I slammed on my brakes to keep from hitting them. Their "passion" had driven them into the road. Still shaking from the near miss, I jump out of the car to see if I had hit them. The male dog and ran off, but the little female ran up to me. Without giving it a second thought I put her in my car. I had a new dog. I named her Lainie; I had found her on Lakeside Lane. It was rural area and lots of animals were dumped there. I took the ones I found to the local shelter. I couldn't do that Lainie. They would euthanize her if she was pregnant.
Without even going home, we went to directly to the veterinarian's office. No one was surprised I showed up with a new dog in arms. Animals of all kind seemed to find me. I must have a tattoo on my forehead that says, "I will take you home and love you" that only animals can read.
My veterinarian just shook her head when I explained what had happened. I think she can see that tattoo as well. She gave me several little booklets about pregnancy in dogs, explaining everything I would ever need to know. It even had a calendar in it. My veterinarian wrote down the date in the first box on the calendar - June 14, Flag Day.
"We won't know for sure for about three weeks," she explained. "Bring her back then and we'll figure it out then."
Call me Prissy. "I don't know nothing about birthin' babies." Or puppies or any animal. All of our pets had always been altered so having additions to our family was impossible.
Once home and after Lainie was made to feel at home, I began reading the booklets I had just been given. Despite my mind whirling, I learned quite a bit. I didn't know that a dog was only pregnant for 54 to 72 days, average was 63 days. That seemed awfully fast to me. I always thought it would take longer. Larger dogs were usually pregnant for longer and smaller dogs had shorter pregnancies. That made sense; it should take more time to make bigger puppies and less time to make smaller puppies.
I read that I should watch for signs of pregnancy before the veterinarian could medically confirm it. Changes in behavior and eating habits should be looked for. Well, so much for me knowing before the vet could tell me. I didn't know anything about her normal behavior or how much she would eat. I also read she might have morning sickness, just like pregnant women. I felt a little better. I could tell if she had vomited.
The booklet said that a pregnant dog didn't need a special diet or supplements. My veterinarian had just told me to feed Lainie puppy food because it had all the extras she might need. She said this was because we didn't know how well she had been eating and, even though she wasn't extremely thin, she could still be malnourished. The booklet said that later in pregnancy she would need to eat more, but there was less room for her stomach with the growing puppies so I shouldn't just give her a big meal. I should feed her small meals several times a day. I decided to start doing that right away. I didn't want to get her into a routine and then suddenly stop it. Her life was changing fast enough already.
I was fascinated by my new reading material. The booklet said the veterinarian could feel the puppies 28 days from the day the dog was breed. An ultrasound might even be able to tell me how many puppies Lainie was going to have. I got out my regular calendar and counted 28 days. That would be on July 12th. All of the important milestones were listed on the pregnancy calendar, so I just wrote "July 12th" in the corner of the little square.
The part about complications during childbirth was a little scary. I read about puppies not being in the birth canal in the right position. It was okay if they were born backwards (tail first), but not sideways. That could block the other puppies from being born. If she had a lot of puppies this could cause "exhaustion of the uterus" and she couldn't have the puppies. This especially worried me. She was a little terrier mix and I had no idea how many "boys" she had been in "contact" with. She could be having a lot of puppies. I also learned that if her pelvis wasn't wide enough or her uterus wasn't straight then she would have to have a cesarean section. Lainie's contractions might not be strong enough to push the puppies into their new world. That would require a trip to the veterinarian. She could be given medicine to strengthen her contractions. If that didn't work, she would need a cesarean section.
I felt a little better when I learned that less than three percent of dogs needed help having their puppies. I liked those odds. Lainie had been lucky so far, finding a home and having good food to eat. I was sure the luck would hold out for us. If we were really lucky, she wouldn't even be pregnant. That is what I was hoping for. Deciding to end my "birthing puppies education" on a high note, I put all the information away and headed for bed. I had 28 days before I would even know if Lainie was in the family way. I had lots of time to learn all about dog pregnancy and having puppies.
I didn't get back to my studies for a few days. Lainie had to be "potty trained" and all my critters needed to get to know each other. She was a joy. Everyone got along well. I was quite pleased with how my little family was doing. Hopefully, it wouldn't be growing soon.
I went back to my little booklets, absorbing all the facts I could about pregnancy and birth. I learned that one of the first signs that I could see would be larger and darker nipples. I called her to me so I could look at them now. I wanted to have something to compare them to later. They looked normal, but the booklet said that wouldn't start to change until after five weeks. That was about a month away. It also said I would notice a weight gain. I had already noticed that, but it was only because Lainie was getting regular meals. I had no idea how long it had been since she had regular meals, if she had ever had them.
