Kalli began whelping on 29th February but by 10pm it was clear that things were not going smoothly and so taking no chances Kate took her to the vet. An examination confirmed the first pup was stuck, and attempts to move it failed so Kalli underwent a Caesarian. All six pups, two boys and four girls, were delivered safely, and managed to suckle to get some colostrum. Kalli, however, was bleeding quite a lot and so Kate was sent home with the pups and puppy formula while Kalli was kept in for observation.
Kalli was able to come home the next day and we hoped she would soon be able to take over the feeding. The pups appeared to be suckling well but when one girl became listless we realised that Kalli was producing very little milk, if any. The listless pup received intensive attention to warm her up, and syringe feeding of puppy formula to try to get some fluids into her. Gradually she rallied and then began a few days of syringe feeding all six pups every three hours. A couple of the other pups started to look listless but prompt attention helped them recover.
By 5th March Kalli's milk began to come in properly and we started to be more optimistic that our next four weeks might not consist of round the clock puppy care. The original little girl is not out of the woods yet and is not feeding as heartily as the others. You can be sure that Kate will do everything in her power to pull her through. Kalli seems fine, and is on plenty of fluids, goat's milk, and an enhanced diet. She had lost a lot of blood which may account for the initial lack of milk supply.
Update - 13th March - So far so good. All pups are now gaining weight and Kalli's milk is now in good supply. Eyes should be opening soon.
Update - 19th March - Good progress in all pups. Kalli is very attentive without being overly fussy, and seems to now have a plentiful supply of milk.
Update - 24th April - On 14th April Kate broke her ankle in three places. The breaks are now pinned and Kate is at home doing paperwork for the pups while Andy takes on the hands-on management of the puppies and our other dogs. This is a new experience, and one that we hope we never repeat!
Seven and a half weeks old
Six weeks old
Apologies for the interruption in service. Broken ankles can do that.
Thirty-one days old
Twenty-eight days old
Twenty-seven days old
Twenty-three days old
Twenty days old
Eighteen days old
Sixteen days old
Fourteen days old
Eleven days old
Nine days old
Five days old