Hello,
First, my apologies for not posting these last few days. It has been quite intense here at Annabelle Doodles. The pups are all doing fine, but Harriet has been quite ill. It started out with a c-section to remove the two dead pups, progressed to a terrible infection which resulted in the necessity to spay her not a moment too soon. Had I not made this choice, she would have gone to the Rainbow Bridge by this weekend. I have been feeding and cleaning pups round the clock and was either doing that or trying to get a few minutes shut eye. I do see the light at the end of the tunnel however. :+)
Harriet is a wonderful mom and is distraught that she cannot nurse her babies right now due to the intense regime of antibiotics, and other fluids that saved her life. We are a good team however, and all their needs are being met.
On the left side is Harriet prior to going into her spay surgery. Although she doesn't look ill in the pic, she was very close to death's door. But to dogs, providing for their babies is very deeply ingrained and they will loose their life fulfilling their duty. The pic on the right is her after the surgery. To prevent nursing (and much to the puppies complaint!) my T-shirt design allows cuddles with the pups but no feeding. :+) In a couple of days, I am hoping to help her re-develop her milk and things will be normal once again.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
This is such a special litter.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
The pups go to the vets. :+)
Hello,
I believe we have turned a corner and Harriet, the pups and myself are all doing much better. The pic below shows a more perky Harriet with one of the cream males taking a nap on her paws. Parti Girl is happily snoozing by herself on the heatpad while the others are at the milkbar. It is so nice to see the serenity of this shot.
Here we are loading up for travel! This is the 'bunting' I use to take the pups for their first check up and dew claw removal appointment. I also use it to put them in when I change the bedding in the whelping pool. It is a very handy little item - nice and soft. For winter litters I warm up a disk and place it on the bottom to keep them toasty.
We have safely returned much to Harriet's joy. She jumped right into the pool and settled right down to cleaning and nursing. :+)
Monday, May 19, 2008
Harriet was home just in time to receive a lovely bouquet.
Some of my clients are just too special. Thank you Marcia on behalf of Harriet who is still resting.
Harriet is home but is still definitely under the effects of the anesthesia. Her C-section went well and they really flushed her out well. She is a bit shakey on her feet, so I carried her in and placed her in the whelping pool. She has been quietly sleeping on one side and the pups are generally 'puppy-piled' on top of the heating pad.
About 15 minutes ago, I finished tube feeding 4 of them and then placed them next to her for warmth and milk stimulation. Many times, when a dog as sick as Harriet was goes under anesthesia - milk dries up. I am hoping to prevent that with careful inclusion of the pups slowly along with an herbal remedy called Byronia Phytolacca. This is a product that helps with the 'let down' trigger of the mammary glands.
So far, we are doing pretty well. They are all now with mom and quite content.
It's been quite a morning!
Hello,
It was necessary to take Harriet to the vet's under an 'emergency' type visit. She had to undergo a C-Section because she had two puppies stuck in her uterus. :+( I had a gut feeling that something just was not right and I am glad I followed my instincts. The puppies were not viable and began to infect Harriet. I am heartened that a spay was not necessary as sometimes it is the quality of the uterus that becomes questionable when this happens.
So, dear Harriet was carrying 11 not 9 puppies all along. I am told that I can bring Harriet home this afternoon. In the meantime, I am swamped with helping 9 little pups eliminate and doing my best to get them to take a bottle. They are strong little buggers!! They are all weighing roughly 8 to 9 ounces. The chocolate boy is the smallest and the strongest fighter! Some things never change!
Here is their first group pic! :+)
Sunday, May 18, 2008
The Doodle Stork came early!
Hello,
We have just finished our whelping (I think) and there are nine (9) puppies! I hope to get them to the vets tomorrow to be sure they (and Harriet) are fine, so no pics right now. SORRY! There are 5 females and 4 males. The colors are as follows: 2 cream, 3 apricot, 1 black and white parti, 2 blacks with some white markings, and 1 chocolate. She whelped 4 days early!
Stay tuned everyone...we are delivering puppies!!
It was a crazy drive home from our daughter's wedding shower in Rhode Island for me, but I did arrive in time to take over at the moment of #4's birth. What a ride! Kudo's to my dear husband for not panicking and doing a great job with the first three. :+)
Updates will be posted when the 'event' is over.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Hang on Harriet! Mom has to leave for a couple of days!
Hey there!
I had a lovely day which started with an interested family's visit which included two of the most handsome college bound young men this side of the Mississippi along with their lovely and energetic mom! Makes me wonder how gorgeous her daughter's must be. :+)
Of course all the dogs were extremely happy to smother them with kisses , paws and wagging tails. Although Harriet 'gingerly' placed herself nearby for gentle pats and squeezes, her 'belly-load' was a clear disadvantage to the other four kangaroos!
After they left, I took this pic of Harriet. Notice how her back legs veer to the sides? Oh Lordy. Moving is getting tough and it looks like sitting is not much better. I kind of wish I could put her in a wheelbarrow or something. She does take great comfort in her nightly belly massages. 
