Upon taking the pups and Belle Starr to the vet yesterday I had a great visit with the vet about the delivery. Hindsight is always better than foresight which this time was tragic. What he figured happened is that she delivered the first horn first and we got 4 healthy puppies. He felt she got fetal Dystocia where the pup was too big and she ended up with Euterine Fatigue and she didn't have enough energy to push the pup out. If that happens you can give them Oxytocin to help with contractions or with her big litter and big puppies could have caused Dystocia. I had oral calcium from Breeders Edge that I gave her but it wasn't enough. Oxytocin is a prescription you can get from a vet. If that doesn't help and if she doesn't deliver in an hour then she needs to be rushed to a vet for c-section. He says that once this happens it is possible it would happen again. Having just changed vets I should have gotten more established before whelping time. Note to self: Make sure your vet knows when your bitch is showing signs of Stage One labor and have him on call for emergencies. If this problem isn't addressed the possibilityyou could lose the pups and your dam. The good thing is that with all the exercise and good diet, Belle Starr came through with no complications. The pups are healthy, Belle Starr is healing good, and with the dew claws off and a bottle of worming medicine to use at day 10 and 20 in place, it is watch them grow and keep them safe.
Belle Starr's Story
It has been a while since I have blogged which means that nothing extra exciting has been going on here at the kennel. Well that is until August. After I took Belle Starr and Cassiopeia to the International Dog Show, both girls came into season. So I loaded the girls up and headed to the coast. For Belle Starr it was a breeding with Hawk and Cassiopeia went along so Fred wouldn't have to deal with a bitch in heat while I was away. It worked out for the girls kept each other company, While I was on the coast, we lost our Drake who was a Chocolate Lab and Great Dane. So that was hard being away for that. At 4 weeks I took Belle Starr in for an ultrasound and the vet thought it would be a small litter about 4 pups. Beings that Belle Starr went into pregnancy a little heavy I walked her twice a day. I became a mother hen over her for I wanted her to not have any complications being that her last breeding didn't take and she went through a false pregnancy. It was very hard on her. But being back in good health and spirits she a had a good pregnancy. Belle Starr was due this coming Saturday, but showed signs of getting ready to whelp early in the week. So I prepared the puppy room and got things done that needed to be done so I could focus on her and the pups. She got very large and we are thinking that there must be more than 4 pups or that she was extremely overweight. I didn't think she was overweight for I hadn't increased her food that much and kept on walking her twice a day until the last week of pregnancy. On Monday Belle Starr became restless and by Monday night was panting at times and digging at her kennel blankets. I was up with her most of the night with a couple of hours sleep here and there. On Tuesday the 17th I was certain that she would be whelping that night. I don't know why they whelp in the early morning hours, but that's the way Mother Nature works. That afternoon I grabbed a 2 hour nap since I didn't get much sleep the night before for I knew it was going to be a longer night. She went into Stage 2 Labor about 9:00 or so. Fred and I took turns being with her. She had her first pup at 11:40 she had her first pup and the 3 more from then until 1:40. All 4 very healthy and weighed 15 oz. Up to this point she had no problems delivering. She kept on having contractions but not pups. I had started giving her Breeders Edge Calcium to help and also kept pups nursing so they would bring on the contractions. She was very restless and we were sure there was more pups to come. By 5:00 and no more pups we began to worry. In the meantime, I took a 2 hour snooze on the couch and then Fred got about an hour. With no more pups by 7:00 I called the vet in Plains and talked to the vet. It was the closest to where we live. He said to bring her right in. So we loaded up pups and Belle Starr and hit the road. Having made a great warming bed when I started breeding it was easy to take the pups and I just put a warm bottle of water wrapped in a towel in it to keep them warm. At the vets I plugged in the warming bed to keep them nice and warm. Since the 4 pups had eaten constantly since they were born, they were very content. The vet took an ex-ray and said that he saw at least 2 more pups and decided to do a c section and get the rest of the pups out. After a long wait the vet came out to say that she was still carrying 5 pups and that one was still born, two had too much mucus in their lungs and couldn't save them and the last two they were fighting to save. One was strong and the other one pretty weak. Needless to say being tired and up all night with no sleep before hand the tears ran .Ones that stay with me most of the day.Even Fred had teary eyes which I hardly ever see.. Later they brought out one of the pups, a little yellow girl who was tiny. Since I had brought an emergency whelping bag along I got the suction and used it to help get the stuff out of her lungs. She was very noisy for she didn't get to nurse right after birth. A while later they brought out the little guy who was weak but alive. Know that I am sitting here crying and typing through the blurr. So many emotions mixed together. They then worked on Belle Starr for another long time. and finally we were able to take the two newborns back to see if we could get them to nurse even thought Belle Starr was still unconscious. Not having much luck I had Fred bring back one of the other pups to get them to nurse to bring on the milk. The little girl got the hang of it and we worked and worked with the little guy whom I call White Hawk. We slowly made sure all the pups got some nourishment for it was already afternoon. All this time Belle Starr was making horrible sounds. She came to enough that we had her lick the pups for relief. The vet gave us an eye dropper and little container so we milked some milk to give to White Hawk. We got some of that good momma milk down him. Belle Starr was so out of it we put her on a stretcher to load her in the car. Once home (now 3:00 pm) we got Belle Starr and the babies into the nursery. Neighbors are awesome. One came over with soup and helped me milk Belle Starr and get some milk down White Hawk. She knows a lot. Another neighbor came and sat with the pups while Fred and I got a couple hours of sleep and long need showers. Another neighbor called to see if we needed anything and offered puppy watching services. Then warm cookies showed up. After a couple of hours sleep i worked with White Hawk and got him to sucking. Such a happy relief. The end results is that we have 2 caramel colored females, 2 black girls, and 2 caramel males. We lost one little black boy and two little black girls. Such a big loss in our hearts. But we still have our Belle Starr who is the best mother ever. Even drugged out she insisted having her babies with her and if we put them in the warming box to give her rest she would stumble around whining until she had all of them with her. The surgery anesthesia was really hard on her and it took her until sometime late last night to completely come out of it. She is eating and drinking along with going out to go potty. But only long enough to do her job and then she runs back in to her pups. So with this big scare and loss we will weigh the odds of if we want to breed her or not in the future. Love our Belle Starr and the rest of the kennel. And they have been great through all of this.
