Turning a Corner (aka Our Little Holiday Miracles!)

The last two weeks have brought a remarkable and steady improvement for both Hank and Sabrina! So much so, in fact, that we are ready to say that they WILL have new homes in the New Year!!! We will begin reviewing applications again in the next few days, and soon as they finish their current nebulizer treatments and get the green-light from the vet, they will be on their way to their new families. HOORAY!

They have really changed a lot these past weeks. Sabrina's ears are now upright now! They definitely add to her overall charm. And they have both gained a lot of weight... Hank is now over 6 pounds, and Sabrina on her way to 3. They let us know last night that they were done with the heating pad by pulling the cord out of the wall and chewing through the cord. They are full of feisty fun and LOVE getting to run around and play now. Check them out with the Christmas tree:



and here is a little video of Hank giving Jason a face washing:




All in all, we feel very lucky and blessed this Holiday Season! Thanks so much for everyone who donated to Forgotten Friends and allowed us to seek aggressive treatment for the puppies!

What about Hank?!

Many have pointed out that we have neglected to update on sweet Hank! Rest assured, Hank is doing very well. If he didn't still have the (very occasional) cough, he would be back in the hunt for a family. He is just so vigorous and happy-- we can't imagine that he has anything beyond an upper respiratory infection. We will try to get some new photos of the precious pup very soon.

Update on Sabrina

Sorry it has taken me so long to post this update. Sabrina stayed at Compassion Animal Hospital from early Wednesday morning until Thursday evening. (Her hospital bills are now up to $800-- a real hardship for the rescue.) For the last 36 hours she has held her own at home, maintaining her body temperature (with the help of the heating pad) and her blood sugar (with the help of syringe feedings of human baby food 6+ times a day) without her IV fluids. She is still getting clindamycin drops and her nebulizer treatments. She seems content and bright-eyed, and the hope is that if she can just float along like this without anymore crises she might make it through the pneumonia and be just fine. Keep your paws crossed!

Another Crisis for Sabrina

Sabrina had seemed much stronger and better today. Both she and Hank seemed to be eating better and were so playful and energetic. Then tonight, completely unexpectedly, we found her looking despondent again. We knew right away that her blood sugar was low again, so we gave her syringe feedings and syrup and wrapped her in warm bedding on a heating pad. We also gave her a bolus of subcutaneous fluids. But by 1:00 AM it was obvious that she was crashing so I rushed her to the Emergency Animal Hospital (tucked in my bra & zipped-up in my sweatshirt to keep her tiny body warm in the cold night air).

At the EAH they grabbed her from me and checked her blood sugar. It was too low to register. Her body temp was a little low at 99.5 (but she had been laying on the heating pad). They started an IV and began giving her fluids and glucose. She will have to stay the rest of the night in the hospital and then be collected early in the morning to move to her regular vet hospital, Compassion Animal Hospital.

Tonight's bill will run close to $400 for these 4 hours. This is the REALLY hard part of rescue, making these super difficult decisions, knowing when it is time to let a suffering puppy go and when it is appropriate to give her a little longer to fight. Too bad these moments always seem to come in the middle of the night!

Keep your paws crossed for Sabrina.. that she will have the strength to get through this.

I will post an update tomorrow.

A Terrible Week

Last Friday we felt that the puppies were really on the mend-- so much so that little Maggie (aka Sarah Jane) went to her new home! But on Saturday we awoke to a terribly ill Sabrina. Her blood sugar was so low that it caused her to have a seizure, and her body temperature was very low as well. We rushed to our vet who diagnosed pneumonia, but warned us that poor Sabrina could also be suffering from a congenital defect known as a liver shunt. We took her home and began a round-the-clock regimen of treatments (syringe feedings of special food, subcutaneous injection of fluids, new antibiotics, heating pad, capillary blood sugar checks, etc.). Sunday, she was cold and had even lower blood sugar. When the vet re-opened on Monday, we were there again, and this time came home with a nebulizer and the knowledge that she had lost weight over the weekend in spite of the feedings.

