Friday, June 27, 2008

I Don't Know Nothin' Bout Birthin' No Babies, Miss Scarlett

But somehow they lived. I love the Internet.

Emma had 5 puppies last night!! It was a long process, but I LOVED it. Emma did really well and whelped those babies like a pro. She is now extra ferocious and will probably maim you before you are able to even look at them. She literally could tear my face off and not care. But the second you are able to get her away from them, she is Old Emma...meaning she will only eat Eamon's face off. I have to distract her with a hand, which she will lunge at, and grab her by the scruff of the neck to separate them. It's risky....

Here are some gratuitous before and after shots of my lovely doggy.


Okay, here's what you really wanna see.... I've named the dogs ABC names, just to keep them in line, we'll change them later....

This is the first little guy. His name is Arthur. His birth was the most anticipated, as he was the first. He's a little smaller than the rest, but not by much. He looks probably the most like his dad. He is super cute and has a cute little white spot on the tip of his tail. Definitely a keeper.

This here gem of a puppy is Brenda. She had us worried when Emma bit her cord a little too short. When she finally ripped through it, it literally spurted out and I was freaked out. Brandon was going to tie it off, but it was basically the puppy belly button flesh and a little dangle of shredded cord at the end. I had to pinch it off with my gloves. Poor baby bled quite a bit. Before the styptic pen arrived, it had kinda sealed itself up and she was out of the woods. She is really feisty and was eager to eat during the ordeal, regardless of the hands surrounding her, keeping her alive.

This little cutey is Carl. He had a rather uneventful birth and we made sure the cord issue didn't happen again by having me reach up a little ways up into Emma to pull on the cord a bit to cut it ourselves. It was super strong. Since I wasn't able to pull the afterbirth out, I got a good grip, pulled a little and tore it enough that we could get him away and take care of him. He's a super healthy little guy that also looks like dad.




This little peach is Dana. (Look, I just came up with the first names I could think of that started with that letter, so get over it) Emma did a great job with her too, so we didn't have to much to worry about with her. She is so beautiful.

Our girthy boy came next. It took a full hour for little Edgar (aka Eamon Jr.) to come out. After the delivery and clean up of Dana, I had all 4 pups in a heated basket to keep their temps up. I sat with Emma waiting to see when she would start contractions again. They started up about 15-20 minutes after delivery, like all the others, but she acted unhappy, and actually left her whelping box to come sit on me. She let me feel her and the other puppy and try to manipulate it. She seemed worried. I also got worried after awhile. I decided to let the other puppies nurse to calm Emma down while I searched the Internet for answers. I was feeling nervous and wondering if I should take her to a vet. A few minutes later, I looked at her and little Edgar was already out except for his head.

He was kinda stuck there for a little bit and I knew Emma would kill me if I tried to help, so I watched and waited. Finally, he was out, but he had inhaled fluid. He was purple around the face and feet and I was scared. I worked on cleaning out his lungs (took forever it seemed) and then finally gave him to Emma. She cleaned him up, but he still was pretty cold, so I laid out the other puppies for her to see and when she left him behind, I put him in the warm basket. He finally was warm and I was relieved.

By the way, all the first 4 pups weighed 4 oz. I think Arthur is a hair smaller, but about the same. Edgar was 6 oz, therefore he is a giant compared to the other babies....
Here's a picture of the "dog pile" ha aha haaha hahha hahaah ahahaa
I put a clean rag in for your benefit....(not really, but I like to flatter) This photo has them looking downright angelic.
Oooo, I love my puppies!!

26 comments:

Ang said...

Good job Dr.Cara - they are adorable! My kids are begging to have Edgar.

Anonymous said...

They are SO cute! Thanks for letting us see them!

Jason said...

Say what? I have been to New York, apparently you're geography skills aren't the best :) New York is one of the bigger states over there on the map. I've been to NYC twice and then other small parts of New York.

Also you're wrong on Rhode Island too, guess I'll be eating cookies that you make?

You were right on Alaska, North/South Dakota and West Virginia... but you missed Delaware and Connecticut.

Sorry, you lose.

.jimaie.marie. said...

ohmygosh!
stoppit, stoppit RIGHT NOW with all this precious cuteness!!!!!!
oh don't they smell so sweet and good and they're so soft and peachy! I want one!!!!
oh man.
good job vet cara!!

Jason said...

sooooo... about those cookies... i like snickerdoodles or oatmeal raisin. ha ha!

Kacy said...

Okay so yes my husband is a NERD! But hey we keep him around. I love your little puppies. they are so cute. I like Brenda and little fatty at the end. Good job with the delivery Dr. Cara.

Robere said...

Now that you touched all the little ones, isn't Emma going to eat them all?

Or do just cats do that?

Did I ever tell you about the time when it was the last day of school AND I found a watch in my Golden Grahams box AND our cat had kittens!!? Best day of my life...

Autumn said...

SO CUTE! Atticus (my 3 year old) was looking at the pictures with me and had a fit when I left the page! Way to go.
PS:I'm Ang's sister.

Omgirl said...

So cute! You did a good job as a midwife. Maybe you should become a doula or something.

dayna said...

Oh oh oh babies! So adorable. and PS--'dana' is a great name:)

Emalia said...

Yipee! Congrats Cara--who knew you were such a veterinarian?! I'm impressed. The puppies are SO cute!

Connie said...

Way to go Emma & Vet Cara!! Cute pups:-)

Brenda said...

What are you trying to say? Naming a "female dog" Brenda. I'm over it, but only because you quoted Gone With the Wind. In fact, I'm a little flattered. She's by far the cutest one.

Jenny said...

They are so cute..congrats on the puppies!

McMommy said...

I would like to respectfully disagree with your title.

I think Miss Cara sure knows a heck of alot more than she lets on to know about birthing puppies.

Cause I would have NO IDEA that you could reach up into the laboring dog to help pull the cord out.

Ewww!

But GO CARA!!!

Liz said...

I thought it was awfully funny that you named a dog Brenda too! Jk Brenda it was the cutest. Although I do like me the fat ones.

Anonymous said...

I'm just curious if you've ever seen Horton Hears A Who... I hear it is really funny.

That is all.

Michael said...

Me wants one! Lil' puppies look good!

Blessings From Above said...

That is so cool! They are absolutely adorable.

It seems like you were just talking about getting her knocked up. Congratulations Grandma!

Christine said...

Those puppies are so cute. I do not envy you right now. When Roxy had her puppies, it was so much work!

Cheeseboy said...

Those are some handsome puppy dogs.

Sally said...

How are your newborns? Post more pictures! Are you going to sell them and make a killing?

Anonymous said...

Ok I must vent... we waste a perfectly good movie prop in hopes of making your blog, and it doesn't make your blog. BOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Love, you know who.

Anonymous said...

If your dog has such a bad temperament, why did you breed her? Seems to me we have enough "excess" dogs being put to sleep at the shelters that this is just irresponsible.

Mary said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mary said...

I know this is 7 months late, but I went back to see pictures of the puppies (especially Carl) and I noticed "Anonymous's" comment on how you shouldn't have bred Emma...Well, Mr/Ms "Anonymous" I am EXTREMELY grateful that Cara did because I have my little angel Carl whom I ADORE. Each of the puppies have a loving home so get off your soapbox! And it's not hard to speak your mind when we don't know who you are! Okay, I'll get down now ha