Day Two. Litter Introduction! (Updated)

Finally! I hope you will think it is worth the wait.

End of the Day

This is Jasper.

He is the adventure puppy right now, always off on a crawl-about. He has extra white on his neck that will shrink as he grows into it.

Jasper was the biggest puppy and may have been gumming things up with the planned vaginal delivery. He was a distressed puppy, having taken in a considerable amount of meconium-contaminated fluid before birth (that is a bad). The amazing techs at Idaho Vet worked hard with him, sucking so much gross fluid out of him. I thought Jasper was a goner but instead he is an adventurer 🙏

This is Star Garnet.

It is so entertaining to see the ways that puppies drape themselves over each other, their mom, and/or anything else that is available.

And right now, not much is available — they don’t need extra stuff in their space right now. It is like a human baby — extra stuff in a crib is dangerous for infants. Cute — but dangerous. The whelping box is boring right now — safe, but boring.

Capella is nursing puppies well and keeping them sparkly clean. Her milk is just coming in and the puppies are gaining nicely. Nobody lost weight in the first day or so, which is unusual. Until the milk comes in, critical colostrum is what is on tap at the milk bar, and supply is such that it is normal and expected for small weight losses in the first day or two. I guess with only four of them, there was plenty to go around 🎉

💙💙💙🩷

Day 1 (Updated)

You would think four puppies would be a breeze — and I am sure it will be — but for now Capella is still influenced by the anesthesia and is not keen on nursing. Specifically, she is growling some when they start nursing. Yes, I have trimmed nails and Capella is getting calcium.

💖

The surgeon warned me about the potential of this and emphasized the importance of not leaving the mother alone with puppies. The need to carefully manage things makes it complicated to have someone else watch the puppies/Capella, and so I have been up for 27 hours. Yes, I am exhausted. We will manage it so I can sleep later today, and hopefully Capella will be mellower by then. She did just clean puppies so that is a promising sign.

I am still too tired to properly do the introductions and so please enjoy these photos that Cindy took yesterday at the clinic.

I cannot say enough good things about the clinic, their processes, and their staff.

Kira, Cindy, and I got to be present and help with the puppies.

For c-section puppies, they were a lively bunch from the beginning.

Happy Thursday (I think it is Thursday).

End of Day Update

1. I slept for over seven hours (after being awake for 34 hours!). My son, Galen, is helping out this first week so I can sleep 🙏

2. Capella seems to be settling into motherhood 🎉

🩷💙💙💙

Definitely Not the Hare

4:15 a.m.

Progress is happening but Capella is not yet in Stage Two, which is when the pushing starts and puppies are delivered. I expect the puppies to be born today — one way or another.

Cindy and Kira are asleep in the other room. Capella also did a fair amount of sleeping overnight, in between bouts of panting/restlessness and the constant requests to go outside. She feels pressure and thinks it is a need to have a bowel movement, but it is just puppy pressure; she long ago exhausted her supply of 💩 She can’t, of course, go out alone just in case there is really puppy pushing activity.

Mucous continues and the color is normal and expected — all good. She is not really interested in food — also normal — but is drinking water well. Nothing is concerning at this point 🙏

I guess the virtue of the day is Patience.

12:30 pm

All is well but Capella will be having a c-section soon.

8:15 pm

We are home. Capella is fine but snoozy. More formal introductions tomorrow but in the meantime…