Puppy Surprise!
Written by Jackie Maynard.
Volunteer Area Co-ordinator.
Every so often a pug coming into the care of PDWRA packs a surprise; Shirley was one such. It was just a few days into the foster period when her foster mum Clare noticed that she was gaining weight rapidly, despite no increase in her diet. Having her suspicions, she contacted us and Shirley was packed off to the Vet for a scan. The Vet confirmed that Shirley was 6 to 7 weeks pregnant. Some hastily bought food for nursing mothers and all the necessary puppy paraphernalia were assembled ready for the big event, including a drawer to serve as a temporary whelping pen.
Clare resumed her normal routine, working from home, with a camera trained on Shirley’s bed so that any of the usual indications of imminent birth could be observed. Shirley however decided to move events along swiftly and whilst Clare was on a conference call, she was busy making a nest out of blankets. The conference call was abruptly abandoned when, with one eye trained on the camera, Clare could see a pup making a first appearance into the world. Clare kept me updated on unfolding events via WhatsApp as I was walking my pugs – every time my phone pinged it signified the arrival of another pup – 6 pings in all, in little over 2 hours.
Shirley was a wonderful mum, knew just what to do, with just a little help from Clare and in no time all pups were happily suckling. It’s a sad fact that not all in the litter survive and the Vet confirmed that two pups had cleft palates and a third was very weak and unlikely to survive. A fourth pup later suddenly failed to gain weight and stopped suckling: he peacefully passed away.
The two remaining pups continue to thrive however, and are rapidly gaining weight.
Clare had a family holiday booked so we knew, once the pups were 2 weeks old, we had to find a suitable foster mum to get them through the weaning stage and on to their forever homes. Our usual fosterers with experience of weaning pups were unavailable to help, but after a plea on PDWRA’s internal Facebook group with adopter and fosterer members, Amy stepped up and offered to help, offering to drive a considerable distance to collect Shirley and the pups. So now the pups are steadily gaining weight and strength and it won’t be long before they are ready to join their eagerly waiting adopters.
The signs of pregnancy are not always apparent, depending on the stage reached. Thanks to Clare’s astute observations on developing teats and weight gain around the abdomen, all necessary preparations for the birth were made in time, and she was happy to step into the role of midwife, a rewarding experience she will remember for a long time to come !
Shirley & her delightful puppies already have their adoptive homes eagerly waiting for them.
If you would like to help a pug or multiples! along their journeys by fostering, not necessarily with such unpredictable surprises, then please apply at:
https://pugwelfare-rescue.org.uk/fostering-a-pug/
