*Please read this with caution, it's not all a happy story and may be really sad for some. Also it will be really long*
Just a few hours after posting that Enna was pregnant, she gave birth to two puppies. I was expecting the puppies that evening by how she was acting. Through her whole pregnancy I felt very in-tuned with her, laugh at that all you want.
John was at my parents helping cut down some bushes and I was really worried that I would have to help deliver puppies on my own, I tried hard not to bug him, but I did send some texts asking how things were going (meaning, are you almost done), that I thought we'd be having puppies soon (meaning, get home now!) and telling him that paper towels would work so that he wouldn't have to go find newspaper (meaning, the longer you're away the more likely it is that I'll be doing this by myself).
She wanted to be in our bedroom in her crate, if I opened the bedroom door she'd run in there and wouldn't leave so finally I just had to confine her to where she'd be having her puppies, in our office next to the bedroom. John took off the closet doors and we took the top off a traveling crate, lined it with her blankets and newspapers hoping that she'd smell her blankets and want to be in there. Luckily it worked at she laid in it most of the time.
I tried to occupy myself by watching Phineas & Pherb on Netflix, but every time Enna would get antsy so would I.She'd crawl out of her bed and pace the room, I'd pause my show to watch her. She'd scratch at the door so I'd take her outside where she'd pee about 6 times, then we'd go back inside to repeat the whole process in about 15 minutes.
Makoa was still at home at this time, I wanted him to go to my inlaws the moment Enna was showing signs, but they had gone to a movie with John's half sister and then planned on visiting afterwards. I let Makoa stay with Enna and I since he wasn't causing Enna stress unless he stepped towards her bed. I did have to scold him a few times since he thought Enna's weird behaviors was signifying that she wanted to play and would get a little rough with her.
I was so relieved when John got home and my anxiety dropped greatly, we finished getting Enna's whelping room ready by bringing up the TV and some camp chairs so we could stay with her and the puppies for the first few weeks. It said in the books that females that spend a lot of time with their people may feel abandoned if they're stuck in the room with the puppies and their people are away from them. It might cause them to ignore the puppies while they try to figure out where their people went.
This was Enna about 45 minutes before she started whelping the puppies. The shoe box was for the first puppy born to be placed in if Enna started thrashing around during delivery of the second.
It surprised me greatly when I went to pick Enna up to take her temperature again and I felt a puppy coming out. I was expecting her to makes noises and wiggle around, but she was laying quietly on her hip. I yelled for John, who was in the same room as me, and gave words of encouragement to Enna. John ushered Makoa outside, I don't think he understood all the commotion.
Once the puppy dropped I waited for Enna to rip open the amniotic sac, but she was too interested in eating the placenta (totally normal and expected) so I ripped the sac open for her. I was terrified to do so, the sac is right next to the puppy and not as easy to rip as you might think, I was worried that I'd grab the puppies skin. I ripped towards the back feet since I could see space back there and peeled the puppy out. I let Enna lick the puppy's face to clear the mucus and started rubbing the body so it would breath and make noise. That's when I noticed something wasn't right. John was standing over me and we gave each other a worried look. I think we knew the answer but he asked if that was the umbilical cord or guts, with a worried face I said that I thought they were guts and told him to call the emergency vet and my co-worker since she use to be a vet tech.
The puppy opened it's mouth and made quiet sounds while I rubbed it and Enna licked it's face, I could hear John on the phone with the vet, but I don't remember what was said. The I heard him call Mindy and explain what we were seeing. He hung and said that Mindy was on her way over.
We didn't have much time to think since Enna had already started delivering the next puppy. Once that puppy was dropped John ripped the sac and let Enna lick it's face. She tried to rip the umbilical cord too close to the puppy so John had to push her away and tear it himself.
Mindy had showed up so I rushed to answer the door with the first puppy still in my hands. Mindy and I came back to the room where I opened the small towel to show her the puppy and with the saddest look I have ever seen she confirmed our fears, those were intestines on the out side of the pup. She helped John dry off the second puppy and get him to cry. I think Mindy could sense that I was loosing it so she took puppy from me and instructed that I help John, what I helped him with I couldn't tell you.
