Jack Russell Story Jack Russell Story
Story Name: Nobody Told Me
From: Tina Dennis
My Jack Russell Story:
I have a Jack Russell and like everyone else's - Trixie is the best. I love her to death. Last year when Trixie came into her second heat we decided to let Trixie have puppies. We found a male that was absolutely beautiful and we felt like he was the perfect male. We let them get together only 2 times. We waited and were very excited to find out that it worked, Trixie was pregnant. As time went on, Trixie got bigger & BIGGER!! It was two weeks before we figured she was due and we took her to the vet to have an X-ray. We wanted to know how the puppies were positioned, how large they were, and most of all how many. While we were waiting for the X-rays to develop the vet said she does seem to be rather large and we laugh. Well, it came time to read the X-rays and my husband and I were across the hall and we heard the vet start counting heads, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, 9. 10 11,12,13 - I ran across the hall and said to WHAT 13 - NOWAY well another vet came in and he started counting - he counted 12 heads but only 9 spines, he told us to make Trixie as comfortable as possible and since there were so many puppies he wasn't sure how many there actually are because the were so bundled up. We took Trixie home and made her as comfortable as possible. For the next two weeks poor Trixie was miserable. When she laid down we had to help her get up, we had to carry her up the basement steps or else her belly would drag, the people in our neighbor hood would ask "where's your goat" (Trixie is a broken coat and I hate to say it but she did look like a goat!). I felt so bad for doing her. Well two weeks passed and we had no puppies. On the 15th day Trixie was acting funny and I was afraid to leave her alone, so I packed her up and took her to work with me. All day long she acted funny, but she wasn't in labor and felt that it wasn't the surroundings because when I first got Trixie she came to the office with me everyday. Well to make a long story shorter Trixie went into labor at 5:00, she had her first puppy by 5:30 an all white one male. I called the vet and told him that she had one, he told me the next could take time and to just let Trixie have time. Well by 6:00, Trixie was not doing anything and I was getting scared, I called the vet and told him - he said just give her time. By 6:30 the vet had called me, still no more puppies. I decided to try to get Trixie home since I lived so far away from work. I got home and still no puppies - now I'm crying asking the Vet what should I do - I took her in to his office so they could to an emergency C-Section. When to cut her open I heard the vet say - MY GOD! I was beside my self, waiting. Then he started bringing them out by the handful. Trixie had 12 puppies in her FIRST litter. Well we started rubbing down the puppies to keep them breathing and a little later the vet came to me and said that Trixie had such damage from the puppies that it would be best to spay her - so I told him to go ahead. All the puppies went into the birth canal and tore her uterine wall, that is why she never had any more puppies naturally. Well later that night we got to go home with Trixie and her 12 puppies. Trixie was great with them, until the next day! She didn't want to nurse them - I would put her in the box with the puppies and as soon as I would turn my back, she'd hop out. I noticed that her breasts seemed hard. Again, I took her to the vet and he told me that she was starting to dehydrate and she had a fever. I asked about the puppies, he gave me a few cartons of milk and said "GOOD LUCK". I got home and started feeding all these little puppies and I was to the point when I didn't know which one I feed or who's bottom was wiped. I had to go and buy a polaroid camera and I made cue cards. Every morning I weighed each one of them and kept the info on the back of their picture. Trixie finally got to come home, but she didn't want much to do with the puppies. Time went on - I lost one puppy the second night, she only weighed 2oz. But as time went on the puppies grew and grew. The first time that I watched them all run out our garage door, I actually stood there and cried. I couldn't believe that I had done everything for those little guys. I knew I was not going to sleep at night if I didn't find each of the a home by me. Each one of the 11 remaining puppies (by the way she had 6 girls 6 boys)were placed in a home of a family member or close friend. I still see the puppies all the time, actually there isn't a day that doesn't go by where there aren't 3 or 4 of them playing together in my back yard.
The reason I wanted to share this story with you is to let the people who are thinking about breeding their dog - it isn't always easy - there is a lot of expense and a lot of time that is involved and if you think this won't happen to you, think again!!
But no one ever told me that this could happen and it did.
One thing more before I go - what is the largest litter of puppies from a JR (especially their first litter)?