We had just set off for a wedding for a dear family member. Moxxi was all set up in her pen to make sure she was safe and comfortable. We had made it about an hour away when the alerts for the kennel camera started going off. As soon I saw her, I knew.
"Babe. BABE! Turn around. right now, it's happening!"
We immediately began the hustled trip home, but I could tell through the camera that Moxxi needed to not be alone. I reached out to a sweet neighbor of ours who was more than willing to rush over and sit with our girl until we got home. She was an absolute lifesaver in helping Moxxi.
We could all tell that Moxxi was waiting for me the moment I walked in. After changing into proper clothes, I climbed right in the kennel with my little girl! She puffed & pushed through the next 45 minutes before the first puppy made its debut at 5:45pm! A beautiful fawn female, later to be known as Ophelia.
It was a bit scary, but she did great! Poor girl got about an hour of waiting and contractions before the next pup showed up at 6:37pm. A unique little black & brindle boy with white toes, now named Pepe. We thought we would have another break between, but Moxxi had other plans.
She instantly began pushing again & became very distraught. Even crying a bit, desperately trying to cuddle into my lap. I did my best to soothe and calm her before I looked down to realize a pup had already begun to come out & had become stuck! No wonder Moxxi was so upset!
I began to massage her gently, talking calmly. Giving positive praise when she would push to let her know that was what she should be doing. Soon her panic subsided & instinct kicked back in! Low and behold, our big black bear of a boy Frank Gunnar exploded his way out at 7:01pm. He needed a bit of help but perked up quite quickly, giving a very strong squeal and latching on his own to mom!
While I was watching Frank, I felt Moxxi give the tiniest push and there was a splash in my lap. I looked down, & there was another puppy in caul! Moxxi was exhausted at this point, so I took over, ripping the little fawn boy out and getting him to breathe at around 7:26pm. I was a bit worried for a moment because I wasn't sure if he was okay, but I noticed that he was simply just very calm. Adorable Mr. Frankie gave the tiniest little squeak and the biggest stretch before cuddling up to his siblings and I knew he would be just fine!
At this point Moxxi had found her rhythm and was already working the next puppy out, but we could all tell she was running on fumes. we tried to offer some water, but she was understandably just not interested. I could tell her contractions were reaching their peak and prepared for the next fawn boy who showed up promptly at 8:02 with very little fuss. He had the BIGGEST ears we had ever seen on a pug puppy and is now lovingly known as Yoda.
It was about now that Moxxi began to lay down. out of energy and ready to be done we felt her begin to give up. Thankfully we had gotten our ultrasound with our vet & knew there was at least 1 or 2 more pups in there! Even though I knew she wanted nothing more than to take a nap, (& as a mom myself I totally couldn't blame her) I started massaging and talking her through her contractions again. After a bit of help & a lot of convincing, D.O.G Wan Kenobi made his way into the world (& little did we know, straight into our hearts) at 8:51 pm!
Now, Moxxi was done. She drank some water. She laid down. She even fell asleep. We tried everything, but after about 30 minutes of no contractions I began calling after hours emergency vets for care recommendations. After I gave them all the information from our last few hours, and a couple doses of Cal-sorb with no reaction we all agreed it was time to bring her in. We packed up all the puppies and rushed her to the closest After Hours ER (45 mins away). She was not even a bit upset and took a well-deserved nap. When we got there, she was immediately given fluids and it was taken in for an x-ray to see if she was actually done.
What did they find? one teeny tiny little pup that the contractions just never brought down through her uterine tubes. We weren't even sure if it had made it at this point and was working on the thoughts of helping Moxxi expel what was left. After her fluids she was given some meds to help push again and we were surprised that it kicked in almost instantly! She started pushing and pushing and was definitely still exhausted, but she didn't give up! At 1:28 am, the smallest little bubble of puppy in-caul plopped her way into my hands. We weren't expecting much while I ripped the sac open but little Miss Scarlett had other plans! Squealing and squawking and covered in poo at a whopping barely 3oz she never stopped moving! She showed interest in latching right away and was not going to take no for an answer! (That tenacity never waned later, either!)
Finally, the chaos was over, and it was time to go home and rest. I personally did not sleep much as I was nervous leaving Moxxi alone with the puppies for too long, this being her first litter. She did need a bit of help through the evening when the little ones would become fussy. (I can only imagine how even little mouths all crying at once could be intimidating at first!) But she figured out fast that I was by her side no matter what and soon we had a rhythm down that would do us well over the next few weeks!
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