Molly had six puppies!!!

Four boys and two girls!!!

Molly thinks they are interesting…….curious…..but not really bonded to them at all.

She’s got milk…………………..but very little.

……………….and all of this isn’t surprising because……………….

**********************She’s an Irish Wolfhound**********************

 

Gotta’ love ’em…

 

 

They march to their own drummer…………………..or maybe it’s a Pan flute…

 

 

 

But we were ready for this…

We basically expected this…

At first we tried to have the puppies nurse from Mom to get some of her colostrum……………….with middling to poor success.

But we were ready for that…

We had goat colostrum…………no……….it’s not Irish Wolfhound colostrum………….but it’s done well for us in the past with other litters with uninvolved mothers…

 

(And the puppies didn’t grow up butting heads and “maw’ing” at each other.)

 

 

 

 

 

Right now the pupp’ers are sleeping with a heating pad in the first of a series of three RubberMaid containers (each one getting progressively larger for the growing pups).

My older daughter and I are feeding them every four hours……………

Now it’s a waiting game to see if everyone makes it past the vulnerable first ten days……………………..there’s always “failing puppy syndrome” to watch out for.

 

 

There’s really nothing we can do other than keep them warm and fed and worry and hope……………..

Some puppies just aren’t meant to make it………………I hope all these guys do……………..I always hope that they all do…

 

 

All you can do is try and try and hope and pray and chat with Mother Nature………a lot……..and keep trying…

There are wheaten puppies and grays and brindles…………two of each…

We are tube-feeding all the puppykins.

 

It’s a good way to make sure they stay on schedule, stay hydrated, plus we know exactly how much each one is getting.

Tube-feeding is efficient, but we never are comfortable with it.  It’s never an easy-going routine.

 

 

But we try to be super methodical and slow and careful…………but I always stress out my stomach lining with every feeding until it’s completed and all the babies are sleeping again comfortably…..