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'Pups? Never Again!' |
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| Although this is not a specific
German Shepherd case the article gives good examples of what can happen to
anyone embarking into a breeding program |
When Claire Wise decided to breed pups she had no idea how badly it could go wrong
We were so excited.
Our gorgeous English Springer, Saffy, was in pup. We had spent
a long time choosing the sire. He had to be of a similar size (fairly
small), of good stock (he was a gamekeepers dog and proven stud), of a good
pedigree, and with a lovely temperament.
We read all the books. We went and spoke to breeders. We were in constant touch with the vet. We thought we were ready.
But things didn't go to plan. Saffy never had a contraction, so she had a caesarean. The vet phoned. Please would we collect Saffy and eight healthy puppies.
Back home the puppies started to feed. I sat with Saffy, stroking her and hoping that she would perk up a little after the anaesthetic - but after half an hour she tried to stand up, then she collapsed. I rushed her back to the vets, leaving the tiny puppies with a friend.
Saffy died. The post mortem said it was shock.
I had never hand-reared a puppy before - and now I had eight desperate for food. The nurses at the vets came to my rescue, and offered to take four of the puppies to relieve some pressure, and they gave me some bottles and formula.
I cried all the time. I felt completely helpless. I had raised three healthy sons, but had no idea what to do with these pups. The nurses realised that I was in a total state and took another couple of the puppies. The ones I had still needed to be fed every two hours, and each feed seemed to take forever.
At 4am one morning, I ralised something was wrong. Both my puppies had gone limp. By 5am, I was at the vets. Pneumonia. \more tears. The idea of loosing any of the puppies was too much.
The nurses stepped in again. Now they had all eight puppies. and were sharing the two hourly feeds between them. I called or went to see the puppies every day. I had some sleep. I cried a little less. Every day there was a new scare: wheezing, diarrhoea, constipation, an unknown virus. The vet kept telling me that not all puppies pull through.
On day ten, when I thought we were through the worst, the small dog died. Just faded away. At that stage, I thought we would probably loose them all.
However, aged exactly two weeks, the remaining seven puppies came home. They were on three-hourly feeds, and it took two and a half hours to feed them and to stimulate bowel movement. Then all bottles had to be sterilized, and all the bedding washed. I had no sleep for five days. Some lovely friends helped with some of the feeds.
Gradually things became easier as the puppies grew, and we had more sleep. Soon we were weaning them, and at eight weeks they started to go to their new homes. I cried again, even though we knew all the new owners and knew the puppies would be well looked after. We kept a bitch. She looks exactly like her mum.
What advice would I give to others? We were very lucky to have had so much support from our vets and the nurses, but there was no financial help. None of our insurance covered any of the costs, which added up to thousands. Plus I did not go to work for weeks. Luckily, I have a very understanding business partner.
Would I breed again? No. It must be lovely when it all goes well, but I couldn't go through the heartache of loosing another beloved bitch.
We read all the books. We went and spoke to breeders. We were in constant touch with the vet. We thought we were ready.
But things didn't go to plan. Saffy never had a contraction, so she had a caesarean. The vet phoned. Please would we collect Saffy and eight healthy puppies.
Back home the puppies started to feed. I sat with Saffy, stroking her and hoping that she would perk up a little after the anaesthetic - but after half an hour she tried to stand up, then she collapsed. I rushed her back to the vets, leaving the tiny puppies with a friend.
Saffy died. The post mortem said it was shock.
I had never hand-reared a puppy before - and now I had eight desperate for food. The nurses at the vets came to my rescue, and offered to take four of the puppies to relieve some pressure, and they gave me some bottles and formula.
I cried all the time. I felt completely helpless. I had raised three healthy sons, but had no idea what to do with these pups. The nurses realised that I was in a total state and took another couple of the puppies. The ones I had still needed to be fed every two hours, and each feed seemed to take forever.
At 4am one morning, I ralised something was wrong. Both my puppies had gone limp. By 5am, I was at the vets. Pneumonia. \more tears. The idea of loosing any of the puppies was too much.
The nurses stepped in again. Now they had all eight puppies. and were sharing the two hourly feeds between them. I called or went to see the puppies every day. I had some sleep. I cried a little less. Every day there was a new scare: wheezing, diarrhoea, constipation, an unknown virus. The vet kept telling me that not all puppies pull through.
On day ten, when I thought we were through the worst, the small dog died. Just faded away. At that stage, I thought we would probably loose them all.
However, aged exactly two weeks, the remaining seven puppies came home. They were on three-hourly feeds, and it took two and a half hours to feed them and to stimulate bowel movement. Then all bottles had to be sterilized, and all the bedding washed. I had no sleep for five days. Some lovely friends helped with some of the feeds.
Gradually things became easier as the puppies grew, and we had more sleep. Soon we were weaning them, and at eight weeks they started to go to their new homes. I cried again, even though we knew all the new owners and knew the puppies would be well looked after. We kept a bitch. She looks exactly like her mum.
What advice would I give to others? We were very lucky to have had so much support from our vets and the nurses, but there was no financial help. None of our insurance covered any of the costs, which added up to thousands. Plus I did not go to work for weeks. Luckily, I have a very understanding business partner.
Would I breed again? No. It must be lovely when it all goes well, but I couldn't go through the heartache of loosing another beloved bitch.
reprinted with kind permission from Alastair Balmain
Deputy Editor:Shooting Times & Country Magazine
Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street SE1 0SU
Tel: 020 3148 4750
The above information is simply informational. It's intent is not to replace the advice of a veterinarian nor to assist you in making a diagnosis of your pet. Please consult with your own veterinarian for confirmation of any diagnosis. Your pets life may depend on it.
Deputy Editor:Shooting Times & Country Magazine
Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street SE1 0SU
Tel: 020 3148 4750
The above information is simply informational. It's intent is not to replace the advice of a veterinarian nor to assist you in making a diagnosis of your pet. Please consult with your own veterinarian for confirmation of any diagnosis. Your pets life may depend on it.