WARNING - CONTAINS GRAPHIC PICTURES OF BIRTH
It seems drama follows me around - uninvited. I would love a boring day.
Son #1's Golden - Bella decided to have Valentine puppies. This is her third and last litter. I've been there for all of them.
We discovered at the first birth she likes to have them backwards and we lost one because the bag broke before the puppy was totally out and it drowned - so to speak. She had eight - one died.
A year and a half later we were at it again. We assisted and had to "help" remove puppies right and left. She had 11. Eight of the 11 were born back feet first - all lived. But I wonder if she was left alone if that would have been the case.
Fast forward to today. She had her first four pretty much on her own with no problems. Puppy #5 was born fully formed but dead. On the heals of that one came #6 and we had to help that one. In fact, he was quite lifeless and Son#1 sort of breathed life back into it. He's very small but is fine.
When #6 came so fast, it created an issue with the placenta from #5. The dead puppy was out but the placenta was still inside. We wanted to leave things be so the placenta would be delivered. We waited but no placenta. Then Bella chewed the cord free and we disposed of the puppy. We just assumed the placenta would come.
We waited two hours and Son#1 thought for sure there was more puppies but none were coming. She was contracting but not really pushing hard.
I called my herdsman/vet and he said to clean her off with betadine, don gloves and try to reach up and pull the placenta out.
Son #1 pulled out the placenta and immediately another puppy arrived - dead. We're guessing something happened with him being so far down in the birth canal, not sure, but he didn't make it. Once the placenta was removed and the puppy that didn't survive arrived #8 arrived. Once again he/she (can't remember) needed to be coaxed to life.
At this point there were six alive and two that didn't make it.
My son was fairly certain he felt two more.
Twenty minutes she started contracting again but she wasn't pushing. The bag was intact so we just watched and waited. She just didn't try at all to deliver this one. Finally, the bag broke and we saw back feet and a tail coming. We didn't want to lose this one, so we carefully "helped". He was one big boy and we don't know for sure, but we doubted he would have been born quick enough to survive.
So that was #9 with 7 alive.
Son#1 thought he could feel another one, but she didn't contract and we even got her up and she went out to go to the bathroom and she came back and laid down for the puppies to nurse.
I waited another 45 minutes and nothing was happening so I left. We all thought she was done.
Son #1 was taking a nap in the room two hours later (been up since 4 AM) and he woke up to her licking and licking. Sure enough another puppy was coming. But, the bag was broke, the back to legs were out, lifeless and covered in very dark liquid - like the other puppy that died. Both he and Daughter-in-law thought he was dead. They waited about 10 minutes and then since she wasn't doing anything they carefully pulled the dead puppy out. Daughter-in-law was crying and my son felt terrible. As they held it, Son #1 thought the puppy moved his leg. So, they started rubbing it, having Bella licked his face and I'm sure a few prayers went up. That puppy that was laying lifeless inside Bella was revived.
They are calling him their Miracle Puppy.
Now there are 8 puppies as cute as can be squeaking and crawling around looking for food.
My son said he thought for sure when he felt that last one that there was one more. We are pretty sure he was wrong, but who knows.
All in all it was a nice Valentine's gift for them.
