Preface

The story the you will find below is a kind of diary of what happened at Kennel Al-Dahná when we lost 11 out of 12 pups from the V-Litter. It is written in telegram or diary style. This is the first article article in a series of three articles that deals with "What happened, "What could we have done better" and "What did we learn". This is a very tragic fate that one hope only to read or hear about. It is probably every breeders nightmare.

It is quite clear that there are things we could have done better or different, but that will be covered in the next articles. Here are only the factual events, as they happened, hopefully without too personal points of view, written shortly after the events themselves. A lot of the material is based upon notes, emails and the memory of the people that were there.

It is easy to assume, reading this page, that we were fairly ignorant about what happened. This is actually not the case, as Torill has a lot of experience garnered over a long time period, and we also had access to other with both knowledge ond competence in this area. The problem is, or rather was, that we put our faith in other people, their knowledge and experience (actual or assumed) during times when we both do and do not understand situation. It happens every time we go to the doctor, for example. In this particular case the vet we used.

I appologise in advance for any mistakes with words and phrases, as English is not my native language and I've not been much involved with Afghans using English. Neither am I a breeder so the language is quite "foreign" to me. I hope that the text is understandable even so.

Introduction

	Torill has had a registered kennel name since 1971, and has had dogs since 1962
	She has never been in a situation like this before
		So no experience with this type of problems
	This was the V-Litter, ie the 22nd Al-Dahná litter
	Twice she has had litter with 14 pups
	In this situation we had to trust the vet completely
		(availability, competence, advice and instructions)
	Availability was agreed in advance
	

Before the whelping

	March 7th Sasha was artificially inseminated with semen from Harvey at the Veterinarian College of Norway
	The pregnancy period was fine
	Ultrasound examination showed 6 pups, and normal calculation is the to expect the double number
	The was a constant seepage of clear watery liquid during the whole period
	Sasha ate and drank as a normal bitch in whelp
	She was given additional calcium by pulverised egg-shells until she started discharging those
	She was given an anti herpes treatment
	The last days before the whelping she had a bad smelling discharge of liquid
		The vet was told about this
	Goat-milk powder had been acquired
	The whelping box and room was made ready
	Other preparation had been made

Monday May 5th - Night to Tuesday May 6th

	Contraction started at approximately 14:00 on Monday
	The first whelping started at 16:35
	There was no unblocking before the first pup was born
	The pups were often born in pairs evenly spread out during the night until 4 in the morning
	The 2 first pups came without a placenta
	Sasha got a placenta when one came with the third pup
	The birth were very easy, 2-3 contractions and the pup was whelped
	The pups were lively, fed and slept well, but was otherwise somewhat quiet
	Puppy number 5 was born without a tail, but otherwise seemed strong and lively, he also fed like the others
	Sasha washed and cared for her pups as expected
	During the whelping Sasha got Wenches gruel and fresh cold water 
		(water from rice boiled for hours, yolk, puppy food powder, sugar/glucose)
	Puppy number 10 came at 04:08, there were at least 2 left, They did not come
		They could be felt in Sasha

Tuesday May 6th

	At 10 Torill brought Sasha to the vet to get the last two pups out
	The vet first tried by going using the hand
		Sasha cried with pain
	The vet said she had pain in the pelvis and in a teat that had developed lumps
	The vet did not do any form of disinfection before he went in to get the pups
	Sasha was next given a oxytocin injection to force contractions
	Torill was then left alone with Sasha placed on the X-ray table
	When the pups came Torill yelled for help, but that took some time as the vet was otherwise occupied
	The 2 last pups were born shortly before 11 (10:45 and 10:55)
	Torill said she thought there was more to come, but the vet insisted that Sasha was empty
	No form of examination was performed to check if there was anything left
	No more medication was given (to get the rest out)
	We believe that 7 placentas were missing after the whelping was finished
	There was no afterbirth, but Sasha was leaking a bad smelling liquid
	Torill was told by the vet to let the pups empty the teats with lumps
	No biological samples were taken (for analysis) to discover any infections
	Both pups were taken home and joined the rest of pups there
	The pup were generally large, healthy and as they should be
		they weighed from 279g to 380g
	Sasha continued to care for the pups as normal
	Everything appeared to be normal, apart from Sasha's food intake that seemed to slow down toward
	the morning
		We tried all types of food, including puppy food, gruel, dried food, meats, and so on, but
		we didn't have a lot of success
	Sasha continued to discharge liquid, and it smelled rather bad
	The whelping room was kept warm on advice from the vet
	Pictures and videos were taken and published on the net
	The pups were monitored 24 hours a day at this stage