We kept up with her treatments and by Tuesday she seemed more stable. Her breathing was less labored and she was eating well. Hank had been her constant companion throughout this, keeping her warm with his body. But by Wednesday he was frolicking around their pen while she watched-- alert but resting-- from her heating pad. By tonight she was playing a bit herself and has hopefully turned a corner on the pneumonia (though they both are still coughing occasionally). The hope is that her blood sugar problems were a symptom of her struggle with the upper respiratory infection. As it clears, we will begin to see if that was exacerbated by an underlying problem (such as a liver shunt).

Unfortunately, we had hoped that Maggie was happy and on the mend in her new home. But she was rushed to her new vet with identical symptoms to Sabrina on Wednesday. That vet independently came to the same worrisome diagnosis: pneumonia and possible liver shunt.

So, for now we are freezing the adoptions of Sabrina and Hank until we know for sure that they are going to be OK. We do not want any more families to face the heartbreak & expense that Maggie's family is!

These photos and this video are from tonight (there are more new photos from the week in the photo album). Enjoy!

Cough Cough

The poor puppies didn't get to go home this week as planned because they are still coughing occasionally. They are playing and seem happy, but not quite over it yet. Their vet is happy that they haven't gotten worse or come down with additional symptoms, so he said to keep on with the Clavamox and wait it out...


Meanwhile, mama Trixie is doing very well in her new home!! We miss her like crazy here, but we are thrilled she has found such a wonderful Forever Family!!

8 Weeks Old-- Upper Respiratory Infection

Poor Puppies!! Hank & Sabrina have a puppy cold. They went to the vet on Wednesday and they have moved into the bathroom (along with Sarah Jane, since she has been with them all along and was therefore exposed) so that they can have steam treatment and be isolated from the other dogs. They have also begun on an antibiotics (Clavamox) and an expectorant (guaifenesin). They will be as good as new in a week or so, but what a bummer!

Luckily, Sabrina's new family brought the pups all kinds of wonderful socializing toys and tools, and we are giving them lots of attention in their sick-room.

We expect mama Trixie to go to her new home this week! I am sure I will cry-- she is a very special dog!!! (She helped me wrap presents this week, as you can see in the photo!)

7 Weeks Old!

Our darlings are 7 weeks old-- we can hardly believe it! Their mother is still very attentive, but they are definitely playful little individuals now.

Sabrina has figured out how to escape their puppy pen and the baby gate blocking off the kitchen. She loves to explore the wider world! Poor Hank longs to follow but he can't quite squeeze through the puppy pen bars! They are all happy and healthy pups now-- they've had their first shots and they have caught up developmentally to where they should be by now, so they will be ready to go to their new homes as early as next week!

Socialization Period (7 - 12 Weeks)

• At 7 weeks, puppies can learn and what they learn will have a lasting impact. Everything he comes in contact with will make a lasting impression upon him as it never will again!

Not only will he learn, but, he will learn whether he is taught or not. Though he has a short attention span, what things he learns are learned permanently and resistant to change. Therefore, you need to be careful about what your puppy is learning at this time. Your puppy is very anxious to learn how you want him to behave and react, and he needs to be shown what is expected of him in his new role as your pet.

There are rules you will expect your puppy to obey. Establish those rules NOW while
behaviors are easy to establish. For instance, how your pet interacts with you is determined during puppyhood. What he does now is what he will likely do later. So, don't allow your puppy to do things which will be unacceptable when he becomes a dog. During this time, you and your puppy will also begin to know and understand each other. You will get to know about your puppy's particular temperament and personality - whether he is strong-willed or eager to please, gentle or rambunctious, shy or outgoing, and just what else makes him the endearing individual that he is.

For the puppy, this is both an exciting and somewhat confusing time. There is a whole new world of things to learn about and all sorts of new experiences to digest. Your puppy needs to learn how to interact with humans and other animals who live with them. Puppies must be able to adapt to the patterns and tenor of their future homes. And you are the one helping him with this by laying a groundwork for a trusting, happy mutually satisfying relationship.

