October 7, 2002 -
Decibels
Now that they learned they can make noises, they've turned
into little sound machines - growling, whining, barking.
They are definitely vying for position - Raggedy Ann is the
apparent leader at the moment. They are mostly pottying on
the third of the whelping box with newspapers. And they are
playing a little with each other, with us and with toys. We'll
start them on some rice cereal with goat's milk in the next day or
two. They're getting cuter and more work! |
October 3, 2002 -
Ouch!
They have teeth! Their sharp little canines are poking
through their gums. Poor Neela, now it starts to hurt a
little. |
September 26, 2002 -
No more stitches
Neela's stitches were removed today - she again sat perfectly
still for the whole thing without being restrained. The
stitches were so perfect, I wish I had photographed them.
She healed really well and very fast. Tonight I walked in to
find Pippi tooling around the whelping box on all fours - so she
gets the prize for the first and fastest. All eyes are open
- they all look like real little dogs now. |
September 25, 2002 -
Peek-a-Boo
The puppies' eyes are supposed to start opening in a few days,
but I saw a little bit of Howdy's eyes peeking out today, so it
shouldn't be long now for them all. |
September 24, 2002 -
Up and At 'Em
The puppies are supposed to start trying to walk in a few
days,
but I walked in to check on the puppies and saw
Raggedy Ann standing on all fours while going "number 2"
and then she walked a few steps away from it. Isn't that so cute!?! |
September 18, 2002 -
Ummmmm
Everything is going so well, I don't really have any
update. Neela is a great mom - licking, nursing, sleeping
with them. They are really her babies now.
They're hilarious - squawk over nothing. Rob and I can just
sit there and watch them for hours. I keep their little
nails clipped so they don't hurt Neela's incision nor irritate her
skin when nursing. They've almost doubled their birth weight
already. Tomorrow is the first time Neela will be alone with
them for a few hours WITHOUT us being in the house. |
September 17, 2002 -
Whelpwise Case Study
Neela is featured as the second Case Study on the Whelpwise
web site - our experience along with a few photos is posted.
In the photo of me using the Doppler I had a zit on my cheek near
my ear but with Jasc PaintShop Pro, abbra cadabra, it is gone!!! |
September 15, 2002 -
New Weekly Photos Web Page, Sore Butt
OK, I'm not complaining because Neela is probably more sore
than I, but I have a sore butt from sitting on the floor in the
whelping box so much. But now Neela doesn't want to come out
of the whelping box and is doing most everything on her own and
stayed with them all night. I will be posting future puppy
photos on the new puppy photos page
complete with images of each fictional redhead used. |
September 14, 2002 -
Dew Claws and Tail Docking; Litter Theme Announced
Jackson Area Pet Hospital - they were given little baby stitches for each
procedure so scars will be minimal. Litter Theme
picked: Famous Fictional Redheads (see photo above for
names). Last night for the first time Neela stayed in the
whelping box with the puppies after middle-of-the-night feedings
instead of coming back into bed with me. |
September 13, 2002 -
Puppies Day 1
I was up most of the night helping with periodic
feedings. Neela's milk is coming in more and the big lumps
on her back from the hydrating IVs almost absorbed. I bottle
fed one meal with goats milk to give Neela a break. Though
she let them nurse, she seemed scared of the puppies so I dribbled
goats milk on their back and all of a sudden she forgot they were
scary because she was so intent on licking them off. Now she
licks them on her own. Let the bonding begin! |
September 12, 2002 -
DUE DATE - 3 boys, 2 girls!!!
C-section was performed a little after 4pm. We're home
and exhausted, physically and emotionally. Jackson Area Pet
Hospital was amazing - we had a large team of experienced help and
they were unbelievable. Even so, it is hard to
see your dog be put through a C-section. Neela is still
recovering from the procedure, but does let the puppies nurse once
coaxed to lay down which is the most important thing at this point
though her milk is not all the way in yet. She didn't have
the experience of helping clean them as they were born so it will
take a little time for her to get adjusted. Well, we have a
long night ahead... |
September 10, 2002 -
Whelpwise Day 3
She had 3 contractions in the morning session, so the virtual
midwife at Whelpwise suggested an afternoon session also (down to
2 contractions so steady). My boss graciously allowed me to
work from home in the afternoon. While recording, I was on a
conference call and guess what happened? I could actually
see and feel puppies moving around! It was amazing!
