Three Weeks Old!

What a whirlwind these last three weeks have been. It definitely isn't what we imagined it would be, but it has been even more in some ways. Tonight we had some puppy playtime, and it was so fun for all of us just to sit and enjoy some puppy love. They are walking more and starting to bat at things and play a bit. 4 of the 5 grew well today, and Mr. White has stubbornly not grown well since the beginning, so it may not be an ominous sign. Everyone's eyes look great today too- whew!

And HANNAH is feeling SO good today. She absolutely insisted on multiple walks in the brisk fall weather, and she was ready to run. She is back to being a REALLY strong dog. She has so much love and gratitude in her eyes, and she is doing so well-- it makes it worth while for sure.

The pups that are left are a lively bunch. On the occasion of their three week birthday, we decided to share some more photos of each one.

Mr. Teal/ #7 aka Chocolate

I can't believe that this is my first post about Mr. Teal, who is one of our very favorite puppies. He is nearly all brown, with just a few dabs of white on him. He is very, very soft. And he is in the midst of a tremendous growth spurt-- yay! Jason thinks he resembles a wolf pup, I think he looks like a cattle dog. His eyes have not yet been goopy-- and they are gorgeous!

Miss Navy/ #8 (aka White Tips)

White Tips is a source of joy for all of us. She is so soft and so lively, and we have felt a special bond with her since the beginning. She is now our only girl, and that makes her extra-special too! Plus she is the very best eater every day.

Mr. Purple/ #4

Mr. Purple is now the BMOC of our puppy crew and he's got the strut to show it. We didn't find a scale to our liking, so he made his 2nd trip to the post office to get weighed in tonight!

Mr. Green/ #1

Mr. Green has developed a bit of a belly recently. He is still one of the little ones, but he is definitely gaining on the big kids.

Mr. White/ #3

Mr. White is the "teeny tiniest" and the special favorite of Ben these days. Tonight he said, "I am giving Mr. White all of my best hopes and the most love I have so that he can make it." We are all pulling for you, dear Mr. White!

Little Boy Blue

Well, I am heartbroken to write that our "Big Boy", Mr. Blue/#5 woke us up with pitiful cries at 5:00 AM this morning. He seemed fine at 12:00 AM when we went to bed, but was already a shadow of himself by morning. He was very disoriented and inconsolably crying. He was unable to nurse or take the supplement very well, and his plaintive bleating progressed to seizures by 7 AM. I rushed him to the peaceful goodbye with Dr. Gregard to minimize his suffering. His passing was swift, and I honestly felt relief for him when I felt his little body finally relax.

Canine Distemper Virus is a cruel disease. But as poor, crying Dr. G said this morning, there is still a chance for the others, and if even one makes it, it will be worth it. Unfortunately, it is hard to say for sure when they have "made it", because neurological signs can present weeks after the initial respiratory and digestive problems. Even strong Hannah, who seems quite depressed but less physically afflicted, is still not completely out of the woods.

Mostly Tricks This Year

We came up a little short on the treats in the puppy department this Halloween. I ended up with both morning and afternoon vet appointments (in the morning with poor Miss Pink and in the afternoon with Mr. Blue, Mr. White, & Mr. Green, who all have yucky eye drainage). But there were some treats along the way. Mr. Purple became the first puppy to officially outgrow the scale. Jason had to take him to the post office to get his weight tonight! We will get a new scale tomorrow. And everyone is responding well to the eye antibiotics. And even though we are really feeling the absence of Miss Orange and Miss Pink, the remaining puppies seem strong, at least today. And Hannah is convalescing well, and the respite she's received with the supplemental bottle feedings and two fewer pups to feed has helped her keep her strength up. We are so glad that these six have made it through their first three weeks!

Who's left, by the numbers

As expected, this has been a hard week for the pups. But we still have six strong puppies left, and each day that goes by we get closer to the place where some of them have made it through this. So, who are the survivors?

• 1- Mama (Hannah)
• 1- Female pup (Miss Navy, aka White Tips)
• 5- Male pups (Mr. Green, Mr. White, Mr. Teal, Mr. Purple, & Mr. Blue)
• 2- Runts (Mr. Green & Mr. White)
• 2- Dogs over 2 lbs. (Mr. Purple & Mr. Blue)
• 7- Dogs with clear nasal drainage
• 5- Dogs with crusty eye drainage (Mr. Green, Mr. White, Miss Navy, Mr. Purple, & Mr. Blue)
• 3- Dogs who gained over 1.5 ounces today (Mr. Green, Mr. Teal, & Mr. Purple)
• 3- Dogs who gained less than 0.5 ounces today (Miss Navy, Mr. Blue, & Mr. White)
  
• 0- Dogs who are showing obvious neuro symptoms associated with the Distemper as of tonight
  

Farewell, Miss Pink

Sweet, super-soft Miss Pink started having seizures again at around 10 PM Monday evening after about 30 hours without them. She had continued to lose weight in spite of all of the interventions, and by this morning she began to have a pitiful cry between seizures. We knew it was time to let her go. I cried some tears over the beautiful puppy, and so did Dr. Gregard. She was held and loved until the very end, and I brought the tiny pink collar home to remember her by.

Miss Pink's Plight

We awoke Sunday morning to find Miss Pink seizing. "Oh No! Here we go again!"... or so we thought. It appears that we have a fighter on our hands. Although she lost a lot of weight yesterday (due to not nursing and not swallowing her supplement), she only had about three seizures total-- very different from poor Miss Orange who couldn't stop seizing. I took Miss Pink to the vet this morning (sweet Dr. Gregard!), and after evaluation we have decided to start giving her subcutaneous fluids and tube feedings here at home. If she keeps seizure free she might perk up with the fluids and food. Her prognosis is obviously not good, but she is a really darling and spunky pup, and still walking around and trying her best. By mid-morning today she was swallowing her antibiotics, wormer, and more formula from a fast-flow bottle. Last night we put tiny collars on the other black puppies so that we can tell them apart without picking them up, but we didn't put the pink the one on, so sure that she would need to be put down today with the onset of the seizures. But at the last feeding I put it securely around her neck-- a vote of confidence and faith that she is going to be around for a while.

Meanwhile, Mr. Purple (now sporting a pink & blue pawprint collar) and Mr. Blue (with a dog bone collar) are walking around their pool and making little play barks with their eyes and ears wide open. "I am a Rottweiler!" Jason thinks they are saying. Our camera is having some severe problems or else I would have photos today. We will resolve that issue ASAP!

Thanks for all the support this weekend, faithful blog readers. It means a lot! We will be posting links to the medical treatments each dog is getting later today or tomorrow to help us keep track of who is getting what.