Pee Pads are for Puppies

...at least this seems to be Bennie's impression. At seven months old, Bennie is the senior pup in the house and much wiser than those tiny bits of fluff and claws (and now teeth) we brought home two months ago. He knows if one is going to pee in the house, one chooses an out of the way corner of the good carpet or the blanket that was just washed and dried two hours ago.

He's actually doing fairly well with the house breaking. This morning, he even went out in the rain to do his business rather than lower himself to using the pee pad. It was the first time he's ever ventured outside while it was raining. 

When we raised Bennie and his brothers, it was like having quadruplets; the sibs all played together and developed at the same rate. This time, it's more like having a three-year-old and twin babies... twin babies who happen to be very different sizes. 

Bennie has been our helper from the beginning.

 He was the official face cleaner after every meal.

And very patiently cuddled with tiny Mei Mei when she was sleepy.

Raising Puppies - Round 2 ... and 3

A funny thought went through my head a few weeks ago. Now that I know how to take care of newborn pups, wouldn't it be cool to do it again while Bennie is still young? Sounds weird, I know. Bennie is a loving little dog and, well, it would be kind of like having siblings close together. Maybe this is just one of those maternal/menopausal feelings of ooh, babies again!

Obviously, I couldn't plan on having another orphan puppy, but oddly enough, just days after this thought went through my brain, I received a message from Life is Better Rescue asking if I would be willing to foster two week old chihuahua puppies. Cool! I went to the municipal shelter and picked up one little pup. The other one hadn't survived the night. We brought this one home and tucked her into a warm bed.

Bennie was interested. He was right by us all day, trying to see, sniff, and lick the puppy. LIBR named her Maple, a name I am growing to like more and more. We have called her Mei Mei, which is Mandarin for Little Sister. It fits as a decent nickname for Maple, too.

Mei Mei settled in nicely, ate well, pooped every day (until you have orphaned pups that don't, you cannot truly appreciate this) and slept soundly. When she woke up, she wouldn't make a sound, but find her paw and start sucking on it. I had to wake her every two hours and make sure she ate. She is tiny, really, really tiny. This time, I do believe we have a pure long haired chihuahua. At 3 weeks old, she now weighs just under 8 ounces. To compare with our last litter, the smallest, Franklin, was over 12 ounces at the same age. That's a huge difference when they are so tiny.

And just as we were settling in, another call came. There was another pup needing to be bottle fed.

Since I had planned on two, would I be willing to take this one? That afternoon, I brought home a little pup whom Emma immediately named Florence. Why did I assume it would be another chihuahua? Florence is a pit bull mix and, at 2 weeks, weighs over 2 pounds, four times the weight of her foster sister.

I have to admit, it is nice to have one pup that is more substantial and doesn't look like some tiny wild creature you might find in a fairy forest. It wouldn't have surprised us if Mei Mei suddenly sprouted wings and flown around the room, or disappeared into a mouse hole.

Bennie wasn't sure what to make of everything. He definitely wants to get in on the action. He insists on washing their faces after they eat... or sometimes while they eat. Tonight he gently nudged Mei Mei back onto the pee pad whenever she wandered off. It was a challenging task as Mei Mei was headed toward Emma's lap for her after dinner nap, but Bennie stuck to it, returning her over and over again.

We chose to "sponge" feed the puppies this time because it gives them an experience closer to nursing. It also helps prevent them from aspirating formula into their lungs or sinuses, and prevents overeating and bloating, which was Bennie's big challenge. Mei Mei is a delicate eater and very patient. Florence is hungry and never seems to get enough. Bennie is right there to help out.

The two puppies sleep together and help keep each other warm. It's good.

My family and friends think I'm nuts and roll their eyes at me. Why would anyone in their right mind do something like this? True, I haven't slept well in the last two weeks and my last clean pair of jeans got peed on this morning... and one of the pups pooped in the bed last night and they both had to have baths this morning because they were covered in smelly ick. 