They were active little things and Neela didn't seem to notice or
mind all the activity. What a good girl! |
September 9, 2002 -
Whelpwise Day 2
We did 2 one-hour uterine monitoring sessions, 7am &
8pm. Each showed 2 contractions, normal for this point in
time. I also got up the nerve to try the handheld doppler to
detect puppy heartbeats. Though I wasn't able to first
locate them by using my hand to palpate (I probably am not
pressing hard enough), I was able to move the unit around and
detected 5 heartbeats (2 on one side, 3 on the other). All
are within the normal heartbeat range (170-240). |
September 8, 2002 -
Coat, Whelpwise Day 1
Neela is blowing her
coat - I am brushing out masses of hair. Taking the
new photo above was nearly impossible due to the horrific hordes of mosquitoes in our yard.
We set up the Whelpwise equipment and watched the video. We
had to shave Neela's hair behind the ribcage up her sides. |
September 6-7, 2002 -
WAG'n Tales, Moving, Zoe's Biopsy
See Zoe's biopsy results posted below (September 3).
Completed WAG'n Tales - 12 pages (6 sheets) - I folded them in my
car on the way to my hair appointment in Beaver Dam then labeled
& sealed them in bed on 9/5, dropped them off at WAG on my way
to work in Hoffman Estates on 9/6 - DONE! I helped my sister
Sarah move from her house to an apartment an hour away (Chicago
area) on 9/7 in 90-degree heat in jeans since I didn't bring any
shorts! We made three trips so loaded & unloaded our
pickup & her CR-V 3 times. I got gas for $1.33 (cheap
for this area) in
Huntley! Rob made the whelping box - will make the pig rail
tomorrow. |
September 3, 2002 -
Neela's X-Ray @ Jackson Area Pet Hospital
Yes, the results are in! It was a little early to do the X-ray so it
was a little more difficult to see the spines and skulls than
usual, but the vet counted 5-6 puppies! Now that I have
actually seen this for myself, I finally believe it and need to
start ordering all our puppy stuff ASAP. I am still in
shock. On all accounts, Neela was expected to have a very
small litter (if any at all), but has overcome the following: first litter
at 6 years old, two missed breedings, a mycoplasma infection, an
alpha-h<something> infection which she was on antibiotics
for at the time she was bred, a cystic uterus discovered during
the surgical A-I. I think Sport must have added a little bit
of magic to his Special Delivery from Virginia. |
September 3, 2002 -
Zoe's Surgery to remove Mast Cell Tumor
Zoe is home and resting peacefully. Buffy Coat blood
test showed NO mast cells. Biopsy
Results: Grade 2, appears completely excised, was
a multi-centric tumor - good thing it was removed. Stitches
to be removed September 16. |
August 28, 2002 -
Quasi-Momma II
Just in case any of you were still planning on
referring to me as "Grandma" and not
"Quasi-Momma" as requested, I just bought a pair of
low-rise, flare-leg Levis. So there! |
August 27, 2002 -
Neela's Ultrasound - CANCELLED
Since the X-Ray is just a week away, it doesn't make
sense to do an Ultrasound too. |
August 21, 2002 -
Zoe's Appointment
OK, this is supposed to be Neela's diary, but I took Zoe to
UW-Madison Vet Hospital. The ultrasound showed her inner
organs are tumor-free, her lymph nodes were so small they couldn't
find them (good) but they did find a little mast cell tumor on her
front leg by her elbow. Very small but we'll have it excised
ASAP. Waiting for Buffy Coat (blood test) results. UPDATE:
I was told on 8/23 Zoe's blood wasn't submitted in time so could
not be done and so now we have to have the Buffy Coat done on
September 3 instead. |
August 19, 2002 -
Signs of Pregnancy
Whelpwise reserved. Will make an appointment for an
ultrasound as soon as their
computers are back up. Neela is whiny, always ravenously
hungry, now on puppy food (Innova & Wellness mix), losing her
waistline and has puffier nipples than I've ever seen on
her. I took the 18-page (gasp!) CWVC newsletter in for
copying after working on it Saturday (10+ hrs) and Sunday (8+ hrs). |
August 16, 2002 -
Quasi-Momma
Thanks for all of your support and well wishes! I need to
establish one little Standard Operating Procedure before we move
on. I am not to be known as
"Grandmother", but rather as "Quasi-Momma" to
these puppies. In dog years Neela's about my age so this is
more appropriate. It has nothing to do with vanity.
