Smokey has Sunday Children

In fact I wanted to stay on the couch, just relax and enjoy a quiet Sunday. Normally I would have been on the Show of Maastricht that day, but because we had won everything already on Saturday, I took the luxury to stay home. After a wonderful breakfast that morning, together with Harry, Smokey indicated that she didn’t want to wait any longer. She was laying in the livingroom, on a Ridgi-pad ( a super comfortable dog bed) and had no intentions to give birth to het puppies in the whelpingbox. So why starting all this stress? The Ridgi-pad was moved near to the couch, in such a way that we also could watch Television and at 13.00 hrs. the first puppy was born. The ladies from Reuver, Eef and Xander where informed and they travelled to Maaseik, to support Smokey. At 17.00, 5 thick and fat puppies where laying in the whelphingbox (read: Ridgi-pad). Everything was very calm and relaxed. As I wasn’t sure if Smokey still had a baby in her uterus, she received an injection with Oxytocine and besides a after birth, nothing came out anymore. Smokey lay down very relaxed and the little ones could drink. The world was okay. Later, before we went to bed, Smokey moved, with her puppies, to the whelpingbox, located in the kitchen. It became a quiet and laid back night. Although? Monday morning, the 5th puppy caught my eye. I lifted him up and and immediately knew: this one will die. He had cramps and was rowing with his front feet, with his head in his neck. A infallible sign for the Fading Puppy Syndrom. An hour later he died. He weighed 400 gr and was born completely normal. Things like this happen. Such pity for such a beautiful puppy. Off course after this, I have searched the internet and read all the latest new about the Fading Puppy Syndrom and incase it should happen again, I will try to rescue it, by using a salt-sugar solution (that has to injected every 2 hours). The litter of Smokey and Lorne (Ch. Firstprizebears Lorne Green), was a vary costly undertaking. Meang that Paz arrived in May and brought Lorne with her. As Smokey decided to wait and wait and wait…. until she finally, at the end of July, got in to season and was able to be mated. Lorne stayed for 3 months with us, before she could fly back to Israel. Yael Davidovich was so kind to undertake this intensive travel from Tel Aviv to Düsseldorf  and back in 48 hours. Thank you Paz and Yael for your help. As Smokey is brown and so is Lorne, the outcome could only be brown.

The pictures of this afternoon with 2 days, the 4 males.

and our princess, the girl