Libby whelped on Tue evening. She had 7 puppies, which really surprised me!! 5 females and 2 males. The puppies are really small and 1 female had a difficult time. We did surgery to repair the abdominal wall when the cord pulled off and caused a severe umbilical hernia. She was strong and nursed with assistance for the first night. But by yesterday she was getting weaker and soon refused to suck. I pumped colostrum from Libby and syringe fed her and by afternoon I realized I wasn't going to save her. She was just too weak and small, and there may have been some intestinal insult from the cord injury. My vet had never worked on such a tiny puppy and I even wonder if she was premie. Although all the puppies are small and they were 59 days, this puppy had a smooth head and shiny skin. This is how you determine prematurity in humans, so I can only guess that maybe this puppy was fertilized up to 48hrs after the others, which would make her 57 days. She just didn't look quite term.
I know most breeders would have disgarded the puppy at birth, but I couldn't help but think she had a chance. I don't believe in letting an animal suffer, but I think we gave her the best chance possible without prolonging suffering. I feel good knowing I did what I could for her.
Libby's other puppies are small but have gained already and are doing very well. Libby is a good mama and I enjoy just sitting and watching them nurse. Amazing nature......
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