During one early morning feeding, I watched as Mei Mei sleepily sucked on the sponge till her eyes closed and she feel asleep in my hand. I sat and stared at her for the longest time, in awe of something so tiny and so perfect. As we all know, babies grow up quickly and puppies grow up amazingly fast. What a privilege it is to have this short time with them and witness this miracle.

End of a Journey

Our last little puppy was adopted today. Hammie, aka Alvin, was given a spot on the local news channel's "Pet of the Week" segment. We cleaned him up, trimmed his toenails, and dressed him in a bow tie. It was probably the bow tie that did it. When the family came to pick him up, their 11 year old dog was also wearing a bow tie.

It's quiet around here... at least for the moment. Bennie will have to get used to being an only dog. He has never slept alone in his kennel. There was about 5 minutes of whining and howling before he dropped off to sleep tonight.

His new family promised to keep in touch. We've been so lucky! All the adoptive families have kept in touch. The couple who adopted Bertie - now Cooper - have sent photos from their camping trip and filled us in on how he is doing. Franklin - now Leroy - comes to visit now and then.

The woman who adopted Hammie has a 9-year-old daughter who is very excited to meet her new puppy.

And what happens next? I'm helping out now and then, cleaning cat cages at Life is Better Rescue. I suspect we'll foster other dogs, too, though right now we'll let Bennie figure out he's the one who's going to stay put.

Dog Days of Summer - 2016

Two of the three puppies have been adopted. Hammie is still waiting for his forever home. I wanted to make a photo book as a birthday present to Emma to remember our journey. The link below is to the book. You can click to make it full screen.

Dog Days of Summer

It's much quieter around here! We had to pick up a couple of small dog dishes because it really didn't make sense to feed them with the larger communal dish anymore. And what happened? Neither puppy would touch his food last night. I forget, they don't like change.

Still, it seems Bertie and Franklin are adapting well to their new homes. Franklin (now called Leroy) is the one with the cleft paw, a major birth defect that doesn't seem to hamper his movements at all. In fact, when they visited yesterday, Leroy was running around the house so fast, Emma said she was waiting for him to stop suddenly and go "BEEP BEEP" before zooming off again. And while all the puppies sound rather ferocious when they play, add Leroy to the mix and all we can think of is the Tasmanian devil from the old cartoons - a force to be reckoned with.

Bertie (now called Cooper) is still new in his home, but from the photos, we know he's quite taken with the other two dogs in the household. His people are wonderful and we know he's got the best home we could possibly have wanted for him.

During the month the grandkids were away, Bennie suddenly turned into a dachshund, at least mostly. He's a chihuahua mix and now it's obvious what the mix is.

Hammie (aka Alvin) will be adopted before too long, I'm sure. Just in case you're looking for a great small dog, here he is on his adoption page:

Alvin is a 2.5 month old chihuahua mix puppy that was saved as a day old newborn after he had been found under a dumpster. He and his siblings were bottle fed and have been hand raised by a wonderful foster family. As such, they have experience with kids, rabbits, chickens, and are all the way around very outgoing and don't act or think like chihuahuas. Alvin is neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and has been dewormed. He is working on crate and house training, but has had pretty amazing start and has been loved so completely that he is ready to start a great forever with a family! Alvin is $300 to adopt.

Hammie (Alvin) looks more chihuahua than dachshund. He's curious and loves to explore. He's been working on making friends with our rabbits and the chickens. The latter don't quite know what to do about it, but he keeps on trying.

Then we'll be a one dog household and my job as the chihuahua mama will be officially over. Yeah, we'll still have Bennie. He'll just be our dog. This has been quite an adventure. Amazing, really. It wasn't easy, but compared to raising human children, it was a breeze. Three months and 5 days after they came into our care they're old enough to leave home.

I'm glad humans can take their time to grow up. Of course, the puppies aren't really grown up, they're more like 4-year-olds. This means it's time to teach some manners.

