It was a Thursday afternoon. Kara was excited for her puppies to arrive, and eagerly awaited her dog’s due date- upcoming on the following Monday!
Kara was new to breeding, but educated and prepared. She had purchased our Whelping Kit, which taught her about labor/delivery, exercises, development, weight gain/health, and more.
But Kara could never predict how things would turn out.
A Typical Day Gone Wrong
Kara prepared for her day’s errands, and noticed something odd.
Her pregnant momma dog, Rosie, was acting a little strange. She seemed a little clingy, a little unsure of herself- confused? Worried?
“I must be imagining things…” Kara thought and continued on her day.
Kara had been taking Rosie’s temperature 3 times per day, using the Temperature Chart included in her Whelping Kit. This morning’s reading seemed low… could that be the temperature drop? No, surely not yet- it was too early.
But the oddities continued.
Rosie didn’t seem to be hungry today.
Rosie didn’t seem active or interested in her normal activities today.
Again Kara justified, “Ah, pregnancy can be like that. I understand.”
Then the signs became more clear- it was a cool day, and yet Rosie’s breathing had intensified. Is she… panting?? Instead of following Kara on her daily chores around the property, Rosie preferred to sit in her whelping box.
It seemed too early, and yet Kara didn’t dare leave Rosie. The timing was difficult for Kara- she had planned lots of errands and meetings on Thursday and Friday in preparation for Rosie’s due date on Monday! If she missed those important commitments, she could be in trouble at work, not to mention her empty refrigerator which was waiting to be filled after her shopping trip that night.
But Kara couldn’t shake her gut feeling- something was happening with Rosie that she couldn’t ignore.
She canceled her meetings and rearranged her errands for the day, choosing to stay by Rosie’s side instead.
She was so glad that she did!
A Sigh of Relief
What had started as a gut feeling, then a necessary precaution, soon turned into a real emergency.
Rosie started to dig in the whelping mat, heavily panting, and Kara could see her back squeeze with the contractions! The puppies were coming early!
Kara ran to get her Whelping Kit, which she kept near the whelping box- just in case. Her shaking hands reached for the charts and information included in the kit. She was searching for the “Questions to Ask Your Vet” page. She had called her vet to ask the questions on the chart and she had taken notes on everything he shared with her. Now, that knowledge seemed like gold as she prepared for the inevitable.
The babies were coming. They were coming when they weren’t supposed to come. This could be death for her puppies, or life- depending on her actions in this moment!
She comforted Rosie, reread all the information.
Despite all the fear and worry, she knew that she had done everything, learned everything, and acquired all the supplies that could possibly help her through the next hours. She set up her scale to weigh puppies, she took out her Whelping Chart from her Whelping Kit, she laid out the Kit’s emergency supplies in front of her.
She was ready.
The Splendor of Birth
It didn’t take long before Kara could see the bulge of the first puppy- pushing its way along the birth canal! What a sight. Then the sack emerged, and she could see the dark shape of the puppy within.
Would she be ok?
Rosie chewed open the sack, and the darling baby spilled out, wet and unmoving. Rosie got right to work, licking and caring for her pup.
Kara held her breath- one Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi, a gasp for air! The puppy was breathing!
With a sigh of relief, Kara turned to her Whelping Chart and recorded all the information about the first pup. She was born on 5/9 at 4:33pm. She was a female with a black coat. She weighed 12.0oz (what a chunky and healthy girl!). She immediately nursed. Kara put a darling blue collar on her from her Whelping Kit to identify this darling pup. Suddenly Kara wondered when the puppies would be old enough to go home with this unexpected birth date, so she googled 8 weeks from today.
The 4th of July! Her babies would be old enough to go home on the 4th of July! Kara smiled and named the stunning little girl “America”.
But the joyful welcoming of little America was to be short lived.
The Dangers of Early Birth
Kara repeatedly referred to the vet’s notes, making sure all was going well for Rosie and her first baby. Time seemed to pass slowly, as Kara watched the clock.
The vet had said that most puppies are born an average of 30 minutes apart, but that some puppies can be up to 2 hours apart. He did mention that the longer in between puppies, the more potential for concern.
30 minutes came and went.
1 hour came and went.
Her hand hovered over the phone, ready to call her vet for help. Ready to rush her darling Rosie to get help if needed.
At 5:42pm, 1 hour and 9 minutes after America was born, Rosie’s next pup came! He was named Rocket- but his entrance into the world wasn’t as smooth as America’s had been.
Rocket was born TINY. He weighed 4.2oz compared to America’s 12oz!! He was only 1/3 of her size! Kara encouraged mom to lick him to encourage breathing and soon he was squeaking and gasping. Little Rocket tried to eat, but was weak. Any movement from mom or the slightest push from America knocked him off the teat!
How was Kara going to care for such a tiny little baby?
Not A Second of Peace
Kara spent the next 30 minutes warming Rocket, drying him after birth, and trying to hold him up to a teat to eat. He wanted to suck, but it was clear that this little boy would need additional help to survive.
