PICTURES --- 2 weeks old

Ok ... WAY too many pictures to post multiple times... This photo album is set for "everyone" to see ... So take a peek at :

General Puppies> HERE

Female 1> HERE
Female 2> HERE
Female 3> HERE
Male 1> HERE
Male 2> HERE

EYES!! :)

Saturday Feb 13 --
Male 1 opened his left eye

Sunday Feb 14 --
Male 1 opened R eye

Monday Feb 15 --
All but M2 have their eyes open, his are just little slits.

Weights! (2/8 - 2/14)

No idea why you have to scroll down so far, sorry about that, but the weights are listed :)

Date, Time	Female1	Female2	Female3	Male1	Male2
Feb 8, 6pm	352g = 12.4oz	339g = 12oz	350g = 12.3oz	345g = 12.2oz	358g = 12.6oz
Feb 9, 9am	367g = 12.95oz	337g = 11.88oz	362g = 12.8oz	355g = 12.5oz	375g = 13.2oz
Feb 9, 3pm	372g = 13.1oz	348g = 12.3oz	368g = 13oz	355g = 12.5oz	377g = 13.3oz
Feb 10, 8am	413g = 14.56oz	361g = 12.7oz	375g = 13.2oz	367g = 12.9oz	411g = 14.5oz
Feb 10, 5pm	413g = 14.56oz	371g = 13.1oz	383g = 13.5oz	379g = 13.4oz	415g = 14.64oz
Feb 11, 1am	427g = 15.1oz	379g = 13.4oz	395g = 13.9oz	384g = 13.5oz	423g = 14.9oz
Feb 11, 1pm	427g = 15.1oz	376g = 13.3oz	409g = 14.4oz	393g = 13.9oz	430g = 15.2oz
Feb 12, 11am	470g = 16.6oz = 1lb	427g = 15.1oz	428g = 15.1oz	429g = 15.1oz	454g = 16oz = 1lb
Feb 13, 4pm	514g = 18.1oz = 1.13lb	440g = 15.5oz	474g = 16.7oz = 1lb	442g = 15.6oz	477g = 16.8oz = 1lb
Feb 14, 11pm	542g = 19.1oz = 1.2lb	498g = 17.6oz = 1.1lb	511g = 18oz = 1.1lb	485g = 17.1oz = 1lb	531g = 18.8oz = 1.2lb

General update :)

Well, its been awhile since I posted any kind of general update on the pups and Ky, so here goes....

All the puppies are doing wonderfully, theyre starting to really crawl/kind of walk instead of slithering and pulling themselves. They are all eating well and gaining weight.

Ky is doing wonderfully nursing them -- on her own now even ! :) Shes never had a problem or been reluctant to clean them, thankfully. She is back on dry food (puppy) only, no canned and we are no longer supplementing her or the pups with Pedialyte (some pups had diarrhea for a few days).

The other dogs in the house are curious about the pups - especially when they make their little noises (grunts, yips, 'barks', etc).

Im hoping to get some good pictures of them this weekend to post. Theyre starting to resemble real Shelties now, and not guinea pigs, gerbils, or whatever little animal you think newborn pups look like :)

As of this morning, no eyes (or ears) are open yet. Should be soon though.

So, all in all, it was totally worth the experience and stress to see these 5 beautiful babies grow and evolve in just such a short time, even. I wouldnt trade the emotional rollercoaster for a second. In fact, I kind of enjoyed hearing that Female1 (natural born) might not make it, but having her be the chubbiest puppy the other day!

I also wanted to mention a change in the webcam. There is now audio on it most of the day as well. And I have had several people (mostly from a Sheltie group I belong to) ask about sending money or toys, to help cover the costs of the ER Csection, extra bandwidth our computer is using doing the webcam 24/7, etc. While it is *not* necessary, I 'broke down' after being asked multiple times to put it up. We will greatly appreciate anything that comes in our mail to stimulate these pups. Any financial resources will also go to help another Sympa puppy (from a previous litter in 2003) who will be needing two very expensive & invasive surgeries shortly.