She then called the vet we had just called since that's where she use to work to explain more to the vet, she was in another room so I didn't hear the call. Mindy instructed us before she left to make the call that we needed to get the boy puppy to drink and it may be hard since Enna has never done it before. That was an understatement. I had two hands holding Enna down since all she wanted to do was lick the puppy and not lay on her side and John was trying to help the puppy latch on. We finally managed to get the puppy on, but I had to still hold Enna down so she'd actually let him stay there.
When Mindy came back she told us that we needed to rush the puppy, who was a girl - I remember Mindy telling us the sex of both puppies but I can't remember when that happened, to the vet and the puppy might be able to be saved, but not to get our hopes up. John said he would go since he knew that it was something I couldn't handle, I wasn't an emotional mess though. Having Mindy there to take charge of the situation really helped and I had another puppy that needed my attention.
Mindy stayed with me while John was at the vet and talking helped me take my mind off of John. John called saying that the vet said that the puppy probably wouldn't make it even if we tried. Her intestines were in saving condition, but her spleen was also outside of her little body and the organs were just not getting enough blood flow, the vet advised that we put the puppy down. Because Mindy had told me that she probably couldn't be saved I was ready for the news and took it well. I focused on the sweet pup that we still had. Mindy stayed couple more hours just chatting and loving on Enna.
The first two nights John indulged my craziness and let me blow up the air mattress to sleep next to Enna, then yesterday I told myself that I couldn't do this for 8 weeks and put away the mattress. Sleeping in the other room didn't seem to bother Enna expect she did move blankets around which makes me nervous, I don't want her to cover up the pup and then squish him by accident.
I've made sure not to spend every minute of time with her because I soon will have to go back to work and she'll be on her own. So I've done some household chores, done laundry, put it away, cleaned the bedroom and kitchen. Yesterday evening we even went to the grocery store and tonight we're suppose to go to John's parents for my birthday...I haven't decided how comfortable I feel about that yet.
I told my boss that I may or may not come back to work tomorrow, I'm really planning on coming in and I know that Enna will do fine on her own, but my anxiety kicks in the more I think about it.
Enna has been such a good mama. She doesn't want to leave her little boy for anything and I have to attach a leash to her so she'll go outside to potty. She'll run around the yard, peeing a few times then its right back to the door crying to tell me how slow I'm being. She runs right back to the room and into the bed where she inspects her little bundle from head to toe, then curls up next to him.
Yesterday we went to the vet for Enna's check-up and to get the pups declaws removed and Enna wasn't pleased. I was in the bathroom while John got the ready and I heard Enna starting to cry. When I came out John was in our bedroom holding the puppy in a small towel and Enna was on her leash jumping on his legs crying.
In the truck I held the puppy and Enna sat next to me crying and nosing the puppy every few seconds, she didn't like that he was out of his safe bed.
When the vet tech took the puppy back you would have thought we were killing Enna. She cried very loudly for a few minutes, but then curled up on John lap and kept sighing loudly. She was very pleased when the pup was safely back in my hands and wouldn't stop licking his head.
Once back home she ran right to her bed and waited for us to deliver her baby to her.
Little pup is getting fatter and fatter every day, not having to share milk is doing his little body good. I pray that he keeps doing well and we soon have an adventurous 8 week pup waddling around our yard.
We won't be keeping him, 4 dogs is way too many and way too costly, but Barbara informed us that she wants us to sell him to recoup some of our costs.
John and I are still discussing if we want to breed Enna again. We weren't before because we thought she wasn't pregnant. I know some don't agree and that's fine, just know that we're doing what we think is best for Enna, us and Barbara.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
She's pregnant!
We've been taking Enna's temperature since Monday and it started to drop slowly Friday night, she was also pretty restless and was up most of the night. So I moved her x-ray to today, I felt like I was going to throw up with nervousness all morning and once we got to the vet sitting in the waiting room was killer.