Kara did not get much time to help him.
At 6:03, a third pup was born. A stunning merle boy! How darling! He was born at a healthy weight, 9oz, and yet he was not well.
His lungs were underdeveloped or full of fluid- which one?? He gasped for air but could not seem to get a breath in. He made no sound- a terrible sign!
Kara sprang into action. The bulb syringe from the Whelping Kit! She gratefully used the syringe on his mouth and nose to clear the airways. It worked- his first breath!
The relief is indescribable. He makes a small squeak, but the concern isn’t over.
Despite having his airways clear, the pup struggles. The vet’s information helps- Kara does puppy CPR, she encourages mom to continue licking him, she rubs him to help the breaths come in and out. After 20 minutes, Kara calls the vet. He states that she has done everything possible. If the baby doesn’t survive, it was due to the early birth.
Kara fights for him over 3 hours as more babies are born. She trades off helping the struggling pup, encouraging Rocket to eat, and assisting mom with labor. Thank goodness for the cord clamps and scissors that make assisting mom easy– Kara and Rosie both have enough to deal with!
Unfortunately, the vet’s prediction is true. The pup passes away due to underdeveloped lungs. He was too good for this world.
A Second Chance
Kara has no time to grieve- the emergency is real and continues. Most pups are born needing some help from the bulb syringe to assist their young lungs, but most recover quickly.
That bulb syringe is worth its weight in gold right now- it is literally a “life saver!”
A beautiful black female, Kara names her Bell after the Liberty Bell. 8.5oz. Breathing well with assistance from the bulb syringe.
A darling black male named General- after General George Washington. 11.3oz. Breathing well on his own.
The cutest tiny tri male named Uncle Sam! 7.1oz, needed assistance to breathe.
And then our Miracle Baby- Liberty. Born 8.5oz and not breathing. One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi… suction with the bulb syringe! Clear those airways! Rub the puppy! Help mom lick her face!
Was that a sound? A puppy who makes a sound is getting air!
Keep up the help, don’t stop for a second! Can’t let this end like her brother!
A breath- Kara heard it! A sharp inhale- the puppy is making it- then a short exhale. She can hear each breath, the puppy is working hard, she’s fighting for life- fighting for her air.
Keep going baby girl!
Kara continues to rotate- helping the puppy, helping Rocket to try to nurse, helping Rosie deliver the last 2 babies for a total of 9 darling puppies.
But this baby is making it- she is making small noises, she is breathing with difficulty but the oxygen is doing its job. After a harrowing wait, the puppy starts to move. She wants to nurse- she is hungry!
Nursing isn’t easy though. How could a pup who struggles for each breath latch on?
Long Term Problems…. But with Long Term Solutions!
Now that every baby is breathing (THANK YOU BULB SYRINGE!) and we’ve made it through the stressful delivery (THANK YOU WHELPING KIT!), now it’s time to keep these puppies thriving- even the two who are struggling along.
Next crisis- these puppies need nutrition right away!
Again, the Whelping Kit saves the day for 2 reasons. First of all, the kit includes a set of bottles with various nipples for puppies of different stages. For two newborns, a large nipple would not have worked. The variety of size allows Kara to select the perfect nipple for tiny little Rocket and larger Liberty. Reason 2 that the kit saved the day- the vet had already recommended a great puppy formula when Kara called him to ask the questions that she found on her chart. Kara had it on hand, just in case!
She warmed the formula and fed two ravenous pups, taking care to give Liberty frequent breaks to breathe as her lungs were still adapting to life outside the womb.
As she finished feeding, it dawned on Kara the magnitude of the task at hand.
She now had two totally dependent pups who needed her to survive. These babies will need to be fed every 3 hours around the clock, day and night. Kara needed to keep the feedings organized in order to provide the correct amount of formula.
Not only that, but Kara needed to monitor the babies’ weights closely to be sure that they were getting adequate nutrition. Losing weight is a quick sign that a puppy is going downhill, and she would need to step in immediately to save the pup.
The “Bottle/Tube Feeding Schedule” and the “Daily Weight Chart” helped Kara provide for these babies, day and night, for the next 3 weeks. Without the organization tools, she would be too exhausted to keep it all straight!
The Whelping Kit helped her with the other pups too!
In order to be sure that the other 7 pups were well cared for, Kara used her Whelping Kit recipe to whip up some Milk Production Treats for Rosie.
She followed her Puppy Development Notes to track each baby’s success and progress. She completed ENS, ESI and Desensitization exercises for every pup, helping them to grow and develop from an early age. She kept track of health records using the Vaccination/Deworming Schedule. She recorded the contact info for every family who reserved one of her puppies using the New Families Information Chart.
The kit saved the lives of 2 puppies, helped Kara feel prepared during an emergency situation, and provided invaluable knowledge.
Thank goodness Kara didn’t wait! Get your Whelping Kit today!
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