Any puppy produced by us, we stand behind, and will assist with any major (genetic) health concerns into their lives. We feel this is the right thing to do, without a doubt as we brought the pups into the world. We arent just responsible for their genetic health for 1, 2, or 3 years... Breeding is not about making money, and when done correctly, it does not happen. Breeding is for your passion of improving the breed as a whole. ... Some have asked about our contract, as well. My contract is a little different than others. In addition to the extended support I offer for genetic complications, I offer refunds/rebates for titles (performance and conformation) you put on your Sympa puppy. This encourages doing activities with your new family member, and gets our name out and about in the show circuit as well.

Everyone is sleeping now, so Im going to grab myself a late breakfast and get on with the rest of the day :)

Puppy Weights ! (2/1-2/7)

Female1
2/1 pm = 7.37
2/2 9a = 7.37 ; 7pm = 7.55 ; 10p = 7.69
2/3 10a=7.97 ; 10p=8.22
2/4 3pm=9.1oz
2/5 4pm=10.12
2/6 noon=10.7
2/7 5am=11.1 (Diarrhea since 9pm 2/6)

Female2
2/1 pm = 8
2/2 9am= 8.1 ; 7pm = 7.86 ; 10pm = 7.9
2/3 10am=8.25; 10pm = 8.47
2/4 3pm=9.60
2/5 4pm=10.34 ( !! )
2/6 noon=10.8
2/7 5am=11.4 (loose stool this am)

Female3
2/1 pm=7.72
2/2 9am=7.72 ; 7pm=7.5 ; 10p=7.86
2/3 10am=7.97 ; 10p = 8.11
2/4 3pm=9.07
2/5 4pm=10.19
2/6 noon=10.9 (!!)
2/7 5am=11.9 (!!)

Male1
2/1pm = 7.8
2/2 9am=7.9 ; 7pm=8.22 ; 10p = 8.4
2/3 10am=8.61 ; 10p = 8.64
2/4 3pm=9.31
2/5 4pm=9.59
2/6 noon=10.3
2/7 5am=11.1

Male2
2/1 pm=8.2
2/2 9am=8.4 ; 7p = 8.32 ; 10p = 8.47
2/3 10am=8.29 ; 10p=8.60
2/4 3pm=9.14
2/5 4pm=10.19
2/6 noon=10.7
2/7 5am=11.4 (Diarrhea since 9pm 2/6)

PICTURES!!!!!!! :)

Ok, here's some pics :)

Female 1 --




Female 2--




Female 3--





Male 1--




Male 2--

WOW !!!

Kylee has been a good momma with cleaning and being aware of her pups. She hasnt, however, been overly willing to nurse the pups on her own. I need to physically lay her down and then stay very close to her or she'd stand up ... Pups are/were still gaining weight well so I just thought we'd stick to this method for awhile yet ... But ...

OMG -- just saw for the first time ever, Ky was sleeping and let two puppies come up and start suckling again. They just finished a feeding about 30-40mins ago, and she slept after that. But now her eyes are open since they attached and by golly, she didnt stand up!!!!!!! Of course, Im a few feet from her, but that hasnt stopped her in the past when they try to attach.

Wondering how long this'll last and if it was only b/c she was sleeping when they attached to her.

Website/Webcam

Go to this main "Litters" page and follow the link that best suits your needs - there are two options. ...

http://sympashelties.com/Litters/Litters.htm

Long Day Sunday night thru last night ....

ok, I (& my dad) kept Facebook and a Sheltie group posted as to the happenings, so sorry, but will just copy/paste those updates in here with timestamps. Was way too overwhelmed and tired to do anything with it last night ... So, here goes...
Kylee had 5 puppies - 4 were delivered via Csection (emergency); 3 females, 2 males; all sables.

Sunday night ~1030, contractions started and continued on at varying intervals for 4 hours without producing anything.
Monday morning ~ 230am, the first visible sac appeared after a set of about 5 minute STRONG contractions. yay!
Monday morning ~ 430am, this sac has just elongated to the length of over 4 inches, Ky stopped having contractions after it first appeared - 2 hrs with no contractions had me worried. Off to the ER vet we go...

