R.I.P Spirit

R.I.P Spirit. This morning was truly awful, I came downstairs to see to the dogs and found that Spirit had bloated, her stomach was completely distended, despite getting her to the vets in less than 20 minutes and surgery starting pretty much immediately, the damage was too great and she died under anaesthetic. Spirit was a huge character, as a puppy she was foul, such a determined and stroppy madam, but as she grew she was just the easiest girl to live with, never a problem to anyone or anything. Famous for her facial expressions, her lack of interest in any ball games and her aversion to water I know that many people will have very fond memories of her. She was just 8 years old, never had a days illness in her life, she should have had a good few years left, life sucks sometimes.

A day out :)

Yesterday we attended my agility and trick training clubs show. I took Florin to compete in the trick training, Cash and Eliza for the agility (even though it has been nearly a year since they have done any) and Whoopi came for the ride. The agility went much as I expected, Cash and Eliza had great fun but we had a couple of mistakes in each course so no ribbons there. Florin didn't have a good day. I think it was my fault as we got to the show, quickly let the dogs out to stretch their legs, but as I was helping out they then had to wait in the van. I grabbed her just in time for her turn, so she had no time to acclimatise to the busy and noisy atmosphere and unfortunately she was quite spooked by the whole event and got stage fright, so we ended up just doing a couple of real fun bits and having a bit of a game with her ball instead. Whoopi was the surprise package, at the last minute Graham decided I should take her in the prettiest bitch class which (obviously ) she won :), but then we went on to take Best in Show, which I think was helped by the fact that she sucked up to the judge big time! After that you would expect a lovely picture of Whoopi and her fabulous rosette, but of course I was with Graham and his photo skills (or lack of) are legendary so there is no pic, instead we have the 4 of them letting off a bit of steam at the end of the day :)

Bernards kittens are now exploring, still just toddling and fairly easy to control at the moment, but that won't last!

2 weeks old

Bernard and her kittens are coming along in leaps and bounds, 2 weeks old and they are starting to become aware of their surroundings.

Spirit and Tiffany

Today is my 16th wedding anniversary, we marked the occasion by spending most of the day going to and from the vets. My usual surgery is having major building works carried out so we had to go to a branch surgery which is about a 40 minute drive away. This morning we took Mrs Miggins boys for their 2nd vaccination, health check and microchip, as expected all was well with them and they all purred continuously through the examination,  vaccination and even when they were skewered with the huge microchip needle!

Then Spirit and Tiffany were brought in so they could be weighed and have their pre meds, it was quite interesting to note their weights as neither of them have needed veterinary treatment since they were pups so I had always guestimated their weights, Tiffany is a very petit 17kg, Spirit is a bigger girl and weighed just over 20kg. I would class both of them as a good weight for their size, yet if I were to go by the charts in the vets waiting area it tells me that a standard poodle bitch should weigh 29kg!!!

I had decided to spay Spirit and Tiffany as Spirit is now 8 years old and will not be having any more pups, Tiffany has never had puppies which in many ways is a real shame. I took her Mum to Germany to be mated and was so pleased to keep Tiffany, her pedigree is unusual due to the German influence and she is a beautiful shape and a stunning colour, which at approaching 7 years of age has remained strong and vibrant, but she is an anxious girl when she feels under any sort of pressure. Although many people advised me I should breed her as it may help her, I couldn't justify the possibility of producing a litter of puppies that also suffered anxiety (this is not to say she is a nervous dog, she is a great girl who is very affectionate and in fact a bit of a tom boy out on walks) going on to be pets in a family who may not understand their sensitivities.

We left the girls in the capable hands of the vet nurse and took the rest of the dogs for a lovely riverside walk. The girls surgeries went smoothly but it was noted that Tiffanys uterus was quite puffy and filled with a clear serum. I cannot say what caused this, maybe she was thinking about developing a pyometra (potentially life threatening infection of the womb) , but I am of the opinion that it was better out than in, and I am left wondering if the fact that she has never had pups contributed to whatever was going on there as a bitch is designed to have puppies following a season and it is thought to significantly increase the chance of a pyometra when they have a number of seasons without following mother natures plans. Anyhow, both girls are home now, Spirit is feeling very sorry for herself, Tiffany is more relaxed, both are resting quietly.

Just a couple of pics of Bernards babies

The kittens are ae scabby on their heads where they have been arguing over the best position at the milk bar, but their nails have now been trimmed so this will resolve itself in the next few days. 

Bernards babies

Bernard had her kittens yesterday, I'm pleased to report that she has 6 healthy kittens and she is doing really well, but it didn't go quite to plan. She was in 1st stage of labour yesterday morning, very vocal and clingy but no contractions. I had to do the school run and take Polly's kittens to the vets for their 2nd vaccinations and microchips in readiness for them flying the nest next week. As I was leaving the surgery the vet said goodbye and see you soon, which as I work there is a perfectly reasonable thing to say, neither of us expected it to be that afternoon!

I got home at about 9:45 and the dogs had to forgo their walk as Bernards labour was progressing and I needed to be there for her. At around 1pm she started pushing. Normally you would expect to see the 1st kitten within about an hour, maybe 2, but at 3:30pm she had made no progress. Back to the vets, an examination confirmed that she was ready to go, but there was no kitten on the way, so the decision was taken to unzip her and use the emergency exit for the kittens.

The kittens came out fast, myself and the staff at the vets were then kept busy for the next hour or so reviving the kittens, all of which had lovely strong heartbeats but were slow to get going with breathing.

Once home Bernard met her kittens and despite being pretty spacey from the drugs she had had, her maternal instincts kicked in and she was only to pleased to start to look after them. The kittens, although they were nice and strong, were still sleepy and at 10pm they still hadn't fed, so at that point a friend popped round to help tube feed them. Of course, as soon as she arrived the kittens decided that they were in fact quite peckish and went for the self service option :) They haven't looked back since. This is the last litter we have planned for this year, so please complete an application form if you are interested in having a kitten from this litter.  They have been named after the staff that assisted with the c section, so I am pleased to introduce to the world, Eddy -a tabby boy, Bex - a blue boy, Al- a red boy, Tracy - a black girl, India - a torti/white girl and lastly Erica - a tabby/white girl. Better photos will follow soon.

It is interesting to note the similarities to her GGG Grandmothers litter 6 years ago.

The older kittens start to leave home this week, they have been a real joy and I think their new owners have got some little crackers. I do however have to say it will be nice to go up and down the stairs without lightening fast trip hazards!