Not A Textbook Whelping

The pups did not arrive on Tuesday but waited another day to enter the world. Another 3:00 AM phone call from Tom to tell me that Boji was having contractions, and the first pup arrived several hours later. Although Boji's previous litters had been whelped uneventfully, with pups every 20 minutes or so, that was not to be the case this time. Only two pups were born that night, and another finally followed several hours later. Tom and I stayed in touch by phone, and he talked to the Vet as well, but I was very concerned and after getting a few things done at the office, I drove to Tom's to lend a hand. I got there in time to save a boy puppy who was not breathing when he was born, but the next pup could not be revived, and we decided it was time for a trip to the Vet. Boji was not having good contractions, and we were at risk of losing any remaining pups. Tom stayed behind with Boji's 5 pups - all males (the dead pup was the only female so far), while Dawn and I went with Boji.

We were fortunate that the the Winsor's clinic was only 15 minutes away, and that they are actually reproductive specialists, with all the finest equipment and a well trained staff. When the ultra sound showed multiple puppies and at least two beating hearts we opted to go with a caesarian, in hopes of saving the puppies. I was quite convinced that the puppy who was trapped in the birth canal was dead, but had hopes that the other two would be OK. Dawn and I were allowed to watch through a viewing window, and to take pictures of the whole process. Dr. Jim performed the surgery, with several assistants, and Dr. Anne and her team revived the pups. It was especially interesting to watch an acupuncture needle used to simulate the limp pup to breath - and it worked. All three pups survived, and all were females.