09/20/2014
Oh boy. Not sure where to start, so I guess I'll just start at the beginning. We do progesterone testing to determine when the dog ovulates. Puppies are due 63 days after ovulation. At about 63 days, the momma should be showing signs of pending labor. We haven't had hardly any signs, which has bothered me. But, I wanted to stick with Mother Nature's way as much as possible, so we have been waiting for labor signs rather than just going in and getting the puppies.
This morning she definitely went into labor as I pulled into the vet office parking lot. Literally, one minute she was sound asleep, and the next she was panting, shaking, and labor discharge was everywhere. I was so excited because I nature was taking its course--finally.
What I hadn't counted on, was that there was only one puppy. When there is only one puppy, the mother's body doesn't usually produce enough of the chemicals to start labor on time. So they can go days or even a week or more past the due date without any signs at all. Some never even go into labor. One puppy hadn't even crossed my mind. I wish it would have.
We lost the little guy because he was in the womb too long. He was beautiful. Colored exactly the same as Margaret, big head, wide shoulders and a skinny little butt. I had decided that I was keeping him at my first glance. If I could have put in a special order for a puppy, he would have been it. After 10-15 minutes of the vet tech working to bring him around, it dawned on me that he probably wasn't going to wake up. They worked on him for over an hour, giving him all they could give. Unfortunately, it just wasn't meant to be.
I'm not sure why things work out like this sometimes. I have some of the vet answers. One of those is that Margaret had some scar tissue/adhesions which probably caused the small litter and her light heat cycle. The scar tissue was blocking the way for the s***m to get to the eggs, which meant that less eggs were fertilized. The vet cleaned all of that up and said that her uterus is in fantastic shape and that we should give her one more chance at her next heat cycle.
I don't know how I feel about that right now. She will be 5 at the end of the year and she still had a c-section today. As much as I want a Margaret puppy, I want to do what is best for her above anything else. So I will wait and see what kind of shape she is in at the next heat cycle and talk it over more with the vet and some of my mentors when the time comes--which should be February.
In the meantime, I know of a few folks expecting litters soon and they are folks that I would purchase a puppy from--and just might--so if you would like their information, please private message me.
Margaret is doing great so far. She ate when we got home and then tried to jump on the couch!! Good grief. So I gated her in the hallway to keep her from jumping around. My concern for her right now is the milk production. Hoping that she does not develop mastitis, so we have her on antibiotics and she also has pain meds. I am worried that she is going to be looking for puppies and will be depressed when she can't find them. Hoping that doesn't happen. She bounces back so quickly usually, so keep her in your prayers.
I am doing ok. I firmly believe that things happen for a reason and what is meant to be is meant to be. So if we do not have any more Margaret puppies, that is ok with me. At least I have Margaret! I see a puppy in my future, whether from her or somewhere else.
