Judy was due for Carpal Tunnel surgery at 11:00 AM today and our little rescue Alexis was due to have her four puppies at the same time... She was immensely pregnant for a little dog
An ultrasound indicated that all four puppies were facing backwards. Small dogs need help to whelp puppies that are in the breach position.
We could not reschedule Judy's surgery because it would take two months to get a new appointment. Our only recourse if Alexis had not whelped her puppies was to drop her off at our vet who was standing by to do a C-section. We had originally intended to do a C-section because of Alexis' slightly fractured pelvis but, the vet stated that it would be better, if possible, to have a natural birth. Our little mom's are more accepting of their puppies after a natural birth then they are when they wake up in pain with little pups crawling all over.
Well, Alexis began her labor at 2 AM this morning and all four puppies were born by 5 AM with Judy's help. Great timing. BTW: Judy is a retired RN with lots of human and dog labor and delivery experience.
This is a quick shot of the four pups when the were just a few hours old. I had to shoot quickly because Alexis thought that the camera was threatening her pups and wanted to bite off the lens. I thought that she was occupied with eating when I tried to shoot the picture but, I was wrong
She's O.K. with me getting near the puppies as long as I don't have a camera in my hand. I made sure that I was the one to feed her for the couple of weeks we have had her so she is very used to me.
The pups are healthy and lively and mom is eating tons of food to support her hungry little puppies. Better pictures when the mom is a little more settled.
And Judy's surgery went great! All in all, a successful day...