If all goes well, puppies are due around 21 September.
Before Estelle was taken for an x-ray, the senior vet put an ultrasound probe on Estelle and verified that Estelle is pregnant. Estelle has never looked very pregnant. If you look closely at the ultrasound screen, you can see the spine of a puppy at the top of the screen. After the x-ray, we understood why Estelle did not look pregnant; Estelle is only carrying one puppy. The other information that the x-ray gave us is an estimate of the size of the puppy skull versus the size of Estelle's pelvic opening. Unfortunately the two estimates are very close (differing only by a few millimeters), so the recommendation is that Estelle have a c-section.
We started staging Estelle for a c-section by checking her progesterone level. Progesterone which is high during pregnancy drops towards the end of prgnancy which initiates labor. Based upon the progesterone level and other criteria, the vets make a decision when to do the c-section. Estelle's progesterone today said that today is not the day. I will be bringing Estelle back to NC State tomorrow (and successive days) until the vets determine that Estelle should have her c-section.
After we returned home, I spent time building another whelping box (really a nursery box) in my bedroom. Fortunately I have two whelping nests and two whelping boxes. First I built the base and the whelping nest. Next after a thorough cleaning with bleach, I built the whelping box. Boo, who currently has puppies in the other whelping box, gave her approval of the new whelping box.
Being hungry, Estelle tried to grab a stick from another dog.
After checking Estelle's progesterone level and the ultrasound of her puppy, the vets said "today is the day". Estelle was taken off for surgery around noon. Around 3 pm, I was told to come pick up Estelle and her puppy - a girl.
My first view of the puppy. I could see immediately that the puppy's coat color would be "black and tan".
Estelle was bright and alert. But Estelle would not let the puppy nurse. Estelle tried to nip at the puppy.
Estelle and I then did the long drive home. I put the puppy in plastic box with a towel and a hot water-bottle in order to keep the puppy warm during the drive.
We got home and I weighed the puppy - 198 grams. She was a big puppy, which was to be expected as she was a singleton, and thus did not have any competetion in the uterus for nutrients or room.
Then disaster struck. I was trying to get the the puppy to nurse off of one of Estelle's nipples. Estelle whipped around and picked up the puppy in her mouth. Before I could get the puppy back from Estelle, Estelle bit down, punturing the puppy's abdomen with Estelle's large canine teeth. When I finally got the puppy from Estelle, I could see that the puppy was bleeding ... a lot. I got the bleeding stopped. I wrapped the puppy in a microwaved-warmed towel. I even tube-fed the puppy with some comercial puppy milk (Esbilac). But I could see that the puppy was getting weaker and weaker. When I realize the the end was near, I put the puppy back with Estelle. Estelle gave the puppy one lick, but mostly stared at the puppy. Then the puppy died.
To say that I was upset would be an understatement. I felt like such a failure for not being able to protect the puppy better. None of my mothers in the past had ever done anything like this. My previous mothers might have initially ignored a puppy, but none have ever tried to nip or bite a newborn puppy.
It has been hard to write this. I have had to let some time pass. I am still depressed at the death of the puppy.
