Saturday, August 7, 2010

The puppies have arrived!

Coco decided to take her time but the babies are finally here! :) A dogs gestation is 63 days, so when Coco hit day 65 I started to get a little concerned. I took her in to see the vet this morning and we decided it would be best that she had a C section as she still hadn't gone into labour. Usually the onset of labour is preceded by a fairly sharp drop in temperature. In most cases this means puppies will be arriving within 24 hours. Coco's temperature dropped the morning of the 6th and when she still hadn't gone into labour by the next morning that was a pretty good indication that she wasn't going to. This is actually quite common with a very small or very large litter.
I brought Coco in to see the vet at 10:15 and she was prepped and surgery was begun at 12:00. Everything went really well, and we welcomed our three little boys into the world. Two blacks and one red. I was able to work closely with the veterinary staff and was there to watch the puppies being taken out and worked to get them stimulated and moving/crying with vigirous rubbing and a bit of oxygen. They soon let us know that they were HUNGRY! Coco came out of anesthetic quickly and we got the puppies latching on right away. Coco started licking and cleaning them and forming a good bond. This is very important as sometimes the mothers can be a bit disoriented after having a c section.
After Coco had recovered enough to walk I was able to take her and puppies home and she has been an excellent mother so far. I have started a page on the website for the puppies, and you can see them here: http://www.braebrook.com/Freddy%20x%20Coco%20puppies.htm
I am sitting beside the whelping box right now and everyone is so content with the puppies occasionally making the most lovely little grunting and whining noises. :)
Stay tuned for more updates!

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