Since my last post, we've had a pretty big change happen in our house. Our dog Bianca had 7 puppies! Right before my birthday, I was taking her outside and she got loose and took off. About a month and a half later, I noticed that she was getting pretty fat, so I called the vet. They did an X-ray and found out that our girl was pregnant! They told us she would be due very soon, so we began preparing a whelping box and feeding her as much puppy food as she wanted.
About 2 weeks later, while we had visitors from NY, Bianca started laboring. It was very late Saturday night. Sunday morning, the contractions seemed to have subsided, but then came back a few hours later. Her water broke that day around 2pm. 2 hours later, with no changes and no puppies, I called the vet and got their answering service. They advised me to call the Emergency Clinic and explain what was happening. So, I did that...they asked if Bianca had started pushing and I told them no. They said that it was probably just pee, not amniotic fluid, and that if she starts pushing and an hour goes by with no puppy, then to bring her in. She continued contracting throughout the night with no pushing. Monday morning, she wasn't herself. She would barely get up, and every time she did, she leaked a greenish fluid. I called our regular vet and they told us to bring her in right away. I stayed home with the kids while Steven took Bianca. We didn't want the kids to witness their dog in pain.
I got a text from Steven shortly after that said: "It's an infection. The vet thinks the puppies won't survive it. And it's not looking good for Bianca either. She's very sick. I'll call you as soon as I can." I was trying my best to hold myself together in front of the kids, but I was terrified. The vet sent Steven home to be with me and the kids while they took Bianca in to surgery. We sat Carter down (Brookie is too little to understand.) and we explained to him as best as we could what was happening to his dog. We told him she was very sick and that the puppies probably wouldn't be able to come home. The first thing he asked was "Well, can Bianca come home?" We told him we hoped so. He started crying...and of course Steven and I both cried with him. All we could do was pray.
Shortly after, we got a phone call from the vet. I answered, scared out of my mind. He said, "Bianca is doing fine...and so are all 7 puppies!" I breathed a huge sigh of relief! They told us that she had a very serious infection, so they took the babies by c-section and that they had to remove her uterus to get the infection out. They put her on antibiotics and pain meds and told us she would be better off recovering at home with us.
Steven had to work at 2, so the kids and I went to pick her up at 5 o clock that evening. Bianca looked awful. She was so skinny and didn't even have enough energy to walk by herself. We set her blankets up in my van and brought her and the babies home. The first 2 days were rough. Bianca was in so much pain and just so wiped out. She finally started eating and walking around. On day 3, we got her to enjoy a little sun in the deck with us. Now, 4 weeks later, she is completely herself again!
Our house has been flipped upside down with these puppies! They are absolutely adorable and they're so sweet! But they are a lot of work! Right now, we are working on weaning them from Bianca's milk and moving them to puppy food. We have to change the blankets and papers in their box 2-3 times a day. I have never done this much laundry in my life! It's been an interesting experience and the kids are loving it. We are considering keeping 2 puppies! My heart says yes, but my head says, 1 is plenty. We have 4 weeks to decide.
Meanwhile, we are enjoying summer time. We had a blast at all of the 4th of July festivities! 2 parades, 2 sets of amazing fireworks, lots of amazing family and friends!
This past weekend, Steven got some very rare days off. We made the absolute best of it! We even made a "Redneck Swimming Pool" by putting a tarp in the back of the Chevy and filling it up with water!
I hope you are all enjoying your summer as much as we are!
