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Thank you for all your support
Margaret

Started but no progress

What a week we have had! Nina had been getting bigger by the hour! I just knew we were in for a rough time!

Her pups were due 12th September, and when scanned at 24 days she was confirmed in whelp but no accurate count of pups. I was told 3+, but even to my layman’s eye (and I have seen a fair few scans) I could see it was more like 9+. She had been very slim when she was mated (a girl has to look her best!) and kept her figure until almost 6 weeks. (She won 2 RCC’s when 5 weeks in whelp!)

However from 6 weeks onwards she just expanded and expanded! One week before her due date her hock joints began to swell (the canine equivalent of our ankles) The swelling gradually extended all the way down her back pasterns and eventually her feet. Her hocks and back pasterns were twice their normal size. Every day last week she was at the vets. Two further scans showed puppies jammed packed, lined up like soldiers. Nina is not a big bitch and these were big puppies! The swelling of her legs and feet was oedema, caused by the shere weight of the pups compromising her circulation.

The problem with a large litter is the uterus expands so much, there is no elasticity for it to contract and total, primary,  inertia results. As the days slowly passed Nina became more and more uncomfortable, not able to sit or lie down properly. She spent the last day standing up all day, which made her legs swell even more.

After a restless (and sleepless) Tuesday night, at 6.00am on  Wednesday 8th September (day 59) her temperature dropped to 36.7 C so I knew she was entering first stage labour. As any breeder will tell you, this is a most anxious stage, as the timing from the first contraction is crucial,  and  she must be monitored closely. The problem with inertia is there are no contractions at all,  so I had to rely on other signs. She was obviously uncomfortable and very restless. She did not dig, which is unusual but she did pant, looking around at her sides as the puppies moved into position, ready to make there appearance. If only they had! The hours ticked by without any progress. At 3am on Thursday morning I just knew a cesarean was the only answer, but it would be emergency service with only a vet and one nurse in attendance. No backup team to help revive the pups, as vet and nurse must firstly attend to Nina. The timing of a Ceasarean is crucial; too early and the pups’ lungs are not properly lined and they drown; two late and the pups run out of oxygen from the detached placentas and again they drown.

At 7 am I contacted my vet and by 8am he was out examining Nina at home. He agreed the pups needed to be out and re organised his day so he could operate on her that morning. I have great faith in Ian and trust his judgement. He  agreed that the oedema and her compromised circulation could be a complication, but we had no choice and I have faith in him.

For what seemed a lifetime I sat and waited in the surgery, trying to remain positive and blotting out the memory of the  message I had received via UK Goldens from another breeder who said she once had oedema in a pregnant bitch, but it did not end happily as her bitch died as a result of the anesthetic whilst having a ceasarian. I am sure this person could have no idea how much distress this message gave me. I prayed that Nina would be OK, but I wanted my babies to be all alright too.

After an hour Karen, one of the nurses brought out a basket full of lively, noisy pups. My first question was “Is my Nina OK?” “Yes she’s fine” was just the answer I had prayed for. There were 11 puppies in the basket. Karen said they had no idea how many boys or girls, they came out too fast to keep track. Karen said there were 12 puppies in total, but one little bitch, the last one to be born was very weak and not breathing properly: she had been put on oxygen.  Sadly she did not make it. They gave her to me and I tried to revive her, and she did take a few gasps, but as so often happens with a ceasarian involving alot of puppies, the anaestheic reaches the pups via the placentas and usually the last to be born get the highest dose. No matter how many puppies I breed I will always mourn the ones I lose.

However, I had 11 heathy pups to dry and try to pacify whilst they wait for their first feed. Ian came to say Nina was OK and she was round after the anaesthetic but she had lost alot of fliud and he must replace that before she can go home otherwise she could go into shock.

An hour later I brought Nina home with our lovely (if noisy!) litter of 7 girls and 4 boys.  Nina was still drowsy and a little confused as to where all these wriggling babes came from, but she trusted  me and was soon feeding and cleaning them up. The odeama had totally disappeared.

The first few days have not exactly been text book, but I will keep that for another post.

Few Hours old

Bye for Now

from Margaret and her Brood

A huge thank you to you all for making our fun day a huge success. The weather was kind to us (unlike the weather in Scarborough when Gordon and Lynn Kipps set off) The Bouncy Castle proved popular with the kids, as did the face painting and hair braiding. The lolly and balloon draw went well and these stalls, together with the sweet stall and “name the doll & Teddy” raised  £94.00. A special thanks to Sarah and Riki and their friends Louise and Rachel, who manned these stalls and helped both before and after the event.

The Pet stall was a huge success and with Leanne, her sister Michelle and boyfriend Micheal in charge, they managed to take a huge £102.85. Well done and thank you.

The Tombola was also a great success. With so many lovely prizes so kindly donated, and a fantastic Sheila doing a good selling job, nearly £90.00 was raised.

The cakes were a huge success, thank you to all who baked and gave so wholeheartedly. A special mention for Alison and her Auntie Pat and Auntie Anne who manned this stall all day, we made over £85.00 on this stall alone. Many thanks to Betty who came loaded with 5 cake tins full of goodies.( Betty also brought along the whole family including my two “old boys” Harry (now nearly 14 and our Joe , nearly 13 -my old boys are Amirene Golden Retrievers of course) The boys relaxed in the garden with Bill and Tommy as the burgers were cooked (maybe they thought one would just fall off into their mouths!)

A special thank you to Linda’s mam who baked that lovely fruit cake for the “Guess the weight of the cake competition” The weight was never guessed, so the cake was sold for £15.00 which made the overall profit for the cakes at £100.00.

The barbecued burgers and sausages went well and a big thank you to Bill who cooked all day and to Jean and Derek who donated the burgers and sausages.

Thank You to Sue and Di who were kept busy all day in the kitchen where the magnificent cake stand brought by Christine ……was the centre of attention. Thank You so much Christine, I had never seen anything like it before!

Myra and Derek helped with the raffle (so many fantastic prizes – all donated thank you to everyone) The raffle, plus my plant and egg stand raised over £100.00.

Annie and her friend Maggie put in a tireless day with George, Sabre, Kai and Linda’s Megan (whose “speak on command” brought such applause!) With their lovely “Animals in Need” jackets they did us all proud!

With Ian Harris manning the impressive Castle Vets stand; Brenda with her beautiful table  of Aurora essences; Crissie’s mum, Sue with her Jamie Oliver stall and Linda with her Crafts and dog training it made for a great day out for all.

Some friends could not make it that day, but their donations have been so gratefully received.

The greatest success of the day was of course the family who came forward to give a home to Leonard, our Dog De Bordeaux. It was because of Leonard and all other animals who come to us in need of special care before they can be rehomed, that our Charity was first  created. I will be writing a separate post about Leonard and his new family later.

Overall we all managed to raise almost £1000.00. I will be forever gratefull for all the help support and encouragement from all of my friends and staff without whom I could not have put on this event

Thankyou to you all

from Margaret xxx

ps I will be putting some photos on the Gallery when John comes to help me!

Amirene Kennels

In addition to my Goldens I also have a licensed boarding kennels and cattery.

Contact details:
Margaret Irene Woods
Amirene Widehope Farm
Bildershaw
West Auckland
Bishop Auckland
County Durham
DL14 9PL

Telephone:
01388 834445

Email:
margaret@amirene.com

Opening Times:
Mon – Sun 10.00 am – 4.00 pm

Please contact for details.

Look forward to seeing you

Margaret