Update on Love Litter
Posted by Delores Smith on Sunday, August 31, 2014
We;re 36 hours into the life of this litter and there's been significant improvement. When a c section is involved, the first 24-36 hours can be tricky...mom just had surgery...wakes up and is expected to tend and nurture these squealing squirming puppies...because she did not delivery any naturally, she did not release any of those hormones that account for maternal instincts. Left on her own, she would not have fed, cleaned or even looked at her puppies until 24 hours after. I supervised their feedings every 3 hours...made her lie down and put the puppies on her...I took a wet clot and stimulated their bodily functions. Late Saturday afternoon, there was a breakthrough....I walked into the
room and Jazz was nursing her puppies and licking them to clean
them....I knew right then that it was going to be okay.
She also growled at them Sat morning...a sign that her calcium levels were most likely low - also common in the first week of raising a litter. I whipped up heavy mashed potatoes: cooked a pot of potatoes - mashed them with half and half cream, added cheese and sour cream....really quite tastey! I also added some placenta which I saved from the c section...it contains those precious hormones that she was lacking. She loved it and couldn't get enough of it....I also added the herb fenugreek to her food - this is to help with establishing an ample milk supply. A c section can delay a good flow of milk for a few days. A lot of attention is given to the mom...if left on their own, they would hardly eat or drink. I boil a chicken to make a broth which she also loves...there are ways to trick them into drinking and eating. She also is enjoying scrambled eggs mixed with cheese and sour cream added to her dry food.
The puppies are big and strong. Jazz's prior litters also had above average birth weights. These puppies have a real weight to them from birth. Birth weights are as follows
Ms Fushia 524 grams; Ms Purple 486 grams; Ms Blue 480 grams
Mr Yellow 476 grams; Mr Green 486 grams; Mr Orange 536 grams
We've always known that the longer we breed, the more situations we will encounter and deal with. After 18 years of breeding, we have our first cleft palette puppy (Ms Blue). It was really a stroke of luck that I saw it when I did...I randomly picked up a puppy while still at the vet and turned her face to me...said to the vet...something isn't right here. She examined her and said she had a cleft lip with a small hole in the roof of her mouth....A severe cleft palette involves a large opening in the roof of the mouth. She thought she should be able to nurse with her condition. At 6 weeks of age, the vet will assess her condition and make recommendations. After 8 weeks of age, a surgery can be done to close the hole and she should have a normal life, provided there aren't any complications that come up. She's a big strong pup, but after 30 hours, her weight has gone down 10%...while that is actually normal for puppies to do that, she also was feeling slightly limp....I am thinking although she is latching on and sucking, the flow may not be easy enough for her to ingest. Her tummy feels full, but may just be air. I have decided to syringe feed her puppy replacement formula to help with the process...she greeted the food with great gusto...the trick is to feed her very slowly to make sure no liquid goes up the hole in the roof of her mouth...this could aspirate her and cause major problems. It's going to be a long road but I feel she deserves a chance at life. One feeding at a time and we'll see how it goes. I know I will get quite attached to her - already have dubbed her "Hope".
She also growled at them Sat morning...a sign that her calcium levels were most likely low - also common in the first week of raising a litter. I whipped up heavy mashed potatoes: cooked a pot of potatoes - mashed them with half and half cream, added cheese and sour cream....really quite tastey! I also added some placenta which I saved from the c section...it contains those precious hormones that she was lacking. She loved it and couldn't get enough of it....I also added the herb fenugreek to her food - this is to help with establishing an ample milk supply. A c section can delay a good flow of milk for a few days. A lot of attention is given to the mom...if left on their own, they would hardly eat or drink. I boil a chicken to make a broth which she also loves...there are ways to trick them into drinking and eating. She also is enjoying scrambled eggs mixed with cheese and sour cream added to her dry food.
The puppies are big and strong. Jazz's prior litters also had above average birth weights. These puppies have a real weight to them from birth. Birth weights are as follows
Ms Fushia 524 grams; Ms Purple 486 grams; Ms Blue 480 grams
Mr Yellow 476 grams; Mr Green 486 grams; Mr Orange 536 grams
We've always known that the longer we breed, the more situations we will encounter and deal with. After 18 years of breeding, we have our first cleft palette puppy (Ms Blue). It was really a stroke of luck that I saw it when I did...I randomly picked up a puppy while still at the vet and turned her face to me...said to the vet...something isn't right here. She examined her and said she had a cleft lip with a small hole in the roof of her mouth....A severe cleft palette involves a large opening in the roof of the mouth. She thought she should be able to nurse with her condition. At 6 weeks of age, the vet will assess her condition and make recommendations. After 8 weeks of age, a surgery can be done to close the hole and she should have a normal life, provided there aren't any complications that come up. She's a big strong pup, but after 30 hours, her weight has gone down 10%...while that is actually normal for puppies to do that, she also was feeling slightly limp....I am thinking although she is latching on and sucking, the flow may not be easy enough for her to ingest. Her tummy feels full, but may just be air. I have decided to syringe feed her puppy replacement formula to help with the process...she greeted the food with great gusto...the trick is to feed her very slowly to make sure no liquid goes up the hole in the roof of her mouth...this could aspirate her and cause major problems. It's going to be a long road but I feel she deserves a chance at life. One feeding at a time and we'll see how it goes. I know I will get quite attached to her - already have dubbed her "Hope".
