After spending 3 weeks in Madison including before Wicket's puppies were born and then by the time they were 12 days old, it was time to go back to our home in Door County reuniting with Maddie and Allie.  It felt fabulous to be home.  And we had adventures on the way!  Here are 3 puppies climbing out of the heated box Bruce had in his car on the way to Lomira to visit Dr. Greer.  Yes, he was careful with the electrical cord so all puppies were safe!  We had not experienced them climbing out of this styrofoam cooler until we were on the road, of course.
When we got to Dr. Greer's, she removed Wickie's stitches from her C-section and then drew blood from all the puppies for our breed's Glanzman's test.  Since Wicket is a carrier for this bleeding disorder, we need to know which puppies will be carriers and which will be clear.  None of them will be affected since we carefully bred Wicket to a clear.  Now we are hoping for most of them to have their father's blood!
We told Dr. Greer that feeding 12 puppies has been challenging for Wicket since there are so many so she made a suggestion that we try adding puppy mousse to their diet.

Judging by the clean plate club we had here, the puppies seemed to like their mousse!  Needless to say Wickie loves to clean up after them now that we have made this a part of their daily diet.

This post is quite long so stop now if you bore easily.

I have been in stressful corporate roles for 35 years but I have never experienced
stress and emotion like that of the 18 hours from 8 pm on Dec 13 to around 2 pm
on Dec 14. Our Otterhound, Wicket was due to deliver 12 puppies on Dec 13.  The
stress really began before that when we were required to choose between whelping the pups or delivering via C-section.  We chose the former as it is better for the pups (no anesthesia) and ultimately for the mom (how would you like to
awaken to twelve squirmy creatures pawing at your nipples?)

Wicket's water broke at about 8 pm and the first pup, a boy, was delivered at 10:30.  The second, a girl, arrived just before midnight. Then three more boys arriving roughly hourly through 2:30. Then the "fun" started.  We were advised by our vet care folks that more than two hrs between pups could indicate trouble for the remaining pups.  After waiting a nail biting 2 hours and 20 minutes, Pup 6
was born.  A very small 6 oz boy who we struggled to get breathing, but he made
it.  Then two more boys about 30 minutes apart. Then we waited another
excruciating 2 and a half hours before Pup 9 arrived.  His tongue and feet were
blue, but our friend and "midwife," Betsy Conway would not accept anything but
life for the puppy, and Boy #9 also survived.
After the 9 am delivery, all labor stopped. We were advised to get to to the vet hospital as quickly as possible. We use Veterinary Village in Lomira, Wisconsin, Dr Marty Greer (a plug for some terrific folks). They were waiting for us when we arrived around 11:30. Ultrasound revealed 3 pups alive, but 2 of 3 with faint heartbeats. Wicket was in surgery by 12:15. Three more pups, all girls! were delivered within minutes. Two of three were revived quickly. The third appeared limp and unresponsive so we were prepared for the worst. The vet tech worked feverishly to resuscitate the pup, alternating between rubbing vigorously, clearing the air way, and administering a drug designed to stimulate the pup. It went on for at least ten minutes (seemed like an hour), but first her mouth moved, then a little squeak, then the miracle of life. All 12 were now safely in our care.

Wicket did great through surgery and is now a doting mother with two fewer feeding stations than she needs. But with mom and dad's help, she'll manage. Three of the pups are small and are not "out of the woods" yet, but Becky and I will do everything we can to get them through. The next eight weeks promise to be agony. We have had litters of six and nine, but nothing like this. It promises to be painful joy, but we'll survive. And those twelve little miracles will make a lot of folks very happy.

As I write this, I am watching news of the death of 27 people, mostly children, and I feel a tad bit guilty for the joy I feel when so many are suffering. But life goes on and so will the story of the 12 Otterhounds of Christmas 2012.


Note:  I so appreciate the love and support my husband provides for this passion of mine--this Otterhound breed!

In this busy holiday and puppy season, Allie and I took a break to go and visit friends in Michigan for a dog show in East Lansing.  Top photo, Callie with owner Linda, Allie with Nancy Martin and Beep with Karmen. Left, Gabe with Nancy Lange Right, Beep and Luggy each sitting with owner Teri.  Bottom, first Striker with Cheryl, Echo with Karmen and below Allie with Jester competes in owner/handler Hound group competition.
One of the highlights for me on the trip was that Allie won Best of Breed on Saturday and went on to win a group 3 placement in the hound group.  Linda Spence was able to finish Callie who is now a champion and Stryker won a major with owner handler Cheryl.  Luggy got his first point with Karmen handling.  Gabe won some points toward his grand championship.  Henley won breed 2 days and made the cut on Sunday.  We all went home tired but all went home as friends!  Thanks to Nancy, Karmen, Joni, Allie, Sharon, Teri, Linda and Cheryl!

It's been a busy week as we prepare to move to Madison for the duration of the whelping through Christmas. I took Allie for a vet visit for an allergy that seems to be very common in Door County.  Came home to give Wicket a bath to prepare for the birth of her puppies and also discovered that Allie is in season.  So much going on with the dogs all at once!  Luckily Jack is just his usual jovial self though very happy that Allie is in season.  Looks like he will have to join us in Madison so the house sitter won't have him around Allie!  Seems challenging for Wickie to get comfortable these days.