M&Ms

Well, a $1,300 emergency vet bill was a pretty hard blow for DFA, but we're awfully glad that Jazzy is okay, as are at least most of the babies. We lost two boys and have eight boys remaining....plus ONE girl. That's a tough dose of medicine, too, as what we really needed from this particular litter was a whole bunch of girls. But let's all hope our one and only little female is a super-star. We're still pretty concerned about little "PawPrint Collar Boy," who had a rough time of it earlier in the day. He's doing somewhat better now, but we're continuing to watch him closely.

Jazzy was in intermittent labor for almost 15 hours. As it gradually grew stronger and she became more and more tired without producing any pups, we knew all was not well. Dr. Ann Malphrus has overseen the medical care of our dogs for over a decade and we've learned to trust her judgment completely. About 10am, she began making arrangements for surgery, which is no small undertaking when you have that many puppies...each needing immediate attention and care when s/he emerges.

No doubt there are lots more details I could provide tonight, but everybody is settled, and the humans around here are ready for some catnaps, at least. We'll be sleeping with one eye open and watching the doggie scene. Jazzy is comfortable, including a Memory Foam pillow, if you can stand it. :-), and holding down soft foods. She wants much more, but we're going easy. Nausea on fresh incisions, inside and out, is not a good plan. Within a day or two she can have every calorie she can hold.

I'll finish for tonight by adding a photo of Alyssa's favorite pup, Orange-Polka-Dot Collar Boy. We'll take more photos tomorrow.