OK, maybe just a little. |
August 14, 2002
(Wednesday - Day 29 after insemination) - Pregnancy Test
Appointment for pregnancy test - and the result is POSITIVE!!!
Oh no, now what do I do??? Get the CWVC Aug 2002 newsletter
completed, start the Sep 2002 WI-IL Agility newsletter and 2003
CWVC Vizsla calendar, reserve a WhelpWise
monitor, build a whelping box, start reading and planning for puppies! |
July 25, 2002
(Thursday) - Stitches Removed
Neela's stitches came out today and the vet said the incision
is heeling (whoops, I meant healing!) well. Neela licked at it a little, but she
didn't pull out the stitches nor infect it. She sat
perfectly still for Dr. Spaeth without any treats. What a
good girl! |
July 17, 2002
(Wednesday) - Neela's Recovery
Neela is much better. She can walk up and down the
stairs. Since she likes fresh running water, I put the two
upholstered footstools by the sink to make a gradual step up for
her so she doesn't stretch her incision. We took her for her
morning walk with Zoe, but on leash so she can't run. I
drove home over my lunch break - Neela is doing fine and her
stitches are still in tact and no sign of redness or swelling or
blood. Seems almost back to normal by evening.
NOTE: Most of you know that I tend to be fairly
organized. Organized, schmorganized. I have not been
at all prepared for this as you can see. Plus right now I am
in the midst of two incredibly busy and stressful weeks at work -
more so than any time in the past 2 years with weekly travel down
to Hoffman Estates (2-hour commute each way). Plus more,
more, more: Zoe's agility trial Aug 27-28, a CWVC Board
meeting on Aug 27 (I got CWVC Treasurer stuff from Kim on Friday
7/19), the CWVC August
newsletter (with the color cover), the Fun Day August 3 (I'm
taking RSVPs and coordinating the Photo Contest for the 2003
Calendar), State Fair World of Dogs August 5 (I'm on the morning shift with just Zoe), my first trip ever to Las Vegas with my
sister August 8-12, etc. Not to mention the 7 leaded glass
antique windows whose frames I'm staining & sealing and 60+
old cast iron curtain hardware pieces I sandblasted & primed
in June and am now painting Flat Black and the side-by-side that
needs refinishing. I can't park in my
garage because that's where the current projects in progress are
located. I have decided to not get in a tizzy over anything
- just go with the flow. |
July 16, 2002
(Tuesday) - Neela's Surgical Insemination
Tracking online at www.fedex.com,
I see Sport's "Special Delivery" is in the Milwaukee
area. I dropped off Neela at 11am - the package beat us
there. We arrived to pick up Neela at 4pm and the vet talked
with Rob and I for about 15 minutes first. The semen was
practically unaffected by the chilling - retained 95% motility,
swimming strong and straight which is the best you can get.
