Wystan (Twizzler)

Heidi came today to visit the Rush X Nibbs Puppy (8 weeksold).  He is one gorgeous puppy.  Heidi took photos with her phone, so here are a variety of shots.

He is so interested in the chickens.  He is fearless about everthing!

...And so darn cute!

Merry CHRISTmas!

This is a wonderful Christmas message I received from my neighbors, Karen and Brendan,who, I now consider family. 
***

Though December 25^th isn’t the exact time of the birth of our Lord and Savior, it is still important that we set aside a time of the year to remember him.

Without the birth of Jesus our race would be dead, but because “God so loved the world,” (us) He sent His dearest son to buy back life for us. Jesus is the King of Life.

Jesus says;  “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. “ (John 18:37)

If the casting away of them (the Jews) has brought us opportunity, and if the receiving of them (the Jews) back into favor again is life from the dead (Rom. 11:15) how much more has the King of the Jews brought us. When the entire world of mankind receives Jesus as their King in the Kingdom we all pray for, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on the earth…”

Jesus’ birth into the world and his ransom sacrifice for Father Adam are truly the best gift this world has ever gotten. As the Apostle Paul says, it will be testified in due time.

So when you think of Christmas, thank God that He gave His dearest son to be the hope of the entire world.

just plain perplexing

New computer finally!!-no long distance phone calling and no e-mail - the old one died and I had been unable to communicate for a week! 

I suppose I should write a journal on the horrific year I've had.  But then, I don't really want to remember.  I will tell you the latest but don't want to dwell on it for any length of time.  I am a forward type of person.  I don't recall dates of sadness and cry.  It is behind me and I look forward.  I do give reverence to the past as appropriate but it is what it is and I try to see what I have, not what I have lost or suffered.

I had to put the one blue boy pup to sleep.  He was suffering. I had taken him to the vet with the other pup and showed him questioning what was wrong with him.  An x-ray reveiled an abnormality but it was out of my vets ability to answer so he sent me home waiting for more information from a referral vet that he was going to talk with...but it never got that far for poor Skimo.

 I must be in for something good, since I have had FIVE bad things occur that I have never had in breeding Cardigans before, all in ONE litter.

good report

I took the pups into the vet today.  I had him listen to their heart and lungs.  They are 15 days old today,fat and vigorous.  He gave them a clean report saying there wasn't anything there and they seemed like very healthy puppies.  I almost started to cry I was so relieved.  I would not allow myself or Hannah to become attached.  So, now I can enjoy them fully!

pup in a dish

LOL!  I fed Nibbles in the box, went back in to check and this is what I found.  I burst out laughing.

That is just TOO cute!  The look on Nibbles face is " what?!"

Relief!

I believe we are over the hump.  4th day on antibiotics, which I have to tube feed to them.  They hate it and hate me because they know what is coming.  The one who was pretty bad is especially mad about it.  I'm sure the tube feeding makes breathing more difficult.  Not only does the tube cause some breathing blockage when it is in place, it also fill up the tummy and a full tummy also make it difficult to breath.  I put warmed up supplement in with the cold liquid antibiotic.  It is also hard to nurse when you can't breath.  You can tell by looking at them which was the one with the worst case of pneumonia.

I will now tell a little more of the details regarding the scary (after hours- it's ALWAYS after hours!) c-section.  My vet was out of town, my second choice vet was out of town and I could either go to another local vet or one of the two big city emergency clinics.  Both Huntsville and Birmingham emergency clinics would be about an hour and a half trip.  I chose the 'other' local vet.  I had met this other vet before and really don't like him.  He is terribly gruff and egocentic!  But, I swallowed my pride and dealt.  I insisted on an IV line since I was concerned about the size of her belly and the size of her normal body.  She is regularly only a 27 pound bitch and she weighed 45.5 going in to the c-section.  I did not want her going into shock and/or cardiac arrest.  Well, you can probably see that poor Nibbles has shaved areas all over!  He never was able to get one single vein!  Gee, I was so stressed watching and listening to him not getting it over and over...poor Nibbs...he even did a "cut down" on BOTH sides of her neck!  The reason was obvious after she was opened up...her body was already getting shocky...twisted uterine horn and a tear...and a water puppy (Anascara) which was about 2 1/2 times the size of a normal pup.  This was a first for me.  So was the pneumonia in pups.  I'm sure it did not help that this vet clinic is poorly prepared...they didn't even have oxygen when I asked to put the pups on it...so no, they didn't have bulp syringes to suck out nasal mucous...I have 2 at home. But sure didn't think about possibly needing them!

Look at poor Nibbles HUGE scar(and it has already shrunk with healing).  Over the last 20 years, I got accustomed to very small scars and a MUCH different c-section team of experienced people. I figured being in a small town in the country would mean a different class of vets and less professional care than I have been accustomed.  I feel that the vet I had the planned c-section with and trust is one of the best around and he would have done a MUCH better job at the whole emergency c-section.  Certainly he has the oxygen.  He genuinely is a good and caring person who graduated from one of the best vet schools (Auburn), and seems to be quite intelligent, in control and takes what he does seriously.

He is the one that has been caring for my pups with the pneumonia.

OK- well, I shared a lot.  I guess I felt it would be helpful and informative.

OH, and I removed the dew claws today- finally, on day 8...I was too stressed and I felt that they did not need any more physical stress before now.  It went very smoothly.

Again, dog breeding is not for the faint of heart! 

sad report/strength

First I want to thank all of you!  Your support has given me strength.  Sadly I lost both girls yesterday.

I can't tell you how much peace God has given me and how much strength I have gained in this.  Something like this is always painful but I have to examine my place in life...where my heart is...ask God questions, talk to Him ...and in the end remember that HE knows what I am going through and He knows all that goes on...so, God's plan will over rule...I cannot change what is...I can only do everything I know how to do for the puppies and accept what happens.  And realize I am to praise God in my trials because it is in my trials where I am strengthened.

Now, other info has come into play as well.  I let the vet do an autopsy, he requested doing so.  He found an abnormality, he believes genetic.  So, I have other information to consider, which is actually helpful in the big picture.

Maybe the boys will be ok, maybe not.  Dog breeding is not for the faint of heart!!!  It's not the first disaster I've had in breeding and if I stay in long enough, it won't be the last.