The best things in life are rescued. If you're looking for a wonderful addition to your family, pet-wise, check out your local rescue organizations. They do amazing work. You're also getting a bargain. I did a price comparison on the services which are provided for these puppies by the rescue group and found if you take your dog to a low-cost veterinary clinic, these services would have cost a minimum of $170. A more upscale clinic would run well over $300 for the spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, deworming, and microchip.

Definitely a win for everyone!

Getting ready for Forever Homes

It's what passes for a normal morning right now...

Chris is outside, watering the garden. I'm sleepily fixing my tea and getting breakfast ready for the pups. The four chihuahua puppies are running around the living room intent on eviscerating a small stuffed Winnie the Pooh.

They've come a long way since I brought home those tiny creatures that looked more like baby chipmunks than anything resembling a dog and moved like seals through the blankets in their laundry basket. They're around 11-12 weeks old now and, earlier this week, went through their neutering operation. We're supposed to keep them quiet. Right.

Okay, now they've given up on Winnie the Pooh and have cooperatively figured out how all four of them can chew on my good leather shoes at the same time. One also missed the "pee" pad by about two inches. As I pick up his offering (which was not pee), he looks up at me, waiting for praise. I can't help myself. I give him a belly rub and tell him what a good boy he was for, at least, getting in the vicinity.

Soon the puppies will go to their new forever homes, all except one. Bennie has already found his forever home. We've filled out the form to officially adopt him. One other has been approved for adoption. Photos will be up on the Life is Better Rescue website soon. We've had any number of people ask about them. These are such sweet little boys, I'm sure the other two will find homes quickly.

Some people have the strange idea that adopting from a rescue organization should be easy and cheap. One couple checked out the website and adoption forms and declared they would never have anything to do with this group. Okay, if they feel that way, the group probably doesn't want to have anything to do with them, either.

Why do they have so many questions on their adoption forms?

Adding an animal to your family isn't something to do on a whim. The questions are there, not to eliminate people from adopting, but to make us think. What would we do if we suddenly had to move and couldn't take a dog with us? Have we thought about the expense of feeding a dog and keeping him healthy? What will we do when we go out for an afternoon and can't take the puppy along? Where will the puppy stay when he's alone? Do you know how to take care of a dog or cat? If you're renting, is your landlord okay with pets? And so on. If you're not willing to consider all these questions, then you might not be ready for a pet.

Why can't you adopt a dog for $20 or $30? After all, you're taking the dog off their hands. (Yes, I've heard this.)

Rescue organizations not only take in dogs and cats (and often other animals), they also have these animals spayed or neutered, microchipped, and the animals will be up to date on their vaccinations. All of this costs. They buy formula for orphaned puppies and kittens. Sometimes they need to give fluid injections to these little orphans. It even costs the rescue organizations to pull the animals out of death row in an animal shelter. Sometimes there are health care issues, too, for which the organization pays vet fees. When you add everything up, you find you're really getting quite a bargain.

Outside, for a little while, the chihuahuas have attempted to kill a stuffed raccoon. They ate their lunch, did their business - outside this time - and now it's time for afternoon nap. If I get them to bed soon, they can watch the rest of Antiques Roadshow on TV. After a good rest, they'll be ready to go again.

Can I keep them quiet? Probably not. They've been trying to dig a hole to China on our front porch, right through the concrete.

Growing Chihuahuas

It's almost unbelievable how quickly puppies grow and change. Just three short weeks ago, we were still bottle feeding the pups and holding our breath, hoping they would all stay healthy. We made it through tummy troubles, constipation, breathing trouble, and getting the right temperature.

I'm no longer thrilled to see puppy poop.

I'm also no longer worried about whether they'll survive and thrive. The first two weeks were a wee bit stressful. If they did not nurse well, I was sure I had done something wrong and had killed them. If they didn't poop for days, I was sure I had fed them wrong and had killed them. One refused the formula and didn't eat for two days. I finally gave him a spoonful of yogurt, even though I was afraid it might kill him. He lapped it up and decided life was okay.

At five weeks, the puppies are sleeping through the night (HOORAY), eating from a dish (CHEERS), relieving themselves without my help (YES), wrestling with each other, following us around the kitchen, and snuggling into our laps. They have their own unique personalities.

