We decided to load up the motorhome and start the trek home to Kentucky from Hilton Head Island on Sunday, December 16 since Fancy seemed to be holding stable. She had held off, so we had our fingers crossed that perhaps her body was telling her to wait for her own bed and safety zone.
Of course…not to be and as I originally predicted..day 74 from first show, the exact same time interlude as her litter in 2011. We stopped for the night in Maggie Valley, NC at the base of the Smokey Mountains in the campground we typically use when traveling on I-40, Creekwood Farm RV Park. It was pouring rain, so luckily we stopped a little early, around 6 pm. By 8, Fancy was panting and pacing and crying just a little and there was no doubt, it was happening. I gathered all the supplies and we got ourselves set to help her and for an all-night stint. Why is it that it always starts just at bedtime?
At 9:15, the first puppy appeared and struggled a bit to finish its entry into the world. We cut the cord and helped it along and found the reason it was hanging back was that two puppies were trying to come down the chute at the same time. Oops, one at a time please! Things progressed well, with just a few glitches, but nothing serious. By 2 am, we had 5 puppies and since the ultra sound had shown 5 heartbeats, our sigh of relief could be heard through the valley. We straightened up the supplies and Paul went to bed and I stayed on the couch so I could monitor. At about 4 am, the babies were squeaking a bit and I woke from my coma to check on them and found another baby entering the world. Oh My!!! The little blue merle boy was the biggest of the lot and ready for milk right now, or yesterday even! Paul says this one should be named “Tardy” 🙂 We ended the night with 3 girls and 3 boys, 3 black tris and 3 blue merles.
Because I’m one to try to be as prepared as possible, I had already gathered vet info for the area and set my alarm for 730 am. I wasn’t sure the last placenta delivered and Fancy hadn’t totally settled as mamas usually do after whelping, so I called a local vet office to ask about an Oxytocin clean out shot for her. My local vet felt like I shouldn’t risk waiting just in case because of the possibility of infection or even another puppy. Dr. Gibson at Animal Hospital of Waynesville was so helpful and worked us into her schedule for the morning, something a lot of veterinarians just won’t do, especially for a traveler that will probably never be back. X-rays and an exam didn’t indicate problems, but we opted for the clean out shot and a round of antibiotics. We then loaded up to continue our ride back toward LaGrange Kentucky.
The shot gave Fancy a little discomfort because just like a similar drug for laboring people, it “induced” contractions to push out any residue that might need to be released. Within the hour, she was obviously feeling better and laid down quietly to snuggle her new family. The puppies had already nursed non stop for 12 hours and their little flat bellies had rounded out and little squeaks of content could be heard on occasion.
I can’t help but interject Paul and my discussion here as we drove down the road with mama and 6 sweet little Mini Aussie puppies. The production of a new living being is a miraculous event whether it be an animal or our more precious skin children. There is just no way it could be a random freak of nature coming about with so much precision and in such a complicated way.
Fancy is a wonderful mom to her babies and once settled into her x-pen in our sun room, she is just relaxing and making milk to feed six hungry little mouths. We had a very nice vacation with our daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren and our “fancy girl” but coming home is always sweet. We had missed our pooches left behind with the petsitter on this trip.
Stay tuned for updates on these puppies! Additional info can be found at my website www.alangusaussies.com.
