Pupdate

Raven's 9 puppies are doing great. As they get older, it is apparent that they are not purebred labs. We suspect daddy may have had some chow in him, based on the small ears and purple splotches on tongues. Some of the puppies are also quite fluffy. There's an amazing variation in sizes amongst the pups, too; the 3 black females are all quite small, barely reaching 3 pounds at 6 weeks old, while a couple of the yellow and red pups are 6 pounds or more. One of the little black females, Racquel, broke her left front leg at 4 weeks of age. We have no idea how; the foster walked in one morning and found the pup with her elbow bent at an unnatural angle. The leg was kept in a soft cast for 2 weeks, and is healing well.

Helen's litter of 10 has already been altered, and 8 of them have been adopted; Flo's litter of 10 will be altered soon. Reba's litter of 9 is about 5 weeks old and thriving.

Not all of our puppies have fared as well. I'm sorry to relate that the litter of puppies I wrote about in the post "Boxer Mix Bonanza" contracted distemper; all 12 puppies are gone. Those that did not die in their foster mom's arms were euthanized by the vet. Rest in peace and doGspeed to Vanna, Valkyrie, Van Morrison, Val Kilmer, Vaca, Valeria, Valencia, Vance, Valentine, Valiant, Vanya, and Vagabond. Our litter of 11 pit bull puppies has also tested positive for distemper, and 6 of them are gone. The chances of any of the remaining 5 surviving much longer are slim. Please say a little prayer for Santini, Schnapps, Sadie, Silky, Silver, Skippy, Smoochie, Snoopy, Snowy, Speedy, and Sugar Bunch. Their mothers, Vanessa and Sweetie Pie, are doing well.