Vets
Last week I took Belle Starr and Shadow to the vet for checkups. Belle Starr to make sure she was good after her ordeal and Shadow for he is too thin. The vet put Shadow on different food and said to leave Belle Starr on the same food and cut her back some. The way of my world. I have to watch every calorie, and Fred enjoys all that bad for you but yummy stuff. So I can relate to the Belle Starr. I spend time yesterday reviewing dog food formulas to find a good match for Shadow. I have been feeding Grain Free Victor Salmon, which is an excellent dog food with lots of good things in it. The vet put Shadow on Hills Healthy Advantage Formula with grains. Of course when you buy that at the vet's office the price tag is high. So in researching to find something similar to it I discovered that Kirkland Signature Adult Chicken is a fairly good match. It has high fat with good carbs. So like people there isn't one best formula for all dogs. I am mixing in the new food with the old for Shadow, Cassie, and Storm Trooper to see if I can add some bulk to them. Sorry Belle Starr.. .#Vets #Diets #Healing at Happy Labs Kennel
January Fur and Dog Diets
I don't know what it is about January, but seems to be the longest month ever. On good sunny days I walk the dogs and get exercise. They are in the house a lot and tend to shed lots of extra fur. So that keeps me busy vacuuming and cleaning. I believe they are shedding more because it has been so cold and they spend that extra time in the house where it is warm. The English Labs tend to have more fur than the American Labs and they love the snow. Belle Starr and Abie both can roll and play in it for great lengths of time. While Shadow who has some American in him, gets colder quicker and you don't see him rolling in it very much. Storm Trooper is like his dad that way. Cassiopeia is full English and has lots of fur, but even though she likes it outside, she doesn't roll in it like Belle Starr and Abie. Funny canines. They all have their little different personalities, likes, and dislikes. I took Belle Starr and Shadow to the vet for checkups. I had Belle Starr checked over to make sure she was in good condition after losing the pups. She looks great and is in super good health. With an enhanced tail, I might add. Shadow on the other hand is too thin. (The reason I took him in). Sounds like the people in our house. Fred eats everything and all the time. Super thin... I diet and watch what I eat. Need to lose weight. So I am cutting Belle Starr down on the food that she is eating. (Victor Salmon and Sweet Potatoes) for she is doing great on it. It is grain free. So with Shadow the vet is having me add Hill's Advantage Veterinarian Formula to his Victor to see if it helps with the calories and nutrition retentionSince Cassiopeia is thin as well, I am adding the Hill's to her diet. It has chicken and grains in it. I'll post how it works. One never knows what is really truly the best thing to feed them. I guess the best way is to try several things and see what works best. I did read an article once that suggested to mix up brands of dog food so they get all different kinds of nutrition. Which is good if you gradually add the other dog food so they don't get sick. During these past four years I have had learned so much and yet there is so much more to learn. It is interesting as I gather information from big breeders to vets and on how they don't exactly always agree on things. So, once again I just do what I feel is best with the knowledge I have and move on. I work really close with the vets on the breeding part of it. A good month to research and read to make kennel life better.
In Everyone's Life a Little Rain Must Fall
Not sure who wrote that, but it is so true in all aspects of life. After the long process of breeding Belle Starr she didn't keep the puppies. A week ago the vet said she saw one and that it didn't look very healthy. This prepared me for our visit yesterday when we didn't see any puppies. For some unknown reason, she absorbed the pups or pup. The good thing is that she is very healthy and that wasn't the problem. We will try again next cycle and hopefully have summer puppies. I have been told by breeders that this is the way to go. At this point they really need to convince me. Just the cost of the stud fee is huge, plus puppy pacs, shipping semen, vet bill for the male to extract the sperm, and the vet bill on this end, plus the stress. Not sure this experience has been the best. Hopefully I will change my mind in the future. I'm hoping to at least get my money back. But most important is that I have people waiting for their fur babies. In the meantime, I will love on the Belle Starr, do a couple of shows, train the pups, and do some therapy visitations. It is so cold that I am just a little anxious to have some sun and warm weather to get the labs out for a lot of hikes and exercise. So on my way home yesterday I bought some flowers for Belle Starr, but mostly for me. Love my Labs and worry when things don't well.
