09/12/2024
Well, I can certainly say I have had better weekends.
On Friday, I took Tiq and her babies to the Vet for Tiq's post operative check, at the Vets request. I am trying to build a rapport with this Vet Clinic, I am new to this area and have to establish trust both ways with the Vets. There is generally animosity between some Vets and Breeders because we (ethical registered breeders who give a toss) are lumped into the same category as those who let Scruffy visit the Jackie next door and would you look, we have scruffy jackets to give away as Christmas present or the pups end up in the pound. Any hoo....
On Friday, I very proudly walked into the Vet Clinic with my little family and everyone goo-ed and gaa-ed appropriately over these 6 beautiful, strong, happy and thriving puppies. What a good mumma Tiq is.
OK, that trip over, was as much a waste of time for me, but as I said, I want to build a rapport with mutual trust, communication and an understanding with this clinic. It is bloody expensive, but it offers the facilities I could want into the future. Job done.
Saturday morning I woke up as usual, first thing I do is check the puppies and get Tiq out for her morning ablute and then let the other dogs out of their crates for the same.
The big white boy was gasping. Tiq had on occasion taken kibble into the whelping box, so my first thought was he had something stuck in this throat. I checked his mouth and felt his neck and could not see or feel anything. The next thought was that he may have aspirated (milk into the lungs). When I picked him up, I noticed that his belly was quite distended and very tight, so I toileted him and that successfully produced the waste I wanted to see. As I was toileting him, I noticed that he relaxed and appeared to be breathing normally again. Oh good, that worked. I popped him back in with his mates and everyone else looked and felt good.
I fed the adults and checked the pups, and the white boy was gasping again and pulling his knees up to his chest and seemed to be straining. That is pain. His belly was tight again. I picked him up and rubbed his belly and back and he relaxed again. The boy clearly felt better being vertical rather than horizontal and the rubbing motion was soothing to him.
I consulted a lady who I have the utmost respect for and trust her implicitly. This lady is a long term breeder, and long term Veterinary nurse, with more experience than the early settlers had strife.
We talked about the possibilities. I sent her a video of the gasping and then of his relaxed state, described what I could see, and listened to what this lady had to say. POSSIBLY colic. I gave all of the pups a drop of Infacol on their tongue. If it didn't help, it wouldn't hurt.
I nursed this little man all day to keep him comfortable and rubbed his belly and back to provide something that was soothing. I went to bed at around 1:30am and slept with the little man draped over the crook of my neck so he would be as vertical as possible. I had a little cover for him as a blanket and I cradled him with my hand. I know he was warm and as comfortable as I could get him. I woke up around 4:30am, just as the little man passed away. I was so upset.
I got up and checked on the other pups and let Tiq say goodbye to the deceased pup (I think this is important, as I certainly believe dogs understand death. Mother dogs can count. They KNOW when a pup is missing, and they will look for that pup until they find them).
I checked the other pups and one of the little girls was a bit flat. I picked her up and she was quite limp.
She had vomited a little bit of curdled milk the day before but was still ok. Active, moving around, hydrated etc so I thought at the time, she had perhaps burped, and a bit of milk came up with the air.
When I checked her Sunday morning, she was limp, but she was breathing normally, but she had this watery discharge from her backside. Her body looked clammy, and the discharge smelt strange. It is hard to describe, it was a faecal smell, but it was not a normal faecal smell.
I sent messages to some fellow breeders, and they contacted me. I was on the computer to the brains trust and then on the phone to get some more ideas, because to be honest, I had not seen this before. We are always learning new things. It was suggested that it could be a bacterial infection in the gut from Tiq's milk, hence the vomit and the leakage, either way, I had to call the Vet and get in there straight away. The Vet is 40 minutes away. The little girl had such a tenuous grip on life, I had said she had passed away as I was certain death was imminent.
I got all of the pups loaded into the car with Tiquity, and we travelled to the Vet. Via the phone, I told the Vet Nurse I needed antibiotics for the pups, and another course of AB for Tiq.
It is worth noting that Tiq had just finished her 5 days course of AB's on the Friday and the pups started to get sick on Saturday ??? Coincidence? Possibly?? who knows.
I told the Vet nurse that apart from being upset at losing two babies, I was angry because I almost had to beg for AB's for the pups just in case everything went to s***e. I was refused.
I accepted the compromise that Tiq was on AB's because she had a C-section and her uterus almost ruptured. The only layer over the uterus was wafer thin, hence antibiotics. In about 3 months, I will spey Tiq. She will never go through another pregnancy. She doesn't have to; she has done enough. I love my girl, and I will never endanger her.
The bottom line with all of this information, are these things:
This is the side of breeding that the average puppy buyer never sees. Most people think that you throw a girl and a boy together and everything ends up with either blue ribbons or pink ribbons tied around the necks of the puppies at hand over time.
Most pet people never see those sleepless nights, worrying over the pups, making sure they are warm enough. Checking to see if they have had a feed. Making sure the little ones have not been knocked off the teat by the big ones. Has everyone been toileted adequately? Does mum have enough milk to feed them?
The tears that are shed by the breeders over lost lives. The constant questioning, have I done enough? Did I do something wrong? Did I get it right, but not in time? Could I have, should I have done something differently? Could I do something better? What can I learn from this, so it doesn't happen again.
I have never claimed to know everything. I am still learning lots of things, but I do know some things.
The most important thing to know is your bitch. Dogs talk to us, but only people who know how to listen to their language ever hear what they say.
I know I am grateful to the people who are prepared to share their knowledge and support me throughout uncertain times.
I know I would do anything I possibly can for the survival of my brood.
I know not everything to be learned comes out of textbooks with university degrees attached. Sometimes, practical hands-on genuine care experience is sometimes better than the university degree or at least just as good.
I know that prevention is better than a cure.
I know that antibiotics can be abused, and the inappropriate use of AB's can be more detrimental to the animal.
I know that I offer respect to people when they deserve it and it is always offered in good faith from the get-go, but sometimes they buggar that up for themselves.
I know I would rather work with the Veterinary industry than work against it, but that has to go both ways.
I know I cry bucket loads over my kids and it is never easy to lose one, let alone two.
I know, whilst I am not the most experienced breeder in the world, I do have experience.
I also know I am at a crossroads in relation to whether I keep going or not.
So, the next time you wonder why your puppy is so expensive, it is because not everyone can do this. Not everyone can keep going, heartache after heartache. Not everyone has the time to put into breeding that it takes. Not everyone has the passion to be going through all of this s***e.
If this information resonates with you, if this has opened any of your eyes to behind the scenes, if you have just slightly more information or inkling, go and thank the breeder who has bred the family members you take joy in.
Give a shout out to your breeder and show them your appreciation for their sacrifices, and I bet they will say they would do it time and time again, for the love of the breed. For the betterment of the breed, to save the breed.
R.I.P. SWEET LITTLE SOULS.