Wednesday May 7th

	The last video was recorded and uploaded to youtube, but published on the website (lack of time)
		http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZaSP1tWhBk
	Around 12 Sasha started to run out of milk
	We started feeding the pups with a thin goat milk mixture, using rubber nipples and pipettes
	We also started to force feed Sasha on advice from the vet, liquid was difficult
	The tailless pup became lethargic and cold. It died shortly before 17
		We assumed that there were more issues than the missing tail
	We took pictures pictures of all the pups with their distinctive marks for identification
		We never managed to link the picture with the photos due to lack of time
	The pups were fed and slept normal, but were noticeably quiet
	Sasha's temperature increased during the evening
	Unni Foss went to the vet and asked about using goat milk for the pups
		She was told that it could be used, but that it had to be a very thin solution
		Basically the same recipe we used already

Night to Tursday May 8th

	Sometime between midnight and 1 Sasha got some clear chicken stock she drank
	After this time she stopped drinking or eating
	Then the temperature started too increase dramatically - at one stage it was up to 41.8 C
	In addition all the pups became ill, wet to the touch and cold
	The vet was called at 03:30
	He asked if we had any antibiotics tablets around
	We answered that we some 660 Apocillin tablets
	He the said we should give Sasha 1 or 2 tablets and be at the vets office at 09:00 in the morning
	The whelping room was kept warm because the pups were getting cold

Tursday May 8th

	In the morning we realised that Sasha and the pups needed immediate professional attention
	Sasha vomited in the kitchen, opp came a bad smelly liquid and a strange lump of something
	On several short walks she vomited again
	We called the vet and asked him to come in early
	Sasha discharged lots of smelly liquid, had a high temperature, did not eat or drink
	The pups were wet, cold, lethargic, and did not eat even if tried to feed them
	At the vets office at 08:45, the vet had been delayed in the traffic
	One pup died right after we came into the vets office, another was gravely ill
	The pups were divided into two groups; gravely ill and just ill
		They were dehydrated, wet and cold
	The pups were treated immediately
	The received liquid, glucose and antibiotics in two rounds
	We were told to keep them warm, and to feed them on Royal Canine Puppy Food
		The whelping room was to be kept warm and without any draft at all
	The vet suggested we should travel to Horten to buy Royal Canine Puppy Food
		as he didn't have any left
	Royal Canine Puppy Food was bought by Bent-Ove at Jarlsberg
	We were told how to massage the pups so as to stimulate them by massaging, shake ("move") and "nip" them in the
		nose and corner of the mouth (in other words be "nasty to them)
	No attempt was made to identify any source of of the pups problems
	No biological samples were taken this time either
	The dead puppy was put in the freezer
	
	Sasha had, according to the vet, a very strong infection of her uterus ??
	Ultrasound scan showed lots of liquid in the uterus
	The vet decided she needed an operation right away (even though she was very hot)
		(either operation or medication with the associated risk of loosing all the pups)
	We decided on an operation
	Before the opreration no intravenous liquid or antibiotics were given, straight on the table after the examination
	We can not recollect that the vet took either pulse or temp before the operation
	The uterus was removed
	It was enlarged and deep red/purple
		I would estimate that it was somewhere between 6 +/- cm in diameter
	The cut surfaces were sterilised using peroxide since the looked very infected (lots of rubbish there)
	Several of Sasha's teats showed signs of being infected and had "hard" lumps in them
	
	The pups and Sasha were taken home in a very hot car to keep the pups warm
	The whelping room was also kept warm for the same reason
	When we got home the pups were fed with Royal Canine Puppy Food using pipette, and dummy, and with milk from Sasha
	Sasha looked to improve somewhat, and her milk production seemed somewhat better
	The pups also seemed somewhat improved, but required physical stimulation and drying off
	
