Wish I had a magic wand!

Well, the TINY one now has a name.  Her name is Tink, for Tinkerbelle because she is tiny and because she is magic.  Can't figure out why, except for Kathleen feeding her, she is still alive.  She isn't growing and teeters around her birth weight.  She sucks, sometimes on Mai, and walks around the crib and has her eyes open.  Seems fairly strong, just not as strong as the other pups.  Her "friend," the Mai and Bard boy, has opened his eyes this AM and is MUCH larger than she.  Her real brother, the BIG one, now has a name, Jaba.  Her real sister is Nosey, and she is as cute as they come, Jane and Jerry.

I always say I'm not superstitious, but didn't name her before for fear that naming her would cause her to die.  I guess I just got tired of calling her everything in the book.  A name is nice.

Her sister is Nosey.  Maybe someday she will do K9 Nose Work.

I've been stealing a name from his great-grandfather and calling the Mai X Bard boy BB, for Bard's Boy.  Not very inventive, but it is just a baby name.  They usually change.

Pictures taken this AM

Tink next to Jaba.  Littermates.

Tink with the rest.

Tink ON Jaba.

Again, Tink on Jaba with the other two very visible.

The puppy breath is outstanding.  I do LOVE puppies.

Signing out for today,
The Curmudgeon

I lied!!!!!!

We are doing cartwheels today.  We thought she would be dead this AM and she is up and sucking on her own and motoring.  Last night she was out, lethargic and her lungs were crackling when she took her short breaths.  She didn't move.  Kathleen said she screamed about 12:30 this AM and Mai started licking her and taking care of her and we were afraid to look in the crib this morning.  Put it off for some minutes.  After that, Kathleen must have said a hundred times that she didn't believe what she was seeing.  Neither did/do I....  AMAZING.  All I did yesterday was stick some Amoxicillin in her mouth and we gave her water to wash it down.  I gave her a bit of normal saline under her skin and she screamed to high heaven.  I didn't want to ever do that again.  I hate hurting the poor girl.  Today she's still alive and fighting.  Can you believe it?!!!!!!!!!!  We are still being superstitious and not naming her.

Someone out there has been praying awfully hard.  Thanks.

I know....

I am disappointing many of you not writing more and not posting pictures more often.  Sorry.

Pip had five puppies.  We lost two girls the first day, and a third one has failed to thrive and I think we will soon lose her.  She is still below birth weight despite both Kathleen and myself supplementing her and plugging her on day and night.  She is fading.  We have tried fresh frozen plasma,  normal saline under her skin, Esbilac, peanut butter, honey, etc.  She is certainly spunky, but something is wrong or she would have made it and be plump and vital today.  Not.  Fading.  We cry when we talk about it.  Kathleen sits and rocks her a lot.  She no longer nurses.  Just a matter of time.

Mai had her puppies one week to the day after Pip.  The first one, a girl, was born dead.  Probably a separated placenta too early.  The boy is healthy and fine and growing.  The tiny one went to Mai so that there would be two on each girl.

Pip's boy is a tanker.  My gosh he is big!  I will attempt to put pictures up of the four of them taken yesterday.

The little one LOOKS much bigger than she is and she feels as if she weighs nothing!  Hasn't yet gotten back to her birth weight.  So sad.

The two on the left are "Mai's."

Later,
Sad Curmudgeon and Kid

Puppies!!!!!

Started at 0630 this AM.  First baby, a girl, born dead.  Sad.  Second two, girls, at 0645 and 0848.  She took a break until the minute we were leaving to come to the office and she had a boy, 8.6 oz, at 0848.  Then, now, waiting to see if there is another.  She acts like it.  The girls are 4.5 and 7.2 oz.  All so far grizzle.  Can't tell if there will be more, but she was lopsided.  Maybe the big ones were on one side and the little ones on the other side.  Kathleen has pictures.  Tomorrow.  I'm so behind now that I can't see straight!

Nope

No puppies yet.  Pip looks more pregnant lately and couldn't jump into the car this morning to come to work.  She did make it yesterday.  Due Monday next. 

She is still doing Nose Work like a crazy woman, just what one would expect of Pip.  Love that dog!  At first I thought that there would be only one, then two or three, with an uneven number expected, really.  She is lopsided after all!  So, I'm guessing three, afraid to wish for five.

Mai is right behind her and is due the 18th.  Should be interesting breeding.  Both litters will be Burlap grandkids, in Pip's case on the daddy's side and in Mai's case, on her side!  The parents on the other sides of those litters are fairly closely related, so maybe the litters will be similar. 

So, don't hold your breath, but keep your fingers crossed for lots and healthy!

Curmudgeons get excited too....