Somehow, it’s already been a year since Addie had her puppies…and we’re right around the corner from her next and last litter.
A year ago, Addie was an only dog. She had no one bossing her around and no one biting her ankles. She was the best listener, best ball player and best girl. She’d come fishing with us and boat with us…no matter what she did, she just wanted to be with her family.
Since she had her babies, our lives have changed and Addie’s has too.
She’s more anxious, more dependent and always tired from Ivy constantly bugging her.
A lot has changed in a year.
There are many days I think about how simple my life was before Izzy came into it…but others that I cant imagine without her.
In this year, Ivy has taught me many things.
Like how to have patience and how to be understanding…because things might not always go your way.
Although she is the Tasmanian devil, she has brought many laughs and memories into our lives.
We’re a little late this week, because we wanted to share the x-rays of Addie’s belly. Although it’s hard to see, you can count about 7 puppies in there. The x-ray isn’t meant to give us an exact count of puppies, but confirms that she actually is pregnant. I mean she definitely looks it, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Dog’s can actually have false pregnancies, or “phantom-pregnancies”.
Her belly will grow and she’ll even produce milk. She will nest, be restless and guard toys or other small objects. She could exhibit all of the signs of pregnancy, and have no puppies growing inside of her. It’s a crazy phenomenon.
I remember Addie trying to tell me she was ready to have her babies. She panted all night on the floor and was restless. I did everything I could to make her comfortable and ensure she had a healthy and successful delivery.
Everyone had left and it was just the two of us. She went outside a bunch of times and I knew they were on their way.
In the blink of an eye, she had her first puppy. She quickly learned how to clean them up and make sure they were getting food.
Although we predicted 6-8 puppies in her first round of x-rays, we were beyond surprised and excited to see 11 come out. All were perfectly healthy and perfectly happy. I’m hopeful that although we only saw 7 this time, there are another few waiting to meet us.
Addie’s first pregnancy began with a global pandemic, and her final one will be ending with some hopeful days ahead.
I’m excited and eager to find out how many might be arriving, and will be ready to deliver more, if needed.
Today’s Lesson: as Deepak Chopra would say “all great changes are preceded by chaos”. Addie is about to bring us lots of little chaos as she did a year ago. It’s been quite the time looking back and I know that the changes we’ve seen in both her and Ivy are worth it. We’ve created an extended family for both them and us and now are lucky enough to share our chaos with all of our new family and friends.
#blog-45