• During the Socialization period, there is a fear imprint period from 8 - 11 weeks. During this time, any traumatic, painful or frightening experiences will have a more lasting impact on your pup than they would if they occurred at any other time.
  

An unpleasant trip to the veterinarian or a long and stressful car ride, for instance, at this time could forever make your dog apprehensive about veterinarians and frightened of cars. To avoid this, take some treats and a toy with you to the veterinarian. Take the puppy frequently on brief car rides with you and stop for a short walk somewhere interesting for the dog – even if it’s just a 5 minute walk after your shopping trip.

Remember, dogs are social animals. To become acceptable companions, they need to interact with you, your family, and other people and dogs during the Socialization Period. Dogs that are denied socialization during this critical period often become unpredictable because they are fearful or aggressive. It is during this time, that your dog needs to have positive experiences with people and dogs. Take your dog to places where other people walk their dogs. Begin by taking him there when there are few other dogs and people. Give him time to get used to new places. Make sure he is secure. Schedule ‘doggie play time’ with other dog owners in the park. If you have children that visit only occasionally, have your
puppy meet children as often as you can. If you live alone, make an effort to have friends visit you, especially members of the opposite sex so that your dog will become accustomed to them. Go someplace fun!

Weigh-In

Toddler Puppies

With their walking woes behind them, the puppies' development is getting back on track:

Puppy Toddlers (3 - 6 Weeks)
This is when the social period in your puppy’s life begins. The puppies emerge on their own from the litter and venture into the surrounding environment. Gentle handling by you will help him to form a trusting relationship with humans in order to become man’s best friend.

During the toddler period puppies learn basic behavioral patterns specific to dogs:

• While playing, they practice different body postures, learning what the postures mean and how they affect their mother and litter mates.
• They learn what it is like to bite and be bitten, what barking and other vocalizations mean and how to use them to establish social relationships with other dogs.
  

From the age of five weeks, the mother teaches her puppies basic manners. They learn to be submissive to her leadership and what behaviors are acceptable. If necessary, she growls, snarls, or snaps at them as a form of discipline. When weaning the litter, for instance, the mother will discipline her puppies so that they will leave her alone. Because the mother disciplines them in a way that they clearly understand, after a few repetitions, the puppies will
respond to a mere glare from her.

Here is some cute video of the pups playing:

4 Weeks Old: Progress!

The pups have made LOTS of progress this week! All of them can walk at least a bit, and they can really zip through their brick obstacle course. We plan to make a longer and more maze-like arrangement this week. They are playing more with each other, spending less time with Mom, and still gaining weight appropriately.

3 Weeks Old: Not Walking

Shannon's darling babies appear to have had a set-back. After consulting with their vet, we believe that the whole litter has been affected by "swimmer" puppy syndrome. So for the last two days we have worked very hard to help turn this around. With early intervention (like we are doing, beginning when they are 2.5 weeks old), there is every likelihood these babies will be up and walking around in no time and back on track to develop as perfectly normal puppies.

Part of their treatment involves having them walk through a little track we have built out of bricks. The bricks keep them from being able to splay their limbs out so that they can gain the necessary strength in their back legs. We are also applying leg hobbles at times and have moved them to a cooler room. We have also begun introducing canned puppy food to give them something motivating to walk to and also so that we can limit Shannon's time in the whelping box a bit. And we have moved them to a large puppy pen with more variety in surfacing to help them gain traction.

We will keep everyone posted on their progress, but already we are noticing quite a bit of improvement in their locomotion in just two days.

Here are some links about "swimmer" puppies. Some use the term/phenomena interchangeably with "pectus excavatum " but others disagree that they are the same thing, though swimmer puppies can develop pectus excavatum as well. Regardless, our pups are NOT affected by the "flat chest"/pectus excavatum issue- their chests are shaped normally.

