March 25, I took Grace to the vet at 2 p.m. Grace weighed in at 69 pounds. An ultrasound revealed about five puppies. Around April 1, she was panting for no apparent reason. Perhaps I had given her too many milk products. I took her out for a walk. She cooled down Friday April 3, I measured Grace’s waist at 28 1/2 inches.
Tuesday, April 7, we could see movement in Grace’s side and feel it. It looked like two or perhaps three on one side. I measured her temperature in the fold of her thigh. It read 99.8 degrees on the electronic thermometer.
Friday, April 10, 2020 9:00 p.m. Betsy became concerned that Grace was breathing hard. I finally took Grace for a walk. She was fine during the walk and when we returned an hour later. She stayed out on the deck for a while and finally came to the bedroom.
Saturday, April 11, 2020. We took Grace to the emergency vet at 7:30. We were the only patients there. She was fine. Her weight was 78.3 pounds. They took x-rays of each side. They found seven puppies. Grace watched us as we worked outside. Grace sunned herself and then retreated to the shade. I tried feeding her smaller portions more frequently.
Monday, April 13, 2020
Puppies were born.
6:40 p.m., #1, female, (Princess) star on chest, white tail tip, white left paw (17.25 oz)
7:35 p.m., #2, male, (Midnight) black (15 oz)
8:50 p.m., #3 female, (Dolly) angel chest, small spot on tummy, white tail tip, chin, and all four paws
9:15 p.m., #4 female, (Angel) white patch whole chest, white tail tip, white front paws
10:50 p.m. #5 male, (Chuck) patch/angel on chest, slight white tail tip
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
After about two hours, fluid came out. After four hours (2:50 a.m.) and no sign of contractions, I called the vet. We took Grace and her puppies to the emergency room. The vet x-rayed and found three more puppies. She gave Grace and oxytocin shot and said to come back if she needs more. On the way home, more fluid came out on Grace’s towel.
6:00 a.m. after repeated contractions that made a partial dome visible and then returned back in, I pushed back her vulva and told Grace to push. After a couple of minutes, I pulled out a lifeless perfectly mature female. I ripped of the sack. Grace ate it and the placenta. Its tongue was light pink with about a sixteenth of an inch white border along the edge. I tried the maneuver to clear her lungs and gave her to Grace to try to revive her. Grace did her best. I tried again and then gave her back to Grace.
After a couple of hours with fluid discharge but no more contractions, Betsy called Grace’s vet and made an appointment for 11:00. We decided to try the emergency vet because they were closer. The vet on duty would only do a C-section.
We went to Grace’s vet instead. He found the next puppy was stuck in the birth canal as was the previous one. He got it out and found a stillborn male. I noticed more fluid on Grace’s towel on the front seat. The vet gave her a heavy dose of oxytocin. Grace began contractions just a few minutes later. The vet delivered a healthy female puppy. So the saga was the following:
6:00 a.m., #6, stillborn female
11:45 a.m., #7, stillborn male
12:20 p.m., #8, female, (Lucy) white underside, white mittens, white splitting snout, pink nose, white tail tip.
From the Vet (numbers differ):
Puppy #1 Female 18.5 oz
Puppy #2 Female 17.5 oz
Puppy #3 Male 17.5 oz Betsy calls him Chuck
Puppy #4 Male 15.5 oz
Puppy #5 Male 15.0 oz
Puppy #6 Stillborn Female
Puppy #7 Stillborn Male
Puppy #8 Female 15.0 oz Betsy calls her Lucy
Grace began having diarrhea. It ebbed and flowed, but Wednesday night had a couple of urgent runs to the
door.
Thursday
Puppy #1 19 oz
Puppy #2 20 oz
Puppy #3 19 oz
Puppy #4 17 oz
Puppy #5 17 oz
Puppy #8 16 oz
Princess (left) and Dolly (right)
