On Thanksgiving night, Miss Phoebe had 7 beautiful babies! This little girl is a natural momma. She was so dedicated the first several days that we had to physically pick her up & place her in the yard to pottie; otherwise she was going to hold it forever.And then what a surprise, after a few days, she started knocking on the door to let us know she was ready to go out!! Hey Pauley, take note :)
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| one tired girl |
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| pups day one |
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All puppies are doing great & are growing at an alarming rate!In the pictures below they are 1 week old.
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| very unusually colored :) |
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| look how big they are already compared to Phoebe |
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| cutie patootie! |
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Phoebe had 5 BOYS and 2 girls! Even though the puppies are not old enough yet to even hear us & we know that their future homes will most likely rename them, because of what happened with Shirley's pups, we are going to name all of these. We are open to suggestions if you have any. The girls are the white one with a black eye & a solid black one. Suggest away!
So here we go with the bad; one of Shirley's pups was showing symptoms that the vet thought might be consistent with distemper when she passed away & because of the risk to everyone else, her body was sent to Lexington for an autopsy. It took a week to get the results back & the little girl thankfully did not have distemper. In the meantime, Shirley, Phoebe & her pups were taken to the vet to
be checked out & to make sure everyone was safe. Both Shirley &
Phoebe had raised levels of white blood cells & were placed on
antibiotics in order to nip whatever it was in the bud.Once the results were back, our vet believes that Shirley & Phoebe have a strain of kennel cough. They are contagious & have been quarantined away from each other & away from our three. The pups are protected since they are nursing from Phoebe, but what happens when they start to wean? Does anyone have any experience with this? We have never had kennel cough in our home before. I had no idea that there are many different strains & that not all can be vaccinated against! Our vet is working on a plan for when they start to wean. So far everyone is acting normal & eating well. We have been keeping busy cleaning, cleaning, cleaning & cleaning!
Shirley is handling her alone time well, but I can only imagine that she is bored out of her mind. We have been making sure she is stocked up on stuffed Kongs & she is getting plenty of new toys to keep her busy.
Keep our little family in your thoughts please.
12 comments:
You're killing me with these puppy pics! I love that lil fawn looking one! OMG! Sooooo adorable! Sorry about Shirley's pups. When there is happiness, there is always bound to be a downfall. Really sucks! Keep the awesome pics coming! :)
The puppies are so cute!! We are glad to hear that they are doing well. We are sad to hear the bad news, but the puppy pictures definitely make up for it.
Nicole and Macho
No advice on the wee pups and kennel cough other than to keep doing what you are doing and to let them nurse for as long as Phoebe will allow it so they have every opportunity to develop their immunity and grow strong on mama's milk. I am keeping my fingers crossed that all will be well - thankfully you caught it early, which is always a good thing.
So cute, I can almost smell the puppy breath. We will keep good thoughts that they all thrive.
you are in our thoughts always!
Prayers from G and me! Those puppies are growing FAST - I can't believe it!
You guys always amaze me with how extremely dedicated you are. Puppies are so cute (but I know how hard they can be!). I don't know anything about kennel cough...but I hope everyone stays healthy and well.
I don't know much about kennel cough strains, but I do know that most puppies pull out of it and never show signs later in life. Hope that the little ones make a full recover. You are in my thoughts. Ruff!
Sorry am a bit late; saw this yesterday, have been praying for all puppies, mommas and their people. Pauley, you are awesome with these pups. Be well, little ones - here or in Heaven - but prayerfully, here!
I give everyone bordetella but of course, it only covers one type of kennel cough.
you should name one Basil cause its a cool name
Stop on by for a visit
Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com
Wow, what a busy time you're having. I wish I knew anything about kennel cough to offer but it sounds like your vet is well-involved.
Phoebe's pups are just adorable! And they are going to be bigger than her in no time. (Daddy must have been a big boy!)
You and yours are in our thoughts.
Wow, I had no idea there are different strains of kennel cough. One day after I brought my parent's foster dog to their house, he came down with kennel cough. We learned that the shelter hadn't vaccinated him because he's skin is such a mess - it's from thyroid and allergy issues but they weren't sure if he it was immune related. I haven't heard kennel cough in years and I forgotten how terrible it sounds.
Phoebe and her (big!) pups are too cute for words and Shirley is really just so beautiful. Hope everyone is doing good and things have quieted down by now. You all could really use some low-key days I'm sure!
-Chandra at Daley's Dog Years
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