Three chocolate babies 

Accepting applications on the two boys.

These puppies, sadly, were born extremely premature. Here is their story - it's frank, blunt and sad, but it's real. 

On Monday afternoon I came home to Jersey panting and green discharge all over her pen. She was clearly in labor, and way too soon. Of course, I pinging my vet to keep her in the loop. 

Jersey labored for a long time (her previous litter all 3 puppies were out and nursing in under 90 Minutes). She wasn’t pushing, but green was everywhere. I presumed a dead puppy. After about 6 hours, she started pushing, she was struggling, and a tiny 2oz puppy arrived. 

He was tiny. He was bald. He did not want to breathe or get going at all. But he eventually did. His breathing was labored. He was like a wet noodle, in every regard. 

6 hours later, she pushed out a preemie girl. Same as the boy, but bigger. 3 hours after that, another girl, same as her sister. 

Jersey was GASSED. She was dripping in milk, and frantic for her babies that I had sitting in a warming box. I gave them to her. They couldn’t latch. They kinda would let me open their mouth and put them on and they would stay that way. Their breathing sounded terrible. I used the delee and bulb syringe of course, this was not fluid, this was immature sticky lung breathing. What i have learnered: I should have had dex on hand. This probably would have made a big difference. 

They were repulsive. No hair on their whole heads, which seemed misshapen. The hair on the body was more like peach fuzz. They felt like sticky rubber. I decided I would put them with mom, not name them, and let nature take its course. 

I’d been up 24+ hours at that point. 

Then I got a shower and more coffee. And if you know me, you know I have no quit. I revised my plan. 

I distinctly decided I was not going to incubate and hand raise puppies that were inevitably going to perish. But I would try, if Jersey would help and I came up with a plan. I will outline what I did, what I learned and what I now know I did wrong. 

I turned my bedroom into an incubator, so puppies could stay with mom instead of placed in a box. Space heaters to keep it at 85-90 degrees. Got a humidifier going. Heating pad under the box + a heating disc. 

I started them off with tubing puppy support, while I made a batch of formula (Myra’s).

I tubed them every few hours, as we typically do. 1cc per oz. The only time they cried was after I fed them. Every. Time. I felt like trying to keep them alive was killing them. They would cry and cry, and Jersey would dote on them. It felt like as soon as they settled, I would have to tube again. I was living in hell. It was awful. Picking them up made me cringe - they did not resemble Pom puppies, the way they felt to me…imagine if nails on a chalkboard was a feeling…it was that (to me). 

They didn’t gain a gram. Not a single gram. And they had neon yellow poop. What I have learned: you tube feed preemies HALF of what you usually do. They probably screamed because I was overfeeding. I theorize that the calories are spent on organ and hair development, not gaining weight like term puppies. I also theorize that the energy should have been spent developing, not digesting. 

Every day, several times a day, I would try to get them to latch, unsuccessfully. This was so frustrating for me. Jersey was totally engorged. I started milking her - which was also a really frustrating task. I would tube her milk when I milked her. I did not want her to dry up, I was still hopeful that they might nurse. 

On Thursday - the girls started trying to latch. I think I started to see hair. The boy was not doing as well as the girls. He was almost constantly crying. They all seemed to have a rooting reflex. What I learned: preemies do not have the ability to suck, swallow and breathe at the same time. They just can’t nurse. 

On Friday, the boy was clearly fading. My efforts ceased with him. I did my damndest to not get attached, but I cried, it was so sad to say goodbye. The girls were almost normal. Nursing, round. They looked like Pom puppies. 

Today is their due date, Saturday. For the first time, this morning, I gave them a bottle, which they took. Jersey had understandably lost some milk production, but the girls are finding nipples, latching and sucking. I’m confident with some fenugreek, their determination and some grace, she will be a milk bar in no time. 

These are Jersey girls. They are tough, badass bitches - and today I name them. We aren’t out of the woods, but I’m out of that fucking hellscape of preemie puppies, and see a light at the end of the tunnel. 

May I present my little terrorists, the nightmares that have fueled me for the past five days…meet my little mobsters 

Charm City's Made Her Bones
🦴 Bones 🦴

Charm City's No Witnesses
🤐 Snitch 🤐

To my close friends that put up with the absolute insane witch I have been, supported me, encouraged me to keep going, responding to messages at 3am feeds, never judging my words or actions - thank you. You kept me sane, you kept me from throwing the towel in, you kept them alive. 

This will be Jersey's final litter here at CCP.