The puppies are 5 1/2 weeks old, and Orange Girl gives us a scare

Wow, this has been quite a week.  Lots has happened, some good, some bad.  We had quite the scare.

Tuesday morning I woke up to the sound of vomiting.  I looked in the whelping box, and there was vomit all along the railings.  (Who hangs out on the railings?)  I took all of the puppies downstairs, and it soon became obvious that Orange Girl was quite ill.  The evening before she had been prancing around, playing with Lucas, Thomas and Heather.  Just a handful of hours later, she was shuddering and looking miserable.

I took Orange Girl to the vet, and he said she was quite a sick little puppy.  He did a rapid parvo test, and it was negative.  He wanted to do an ultrasound, to check for obstructions and intestinal issues.  So, I left her there for the day.  Later that afternoon the vet called me to tell me that she needed to go to Tri-Valley Emergency Animal Care for the night.  So, I transported her there, and she spent the night and next day there.

As rapidly as she took ill, she got better.  I brought her home Wednesday evening, and she was back to prancing, keeping everybody in line, and generally being enchanting.  (She just has so much personality!)  The vet wasn't sure if she had a "parvo-like" viral infection, or if it was bacterial.  She has been on antibiotics since Tuesday morning.  Personally, in my non-medicine-background opinion, it seems like she had a bacterial infection.  Twenty-four hours on antibiotics, and she bounced back.

But, at the time that I brought her home, we were in quarantine.  Harley and Holly were confined to the property, and I was scared that it was a virus that would spread through the entire litter.  How grateful I am that that didn't happen!  All our puppies are well and thriving.  And too cute for words!

Here is our Orange Girl after she came home:

Orange Girl comes home from the hospital

She had to have her belly shaved.  What a fighter this one is!

What is really interesting is the reactions of Holly and Harley.  When I put Orange Girl in the car to take her to the vet, Holly was beside herself, and Harley had his worried look.  Tuesday evening, when I came home, both Holly and Harley got in the car and sniffed all over, looking for Orange Girl.  When I finally came home with her Wednesday evening, Holly and Harley hovered over her for over 30 minutes.  Then Holly started acting weird.  She got very rough with Orange Girl, rolling her, nipping at her, trying to toss her in the air.  I had to shut her behavior down, but before I had a chance, Orange Girl bit Holly in the face, because Holly was being so nasty to her!

I continue to monitor Holly's behavior closely.  Sometimes she is loving and sweet to Orange Girl, and other times she is mean.  I just don't get it.  Heather and her boys came over on Thursday afternoon to keep an eye on things.  And, of course, they were all wanting to see Orange Girl for themselves, to make certain she was indeed all better.

In the 36 hours that Orange Girl was gone, the pack began to close ranks.  I have observed that she doesn't seem to have a place, and is constantly fighting her littermates.  Slowly, things are improving.
Wow, what a week.

Here is Orange Girl today:

Orange Girl is feeling better

Orange Girl attacks my foot

Friday evening, my good friend Beth arrived at the house.  She is going to take one of our puppies, and she spent the weekend here trying to decide which puppy she wants.  Well, she made a bit of progress in that area.  She narrowed it down to Blue Girl, Yellow Girl, Purple Girl, or Orange Girl.  When she left, she was about 90% certain that she wanted Blue Girl.

Now, I didn't get a picture of Beth with the puppies (all the pictures are on her phone), except this one.  Blue Girl is cuddling up across Beth's foot while she was helping with dinner.  Too cute!

Blue Girl cuddling up to Beth's foot

Here is a picture of Blue Girl from earlier today:

Blue Girl, July 25, 2010

While Beth was here, we weighed the puppies.  Oh my gosh, it is incredible how much weight they have gained.  Here is the line-up:

Purple Girl:   7.5 lbs

Red Boy:     10 lbs (!)

Pink Girl:       8   lbs

Green Boy:    9   lbs

Yellow Girl:  8.5 lbs

Orange Girl:  7.5 lbs

Blue Girl:      9    lbs

I can't believe how big they are!!!

Saturday evening, Jim came to dinner.  He spent some time with Beth, helping her make a decision about which puppy.  He administered a puppy personality test to about four of the puppies (everybody was very sleepy, which made it difficult.)

For the most part, the puppies seem well socialized, and will fit in most any home.  We need to finish testing all of them, probably later this week.

This afternoon, Jamie and her husband Jason came to play with the puppies.  Jamie must have asked me a dozen times how I ever get to work in the morning, what with them being so cute and entertaining.  She has it pegged.  Boy is it difficult!

They really enjoyed playing with the puppies.  They seem most interested in Yellow Girl, with Pink Girl being their second choice.  Jamie and Jason have a 9 year-old female dog, Ruby, and are looking for a puppy that will do well with an older dog.  

Here are some pictures of Yellow Girl from today:

Yellow Girl, July 25, 2010

Yellow Girl with Harley; no, he isn't eating her;
He is holding his mouth open for
Yellow Girl to lick the inside ...

Green Boy is such a dead wringer for Harley it is incredible.  I think this is the puppy that Andrew is taking.  Here is a picture of Green Boy:

Green Boy, 5 1/2 weeks old

And here is a picture of Harley the day we got him, at 9 weeks of age:

Harley, the day we got him, 9 weeks old

Pink Girl gets happier and happier each day.  She tends to be aggressive with her littermates, but then gets put in her place by Red Boy and Orange Girl.  She is still the prettiest puppy, and I am very pleased that her disposition is improving.  I am really interested in seeing how her markings turn out!

Pink Girl, July 25, 2010

And here is our bruiser, Red Boy.  He is huge!  And fun loving, and smart.  Red Boy is practically house broken.  The last two evenings, he has stood at the back door and whined, and when the door was opened he went out and make pee-pee and poo-poo on the lawn!!!  I am extremely grateful for this.  Today he also went on a little exploration trip.  He made the step up to the entryway, went and looked out the front door, and then went and nosed around in the living room.  His most favorite pasttime is to eat Felix's food.  If I can't find Red Boy, he has managed to get into the pantry and get to the cat chow!

Which reminds me -- the puppies have discovered Felix (they are just about his size now).  Yellow Girl went to play with Felix last night, paw up, wanting to bat at him.  Felix was fine until Orange Girl showed up on the scene and joined in.  Then he scratched them both, and took off, and left two howling puppies ....

And yes, there is Purple Girl.  Purple Girl is almost as far along in her housebreaking as Red Boy.  Last night she cried to go out, and sure enough, did her business on the lawn.  I am so proud of her!  Also, she has discovered electrical cords.  It has been very challenging this evening keeping her away from them ...

Purple Girl, July 25, 2010

The puppies discovered the side yard this afternoon.  For some reason, they like the ferns!  Here is an adorable picture of Orange Girl and Blue Girl:

Orange Girl and Blue Girl playing in the ferns

Here is an adorable Blue Girl!

Finally, this morning after breakfast, all of the puppies went to sleep in a row.  I thought this was so precious -- all lined up and asleep:

Morning naptime

Well, I am happy that I can report that the puppies are thriving.  They are fun-loving, love human interaction, and seem healthy(!) and well-balanced.  Here's to a smooth and worry-free week!