We now prepared for arrival of puppies that were expected to arrive somewhere from June 9 to 13. We got a kiddies pool and took it into the basement with towels and blankets for the big day. Then we decided to go on a roadtrip, the weekend before the due date. This decision may have been okay, except as we were packing the motorhome for departure, Koko ran out onto the road. I screamed and the driver slammed on her breaks. Luckily it was our neighbour and she knew why I was yelling KOKO. Koko hit the side of her car but did not injure it too much. We rushed Koko to the vet's office, but everthing seemed to be okay. She was just shaken up. And only time would tell what effect it would have on the puppies she was carrying.
Off we went for our weekend with a very pregnant Koko. When we got home, I thought perhaps it was time to start measuring her body temperature. On June 7, it was 99 F. This was a bit outside the normal range of 100 to 102 F but as it was my first time measuring a dog's temperature, I wasn't sure if it was the pre-whelping drop or not. On June 8 her temperature was down to 98 F. This time I was pretty certain that it was the pre-whelping drop so Dave was told to keep a close eye on her, and get her to the whelping pool if it looked like she was in labour.
When we got home after work, Koko seemed very restless so we took her downstairs to her whelping pool. By 5:30 she was in intense labour and the first puppy arrived in the world at 5:40. It was a big, vigorous female. At about half hour intervals, the first three puppies were born. But then there was an almost hour lull. Koko looked distressed but nothing was coming out. Was this a time to call someone with experience?
But no, there was something coming out. It was wee. A wee girl of only 5.5 oz. She was very weak and I wasn't sure she was even going to breath. Koko wanted a break after her, so out I took her. And then the puppy every half hour routine began again, with five, six, seven, and eight. Was that it? Six girls and two boys.
We waited and almost an hour passed, and then it started again. Puppy number nine and then ten. Two more boys. And we waited. But that was it. Enough!
But wait what about all those placentas? Sure the first few had come out with the puppies and Koko carefully removed them (ate them actually). But I seemed to have missed noticing a couple at the beginning, and then I knew a couple at the end had not come out.......where were they? Well at 3 am another mass was passed, one placenta....but what about the others?
Off to the vet we went in the morning....Koko was fine. They must have come out sometime during the night and she either ate them or it was outside.
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