The tech brought us back to the room and the vet (not our usual vet, he was off, that's why I had originally scheduled for Monday) felt her tummy. She said, "Oh I think there's one in there for sure!" and my heart fluttered, but I was hoping for more than one.
They took Enna back to be x-rayed and it felt like forever until they brought her back and then other eternity while the x-rays developed.
Then the vet stuck her head in the door and said, "Congrats!"
I asked, "How many?"
"Two! Do you want to see them?"
Looking at those x-rays was amazing, two little pups growing inside my pup. The vet said that when she first saw Enna she thought that there was no way she could be pregnant, but my gut told me that she was.
Because of Enna's low temp we're expecting the puppies this weekend. I don't feel at all ready, it kinda suck up on us.
The tech brought us back to the room and the vet (not our usual vet, he was off, that's why I had originally scheduled for Monday) felt her tummy. She said, "Oh I think there's one in there for sure!" and my heart fluttered, but I was hoping for more than one.
They took Enna back to be x-rayed and it felt like forever until they brought her back and then other eternity while the x-rays developed.
Then the vet stuck her head in the door and said, "Congrats!"
I asked, "How many?"
"Two! Do you want to see them?"
Looking at those x-rays was amazing, two little pups growing inside my pup. The vet said that when she first saw Enna she thought that there was no way she could be pregnant, but my gut told me that she was.
Because of Enna's low temp we're expecting the puppies this weekend. I don't feel at all ready, it kinda suck up on us.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Moab hiking
*Two of the dogs caught Giardia from the stream (not my dog!) so be aware if you go.*
With 6 people and 4 dogs in the truck we headed off to Moab, the drive felt longer than I remember but maybe that's because I was squished in the middle in the back seat.
Once we got to our dog friendly hotel and checked in we changed into our hiking clothes and headed off to Negro Bill Trail head.
It was weird walking through all that red sand but my keens were perfect for it. Speaking of keens, I bought mine online because I had a gift card. I can wear children's shoes and I usually buy them because they're so much cheaper than women's shoes. When my shoes came John called me and asked who I was buying shoes for, I thought he was mad at me, but he was questioning my ability to read. :) I accidentally bought infant sized shoes instead of the size that would fit me, but in my defense the site had ALL the sizes listed on one page (infant, children, men and women) and it was difficult to figure out what was what.
With 6 people and 4 dogs in the truck we headed off to Moab, the drive felt longer than I remember but maybe that's because I was squished in the middle in the back seat.
Once we got to our dog friendly hotel and checked in we changed into our hiking clothes and headed off to Negro Bill Trail head.
It was weird walking through all that red sand but my keens were perfect for it. Speaking of keens, I bought mine online because I had a gift card. I can wear children's shoes and I usually buy them because they're so much cheaper than women's shoes. When my shoes came John called me and asked who I was buying shoes for, I thought he was mad at me, but he was questioning my ability to read. :) I accidentally bought infant sized shoes instead of the size that would fit me, but in my defense the site had ALL the sizes listed on one page (infant, children, men and women) and it was difficult to figure out what was what.
The trail was fantastic and my favorite part of the trip. There was a nice creek through the whole hike and we walked through it just because we could.
The dogs found deep holes in the creek and really enjoyed themselves.
That is until Pringo found a too deep spot for him and Doc's stick went up on the rock.
The hike ended at a natural stone bridge that had a little stream running through the rocks under it. This is where Mindy won Makoa's heart by feeding him way too much beef jerky.
He'll now crawl into her lap whenever she sits down, to Makoa that equals pure love.
Only one dog ran through the cactus (it wasn't even my dog!) and we couldn't have asked for better weather.
Once we get our waterproof disposable camera developed I'll post about our river rafting.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
just some info
This weekend we're heading to Moab for some hiking and river rafting with a girl I work with, a handful of other friends I've met through her and their dogs. 6 people, 4 dogs.
