Tiga + Breeding = Never a Dull Moment

Both of Tiga's previous breeding experiences have brought some sort of excitement - events that have given me the chance to experience something that stretched me to the limit.

The first pregnancy gave me the chance to experience tube feeding. Sticking several inches of tubing down the throat of a new born puppy and shooting formula into their stomachs was something I really never wanted to do but it all worked out and I was able to handle it, even in the middle of the night half asleep. And as if that wasn't enough, there was the puppy that suddenly became very ill and dehydrated and ended up spending some time at the emergency vet. Fortunately, both the puppy and I pulled through that one.

The second pregnancy had the emergency c-section which actually ended up being quite fascinating and again, a great learning experience. Then there was the entire litter getting sick for 24 hours with vomiting and diarrhea. We also managed to get through that one with nobody the worse for wear.

Well not to be out done, Tiga has once again tried to scare me to death. This time she didn't even wait for the puppies to be born. Last Saturday night Tiga became very agitated, panting heavily, unable to remain still for long, never leaving my side (actually in my lap). She acted just like she was in labor and with two more weeks to go this would not have been a good thing. After this continued for several hours I called Eileen and we decided she should go to the emergency vet. (By the way, Eileen wakes up and becomes rational much quicker that I do!) Of course, once we got there she settled down. All of her vitals looked good. She had no discharge or pain in her abdomen and there wasn't anything more they could check. I took her home, after calling Eileen again for moral support. We were hoping that it was over, but no such luck. When we got home she started in again and after a few more hours she started nesting behaviour also. She tried to get behind the furniture and scratch out a bed. Now I was really worried that she was about to give birth so I put her back in the car and this time we went to the U of M. By now it was 3:30 and snowing heavily. Again, once she was in the car she quieted down and went to sleep and when we got there they couldn't see anything wrong with her. Well when we got home the behaviour started again and continued until about 8:30 in the morning when she finally went to sleep.

I talked to our vet, Dr. Windsor, who was kind enough to spend some time on Easter morning advising me. We took her back to the emergency vet where they performed an ultrasound to make sure we still had viable pups. I spent Easter morning worried sick that we had lost the pups and that she was trying to expel them. The news was good. The ultrasound showed beating hearts and lots of activity. Tiga came home and has been acting perfectly normal since then. We still don't have an explanation for her behaviour and we are keeping our fingers crossed that the next two weeks pass quickly and without incident.

She is growing bigger and bigger every day and last night I was able to feel a puppy moving. Very cool.

Here is Tiga tonight demonstrating her "Show me you puppies" cue and looking very relaxed.