|
Wednesday was the day my encounter with Penny started. It
all began innocently enough when I went to the Mariposa SPCA to see if they might need help adopting out
some of the 28 puppies that had just been
spayed and neutered. I had only been there a few minutes
when The Vet's office called and said that Penny, and her seven ten day old pups were doing better and that
they could come back to the SPCA.
The Vet Tech added that they would need around the clock care. This would mean that someone would have to be at the shelter day and
night. To top it off, one of Penny's teats was infected
(mastitis), which would require someone to block off the infected teat while the puppies nursed. The mom
and pups would also have to be separated when they weren't nursing.
Jeanette Lozano, shelter manager, usually does this sort of
thing, but she had been on duty 24-7 during the last puppy crisis and she was feeling under the
weather. This is when things started to get a little bit crazy. I blurted out, "I will take them home with
me". At this time I must confess, I have absolutely no experience with a litter of pups, let alone ones
with these kinds of handicaps. I had taken Penny's photo before the puppies arrived, and pictures of her
and the pups a few days earlier. She seemed to be a nice enough hound dog. Besides, the puppies were
cute. I look back on that moment and think, I must have been out of my mind.
I took notes while Jeanette gathered up all the supplies I
would need. tons of blanket seemed to be the biggest thing and a huge bag of puppy chow for Penny. How
often do I feed her? How do I keep them apart?
How often do the puppies nurse? How do I know when they are
hungry? What are all these blankets for?
Even though the Veterinarian's Office is only a short block
from the shelter, by the time I got there I was starting to get my first pang of panic. How am I going to
break this to Joe, my husband? What will Petey, Emily and Molly (my three dogs) do? What will Sam Cat
do? I have fostered a few dogs before one at time, but nothing like this. Where am I
going to put them? I remember listening as the doctor gave
instructions about medications and how I must not let the puppies suck on the infected nipple or that they
would get sick too. "Just put your hand over the infected one."
And then there was Penny, standing right in front of me wagging
her tail. Right behind her was an assistant holding a huge rectangular aqua tub containing the puppies. I
asked them to put a big black x on Penny's side above the teat that was infected. I wanted to at
least have a visual mark to know what I was aiming for.
We loaded them into the SUV. I tied Penny to the glove box
handle with the leash and the nurse put the tub of puppies in the back. Penny was more than excited. All
she wanted was to get back there with her puppies. As I was leaving, the vet gave me the
optimistic news that I would probably only have to get up with them once at night.
I wasn't completely without some sort of plan and as I drove
home it began to take shape. I would put them in our cabin where I have my office. It also serves as a
spare bedroom with bath and laundry room. Sam Cat would just have to move into the main house with our
dogs. After all he only uses the cabin to eat and sleep anyway!
Settling In
Following instructions the best I could, I put the puppies out
on the blankets on the floor in the bathroom. I then let Penny in to feed them No big deal! Now all I had
to do was to cover the infected teat. Right....
I had no idea how ferocious 10 day old puppies can be. They
may not have teeth, but boy do they have sharp little nails. I looked frantically for the black X and
placed my hand over the nipple. Those pups pushed and shoved and did everything they could to get under my
hand. Finally, all I could do was grab hold of the teat and hold on. Penny didn't seem to notice. She
nursed the pups for twenty minutes before I gave up and put them back in their large tub. I tried shutting
the bathroom door, but she was not going to have any of that. She immediately started
scratching on the door and baying like a hound. I decided
right away this wasn't going to work if I wanted to keep the door. I brought the tub out and put it on the
sofa. She climbed up next to them and after checking them over laid down by the tub.
Oh good this is going to work.
Chapter II next week
The Feeding Schedule
Sleeping arrangements
Their first word
Information about
Treeing Walker Coonhounds
|
