Busy Week!

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted...actually, with my week, I guess I can. This is what I've been doing...

Unfortunately, this picture was taken last week.

Last week Tuesday Dora had 6 puppies some of which I helped her birth (almost woke up Brandy in the middle of the night so he could take a pic of me covered in gunk, but thought it would gross you guys out anyway!). I had been told by a breeder (who BTW, got out of Boxers) that in order to be successful, a litter must be put on the nipple by hand every 2 hours. So guess what I've been doing since last week? Yes, mostly every 2 to 3 hours, including through the night, I've been going out to the shed and working with puppies. If you add it all up, I'm out there about 6 hours a day!! Thankfully, it was Easter weekend (which is my favorite holiday! Happy Belated Easter to all!) so less days with daycare kids, the girls were home, and otherwise Brandy came home at times to watch the kids for 30 min or so.

Why wasn't Brandy helping with the pups? His back...which is probably another post. He's doing a little better but not good enough to be on his knees working with pups.

I also did feeding tubes with the vets version of puppy formula, as you can tell from the pics they were too thin...Dora's milk just wasn't coming in well. And sometimes I even gave them IV fluid via syringe. Imagine me sitting in the whelping box with her, at times in the middle of the night, sometimes dozing off! I also helped Brandy remove dew claws...which was WAY beyond my comfort zone. He did tails by himself. I do ok with blood if it's an emergency re: one of my kids and my mom instinct kicks in, but otherwise not.

All this to say, unfortunately, this is a picture from last week. Despite tons of work, and all my best efforts, after watching these sweeties be born, to my heartache I also watched 5 of them die, one at a time during the week. Dora is a wonderful, sweet, loving dog, but she just doesn't produce milk and some other mothering instincts just aren't there. To the crying sadness of Sierra, we may give her away to a good home. The other dogs are hard, but this is extreme.

On the up side (and I'll post what I think will be very cute pics later) Shelby has a newly adopted son!

Yesterday morning, after seeing the 5th puppy go, I took the last one--the strongest of the litter--under my coat and took him in the house with a prayer...that Shelby and her four 4 week old pups would accept him. And they all did!! It is the cutest thing to see a tiny boxer nurse with shih tzus that now look huge. Give him 3 weeks and he'll probably be big as Shelby! Guess we'll cross that bridge when it comes. But I haven't had to supplement him since we first brought him in, and he's gaining weight. Hallelujah! And, although I'd do it if those pups were still alive, and I wish that was the case, I have to admit staying in the house all through the night last night was wonderful! It's been like having a newborn but having to go out in the cold each time. I did get up at 3 am last night to check on him, but all was well. I might just sleep through the night tonight! Which is a great thing. Especially now since it's SNOWING! Even tho the calendar says spring, Iowa says NOT! Although, Sandy, glad we didn't get what you got for snow!

Shelby is doing so well with him, that last night I took him out to weigh him and give him some antibiotic (he has a slight eye infection even though his eyes aren't open yet, nothing serious) she came running over and kinda jumped up like...what are you doing with my baby!?! So sweet. Just one more reminder that adoption definitely is God's plan!