Vets take ultrasound (determine there is still fetal heartbeats), take x-ray (doesnt appear to have a large puppy 'stuck'), do bloodwork (everything was normal, incl calcium), suggest give a couple doses of Oxytocin to treat for her uterine inertia.

Somewhere around 6am, it is determined that Ky very well may need a c-section as the oxytocin seemed to not be working. Me, freaking out (of course), start to panic and finally just gave them the permission to go ahead and do it (quoted 2-3k for Csection alone, not including other exam/diagnostics performed!)-eek, especially with me not really working. But, do it, I'll find a way to get the money, I've got too. (~630am).

Shortly after MSU was given the "ok", the techs started to prep her for surgery, while the vet came back out to tell me the general timeline of how she expects the rest of the morning to go... Suddenly, vet got a call on her cell and looked at me and said - "SHE JUST HAD A PUPPY!" Then ran back to the treatment room. Didnt take the paperwork I had just barely signed for the csection...

~715/730, vets (& surgeons) came out to say the puppy was not doing that well, and they still wanted to give the others the best chance at survival, so it meant deliver the others via csection instead of waiting longer to see if the oxytocin was just slow to respond. Ok, do it, I already approved it! Plan was Id probably be able to pick her and the pups up around 10am.

10am, head back to the vets (my cells were dead, so didnt know anything else about surgery at this point) ... I was told that the pup who was delivered naturally was doing alright, but the others still had anesthetic in them as well, so were kinda slow with the suckling. They requested keeping Ky and pups for a little while longer to make sure Ky would let them and encourage them to do their duties, while she did hers (cleaning, etc).
(managed to get *a little* sleep between the phone calls) ;)
About 230pm, I got a phone call they believed the pups were ready to come home with mom! We had a pretty likely probability they'd make it, but may need supplemental feedings.

Got the pups home around 330-4pm Im thinking it was? Ky was exhausted and basically slept until 7pm. I had to force her on her side and put the pups on her. The vets were right, some really did need help, and I was tired & stressed & frustrated I could not 'help' everyone suckle on her - or a bottle. Again, freak out on my part ... This also encouraged ME to get sick a few times (lack of sleep, lack of eating and drinking, stress/nerves), plus I had to care for the pups and Ky first. ...

She got up to eat, drink, and potty - then I noticed ... Blood all over her back end. Uh-oh! Called the vet, and they said if it appeared to not stop, was bright red, go ahead and bring her back in. Could be hemorrhaging, could be from her bladder being moved around during surgery to get the pups out, could be normal discharge after a Csection... So, hubby and I packed Ky & pups up into his car, and he drove us to the vet.

They did a little more bloodwork, protein, calcium, all values normal (doesnt appear to have lost 'too much' blood), and her vitals were also normal. They took her in back, shaved her up for a better view and reassured us, it was normal for her to have some bleeding over the next 2 weeks. It wasnt coming from her incision site (shes actually left that alone very well now). Better to be safe than sorry, and again reminded both I & hubby of the warning signs. Headed home, and did another nursing/supplemental feeding (with Goats milk & esbilac this time, not water, worked MUCH better). And left the dog room light on all night long so I wouldnt fall into too deep of sleep. Woke up periodically and checked on everyone.

Ky's a good mom, shes cleaning them and trying to nurse them (although some pups are a little confused as to where the *milk* comes from) , I couldnt be more proud of my girl after all she went through.

So, thats the story! Hopefully today will be easier than yesterday! :)

THANK YOU to everyone for your support and prayers. They seemed to have worked, all pups are still here and doing well from what I can tell :)

Pictures to come later!!!!

Descriptions of the pups

female 1:natural birth, collar on R, blaze, L front paw all white, 209g -- NEEDS help to suckle

female 2: full white collar, white blaze (more on R than L), sable "target" on her belly, 227g -- Suckles on own pretty well

female 3: no blaze, full collar to chest, both front paws white all the way, 219g <-- Has NO problem suckling, this'll be Ky's "porker puppy" ;)

male 1: teeny tiny blaze, white feet socks, ...221g .. Needs a little help getting attached to suckle, but once attached, does well.

male 2: 1/2 paw white, partial blaze, full collar, 233g . Suckles on own.