The Deconstruction Stage has arrived — you know, the hindsight, questioning, and what if’s.
The first puppy arrived at 7:39 a.m. She was not in a sac and so the birth was “dry” — Daisy vocalized with the pain. We used gentle traction and gravity to say hello — and good-bye — to this wildflower taken before she had a chance to bloom.
We started the Zoom session — it looked like this in Boise…
Those on Zoom watched as a boy arrived safely at 8:12 a.m. and another one at 8:36. When Daisy started pushing again, those two puppies headed for the warming basket.
Red is Paintbrush and orange is Mallow.
But nothing happened — she pushed and pushed. We tried all the tricks — calcium, walking, nursing puppies, etc. to no avail. We reached out to the vet who gave Daisy 15 - 20 more minutes to produce a puppy or we had to head in.
Team Daisy kicked into gear, gathering up all the needed things in case Daisy could not deliver — literally — and so we were ready to go.
We had a 35 minute drive into Missoula. Suzanne drove and I was in the back with Daisy and the puppies. Daisy continued to push and when we were approaching Lolo I saw a head.
Suzanne was getting us to the parking lot of the tractor supply store as the puppy slithered out.
To all appearances this was another angel puppy. Thank goodness we had the oxygen and Team Daisy is not easily dissuaded — we worked and worked and the puppy started to spark. When she squeaked, we knew that somehow — after well over an hour of being pushed — this little one had a chance.
I had already checked in with Kris about my idea for her name and so that girl is Clarkia in honor of Clark Osojnicki — I think he would appreciate the story of her dramatic arrival.
We continued on to the vet and after checking remaining puppies with ultrasound, they gave us a space to finish whelping the litter.
I told Suzanne that for all future litters we will just call and say we have a stuck puppy so we can camp out there while whelping. I am kidding (sort of) but it was seriously awesome and especially after the last few scary days.
At 11:30 we welcomed another boy — his name is Sage.
At 12: 26 Mariposa arrived — a girl.
At 1:45 another angel arrived — a boy — clearly having aspirated meconium.
Team Daisy had a confab.
Meconium prior to birth (which is yellow — not green) indicates puppy in distress. This had been a long labor with a lot of puppies — and more to go.
Clearly Daisy could likely deliver the rest of the litter naturally — but we had clear evidence we could well lose additional puppies.
Benefit vs. Burden — there it was again.
The benefit of a c-section is for the puppies and the owner’s peace of mind — the burden and risk is all on the mom.
I was unwilling to risk Daisy to reduce my anxiety about whelping. In my mind, human anxiety is actually not a good reason to risk a dog’s life — and yes, dogs die from c-sections.
Losing puppies is heartbreaking but it is a risk I will take over risking the mother, who had no choice in all this reproduction stuff, after all.
But there we were — an exhausted mother dog who clearly loved her puppies already and likely more puppies in distress — the balance shifted. Team Daisy elected a c-section for the remaining puppies.
As we sat in the room — in the very place where Zoey’s life ended — four new members of the family were arriving in the surgery suite.
Was the decision a correct one? Well, here’s our sign…
Larkspur — a boy.
And so arrived Larkspur (boy)…
And three more girls — Buttercup…
Clover…
And Lupine…
And seriously — anyone who think breeding dogs well and with love is easy, a money maker, great for kids, etc. needs to get their head examined — and their heart, if they have one (which I doubt). Terror and tears — that is the reality of breeding dogs well.
But the Montana Wildflowers have started to bloom and they are a beautiful sight…
Collar colors correspond to the blooms of the wildflower for which each puppy is named.
Bright Pink: Clarkia (girl)
Lavender: Lupine (girl)
Teal: Sage (boy)
White: Mariposa (girl)
Yellow: Buttercup (girl)
Orange: Mallow (boy)
Red: Paintbrush (boy)
Purple (changed from green due to easy confusion with teal): Clover (girl)
Bright Blue: Larkspur (boy)
Their new families may, of course, change their call names but while they are with us — those are their names.
Daisy is being an outstanding mother.
Should we have done the c-section sooner?
That would have risked Daisy’s life without the potential benefits time identified, risked her maternal instincts since even a bit early can impair maternal behavior, and we have three smaller puppies who would not have benefited from arriving earlier.
So no — I am sorrowful for the angel puppies but do not regret staring terror in the face and marching into it. The blooming happened as it should — such is the nature of Nature.
SO much gratitude to Suzanne, Dear Husband, our incredible veterinarian, and every one of you who sent their best wishes and good thoughts — and who together created community around these wonderful new lives.
Thank you is inadequate.