Birth Announcement

We are very happy to share the good news that indeed, on Day 59, Wish delivered two beautiful Brittany puppies. The first one arrived on Saturday afternoon and is a liver/white female who reminds me very much of Treasure. The second puppy arrived a few hours later and is a white/orange male who reminds me of his father, Gibson. This is the smallest litter that Wish has ever had, but it is also her last. She delivered her first puppy without any help whatsoever. Although we are always standing by, ready to assist if needed, we prefer to let natural, maternal instincts prevail. Watching an animal labor to bring life into the world is a very humbling experience for a human, especially when you are the human responsible for the animal about to be born and the life of it's mother. Wish very gracefully, quietly, and privately whelped her first puppy with her back to me although I was watching closely. She gently tore the sac off first around pups head, severed the umbilical cord, roughly licked and stimulated puppy to move and breathe on it's own then nudged it to a nipple to nurse. Then Wish looked over her shoulder and looked deeply into my eyes, communicating all was well. After awhile I carefully removed the puppy from Wish who anxiously watched every move I made while I examined, weighed pup and took it's first picture. Pictures provide a time stamp for the order of birth and assures we have identified a puppy correctly prior to using colored ID bands. Sometimes pups are born in rapid succession and other times the hours seem endless in between. Such was the case with her second (final) pup! Even though I was sure everything was well, for my own peace of mind I checked in with our vet at home on Sunday evening. He walked me through a little troubleshooting exam and then assured me don't worry about the time in between pups. Wish was resting comfortably with her new puppy nursing at her side. Nursing stimulate the release of more oxytocin which then triggers contractions. Soon Wish began to bear down quite hard, grunt and groan. I placed puppy in the basket (thanks Steve and Steph) where 2 hot water bottles were wrapped in a crochet puppy blanket (thanks Julie) and it was placed under the heat lamp while Wish labored. Her actions showed me this pup may not come so easily - I was worried about size and/or position. At a time I expected to see a placenta wrapped puppy head emerge briefly I saw instead 2 long legs with a tail in between them... This little puppy was going to come into the world backwards. John, Wish, and I then began to work together with the timing of her contractions and each re-appearance of the legs. Eventually Wish pushed and contracted hard enough and we gently pulled puppy from her. Although Wish was caring for his cord and licking frantically, I knew he had fluid in his lungs. Very carefully and gently I used an aspirator to clear them, wrapped him in a cloth, and in a clockwise motion, swung pup slowly downward to emit any remaining fluids. All this time Wish was watching me like a hawk while John was holding her to his side. When I brought pup close to Wish, she gently took him in her mouth as if to show me she'd take over from there. The evidence of Wish' strong maternal experience and instinct was beautiful and amazing to observe. When she was satisfied with the response she was getting from her puppy, Wish gently lay down and drew him forward with her front paws, and pulled him up into the fullest part of the fluffy hair of her coat as if to dry him off and keep him warm. Shortly afterwards he and his sister were lying side by side, nursing and Wish looked like she was ready for a nap! This morning the new family of 3 will be examined by our vet who will also remove dewclaws and dock their tails as is required for this breed. Many breeders prefer to do this at home and although we do know how, prefer not only the vets expertise but also feel it's important for mom and pups to be seen within 48 hours of birth.
I am always cautious about making early puppy announcements because even in the best of situations anything can happen. But so far, all is going very well. For me, there are several critical thresholds to pass over with a neonatal puppy - 24, 48, 72 hours. Monitoring mom and pups, evaluating, weighing, observing are ongoing. Wish is caring for her 2 pups privately but I am nearby and watching. The temperature of the whelping box and the air around the pups is critical. At this age a puppy can become chilled and/or fail to thrive for many reasons. I rarely surface during this time at all.

Both of these pups are going to live with very special families; one of them already has a Brittany from us! The other lives nearby and is looking forward to having a Brittany in their life again, after losing one at the age of 13. Of course there is some disappointment for John and I, Pam and Sam with such a small litter. We plan to evaluate and monitor the pups development as it is the first time they have had the opportunity to do so with pups he has sired and surely we could learn more with a few more puppies! But we are more concerned and happy knowing that Wish is fine and her puppies are healthy and doing well. And they are absolutely beautiful and perfect in every way.

Thanks for your interest in All Things Brittany and as always, God Bless you and yours - John and Ann