They are truly adorable! Having 9 is really wonderful and Dot is being such a good mommy. The downside of whelping a litter is when things happen like with the first puppy. That situation can only be dealt with by a veterinarian and even that usually doesn't work. But you have to continue to put the effort into the rest of the delivery.

When Cassidy had her first litter, one puppy had difficulty nursing and was losing weight so we tried bottle-feeding and he was too small and frail to handle it so we tube-fed him for the first week. He put on weight but never seemed to be able to handle nursing. At the same time, our Annie daughter, Coco, was in the final stages of renal-failure and we were giving her 3 bags of fluid a day. I'd sit next to Coco with the puppy on my chest and the IV in Coco's arm and Coco would clean the puppy from head to toe. The day after Coco passed away, we brought the puppy in for a complete exam and the vet found that he had a cleft palate. We discussed the chances of his survival and concluded that it was necessary to put him down. It was a hard decision -- especially after losing Coco -- because he had shown us such tremendous strength. But it was the right answer. We had him cremated along with Coco and they are now together for all eternity. The puppy Coco never had and the surrogate mother who cleaned him during her last days on earth.

Love the ones that are with us. These pups will be very special.

Jim