2 weeks old!

So much has happened since I last updated the blog.  Puppies’ eyes have opened, first steps have been taken, and growth rates have been astonishing.  These babies are growing up so fast!  We are starting to find potential homes for the babes once they are old enough to leave the nest.  It’s very important to us that we find the BEST homes.  I want the best for these puppies and it will be hard to let them go. 

Here are a few more recent pictures and a very cute video of a couple of them learning to walk….

 puppy pile!

 Garbanzo...

bottle feeding Garbanzo... (see his little eyes are open!)

bottle feeding Pali II!

sweet little Lentil...

Lentil and Garbanzo napping on Pali II... 

Lima peering out of hazy little eyes in the foreground, Soy snoozing in the back...

Lentil, Garbanzo, and Lima lounging atop Pali II...

Soy!

Soy napping on top of Kidney...

  

Adzuki and Pali II passed out with full bellies

And here's a short little video of puppies learning to walk :)

 

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Now that the fun stuff has been shared, I suppose I’ll delve into the not-so-pleasant happenings as well.  Last Saturday, Hana was diagnosed with mastitis (an infection in one of her mammary glands).  We caught it early enough that she had not gone into shock yet, but the infection was serious enough that she was admitted to the animal hospital that evening.  The decision was made to put her on a course of IV antibiotics, which meant that she wouldn’t be able to nurse her pups again.  As a result, we started bottle feeding the puppies and will continue to do so until they can be transitioned to solid food (that will start gradually, in a week or so.)  The puppies had some nipple-confusion at first, but all have learned to drink from the bottle and in fact, they seem to be gaining weight faster than ever now.  I imagine the consistency and quantity that we are able to provide by bottle surpasses what Hana was capable of providing naturally.  Another benefit to the bottle feeding is the extra time spent bonding with us humans.  Thankfully, the most critical time for nursing is during the first 10 days, and our sweet Hana managed to pull that off J

So while the puppies are doing splendidly, Hana’s condition took a turn for the worse on Monday.  The antibiotics and hospital care were not enough to save her mammary gland and she had to have surgery on Monday night to remove the abscessed area.  There was no way around it.  Now that the gland has been removed, Hana is back at home with us again as of Tuesday night.  She’s clearly on the mend.  We were told she might not recognize or remember the puppies when she came home, but that is not the case at all.  In many ways, she seems more attentive to them than ever.  She stays with them in the whelping room constantly and cries if she is away.  While she can’t nurse them anymore, she still tries to help out as best she can.  It’s truly an amazing bit of teamwork we’ve experienced – us bottle feeding the pups in our laps, while Hana comes in behind us and licks and cleans them.  She helps out when she's feeling up to it; otherwise, just being nearby while we care for the babies seems to comfort her. 

It’s been an incredible ordeal and we are all extremely tired and emotionally drained, but feeling closer than ever as a family and as a team.  I'm just so happy that our Hana is going to be okay, and that each puppy is still healthy.  These lives are my top priority right now.  Last night, I slept on the floor (on a dog bed, ha) while Hana took the futon in the whelping room.  Whatever Hana wants or needs right now, she's going to get it.