A tough week

We had a really tough week this week. We almost lost little Crusher to pneumonia. She couldn't breath last Saturday so we rushed her to the vet and they immediately put her on oxygen and antibiotic shots. It was the weekend and things always seem to go wrong when it's the weekend and no one will be there to help if it gets worse. The Animal ER is so expensive and so I decided I could care for her at home with a make shift incubator I created. We bought a 20 gallon fish tank and sealed the top with black duct tape except for an opening the size of an 8 x 10 picture frame. We took the glass from the frame and lined it with tape and used that as the flap on top to get the baby in and out of the box. Then we hooked it up to oxygen and inflated the tape side so we knew it was properly sealed. After that we put Crusher in there with a warm water bottle for something to cuddle and a few fluffy sheets so she'd have lots of things to snuggle into and gave her oxygen for a few days. She pulled through. I don't think ten minutes went by that I wasn't praying for her to get well. All the puppies have had diarreaha too from Taz having really rich milk. That is finally under control as well. Taz wasn't eating much either and her milk supply worried me. This litter has had it's challenges, as all do, but we are going to reach three weeks this Sunday and are so grateful that the babies are almost all over 3 pounds now and it looks good that they will survive now.

They sleep longer and that is a blessing too. I can actually nap between feedings and Harley is partially to thank for that. Taz is so exhausted she doesn't lick on them enough to help them go potty so they can feel good enough to sleep for longer periods of time. Harley took over that chore and "poops" the puppies after they eat. It sounds disgusting but that's what animals do so infants can thrive. At about three or four weeks they can eliminate on their own. Taz is so tired and all of this around the clock feeding is hard for her. The babies are sleeping four hours now and that is helping a lot for her and for me and Craig. It's always hardest for the first three weeks and then it's fun beyond words! The babies start walking and barking and being so cute. It makes all the sleepless nights worth it. It's much the same for human babies too. All the worry and work of a newborn is vindicated when they smile at you and make their first little baby sounds.

I knew I wouldn't be able to blog much during this time. It feels good to make an entry. This is a picture of Taz when she was a puppy. I have lots of pictures of the babies but I need time to download and re size them for the website and here. I'll post some when I get the chance.

Adele