspibg breath in.... I flashed back to Monets babies born at MSU that night that those idiot vet techs didnt even try to revive and felt a flash of residual anger at that whole thing... She was breating a little shallow, and all the time I was working on her she was getting cold. After I got her breathing I still had to deal with the umbilical cord... I had read about how to tie it off in 2 spots with floss, then cut inbetween the two ties... Sounds easy enough.. NOT! Pup was tiny and slippery and wiggling, still attached to the placenta and it took me a good 5 minutes to get the job done... Poor little girl was cold.
It was harder because of the temps right now... While its in the negative outside, the house is 60. I was working with ice cold hands... Scurrying to get heat sources going... I grabbed an electric blanket to put the babies on while I worked on them...
While I was dealing with the first one Monet was hovering around, whining, wanting so bad to come in the box with us... I finally let her... She came charging right in and started licking the baby, cleaning her for lucy... While I was still dealing with the first pups cord... Lucy birthed the second pup. Monet went right to work licking and cleaning it.. Lucy did a little, but monet was the main one. Lucy didnt chew the cord on the second one either, so I tied ans cut that one... It was getting a bit easier... By the 4th
one Lucy was licking everyone, mother instincts kicking in.... Monet literally had to SHOW her what to do... Through all that the first on that I had pulled out still hadnt nursed. I was really thinking she wasnt going to make it... Especially when I weighed her the next morning and she had lost a quarter oz... Thankfully later that morning I started seeing her nursing strong...
Lucy isnt as attentive to her babies as monet was... She will come off her pups for anything. Monet would never leave her pups in the first couple days.. I would have to lift her out to go potty, and bring her food and water..
Lucy is off the pups everytime she hears anyone up in the kitchen making food, any old time she wants she leaves her babies unattended.. Monet always kept her babies spottless.. Lucys are always covered in puppy poop... I am always wiping them with grooming wipes... WTH Lucy? Shes getting better each day, but man.. Thought motherhood was instinctual for dogs... Not so apparently..