I was now learning about the last half of a dog's pregnancy. Even though Lainie's nipples would be getting bigger, I wouldn't notice any milk until the about a week before her due date. I looked at my calendar. There were 72 boxes, the normal maximum for a dog's pregnancy. There it was "Expect Milk" was typed on box number fifty-four. The calendar said to expect puppies on day 63, seven days later I did the math. I could expect to see milk about August 7th. The puppies should arrive on August 14, but no later than August 23rd.
I learned to watch for a discharge from her vulva, watch how she was acting and how much she was eating. This all made sense to me. I had "people friends" who had children and these were things they looked for. I also knew not to give her any medications unless the veterinarian said to. Maybe I knew more about birthing puppies than I had originally thought. I wrote down "pre-natal vitamins?" in a spiral notebook I had bought to keep track of what was going on with Lainie and what questions to ask the veterinarian. I was curious if she might need vitamins, considering her previous lifestyle. Besides, I read that dogs lost calcium, sometimes, because they were making milk. I began to wonder if she had enough calcium. I picked up my little notebook - another question to write down. I had read they weren't necessary, just like a special diet wasn't needed. But, she did a have a special diet - the puppy food.
The more I read, the more I realized how little differences there was in having a pregnant dog and a dog that wasn't. Of course, I was watching her more closely, but everything else was pretty much the same. I just needed to relax and let nature take it's course. Relax? I had a notebook for Lainie's pregnancy. I was reading and rereading and then reading again the booklets about pregnant dogs. My obsessive compulsive tendencies were taking over, as usual.
Time passed. I made the appointment for Lainie's check-up on July 14th, day number thirty. That would be the day I would know for sure if I was going to be a grandmother. Yes, Lainie was already my baby, just like the rest of my pets.
Day 30 rolled around. All of my reading was not for naught; Lainie was indeed pregnant. The veterinarian did a blood test and she felt for the puppies. She wasn't sure how many there was yet, but they were definitely there. Not the news I wanted, but there was little I could do now.
I asked all the questions I had written down. I was told she didn't need vitamins or calcium. I also asked about vaccinations. I had read that it was safe to vaccinate a dog while they were pregnant. It would even help to build up the puppies' immune system. She could even be wormed now. She would need to be wormed before the puppies were born and then after, even if she showed no signs of having worms.
The veterinarian gave her all her vaccinations and wormed her. I was told that everything looked good and to come back in two weeks for an ultrasound. I got out my pregnancy calendar and wrote "count them" on day number 44, the 28th of July.
My veterinarian teased me about my notebook and calendar. She also told me to relax. You know, that standard line about "giving birth for centuries. She explained to me that Lainie was much more aware of her surroundings now that she was pregnant. She was also more sensitive to my moods. Lainie would be taking her cues from me. If I was calm and relaxed, not hovering and fussy, then she, too, would be calm. If I started getting crazy and nervous, she would do that, too. Her routine would need to stay the same (glad I started feeding her all those little meals!) and just let her be a normal dog.
I left the office feeling a bit better. Now I knew what was going on and I had to go with the flow. I kept reminding myself that less than three percent of dogs had trouble giving birth. Things would go just fine, no trouble, no drama.
Over the next few days, I read about the last few days of her pregnancy. There wasn't much I had to do other than watch her. Although, I would have to go shopping. Lainie needed a whelping box, a place for her to have her puppies and keep them for the first several weeks of their lives. I could start taking her temperature about day 54. Normally, her temperature would be about 100.2 to 101. It would drop about two degrees the day before she would deliver. I decided against doing this. I thought I would be a wreck and drive her crazy if I knew the puppies would be there within 24 hours. Some things I was better off not knowing. I learned she would start "nesting." I thought that was too sweet. She would be making a bed for her babies. I had to be careful she didn't tear up anything important. The booklet said she would rip up papers and drag towels or blankets into the nest she was making and soon be sharing with her babies. It may be silly, but I felt all warm and fuzzy. I was starting to get excited about being a grandmother. I had finally learned to relax.
