01/06/2024
A lot of people ask me, “What made you decide to start breeding dogs?”. My answer is simple. I love breeding. I love being able to help produce quality and continue to improve the structure of a breed. You hold this beautiful creation of life in your hands. Every fiber of their being is beautiful. They know nothing but loyalty and love.
Breeding is not a quick way to get rich. Breeding takes a toll on you financially and emotionally. I have poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into veterinarian visits, emergencies, supplies, etc. It is not easy to breed. But we do it because of our passion for the breed. When people say breeders are the reason for all of the animals in shelters…it shows their ignorance. Unintentional and irresponsible breeding is the reason for overpopulated shelters. People buying animals for the wrong reason or getting rid of an animal due to pathetic excuses…overpopulates shelters. If you cannot afford a lot of vet bills, you cannot afford an animal. If you have to move, find a place that you can bring your animal with you. Irresponsible people are the reason for overpopulated shelters. Not breeders.
Along with all of the positives of breeding, there is a lot of heartache and sadness. Every breeder will experience the loss of a puppy and/or an adult. I am now finally able to put into words how hard breeding is and how passionate you have to be in order to keep breeding.
March 18th, 2023, we welcome two miracle puppies. We did not know their mother had actually gotten pregnant - we had just vaccinated her a couple weeks before that. Fiona surprised us all by giving birth, naturally, to a total of five premature puppies. Two survived. Three were born deceased. Fiona has always been a very loving and kind dog. She loves being a mom and loves playing with puppies. But instincts told her something was wrong with this litter.
At two days old, Fiona bit the ear off of the female puppy. At four days old, Fiona bit the female puppy when she attempted to nurse - fracturing her skull. A neurological test could not be completed because she was only 4 days old. They could not assess her eyes (puppies eyes are sealed shut still). We just had to hope for the best. Immediately following that emergency hospital visit, both puppies became extremely sick. One of our hospital visits was to VCA. They assumed a diagnosis and treated the puppies with antibiotics (without proper testing). This only made the puppies even sicker. After a couple more visits to the VCA, more antibiotics, and puppies that were not even a week old yet quickly fading…we finally went out to Northview Animal Hospital. The testing that should have been done at VCA was done at Northview. Puppies were negative. Multiple X-rays of the females skull were taken and multiple tests were ran. They were diagnosed with severe aspiration pneumonia and put on more antibiotics. The female was admitted into the NICU for almost a week.
Antibiotics, breathing treatments (that included several antibiotics via nebulizer), and around the clock tube feedings continued for weeks. They could not walk or eat. We were still tube feeding at 6 weeks old. At our 6 week appointment, our vet discussed with us the possibility of termination of life. I knew in my heart that these puppies deserved a chance at life. They weighed in at 0.9lbs. We continued to tube feed and at 8 weeks old we met with our vet again. The puppies were now 1.6 lbs! At 8 weeks old, a normal French bulldog weighs around 6-10lbs. We were gaining weight and they were finally up and moving around. At one point we had to stop giving antibiotics because of the destruction antibiotics were causing them physically.
We had two vets on our case and they were consulting with veterinarians at Ohio State. It was determined that the distemper vaccination that their mom, Fiona, received a few weeks prior to her giving birth, caused distemper in utero. Basically causing her to abort the litter. Thus why three puppies were born deceased and two survived…but were very sick. Instinctually, Fiona knew something was wrong and wanted nothing to do with the puppies. The uterine lining would test positive for distemper but Fiona and the puppies would test negative for distemper. One vaccination during pregnancy caused so much destruction.
At 8 weeks old, the females skull fracture (hairline fracture on the fontanel) was still present but not harming her in any way. She was also lucky when her mom bit her ear off because she only lost the tip of her ear - the ear canal was completely intact. She passed her neurological examination at 8 weeks old. Things were looking up. We could not get their vaccinations done because they were both so tiny. At 10 weeks old, we were given the okay to start transitioning the puppies to wet food. They were weighing in at 1.9lbs. At 16 weeks old, Molly and Ash were finally close enough to the size of an 8 week old puppy and they received their first set of vaccinations.
Molly has been given the name…“Miracle Molly, the million dollar dog” by the vets office. So when people think that breeders are in it for money, please know that there are a lot of us out here that spend everything we have just to save their lives.
Molly has undergone a lot more testing. Due to the amount of antibiotics, she already has plaque on her teeth (teeth were delayed at coming in and we were told they will decay earlier from the antibiotics). She was also diagnosed with liver malformation disease - her liver never fully developed (to give you an idea of how premature these two puppies really were). From chronic use of antibiotics, she suffered with chronic pancreatitis. We had to switch her to a prescription, vegetarian HA diet, to allow her pancreas and liver to rest and heal. This diet has done wonders for her. She went from 11 lbs to 15lbs in two weeks! She had energy and zoomies for the first time ever! I will say that she did not like her vegetarian diet in the beginning. She would slap her bowl and toss the food all over the kitchen. But she has grown to love it because she feels better eating it.
We were told at her 6 week old appointment, per the X-rays taken, that Molly would need leg fusions as she grew - they stated that the growth plate between her kneecap and femur was missing, it was basically an empty space where the growth plate should have been. We were told she would never walk. But I had faith. At her 9 month appointment, they stated her growth plate is in fact there. Molly runs, jumps, and plays…just with a few extra crackles 😂. Her bones will always be underdeveloped from the effects of the distemper vaccination, being premature, and chronic antibiotics. But she is a tough little girl. She is 10 months old now and spends all of her time bossing around the 17 week old puppies…and they are the same size as her.
At 10 months old, Ash is double Mollys size and growing beautifully! He is with our wonderful friends, Brandi and Dave. Molly will continue to stay with us. They are both loved beyond words. No one knows what their future holds but our vet believes it will be a long and beautiful life. I am beyond blessed to know that Ash has such a loving home. Both of these miracles have gone through hell and back. This is the side of breeding that most people do not get to see or hear about. This is the beauty in it.
A forever companion breeder. All of our puppies are raised in our home and are part of our family.
