We have PUPPIES! But some bad news.

Four puppies born July 17th! 2 males, 2 females. 

I did not announce their birth because 1 puppy was not gaining weight and having a difficult time. Miss Pink who was the first born, was losing weight on a daily basis. I could not get her to accept the bottle so every 2-3 hours, day and night, I would have to tube feed her. She continued to lose weight for the next 6 days. 

 I usually make my own homemade formula for the puppies, but since there was only 1 puppy and the recipe made 1 litre, I thought I'd use the store bought variety. I could make 10 CCs at a time and it would always be fresh. When I realized she was still losing weight on day 6, I decided I had better do everything in my power to save her, so I made 1 litre of homemade formula. I was given the formula recipe in an Intensive Care for Puppies seminar. And thank goodness I was! Although I had to continue to tube feed her, she started gaining weight, rapidly. I thought we had won the battle! Each day she grew stronger and gained weight but I still couldn't get her to nurse. 

 By day 11, she was fat and sassy and her eyes were starting to open. But she still wasn't eating on her own. It was obvious I could keep her alive and even thrive, but there was something else wrong. I reluctantly took her to the vet. Fearing I would not come home with her. Unfortunatley poor Miss Pink had a cleft palette. Her nasal passage and her mouth were connected. And that's why she couldn't nurse. She was unable to get any suction. This was the first time this had happened in almost 30 years of breeding. The vet was shocked this had not happened to me before. He told me she was too small for surgery and that she would not have a good quality of life. It broke my heart... She seemed to be happy sleeping in his arms so I turned around to leave. I looked back one more time. He said she would have lots of love and snuggles. I was devastated. 

 The only thing I could do was bury my face in three, happy, healthy puppies at home and talk to Fia about where her puppy was. We will all fight on to see another day.