Bulldog Info (more commonly a problem of breeds with short legs like Bulldogs, but it can happen to any breed or mix)

PetEducation.com

Breeder Vet

A Wonderful Mother

Shannon is a top-notch mother. In two and a half weeks, I have yet to even glimpse a sign of puppy excrement or anything else in their nest. The puppies and whelping pen are kept immaculately clean, and they really never cry... Mama Shannon keeps them warm & very well fed (check out the growth chart!). They are one of the most content litters I have ever seen!

Now that their eyes and ears are open, we are looking forward to the next big milestone for the pups: walking!!! They are starting to get interestested (but why get up when you can lay here so nice and cozy and have some milk?!), but we are going to add a little traction to their pen tomorrow to help encourage them. The SPCA has a nice Puppy Development sheet that explains each period:

Transitional Period (13-20 days)

• Puppy’s eyes begin to open. He starts to walk and attempts to explore his surroundings.
• By 19 days, puppy’s ears begin to open and he will startle by noises.
• By 20 days puppy’s teeth begin to emerge

Two Weeks Old- Eyes Open!

We were delighted to see all three puppies with their eyes open on October 7th, when they turned two weeks old. Just precious!

One Week Old!

The puppies were one week old on September 30th... such cute babies!

Three Days Old!

The puppies are all doing well, and now they have names!!

Introducing Sabrina (brindle girl), Satchel (large brown & white boy), & Sarah Jane (white & black girl)...

Happy Birth Day!!!

When I left for the group's Meet & Greet this afternoon, I knew that Shannon was getting very close to time to deliver the puppies: her abdomen had grown pendulous, we could express milk from her nipples, and her behavior was a bit peculiar.

I felt anxious to get back to her all afternoon, and we took off quickly at the end of the meet. I walked in just in time to catch her first puppy-- a beautiful big brown and white boy!!-- which she was delivering in our bedroom. After she had a chance to clean him and cut his cord, I moved Shannon and her boy to the whelping area we had prepared for them in the kitchen. Once comfortably there, she quickly delivered a darling brindle girl pup. Some time later, she delivered one last pup-- another girl, this time white with black spots. That wee girl was the smallest of the three, and she had a lot of bleeding from her umbilical site so I needed to clamp it off with some sterilized hemostats. Other that that, Shannon did it all 100% on her own!!

A bit after the whelping, we tried to take the rest of the dogs outside via the back kitchen door. Shannon quickly let us know that even behind her special "fence", she was NOT OK with her old pals (from only hours earlier!) coming so near her family. So we relocated the family to my study, where we can shut the doors and give them some quiet privacy for a few days or weeks, while still ensuring I will be with them much of the time.

Over the next few days we will be adding a Puppy Growth Chart to the blog and naming the puppies! There are already photos of the whelping and the new family in Shannon's photo album.

I'm in love....

Well, Shannon is about our 45th foster dog (believe it or not!!!!!!) and yet she is the first one that *I* have really fallen completely, crazily in love with (Jason succumbed to Vegas early on!). She follows me around everywhere-- a delightful companion. She helps me with my daily tasks and sleeps next to me at night. She is just a GREAT dog-- I can't even explain what is so endearing and appealing about her, but she is so loyal and attentive and loving. I will be extra dedicated to finding her a wonderful home when she is ready...

In the meantime, she is getting bigger every day. We can feel the puppies moving around easily now. It could still be two more weeks, but we are taking her temperature every day so that we can know when she is getting close.

Little Love

Our rescue group heard about Shannon's plight last week and on Tuesday we drove up to Buchanan Dam to rescue her. She had captured the hearts of the shelter staff, and we could see why! She is so very sweet and gentle. We had her checked out at our vet where they confirmed her pregnancy and estimated her to be 6 weeks along. That should mean puppies (2-3) in around 2 weeks!

We came home and set-up a whelping area for her and introduced her to our other pets and foster dogs. Shannon gets along just fine with other dogs, cats, kids, men, & women. She made herself right at home, perching on the arms or cushions of the couch. She is really darling and loving and we are so happy to have her here for now.