Little Miss Enna will be staying with my family while we're gone, hopfully she'll be on her best behavior. With Makoa not around she'll probably be an angel. Her pregnancy has made her a little fiesty, she growls and snaps at Makoa if he gets anywhere near food even if it's people food, if we're paying the slightest attention to Makoa she starts whining and forces herself on us and heaven forbid the cat or Makoa step near her crate.
Enna is also scheduled to get a pregnancy x-ray on the 27th of June. They'll be checking if A) she's really pregnant and B) how many pups are growing in her belly so we're ready to catch them all. John and I are expecting her to give birth either the last week in June or first week of July.
Dogs are pretty cool when it comes to showing when it's time. Starting the 20th we'll take Enna's temperature 2 times a day and when she drops two degrees she'll be giving birth in the next few hours.
I'll be taking that day and the next few days of the puppies new lives off work so keep an eye on the new family. Also there will be pictures galore. Again that if Enna actually cooking some buns in her little oven.
Little Miss Enna will be staying with my family while we're gone, hopfully she'll be on her best behavior. With Makoa not around she'll probably be an angel. Her pregnancy has made her a little fiesty, she growls and snaps at Makoa if he gets anywhere near food even if it's people food, if we're paying the slightest attention to Makoa she starts whining and forces herself on us and heaven forbid the cat or Makoa step near her crate.
Enna is also scheduled to get a pregnancy x-ray on the 27th of June. They'll be checking if A) she's really pregnant and B) how many pups are growing in her belly so we're ready to catch them all. John and I are expecting her to give birth either the last week in June or first week of July.
Dogs are pretty cool when it comes to showing when it's time. Starting the 20th we'll take Enna's temperature 2 times a day and when she drops two degrees she'll be giving birth in the next few hours.
I'll be taking that day and the next few days of the puppies new lives off work so keep an eye on the new family. Also there will be pictures galore. Again that if Enna actually cooking some buns in her little oven.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
she could be, she might be, maybe....
I've been keeping my mouth shut about Enna the last few weeks, but now I think it's time to come clean. John and I are pretty sure she's pregnant, by pretty sure I want to say 75% because we don't want to get our hopes up. I know, shocker with all the "there's no way she can be" talk.
Enna usually weighs 7 pounds and she's now almost 10, she eats like a pig and has developed quite a belly.
From the top she doesn't look too different, the picture on the left is an old picture of her, on the right is a maybe pregnant shot. To me she looks a little wider.
You can see the "starting to round out" frame more when she's laying down.
Here are the money shots, if you feel her tummy it feels quite hard and really round.
If she is pregnant we'll be taking her to the vet at the end of June for an x-ray to count the pups.
Here's a non-pregnant tummy picture, not very good, but I don't usually take pictures of my pets tummies.
P.S. please don't say anything about her being pregnant on my facebook page, we haven't told the breeder for a reason.
Enna usually weighs 7 pounds and she's now almost 10, she eats like a pig and has developed quite a belly.
From the top she doesn't look too different, the picture on the left is an old picture of her, on the right is a maybe pregnant shot. To me she looks a little wider.
This is just two days later, she seems even wider!
You can see the "starting to round out" frame more when she's laying down.
Here are the money shots, if you feel her tummy it feels quite hard and really round.
If she is pregnant we'll be taking her to the vet at the end of June for an x-ray to count the pups.
Here's a non-pregnant tummy picture, not very good, but I don't usually take pictures of my pets tummies.
P.S. please don't say anything about her being pregnant on my facebook page, we haven't told the breeder for a reason.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
sneak peek
Here's a sneak peek of the bathroom. It's taking a while to get done because it's not on the top of our to-do list, but it is all painted.
Some base board still needs to be installed and the squares of paper on the wall are place marks for a picture collage.
Maybe in the near future we'll actually get it all done.
Some base board still needs to be installed and the squares of paper on the wall are place marks for a picture collage.
Maybe in the near future we'll actually get it all done.
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