03/21/2026
Happy Saturday! ☀️
In honor of our beloved Kita being the BEST first time momma I want to share her pregnancy, x-rays and delivery story!
We were beyond ecstatic for Kita’s first pregnancy so much so I was not ready for what was to come! I was hoping Kita was having no more than 7 puppies. In my mind that was the magic number. I wanted her first pregnancy and delivery to be smooth sailing. Well come to find out I set the bar far to low. When our vet tech came out and said we were having 11 possibly 12 puppies I nearly fell over! I was shocked! I asked Dr. Alred how can this be? He said, “It’s a testament to both parents having great genetics.” I was happy to hear that but still in shock.
Kita had a great pregnancy nourished with prenatal vitamins and of course puppy food. I did supplement her after her delivery with deer and elk meat to increase her iron levels as well as adding calcium powder to aid in her calcium levels and milk production. A funny side note… I made her quinoa, carrots, sweet potatoes mixed with elk meat and my husband thought it was his meal prep for the week it looked so good 😂. He was sad to find out it was for Kita.
Two days before her actual due date Kita gave birth! The night before she woke me up at 2:00am. She was panting heavily and pawing at her bed. I knew she was in labor. I took her down stairs to monitor her and her internal temp. Her temp was steadily dropping the past couple days and was at 98 degrees Fahrenheit a sure way of knowing we are in labor! I slept with her and comforted her throughout the night. The next morning I saw her water break while she was potting outside and I knew it was time! 40 minutes later we had our first baby! Kita’s contractions were text book and delivery magnificent! We started at 9:30 am and ended at 1:30 pm with the11th puppy. Her contractions slowed down to a halt. I contacted Dr. Alred as we worked together he confirmed 12 puppies in the x-ray. After 5 hrs of no contractions or puppy I made the decision to load up Kita and all the babies and head to Silver City, NM where Dr. Alred was for the day. A two hour drive flu by as we went from the desert to the mountains. With a quick x-ray we confirmed Kita had in fact only had 11 puppies in her and there was zero puppies or placentas left in her. What an answered prayer!
The runt my teal girl Sage was born weighing only 9oz while her siblings sat around 12oz. I purposefully put her on the back ni**le to gain weight. With in one day she had gained 4oz!! Kita did a beautiful job feeding 11 pups with only 10 ni**les. I never once had to supplement puppies with formula. I weighed them daily to make sure they were all gaining weight.
Raising this litter was a blessing in its self. We did not lose one puppy! Mission achieved. All puppies have gone to the best families! Kita is back to her goofy silly self. Motherhood looked good on her but she took her job serious and was a hermit with her babies. I’m glad to have her back ❤️
