Waiting is hard....

Rhani Update....

Sunday was a rough day for Rhani.  She began refusing food and clearly did not feel good although she was very attentive to her babies.  So Monday AM we went back to the vet.  Dr. Owen told me they didn't have the type of IV fluids she needed so we were referred to AVS (a specialty urgent care office.). She was admitted and they began IV fluids and tube feeding immediately.  She was seen by the Internal Medicine specialists today and underwent ultrasounds.  The news is hopeful.  Her levels are all coming down - though still very high; all the ultrasounds showed normal kidneys and GI tract; she ate food offered and has kept it down; the urine culture came back and showed e-coli but there is no bacteria or blood cells in the urine now meaning the antibiotic is working.  The plan is to keep her there on fluids until her levels return to normal or plateau.  Please cross paws that they return to normal in the next day or two.  We and the puppies miss her, but we want her to get well.  And everyone I talk to at the hospital tells me how sweet she is.

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The puppies have completely embraced the gruel.  Can you identify any of them by their spots in this photo?  Who is at 9 o'clock? They are growing like weeds each gaining 3-7 ounces per day since making the switch!  (Yes, I said 7!). Goldy and Waino are both over 4 lbs now; Yadi is just shy and even Albert has reached 3 1/2 lbs!  Goldy is so chubby she can hardly walk so we are "seating her at the table" last now!
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I am still experimenting with how often and how much to give them.  I think I've settled on 4-5 times a day and for now 1 1/2 - 2 cups each time for all of them (not for EACH of them!)  I am making sure it is very thin for now to make sure THEY don't get dehydrated.  I am not about to set a bowl of water down for them yet.  The way things have gone, one would probably topple into it and drown! 

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I am sure sure when Rhani comes home, the puppies will express preference for mama's milk, but that would not be a good idea for Rhani.  I ordered a "surgical recovery suit" for her today that will cover her nipples so the puppies cannot nurse on her but she can be with them.  Hope that will work!

​It's hard to believe the puppies are 3 weeks old already!  Here are their mug shots!  Next week, I will try to get everyone to pose naturally like Goldy.  I love that they will "give ears" at such a little age! 

They all got a pedicure today but from the looks of the mug shot photos, I could have gotten them shorter!

We discovered teeth erupting last night!  Another reason they don't need to be nursing on Rhani when she comes home.  Those little baby teeth are needle sharp!

Albert was the first to escape the box this afternoon!  I was upstairs and heard some puppy noises so went down to check.  There was Albert just wandering around the office all by himself.  He's quite curious and adventurous as well as being very sweet!  (And his tail is healing nicely from the licking Rhani gave it when he was tiny!)  

The puppies had a few visitors - Valerie, Campbell and Amelia (who came home from college just to see the puppies!) and Stephen and Cindy.  I failed to warn Stephen and Cindy how messy the babies are when they eat.  They both went home covered in gruel!

Now that they are three weeks old, I will begin tracking all the different people they meet, smells they smell, sounds they hear, surfaces they play on, types of dishes they eat from, where they eat, etc.  The goal is to expose each puppy to as many different things as possible during the 3-8 week period of their lives.  I will try to expose them to at least 2 new auditory, tactile, visual and odor stimuli every day and spend some one on one time with each puppy every day.  I have a big spreadsheet with all different things in all the categories that I will check off as we complete them.  Tomorrow or Thursday, I will take down the whelping box and transform the room into a play room for them with things to climb on, suspended things to bat around, a mirror, etc.  I'll introduce new items daily and hopefully new people at least weekly!  Hopefully we will have enough warm days to get them outside to play on the patio too.  (Not today for sure! Brrrr!)

​We will also do the "Rules of 7 BEFORE they are 7 weeks old when puppies enter their first fear stage:  Play on at least 7 different surfaces; Play with 7 different objects; Play in 7 different locations; Eat from 7 different containers in 7 different locations.  

All of these activities are to help the puppies develop confidence and blossom their natural sense of curiosity so that they are brave and happy with new things they encounter throughout their lives.  It's a lot of work, but fun and worth it!

Thank you to everyone who has reached out or just said a prayer for Rhani and the babies.  I really appreciate the support and hope the prayers work to bring her home healthy and happy as she was before this all happened.

I will leave you with a few more cute photos from the past couple days.

​Until next time....