Julie was so excited for her precious Newfoundland- Daisy- to give birth! Daisy is Julie’s pride and joy, the best example of her breed.
Daisy is intelligent, hard working, friendly, and calm- the best of her breed.
And Julie is an involved, caring doggie momma. She loved teaching Daisy new tricks, taking Daisy with her to visit her elderly mother, relaxing together, and pampering her fur baby.
The dynamic duo even worked together in water rescue, and Daisy was exceptional at her job!
Beyond that, Julie cared for her aging mother- with Daisy by her side. Daisy instinctively knew to be calm and gentle around Julie’s mother. It was amazing to see how having Daisy around brought joy and encouraged Julie’s mother to be active in her old age.
The Decision to Breed Daisy
As you can imagine, a bond like this is special!
Julie carefully considered whether or not to breed Daisy.
Step 1: Genetics testing and health testing! Julie scheduled many appointments with vets and specialists to guarantee that Daisy had top quality health.
Julie researched OFA testing and completed all of the suggested tests for Newfoundlands so that Daisy was CHIC certified! She also completed an entire genetics panel.
Daisy was clear of any genetic illnesses and in great shape!
After a long searching process, Julie found a sire for the litter who possessed the amazing traits that she was looking for!
Why Pass Along Daisy’s Genes?
Incredible health- CHECK!
Titled parents- CHECK!
Top notch temperaments- CHECK!
But still the decision was not easy.
Julie knew that breeding would not be a simple process. The puppies would need hours of care every day, there could be complications, she wanted to be sure each puppy got the best of everything from day 1, and then the weight of finding homes!
It was essential to Julie that every pup find an incredible forever family who would love the puppy with all their hearts- just like she loved Daisy!
Julie just couldn’t shake the feeling that there were people out there longing for a companion as perfect as Daisy, and she knew her health, traits, and temperament were needed in the world around her!
Let the Research Begin!
It was settled. Daisy would become a mother!!!
But not everything would go the way Julie hoped.
As a responsible dog owner, Julie knew that she had a very short amount of time to learn all she could!! Time for a DEEP DIVE into research!
What did Julie learn about? (Click on any of these links to learn more!)
–How to find a perfect home for each puppy
– How to prepare BEFORE labor begins
–How to keep her life organized after puppies come
–How to socialize puppies correctly
–How to wean a litter of puppies
–How to raise puppies to be therapy/service dogs
–How to avoid death of puppies as newborns
One of the most important topics of research? What to do if a puppy needed help at delivery. And it’s a blessing that Julie learned about this topic… her puppies’ lives depended on it.
Julie’s Favorite Resource
Of all the things she learned, of all the preparation that she did, of all the resources she found, one stood out to Julie.
It was our Whelping Kit!
Why?
Well the items and information turned out to be VITAL for the following reasons:
- In her preparation before birth began, Julie used the “Questions to Ask Your Vet” sheet to make the most of every vet visit. There were topics to discuss that she never would have thought of on her own, which helped her save a puppy who really needed her help!
- The “Shopping List” checked every box and settled her mind. She had peace knowing that she really was ready to go- nothing forgotten!
- Because of the “Temperature Chart“, she learned how to recognize the early stages of labor. This allowed her to make arrangements to miss work to help Daisy through delivery.
- Although she hoped not to use them (this hope turned out to be in vain) Julie had all the emergency supplies she could need if something went wrong.
- Julie knew exactly what each stage of development would hold and how to navigate it successfully using the “Developmental Notes” chart.
- Her puppies were raised to equal and exceed their mother’s incredible traits through the “Early Neurological Stimulation”, “Early Scent Introduction”, and “Desensitization” charts in the Whelping kit.
- Julie tracked her puppies’ health with the “Vaccinations/Deworming” chart and the “Whelping Chart“.
- The charts kept Julie organized and impressed her buyers! They were shocked at Julie’s preparedness and in depth knowledge. Julie even sent copies of the charts home with the puppies’ owners so that they had in depth records forever!
Beyond these benefits… Julie REALLY needed the Whelping Kit to save her adorable baby- David- who was near death when he was born.
Looking Death in the Face
Daisy’s temperature dropped on Wednesday. Julie knew from the “Temperature Chart” in her whelping kit how to recognize the signs of labor and called in to her boss to let him know that she would not be in to work on Thursday.
Julie expected the pups to come in the night.
She waited… and waited…
More signs from Daisy- digging, panting, restless, even some straining (could she be pushing??).
Waiting…
Waiting…
Hours go by. Shouldn’t the puppies be here by now?
Double checking her research…
Yes, it’s time to call for help.
Because Julie followed the steps on her chart “Questions to Ask Your Vet“, Julie knew how to contact her vet after hours, and even had a 24 hour emergency vet’s information all ready to go.
After a call, she realized it was time to intervene, or she could lose her precious Daisy.
C-section Time!
For an unknown reason, Daisy could not give birth to the puppies naturally. Time for a cesarean to save Daisy’s life and hopefully to save the puppies.
Rushing, rushing to the vet! Every second counts!
To Julie’s shock, when she arrived at the vet with Daisy in the back seat of her car, there was a pup! He had been born on the drive!
The emergency is not over- now the pup needs immediate care- especially warming him up to save his life. He was a tiny little fellow, and Daisy had not been able to care for him in her state. He needed life-saving assistance NOW!
Not one, but two dogs in critical condition.
The three rushed inside, a vet assistant immediately took the tiny pup to warm him and the another took Daisy for the c-section.
Incredibly- as the vet placed her arms under Daisy’s abdomen to lift her onto the surgery table…. the pressure popped out a second puppy!
A Quick Ultrasound…
Two puppies born, time to check via ultrasound. No more left in utero!
Daisy had a small litter of two puppies. Julie named them David (the tiny one born in the car) and Goliath (the large puppy who was stuck in the birth canal).
Giant sigh of relief- no c-section needed.
But little did Julie know, the care was JUST beginning!
The vets had successfully warmed David and fed him. She could take her puppies and momma home.
The Problems Exponentially Expand
However, Daisy’s body wasn’t producing milk! No matter how much Goliath tried to nurse, he was not enough to stimulate her body to produce milk. Remember, a mother usually has an entire litter nursing, not one puppy!
And as for David, he never learned to nurse. Julie tried and tried to put him on a nipple, but he was just too weak and tiny.
Her puppies were going to die without intensive intervention.
Julie’s Solution
Julie had all the supplies and charts she needed included in her Whelping Kit.
Using the bottle set, she had many different nipples to choose from to find the right fit for David. He used a very different nipple from his bigger and healthier brother Goliath, so Julie was grateful to have choices.
She also had a “Bottle/Tube Feeding Schedule” to keep her on track as she fed David and Goliath around the clock- every 3 hours, even at night- for the first 3 weeks of age.
That’s not all- thanks to her “Daily/Weekly Weight Charts“, Julie was able to verify that the puppies were growing steadily. Weight gain means that the puppies were eating enough and absorbing nutrition!
The Happy Ending
Because of Julie’s preparedness and research, she was ready for the crisis she faced.
Because of the Whelping Kit providing her with everything she needed, Julie saved the lives of her puppies.
Thank you Julie- you’re an inspiration to responsible dog owners everywhere!
Today, David and Goliath are 8 weeks old, thriving and healthy. They have been reserved by loving families and will be going to their new homes in the upcoming weeks.
My heart is warmed to hear of all the lives blessed by the Whelping Kit- Julie, the puppies, and their families. This is exactly why we created it!
Here’s to more puppies and families with happy endings!
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