Foto Danes

We are continuing to struggle with the harl girl.

Have increased the tube feedings, as my hope that she was getting some from nursing proved false since she lost weight this morning.

Tube feeding the puppy isn’t as difficult as I originally thought it might be, although the around-the-clock-every-two-hours is certainly draining.

When tubing, you have to be careful not to get the tube into the lungs.  Once you think you have the tube in place, a quick suck on the end tells you if it’s in the right location.  If it’s in the lungs, you get air back through the tube (like sucking on a straw); if it’s in the tummy, you get resistance and no air.

We’ve been trying multiple remedies for “fading puppies”.  I’ve done warmed sub-q fluids, drops of beef liver (old cure for fading puppies…take a large beef liver, boil in a little bit of water…you only want the liquid produced…you give the puppy 4 drops every 2-4 hours), brandy (a drop or so at a time), various homeopathic medicines, probiotics and most importantly, WARMTH.  I have a heating lamp on the whelping box and also have hot water bottles for the little girl.

Hopefully the fact she is still with us is a good sign, although my concern level is still very high.

I can’t thank my friends enough for their help.

We’ve had a rough couple of days.  The harl girl started going downhill.  She stopped nursing completely yesterday and was getting dehydrated.  Scary stuff with a teeny puppy.  Have been tube feeding and doing sub-q fluids around the clock for about 24 hours.  We’ve also been using some homeopathic remedies.

She has responded and is nursing (some) again now.  Not out of the woods (still not a lot of weight gain…for either puppy), but I’m guardedly optimistic.

Thank goodness for wonderful friends, who have been a God send in this situation!

Skyy delivered two healthy puppies via c-section today….one harlequin girl and one mantle boy (these puppies are spoken for).

I was hoping she would go into labor on her own, but her temperature never dropped (indicative of impending labor), so we trucked off to the vet clinic for the c-section today.

We arrived at the clinic at noon and started the pre-op procedures.  Got Skyy’s pre-op blood work done, her tummy shaved and the IV started.  They then took Skyy back and got her under and situated.  Once things were ready to roll, I was able to be present for the birth.  The puppies were born about 1:30.

Puppy Birth Day Picture Gallery :: C-Section images (graphic)

Kudos to Cedar Creek Clinic – they are extremely competent and capable!  Major thanks as well to Tiana for all her help today!

The downer for the day was that a very large tumor was discovered on Skyy’s spleen during surgery.  It’s most likely hemangiosarcoma and the prognosis is not good.  We are going the conservative route and will take each day as it comes.

After the ultrasound, we were thinking there was only one puppy in there, but today’s x-ray showed two little spines! YAY!

You have to wait until at least Day 55 of the pregnancy to x-ray.  Prior to that, the puppies’ bones are not calcified enough to show up clearly on an x-ray.  Using x-rays to get a litter count before the dog goes into labor is helpful, as it gives you at least a general idea of what to expect.  Having this information allows a breeder to make more informed decisions when it comes to both the puppies and the bitch’s well being during delivery.

Because of the small litter size, we have a scheduled c-section for April 19th.  The puppies produce a hormone to tell mom to go into labor and with a small litter, there isn’t a lot of that hormone produced.  That means the mom might struggle to go into an active labor.

There is still the possibility that Skyy will go into labor on her own.  I will be starting to take her temperature 2-3 times daily and when it drops a full degree from her normal temperature, labor is anticipated within 12-24 hours.

Skyy is doing wonderful.  She bounces around like a puppy and is even still enjoying jogging with me.

I was able to feel a puppy kick last night.  The miracle of life is too cool!

We go in tomorrow for the x-ray to get the puppy count!

Ultrasound this morning showed that Skyy is indeed pregnant, although it will be a small litter.  Quite possibly a singleton or maybe two puppies.  We will x-ray at 55 days to get a better feel for the situation.

Skyy’s stitches from her surgical AI came out last night.

The surgical artificial insemination went great today.  The semen quality was excellent and the surgery went smoothly.

We can perform an ultrasound after March 19th.  Puppy due date will be April 19, 2011!

Taxi, the sire we are using, has been deceased for several years, so this will be a surgical artificial insemination, using frozen semen. When doing an AI, the timing is critical in ensuring a successful breeding.  Frozen semen does not live as long as fresh, which further sensitizes the timing.

To determine the correct timing, we started Skyy’s progesterone testing last Thursday, February 10th, and have repeated every other day.  The goal is to determine when she has her LH (Luteinizing hormone) surge, indicated when the progesterone level goes over 2.0.  This happens two days prior to ovulation.  The eggs are ready for fertilization 4-6 days after that.

We have the implant scheduled for this coming Saturday.  <fingers crossed!>

We are excited to announce that Skyy just started her season and will be bred to Chauffeured’s Luxury Tax!

Starting progesterone testing tomorrow morning!