In alphabetical order: (Photos by Emma Reinhart)



Benedick or Bennie for short - Emma says he's like Rolly from 101 Dalmatians. He's always hungry and will eat until he's circular, if we let him. He has a sensitive tummy at times, so we watch how much he eats. He's our gentlest giant, weighing in at 2 lbs 1 oz at 5 weeks. He is the lightest color of all the pups and there's something about him that makes him seem half chihuahua and half labrador.

Bertram or Bertie for short - Bertie has one ear up and one ear down. He's the strongest, most active, most attentive, and healthiest in the litter. No food bothers him. No person is too tall to try and climb. He comes when he's called, seems to know his name, and gives kisses on command. He is muscular already. 

Franklin - Franklin started out as the smallest, though he and Hamilton are about the same size now. Franklin has a cleft paw (front right) which sometimes give him kind of a prancing walk. He was the last to get his teeth, but the first to find his growl! He will put up with wrestling games with his brothers for only so long, then watch out. I suspect Franklin would not tolerate young children well... though he's been fine with our grandchildren.









Hamilton or Hammie for short - Hammie is the one who turned up his nose at the formula and lost ground for awhile. He's caught up and has probably overtaken Franklin as far as weight goes. Hammie is our explorer. All the pups follow us, but where's Hamilton? Off to another corner to see what's there and see if it's good to eat.








We've already had a number of people ask us about adopting the pups. They won't be ready for a few weeks yet, but if you want more information, the rescue organization is:

Life is Better Rescue*
PO Box 19159
Denver, CO 80219
info@lifeisbetterrescue.org

There are many dogs and cats, puppies and kitten who need to find their forever homes. These four won't have any trouble! If you are looking to add a dog or cat to your family, be sure to go through a rescue organization.

*from the rescue contact page: Life is Better Rescue is a foster based rescue. All animal showings are done via appointment or at our Pet Smart adoption partner store when animals are ready to adopt. Our mailing address listed above is a post office box only; there are not any animals to view there.

As we are a rescue based solely on the work of volunteers, please be patient when trying to reach us. Email communication is preferred and usually warrants a faster reply, but in some cases it may take us up to 72 hours to respond. Thank you for understanding and your interest in rescue.

Yo, Chihuahua Mama!

If we'd had any idea of what we were getting into, would we have been so enthusiastic about being foster surrogate chihuahua mamas?

There were 4 puppies abandoned and then rescued by Life is Better Animal Rescue. They were newborns without a mama. Everyone who hears this says, "How could anyone abandon newborn puppies?" Giving whoever it was the benefit of the doubt, I wonder if the mama chihuahua died giving birth to these pups. Chihuahua mamas are more at risk than other dogs. Look up any info about caring for orphan pups and chihuahuas are sure to be mentioned somewhere. Maybe the owner panicked because they didn't know how to keep the pups alive.

Georgia Cameron, who started Life is Better, put the word out on Facebook. They needed someone to bottle feed the pups. Georgia does such amazing work, it's a privilege to be a small part of her endeavors.

As is my usual way, I jumped in feet first with my eyes closed. I didn't really know anything about bottle feeding puppies, not beyond the common sense rules of: keep them warm, feed them often, stimulate them to pee and poop. Emma immediately offered to help, so I figured, why not? It wouldn't be a big deal. Feed them every 3 hours. How long would it take, maybe 20 minutes? We could handle it. 

The good news is, the first two weeks are the hardest.  Here's the reality check:

The first week, it took 1 1/2 hours to feed, burp, and encourage them to poop - at each feeding. Yes, you do have to burp them. No, Mama dogs don't hold them on their shoulders and pat their backs. Mama dogs lick and lick and tumble them over and over. I'll pat their backs. Getting them to pee is easy. Pooping is not. Once they were all settled and asleep, I had 1 1/2 hrs before starting the process again. If you agree to nurse orphaned pups, be prepared to not sleep much and not get anything else done for the first two weeks.

