One Month with 11 Puppies

During the first week of the puppies’ life, Mama Bea spent all her time with them. She dragged her tired body outside to do her business, she ate her meals while she was nursing, and she did a lot of cleanup and general care of the puppies. With 11, she was exhausted all the time. My job was pretty easy, I provided good food for mama, made sure the blankets were dry and comfy and worried.

The second week of their lives was all about making sure they would live. There were a lot of puppies to keep healthy. They were all vigorous eater, but the 2 littlest were visible smaller than the rest. While I tried to get as much nutrients into Bea’s tiny body, she kept nurturing her big family.

At that point, we had to rush Bea to the emergency vet. Rush isn’t really accurate, nothing about vet care is a rush these days. We took the whole family to the emergency vet and waited in the parking lot. The pups nursed comfortably in a huge crate, and we were told that we would get a call when they were ready to treat her, probably 6 hours or so. After the long wait, we returned, Bea had to be sedated for foxtail removal. Antibiotics, ear wash, time to heal the eardrums that had burst.

The next week was a whirlwind and I forgot to take any photos. Bea started to feel better. She moved the puppies around, out of the pool, tried to take them outside. It was busy.

And then just after their 3-week birthday, I served solid food. True to form, they dove right in. They’ve been toddling around and trying to figure out how to play with each other.

And 11 puppies is a lot.