That quote is from the page I read on tube feeding before :)
Originally, people thought Colostrum stoped two days after birth. Then, one day, and now many are saying 12 hours. It was 12 hours for Sasha, I could tell because I watched her closely, and yesterday morning the yellow thick sticky colostrum she had been producing turned to a thin white milk. Hope did get Colostrum, because she was suckling fine right after birth, I barely left the side of the whelping box those first few hours, making sure each puppy got colostrum.
Well, at home, no one is there between 11:30 and 2:45, and I didn't think Hope would be safe with the other littermates, or Sasha, as I often found her on the bottom of a pile up for milk, or under Sasha's backside, because she didn't move when Sasha did. Anyway, I had a sleepless night, I was awake at least twice every hour, Hope was at her weakest. I couldn't get her to drink any formula, I put her down with her litter, and I knew she wouldn't make it.
Her brothers were squirming around, Crawling on their bellies, but Hope laid curled up, moving only her forelegs up and down. I moved the boys, and held down sasha, and put her up to a teet, she didn't latch on, so I put the teet in her mouth. She lay with the teet in her mouth and didn't suck. I expressed some milk, and dabbed it at her lips, she slightly opened her mouth, and then nothing. I knew she wouldn't make it. There was no progress at about 4:45, and when I awoke to my alarm at 5:30, I reached for her, she was warm. I picked her up, and saw she wasn't breathing. WIth one hand I stimulated her, rubbing the center of her ribs with the ball of my finger, and blowing some air in her face. I opened her mouth and pulled her tounge down from the roof of her mouth, so she could breathe. I started the dryer, and took out a pair of pajama pants a minute later, It was really warm, and I laid her in it, and continued to stimulate her. Sasha didn't realize what was happening, she was asleep when I found Hope. she kept running between me and her pups, begging for Hope. I remember reading about shocking a puppy's system as a last resort, by alternating the pup in cold and hot water. The temperature change would shock her body into taking a breath. It said to fill two bowls, and submerge the pup up to its neck, or to alternate the temps on the tap. I tried it, and for a second I thought it was working, but it failed.
I gave up at 6:05. I talked to my friend over the phone, but there was nothing she could do.
I was wondering wheather I should show Sasha the pup or not, she was crying for it. I decided it would be best for her to know what happened. Having her pup dissapear and never come back would be worse then knowing it had died. At least she would know. I brought it to her, and held it to her face, She licked it for a second, and then laid her head on my palm next to it. She wimpered a little, licked it a little more, and then went back to tending her pups.
I tried really hard not to get my hopes up- I knew things were grim. She would get better, then get worse again. It wasn't a surprise, but of course, its still really sad. My dad tried to console me, telling me for every first litter, there is always a runt, and it always dies. The problem must have started in the womb. When she came, her cord was much thinner then the other pups. She was also the last out, so she was pushed farther up. from the womb, she wasn't getting enough nourishment to last on the outside.
The boys, however, are thriving. I haven't paid too much attention to them, other then making sure they were doing okay. I was examining them closely, and they really are doing great. we have a scale that weighs up to 31 ounces, at birth The black boy (whos coat seems more of a dark choclately color, I call him Cocoa) weighed 3 ounces, The cream boy (whom I can't think of a good name for) weighed 2.75 ounces, and little hope weighed 2.25 ounces.
These weights however, are off a little, as I really wasn't sure how to work the scale yet.
They are pretty acurate though as I was off by .5 ounces, and I added .5 to the weight I read on the scale to get the above weights.
Now, the pups are very hard to weigh as they keep squirming, but Cocoa is roughly 3.75-4 ounces, and the cream boy is about 3 oz.
He hasn't gained as much as cocoa, so when it looks like Cocoa is hogging the milk, I'll take him off and give the cream boy some alone time. I think he needs a good name as well.
Hope's death is extremely disheartening, but I expected to lose a runt since I first started thinking about the litter coming. I knew there would be one or two, and if there were more, they would be very weak. I knew it, but it doesn't make it any easier.
I'm staying home from school today, partially because I wouldn't be able to get ready in time to catch the bus, so I told my friend to have the bus skip my stop, partially because sasha freaks out whenever I leave her side (she's got to get over that) and partially because I want a little time to get over Hope.
It was really weird- I had the TV on a channel that plays music videos every once in a while, and as I was trying to revive Hope, a song was playing with the main lyrics being "steady hands, just take the wheel"
Anyway- I have to focus more on Sasha and the pups.
As for the case of the missing placenta- I called three different vets to make sure, and they all told me the same exact thing.
The placenta will most likely liquify and be reobsorbed into the body, or it can take up to two days to be delivered. As long as Sasha is alert, and not lethargic or weak, and has no fever, then I have nothing to worry about. If she does become sick looking, then she needs to come in for a clean out.