It's easy for bottle fed puppies to aspirate the formula into their lungs. This can cause pneumonia and they can die quickly. It's also easy for them to snort it up their noses. This can make them so congested it's hard for them to suck and eat. Formula can be constipating. I never thought I'd be cheering and celebrating when puppies finally pooped. We also have to be careful to make sure they are not overfed or over heated. We check to make sure they don't get dehydrated. 

When the puppies wake up, they nose around trying to find a nipple to suck on. Without a Mama dog, the closest thing they find is their brother's penis. Left unchecked, this could cause permanent damage. Slurpy noises coming from their bed will wake me out of a deep sleep. All 4 pups are boys.

They had to have names. After some discussion, we settled on Hamilton, Benedick, Franklin, and Bertram. Chihuahuas might be small, but they have large personalities.

After trial and error (plenty of errors, though none fatal, thankfully), we have found what works well for these little ones. Sifting through all the internet info, here is what works:

Keeping warm:  Filled a large crockpot with water. Set it next to the bed with pups (our pups are in a portacrib) with the lid off. Turned it on high and placed a sheet over the bed and crockpot. This provides warmth and humidity. For inside the bed, I filled a tube sock with rice, tied it shut, and put another tube sock on top. Put in the microwave for 3 minutes on high, then placed UNDER the blankets in the bed (make sure it's not TOO hot), it creates a nice cozy place for the pups to cuddle up. Hot water bottle also works, but I find the rice socks easier.

Feeding: Using the syringe with the tiny nipple has worked well, but Hamilton managed to snort enough formula up his nose that he is having trouble eating now. On the suggestion of a local vet, we started feeding Hammie a different way. I picked up some cosmetic sponge wedges and cut them in half lengthwise. Soaked in the formula, Hamilton can suck on the sponge and get what he needs. It's much slower than the syringe feeding, but it seems closer to how they nurse naturally. He can take it as his own pace and fall asleep while nursing. 

We tried getting the others to eat this way, but they were already used to the quick stop at the filling station. I made the mistake of using a syringe to "load" the sponge with more formula. HA! The puppies can see now. They know where they get their fast food. They ditched the sponge and made for the syringe.

Food: We tried several things - commercial formula alternating with goat's milk, homemade formula, then back to commercial formula. The commercial formula caused constipation. They loved the homemade formula with goat's milk and yogurt, but Benedick couldn't handle it. It was wreaking havoc in his gut. A trip to the vet and we were back to commercial formula. Bennie responded by gaining two ounces in one day. We weigh them on a small postage scale.

We found we needed to add more water to the commercial formula than the instructions say. We also added a few drops of olive oil to get things moving. This worked, but it also had the wonderful effect of making everything slippery and the nipples would often shoot off the top of the syringe like a rocket. This was frustrating at any time, but at 3:00 am, it was too much. Puppy mama meltdown time. Adding corn syrup helps with constipation, but works by drawing fluid from their body to the gut. So, we had to watch for signs of dehydration. Also the corn syrup is sticky and can clog up the nipple. This results in a frustrated, hungry puppy who is sucking so hard the nipple falls off the syringe over and over. Again, at 3:00 am, it isn't funny.

In the last 2 1/2 weeks, we have learned how to burp a puppy, sat up nearly all night with a puppy with a tummy ache, and given subcutaneous fluid injections to rehydrate pups. I've watched my elderly parents holding the pups in their hands and seen how gentle and caring our young grandchildren can be with them. I've basically ignored our house and my husband has been fixing dinners simply because he knows it's probably the only way he'll get to eat.

They are 3 weeks old now. They've gone from between 4 and 5 ounces to between 11 ounces and 1 lb. The plugged puppy issue is finally resolving itself and we're looking to start some mashed solid food next week, just a little to see how they like it. If I feed them at 11:00 pm, they'll only wake me up once during the night. 

It's going to be quite lively around here when they start to wake up and play with each other. It'll be fun to see their personalities develop. The weeks are going to fly by, I know, and it won't be long before it's time for our little charges to find their forever homes.