I began reading about the actual birth process, labor and delivery. The booklet made it sound so easy. All I had to do was remain calm and softly encourage her. She would know what to do. Because I had read all these booklets, I knew what to do, too. I needed to write everything down that happened as soon as I noticed the first signs of labor. I knew I could do that; I had been taking notes the entire pregnancy. I especially needed to keep track of all the times - when I first suspect labor has started, when each puppy was born and when the puppies started nursing. I learned to look for Lainie pacing and panting. She might even start to shiver. The booklet said I could actually see Lainie's contractions. Then her water would break - just like with people. I could start expecting to see the first puppy soon after that. What I didn't know was that each puppy would have it's own placenta. After all of her puppies were born, there would be discharge. It shouldn't smell, but it could be brownish red or even green. Every time a puppy would be born, Lainie would clean it up and chew off the umbilical cord. She would even eat the placentas.
I kept reminding myself of that "less than three percent" when I got to the sections on problems. No matter what I read, I was going to remain positive. There was a list under the title "When To Call the Vet." It wasn't as long as I had expected. I was to call if Lainie was past due. That was day 69 on the calendar. I should call if that green or brownish red discharge came before the puppies. The last one had me stumped. How would I know if she hadn't delivered all of her puppies within four hours of her last puppy? Would Lainie still be having contractions, but no puppies? I wrote it down in my notebook.
July 28th finally arrived. We should be able to count the puppies now. My friends and I were taking bets on how many puppies Lainie would have. (I was really relaxed now!) I said two. My other friends all thought there would be more. One even said fifteen. That number scared me. She was too little to have fifteen babies living inside her. The veterinarian did the ultrasound. It wasn't fifteen puppies and it wasn't two, either. "Lucky seven," the veterinarian told me. She went on to show me on the ultrasound screen all the puppies. I counted along with her, even though they looked like ovals in different shades of black, white and gray. To be honest, I couldn't tell they were all puppies. Some of them, but not all of them.
My veterinarian knows me well, very well. She immediately started telling me not to worry just because she was having so many. It was unusual for a dog Lainie's size to have so many puppies, but "they've been doing it for centuries." She said they all looked good and I all I had to do was wait. She asked if I had gotten the whelping box. I told her I did and the Lainie liked it; she had been sleeping in it for several days. I asked her about the "having contractions, but no puppies" question I had written down. Yes. Lainie would have contractions, but no puppies. I was told to call her if that happened, just like the booklet said.
Time flew by; soon it was August 7th, day 54 of Lainie's pregnancy. I saw no signs of milk. Then it was day 57 and still no milk. Her nipples were huge, but there was no milk. I called the veterinarian and was told not to worry - it would happen in the next few days. If not, call and schedule an appointment. Despite my promise to relax, I bought a canister of the puppy milk replacement formula - just in case. Day 58 and milk. Of course, Lainie's milk would come in one day after I spent all that money on the formula! That was also the day Lainie started nesting. She was a serious nester, too. She was dragging everything she could to her box in the bathroom. She even took my fuzzy green slippers, a gag gift from my mom, into her little nest. I didn't have the heart to take them away from her. Day 59. Day 60. Day 61. Day 62. No puppies. There was a lot of nesting, but no other signs of puppies. I went to bed, thinking that tomorrow would be the day. Lainie had a "by the booklets" pregnancy so far. Why would it change now?
At nineteen minutes past one in the morning, Day 63, Lainie jumped up in the bed with me. How she managed to get her and her unborn puppies up there was unbelievable; she was so huge. I looked her over. I didn't see any changes in her, so I put her back in the bathroom, this time remembering to secure the baby gate I had got to keep her in the bathroom. I went back to bed. At 3:47 a.m., I felt Lainie on the bed again. I turned on the light to check her. I was surprised. She was at the foot of the bed with one puppy. I had slept through the birth of my first grandchild! I had even slept through her getting up on the bed. I marked the time in my notebook and watched. At 4 a.m., there was the second puppy. She cleaned it and chewed off the cord. She then ate the placenta. At 4:02, another puppy. Again at 4:07, at 4:11, at 4:14 and then at 4:18, the final puppy.
By 4:20, all the puppies were nursing. They used their little hands (okay, paws) to help get the milk out. I just sat there and watched, in awe. Only one looked like Lainie. All the others looked different from each other. Two were almost twice the size of the rest. I laughed when I realized she had two regular-sized puppies and five runts. I knew that wasn't true, but that was the thought I had. They were doing great.
I called the veterinarian at eight, when the clinic opened. I was told to bring them in that afternoon. I stayed in bed, watching Lainie and her babies, until just before time to leave to the veterinarian. I had no reason to get up. I just watched the puppies sleep and nurse and then they would sleep and nurse again. It was a miracle.