Neela's uterus had a couple of cysts which could negatively impact
her ability to conceive though the vet has seen uterus' with more
cysts where the bitch conceived. If Neela does not become
pregnant, she is at a high risk to develop pyometra and recommends
us having Neela spayed immediately. Due to Neela's age of 6 and
never having had a litter, she is also likely to need a C-section
even if we decide to try a natural delivery, so we should consider
scheduling a C-section. Because of risk
factors, the vet also recommends the use of WhelpWise (www.whelpwise.com)
which monitors contractions, puppy heart rates, etc. for early
notification of problems. When we get Neela, she is still
pretty groggy and cannot walk - looks pathetic. I felt
HORRIBLE for having put her through this! When we arrived
home, we put her in her crate where she rested peacefully for a
couple of hours. She has a 2" incision on her belly
with 7 "cross-stitch" stitches. Except for
walking a little funny (stiff in her rear), her vitals were normal
- she eliminated and ate her half-portion of dinner and drank a
little water. Zoe knew something was up and was such a good
girl to give Neela the space she needed. |
July 15, 2002
(Monday) - Sport Collection & Shipment
I called the collecting vet's office to find out how it was
going. The repro vet was on vacation and they were unable to
do any collections! I ask if they were able to refer Sheila
to another repro specialist and they said "yes".
Since I didn't have Sheila's work phone number nor she mine, I
left my number on her home answering machine. She called me
later - she went to another repro specialist who she hadn't known
about, they had a teaser bitch and got a large and highly motile
sample ("750 million sperm swimming like crazy") - it is on its way
via FedEx Overnight Priority. Whew! Sheila even liked
the new vet a lot and may switch! In the evening Rob
and I took the mattress
& box spring off the high antique frame and put them on the
floor so Neela doesn't have to jump high to get into bed. |
July 14, 2002
(Sunday) - Stud Selection
Due to an unforeseen potential complication, I had a last
minute change in stud. I called Sport's owner, Sheila, to
request a collection, probably mid- to late-week. I had
previously EMailed her information about Neela and me when I was
deciding on a stud. Shortly after talking to Sheila who
agreed to the breeding, Neela's vet called - she just received
Neela's faxed progesterone results from Friday - needs to
inseminate in 2 days (Tuesday)!!! Called back Sheila who
agreed to have Sport collected the following morning to be
overnighted for Tuesday's surgical insemination. We
exchanged our vet's contact info. |
June 29, 2002 (Saturday)
- Neela's in Season
Neela comes into season - REALLY REALLY early!!! We were
dogsitting a one-year-old in tact male for our friends at the
time. They were due home the next day. We kept them
separated even though he didn't show any "special"
interest in her yet. I drove him home the next evening - we
all had fun here but he was happy to see mom and dad and their
newly fenced back yard! |
June 2002 (early-mid)
- Mycoplasma Test 2 Results
Neela is tested for Mycoplasma; result:
"None". Can't decide whether to try one last
breeding. Decide that if I do, even though we still love
Gaiter and know that his reproductive system is fine, I will use a
different stud just to eliminate all variables. My desire to
make a positive contribution to the Vizsla gene pool spurs me
on. Since Neela is due to come into season in August or
September, I decided to begin contacting stud dog owners in July. |
February 2002 -
Mycoplasma Test 1 Results
Test results of Neela's Mycoplasma test ($100) shows
"Many". This is most likely the cause of the
unsuccessful breeding. Thankfully Gaiter tests at
"None". |
January 2002 -
Second try - Natural Breeding
Rob, Penny, Zoe and Neela travel to Connecticut for a natural
breeding with Gaiter. Have 2 successful ties, progesterone
tests at 9.0 on the day of the second breeding which is
good. Get in some Connecticut sightseeing and shopping at
wholesale catalog's outlet stores, one each on the way out (NY)
and back (PA).
Note: For two critical progesterone
tests, the one that would tell us we needed to leave for CT and
the one that would tell us if we could leave from CT for home, the lab's
machines broke down and we were unable to get timely results
causing us to guess on the course of action. |
April 2001 - First
try - A-I
Unsuccessful Vaginal Insemination (2 collections from
Gaiter). Semen was high motility and quantity both times. Likely
cause: timing of the inseminations. |