Kayla and Family-Day Two

Today has been a long day. It started out early with a complete homemade breakfast and a body rub down - for Kayla of course! The rest of us caught a quick bowl of cereal or a piece of toast and some coffee or tea. It was raining most of the morning, so Kayla's walks were under the umbrella and short. She ate, took care of her "business" both #1 and #2, and fed the pups like the champ that she is, but we noticed that she continued to pant heavily and occasionally "nest". We called Dr. Furness in Contoocook and Dr. Mitchell in Kingston, both vets we trust and have counted on for advice and treatment. They concured in their assessments: #1 most likely another pup or pups, #2 possible dehydration, #3 watch for fever and/or mastitis. Both were supportive and returned calls almost immediately. Late in the morning, our littlest male, "Sweet Baby James", lost the battle with fading puppy syndrome. We buried him under the tall pine tree near the front porch. The sun finally came out in the afternoon, so Kayla was treated to a walk around the grounds and a brief ball toss. Her tail was wagging and her spirits high. We're sure she was smiling! She came in, ate briefly, climbed into the whelping box and presented us with #12 puppy. Unfortunately, this female was stillborn. This broke our hearts, but Kayla turned her attention back to her "family" and bunched them all around her....they ate, she caught a cat nap..she knew where her priorities were, pointing out a lesson we all need to go over...sometimes the decision is already made and we should accept this. So while today had it's low points, the sun did shine and the "Kayla and Seamus Family" is growing, eating, pooping and peeing---soooo Life Is Good.
Pam