miss_thenorth
Frugal Homesteader
glad to hear the night went well. 
SheriM - Too Stubborn to Stop Dreamin' - SURPRISE!!!
- Thread starter SheriM
- Start date
justusnak
Almost Self-Reliant
Congrats on the puppies!! Sweeeeeet puppy breath..Awwww. One day I will have another GPD. Maybe...im just not sure I want to take a chance of getting another one that will attack my Ram, or Ewes. That was just a bad experience for us all. And expencive! I cant waite to see pics!!!
TTs Chicks
Almost Self-Reliant
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waiting for pics
framing fowl
On a mission
9 puppies!!! How fun!
pioneergirl
Wannabe Pioneer
Love puppies!! When I bred my Giant Schnauzers, delivery day was such fun! I stress out over kids waaayyy more than puppies, haha!! Can't wait to see pics!!
Dace
Revolution in Progress
I am glad to hear that they all made it thru the night! Puppies in s snow storm huh? Life is unpredictable that's for sure!
Can't wait to see pics!!
Can't wait to see pics!!
- Thread starter
- #417
SheriM
Lovin' The Homestead
The past few days have been unbelievable. Ellie's pups were born Saturday and all went well with them, as you know. On Sunday, I needed to plow out the snow again, only to discover the tractor was out of gas. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem but I needed to plow the yard before I could get any of the vehicles out and I couldn't plow the yard till I got one of the vehicles out to go get gas. Parked squarely on the horns of dilemma, I called my neighbor to see if I could borrow some gas. They had some, but couldn't get out of their yard either. Sigh!
We both started digging. I got finished first, but did get the van stuck once and had to dig some more. I finally got over to the neighbors' place and picked up both the gas and Ben. He came back with me and as soon as I finished plowing the paths I needed, he took the tractor home to dig out his own yard. Oh, and all of this was done on approximately 2 hours sleep (not contiguous hours, either).
I thought my problems were over.
Yeah, right.
Sunday night, I checked on the puppies at midnight and also looked in on Angel, Ellie's VERY pregnant sister. She was lying in the straw in the loose housing area of the barn and looked as miserable as a dog who's that pregnant has every right to look. I gave her a sympathetic smile and wave and went back to the house. At 3:00 a.m. I went out again. Puppies are still fine...well, 8 out of 9 anyway. The 9th has been struggling from the beginning and I was starting to worry she would not be able to compete with the rest.
This on my mind, I took a quick peek into the loose housing area. Angel was lying in exactly the same spot and would not lift her head when I called her name. I rushed over to her, fearing the worst. When I reached her side, she blinked at me and made a half-hearted attempt to wag her tail, but that was it. She would not move her legs or body. She was lying near the open barn door and some snow had actually blown in on her so I knew she could not move. I rolled her onto a large towel and dragged her as far into the warmth of the barn as I could and headed for the house.
Woke DH and called the vet...woke him too. I explained the situation and his thoughts were the same as mine -- Milk Fever.
To make a very, very long story a tad shorter, I drove through total white-out conditions for an hour and half to get her to the vet. She is still there and seems to be recovering somewhat. Still worried sick and exhausted, I headed home, only to discover the weak little pup had lost the battle.
Last night was bitterly cold, but the remaining 8 pups did just fine. I called the vet's office about Angel as soon as they opened. She can at least stand and walk around a little bit today, but wouldn't eat for them this morning. Yesterday, she ate ravenously. So, I grabbed some raw meat I had been planning to feed to Ellie and took off again. She ate that in a split second, but wouldn't touch the canned food. The only answer was to go to the grocery store in the town where the vet is located and buy some more meat. I got two packages of blade steak and a 2 litre carton of milk.
She loved both and happily would have eaten all the meat in one sitting if I'd let her. That should, hopefully, keep her going for a few more days. We are trying desperately to keep her at least strong enough to hang in there till the pups are born, but if she doesn't deliver soon, she may have to have a C-section.
Sorry, folks, but it ain't over yet. When I got home, I realized I hadn't seen Smiley or Harry all day and their food wasn't touched. It's now 4:30 pm and I still haven't seen a sign of them.
Saddened by the loss of the pup, worried sick about Angel and frantic about the boys, I am now more certain than ever that my dog breeding days are over. If I can EVER recover from the cost of this latest puppy adventure, I will have every last canine on the place fixed!
