EARLY MONTHS

Nice garden mom... can I go and play with my brothers now...

 

 

How about a birth mark
in the shape of a heart...

 

Hug me dear...



 



Those steps are so high...

EARLY WEEKS - PART II

I love you...




What is this green stuff...
 



Hanging out with the Master

I think I'm ready for a nap...

Can I ust take it easy...?

Something smells good...

So, does the camera like me...?

 

The Power of the Pack

EARLY WEEKS

Snuggling with Momma.
Pups don't open their eyes yet, but they can definitely find their
 way to momma's arms. It took only 3 days for their pink noses
to start turning black.

Under Mom's watchful eye.

My Granddaughter and the Pups

At 3 1/2 weeks pups' K-9 teeth poked through and mom
 did not like that... nursing was no longer fun... Bella's nipples
were getting raw and bruised. I applied the ointment between
feedings, but still nursing was painful for Bella. I encouraged
her to nurse at least twice a day, but this was all I could get
out of mom. It was understandable, pups' teeth were sharp as
needles. Bella stopped nursing after 4 weeks and puppy food
became the only food source for the pups. Thankfully there are
good options out there. I soaked the dry puppy food in water
until soft, added a can of the canned puppy food and 8 oz of
liquid puppy formula and then blended it well. They ate it 3
times a day until 8 weeks old and loved it. They were growing
well and looked strong.

It didn't take long to devour the meal... Messy,
messy eaters... The good think about feeding
pups with prepared food is that we didn't have
to switch 11 pups around to get milk out of 8
nipples. It took 45-60 minutes every meal to
assure everyone ate. Glad this is over now.
 

EARLY DAYS

Only one objective in life...  food.

The bellies grow big after the meal...

 

THE NEXT DAY

 

Pups and momma were doing well. They all settled in the living room and I slept on the couch to hear and be close if pups or momma needed anything. Bella needed to go out to the bathroom every night at least once, so it made sense to sleep in the same room.

Right from the beginning momma and the pups liked to stay in the crate. Pups were blind, but more mobile then I would have expected. Their wobbly tiny bodies were so fun to watch. They sure were driven to mom’s nipples… food, food, and more food. And momma was so patient…




Little Ayla (the silver and white pup on her back) seems to be quite an acrobat. But then, Pit Bulls are known for their athletic skills.

















Bella enjoys a break...

THE BIRTH OF PIT BULL PUPPIES

Bella was with us for about a week; her daddy had busy schedule at work and didn’t want Bella to be home alone when the puppies would be born. She was welcomed by pit bull Teddy and lab mix Gigabyte. She was not too keen on making friends at the time; it was more important for her to feel safe and prepare for the arrival of the offspring, so we kept the boys separately.

Then the day came; it was a sunny February day. Bella didn’t want to eat anything. I took her to work and she seemed clingy, didn’t eat and seemed anxious to go back home. After we came home, she settled in her crate in the living room and around 6 pm the first puppy came out. It was the first time we assisted the dog momma in a birth of her pups. It was beautiful. Bella in spite of her young age did great. She came out of the crate. I sat on the floor to be close. I helped her so the cords didn’t get severed too close to the bellies. The pups came out about 30 minutes apart. She made sure each pup was clean, moving and breathing before she let me take it and place in a box lined with a towel. I sat on the floor; she curled next to me with her head on my laps when she rested between delivering the next pup.

The first two went perfect. The third one was stillborn. She cleaned and licked him over and over; he didn’t move. It was so said to see his limb body. We couldn’t make him start breathing. Bella was looking at the pup and me like she was asking for help, but there was nothing we could do to change the course for the little guy. I named him Trio. Next day I wrapped his tiny body in the towel and buried him under a big cedar tree on our backyard.

The rest of the pups came out beautifully. My mom and I were tying the umbilical cords, she was massaging them through a towel making sure they breathe strong. The whole litter looked healthy and strong.

Bella could finally rest at midnight. She looked tired, but wanted to be close to the pups. It was still cold outside, we had the fire going in the woodstove. I set up the bedding for Bella and pups near the stove. They were warm. I wanted to let them nurse before the night was over. Bella had 11 pups and only 8 nipples. It took about 2 hours to get each pup to nurse for the first time, but at 2 am they all had a good drink of milk and went to sleep curled next to momma. And she was already napping when pups were nursing. Now we all could rest a little,… well… after cleaning the big mess in my living room…