As you probably have heard from my FB page and announcements on the website, Tigg had her puppies on Friday, June 28 at about 3:45PM. This event is nothing out of the ordinary, really. But the event was notable for a few things. First, the whelping happened during the day, rather than at 3AM. That's always a good things since my brain cells are usually misfiring when I'm woken up in the middle of the night to little 'cheep cheep' sounds heralding the arrival of a wet and slimy puppy covered with goop. Second, Rich actually was the midwife for the first puppy, since he was working at the desk in the puppy room/office and I was retrieving the rest of the crew from the boarding kennel when Tigg decided to deliver. Wonder if we can get a tax deduction on that one puppy since she came during business hours? And third, the litter is notable because it's really the first time we've used social media to allow friends and acquaintances all over the country and prospective puppy folks the opportunity to a front-row seat to all that goes on with a litter of puppies. We've not had a litter here since 2010, well before we were involved with Facebook and the new website was a figment of my imagination. We used to talk to folks on the phone and send emails, now we just put it on Facebook and everyone knows everything about everything and clamors for more!
If you followed my posts from that Friday to Wednesday, you know that we had the smallest male puppy ever born here at our home in this litter. Peanut was only 4 ounces at birth, and very skinny-you could count his ribs. His white hair actually appeared to be clear at birth-so his face was pink with reddish patches. He didn't like assistance to nurse-he wanted to find his own nipple and latch on himself. He was half the size of the nearest sibling, but he tried to worm his way around the bigger puppies and find a place to nurse that suited him, even if it meant standing on or squeezing next to another puppy. He tired easily, so we attempted supplemental feeds and eventually tube feedings for him. He had several visits to the veterinary clinic for SQ fluid resuscitation when he fell behind in his fluids. While the vets could not identify anything obviously wrong with him on physical examination (i.e. no evidence of cleft palate, heart murmur, diaphragmatic hernia), they could not rule out other issues, such as hydrocephalus or liver shunt, or a myriad collection of other issues that contributed to his small size and easy fatigability.
If you followed my posts from that Friday to Wednesday, you know that we had the smallest male puppy ever born here at our home in this litter. Peanut was only 4 ounces at birth, and very skinny-you could count his ribs. His white hair actually appeared to be clear at birth-so his face was pink with reddish patches. He didn't like assistance to nurse-he wanted to find his own nipple and latch on himself. He was half the size of the nearest sibling, but he tried to worm his way around the bigger puppies and find a place to nurse that suited him, even if it meant standing on or squeezing next to another puppy. He tired easily, so we attempted supplemental feeds and eventually tube feedings for him. He had several visits to the veterinary clinic for SQ fluid resuscitation when he fell behind in his fluids. While the vets could not identify anything obviously wrong with him on physical examination (i.e. no evidence of cleft palate, heart murmur, diaphragmatic hernia), they could not rule out other issues, such as hydrocephalus or liver shunt, or a myriad collection of other issues that contributed to his small size and easy fatigability.
All hobby breeders will eventually have a puppy who tests their puppy-rearing skills, tugs on their heart, tests their faith, and forces them to make hard decisions. Peanut wasn't the first puppy we struggled with, but his short life was certainly the most poignant for me. In the past, we've had puppies that should have been born alive but were stillborn-perhaps they took too long to be born, or something ruptured internally prior to birth. We've also had puppies born alive with congential issues-a club foot, a diaphragmatic hernia, urinary leakage, or just a poor suckling reflex for unknown reasons. Some of these puppies were euthanized because they could not survive with their congenital condition, others died despite supplemental feedings and veterinary treatment. But there were survivors, too-puppies who went to loving homes and lived wonderful lives with their families, despite their early trials and tribulations.
As a hobby breeder, I do the best I can to help all my puppies live, but I believe it is also my responsibility to be realistic about the fate of puppies I bring into this world. My role is not to assure that every puppy in the litter survives at all costs to me, the dam of the litter, all my other dogs, my family and my sanity. I am a steward of the breed and I need to assure the healthiest puppies possible go to loving homes and some even grow up to be contributors to the gene pool. I provide the most appropriate care possible, work with my vet's guidance, and God and I talk, and I listen to what he tells me. And then I cry,and remember how soft the fur on his head felt when I kissed him goodbye. Because that's what it means to be a hobby breeder, too.
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