We both started digging. I got finished first, but did get the van stuck once and had to dig some more. I finally got over to the neighbors' place and picked up both the gas and Ben. He came back with me and as soon as I finished plowing the paths I needed, he took the tractor home to dig out his own yard. Oh, and all of this was done on approximately 2 hours sleep (not contiguous hours, either).
I thought my problems were over.
Yeah, right.
Sunday night, I checked on the puppies at midnight and also looked in on Angel, Ellie's VERY pregnant sister. She was lying in the straw in the loose housing area of the barn and looked as miserable as a dog who's that pregnant has every right to look. I gave her a sympathetic smile and wave and went back to the house. At 3:00 a.m. I went out again. Puppies are still fine...well, 8 out of 9 anyway. The 9th has been struggling from the beginning and I was starting to worry she would not be able to compete with the rest.
This on my mind, I took a quick peek into the loose housing area. Angel was lying in exactly the same spot and would not lift her head when I called her name. I rushed over to her, fearing the worst. When I reached her side, she blinked at me and made a half-hearted attempt to wag her tail, but that was it. She would not move her legs or body. She was lying near the open barn door and some snow had actually blown in on her so I knew she could not move. I rolled her onto a large towel and dragged her as far into the warmth of the barn as I could and headed for the house.
Woke DH and called the vet...woke him too. I explained the situation and his thoughts were the same as mine -- Milk Fever.
To make a very, very long story a tad shorter, I drove through total white-out conditions for an hour and half to get her to the vet. She is still there and seems to be recovering somewhat. Still worried sick and exhausted, I headed home, only to discover the weak little pup had lost the battle.
Last night was bitterly cold, but the remaining 8 pups did just fine. I called the vet's office about Angel as soon as they opened. She can at least stand and walk around a little bit today, but wouldn't eat for them this morning. Yesterday, she ate ravenously. So, I grabbed some raw meat I had been planning to feed to Ellie and took off again. She ate that in a split second, but wouldn't touch the canned food. The only answer was to go to the grocery store in the town where the vet is located and buy some more meat. I got two packages of blade steak and a 2 litre carton of milk.
She loved both and happily would have eaten all the meat in one sitting if I'd let her. That should, hopefully, keep her going for a few more days. We are trying desperately to keep her at least strong enough to hang in there till the pups are born, but if she doesn't deliver soon, she may have to have a C-section.
Sorry, folks, but it ain't over yet. When I got home, I realized I hadn't seen Smiley or Harry all day and their food wasn't touched. It's now 4:30 pm and I still haven't seen a sign of them.
Saddened by the loss of the pup, worried sick about Angel and frantic about the boys, I am now more certain than ever that my dog breeding days are over. If I can EVER recover from the cost of this latest puppy adventure, I will have every last canine on the place fixed!
TanksHill
Super Self-Sufficient
Oh Sherri I am sorry about the loss of the runt but I know wometimes that happens. I am not familiar with Milk Fever, but it sounds like your vet has a handle on things. Don't worry about those boys of yours. They will be back in no time.
Get some rest and hang in there. I think if you quit dog breeding that will be fine as well. There are lots of other things to keep busy with.
What a couple crazy days. Hugs,
gina
Get some rest and hang in there. I think if you quit dog breeding that will be fine as well. There are lots of other things to keep busy with.
What a couple crazy days. Hugs,
gina
justusnak
Almost Self-Reliant
Oh Sherri! 
I am so sorry to hear about all that. Milk fever hu!? I hope she delivers soon and all are healthy. 
I wonder if the boys are out looking for Angel? I hope they come back soon, and safe. I dont blame ya on wanting to get them all fixed. You sure have your hands full there..and adding the stress with puppies...wow! Take some time...go get a hot bath, and TRY to realx a bit! You really NEED it!
I am so sorry to hear about all that. Milk fever hu!? I hope she delivers soon and all are healthy. I wonder if the boys are out looking for Angel? I hope they come back soon, and safe. I dont blame ya on wanting to get them all fixed. You sure have your hands full there..and adding the stress with puppies...wow! Take some time...go get a hot bath, and TRY to realx a bit! You really NEED it! ohiofarmgirl
Sipping Bacon Martinis
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wow! thats a lot of stress on top of all the cold and snow!
sorry
:-(
good thing you got Angel to the vet - hopefully she'll rally.
good luck!
sorry
:-(
good thing you got Angel to the vet - hopefully she'll rally.
good luck!