	By evening progressed we realised that we needed more manpower and more advice
		quite simply we did not manage that many pups on our own
	Sasha lost her milk production again
	The pups had to be fed by hand 
	
	We got offers of help from several people (including Tone Orre with a bitch that had just finished with her own pups)
	One pup died shortly after 20:00 in the evening, it was the pup that had been very ill when we were at the vet
	Torill went to fetch Barbro
	In all 5 pups died in less than 30 minutes
	When Torill returned there were only 5 pups left alive, and 2 of those were nearly dead
	With continuous work we managed to save 3 pups over night (all thanks to Barbro and Anita)

Friday May 9th

	The surviving pups were in a reasonable condition considering the circumstances
	Sasha also got better through the night, but her milk had gone again
	She started taking food and drink again
	She still discharged a bit of smelly liquid
	Several teats had clearly hard "lumps" in them
	Barbro was taken home and the pups left with her
	Another visit to the vet
	Sasha was given an injection to start the milk production again
	The vet instructed us to place the pups with Sasha to help with emptying the teats
	The vet didn't check for inflamed or infected teats
	No biological samples were taken this time either
	Sasha and the pups were rejoined, and the pups were given free access
	They were feeding quite well and seemed satisfied
	Sasha and the pups looked to be in a better shape

Friday May 9th Afternoon/evening

	As the afternoon passed Sasha lost her milk again
	The pups had to hand fed again
	Maiken arrives with a boxful of dummies and bottles (for hand feeding the pups)
	
	Sasha very ill (again) with a temperature of 41.5 C
	Phone conversation with vet, who wasn't keen on making an emergency call
		He suggested that we go to a chemist where he would call in a prescription for Baytril
		Torill then said that Sasha was very ill and insisted that we would meet at his office
		He then said he would only administrate the same drug there
	At 19:00 Torill, together with Maiken, was at the vets office, (Bent-Ove came a bit later)
		(the vet was at children's party and not particularly happy about being called out)
	He first said they should just go to the chemists for a prescription of Baytril
	He examined the mucous membranes, eyes and mouth (not teats or operation wound)
	Sasha was given liquids, antibiotics and painkiller intravenously, from a drip
	She got a hand-sized bulge on the leg, where the veneflon was attached
		possibly because it missed the blood vessel and was injected right under the skin
	The drip was then moved to another place higher on the leg
	The vet thought the drip took too long so helped it along by squeezing the drip bag
		(it took about 10-15 minutes to empty the whole bag)
	The bag (and content) was cold, and not preheated
	Food, 3 boxes - cold - not diluted, was also given through a syringe in the mouth
		then it was all washed down with another syringe filled with water
	
	It soon soon became obvious that we couldn't make this on our own, but that we needed help from Barbro
	Bent-Ove went to fetch her, and on the way he talked to another vet (vet2) and asked if we could contact her

	Torill had just about arrived home before we realised that we needed another visit to the vet
	Vet2 was contacted
		She told us to come in immediately

Night to Saturday May 10th

	At 10 in the evening we left for vet2
	Sasha was examined thoroughly and evaluated properly
	She was in a really bad state, in desperate need of an operation she might not make it through
	Severe teats were heavily inflamed
		two with beginning gangrene
	She had a temperature of 41.5 and a pulse over 200
	During the time we at the vets another 2 teats were visibly attacked
	She was put on a drip and got large amounts of liquids, antibiotics and painkillers
		so that her temp would drop (but not enough for vet2 to start operating)
	The teats were emptied several times by hand (Barbro and Maiken + medication and hot wraps)
	We decided, with the agreement of the vet to take her home and return 09:00 in the morning
		We did this in the hope of stabilising her 
		If she died at home she would have died on the operating table
	The 3 pup were given antibiotics and fluid
	Barbro came home with us and helped taking care of Sasha and pups
	Vet2 gave none of them a good chance of surviving

Saturday May 10th

	Sasha improved overnight
	At the vets office at 09:00
	Sasha walked in by herself
	The pups were given liquid
		and a prescription for antibiotics
	They were then sent home with Barbro as they were not allowed to near Sasha
	Sasha was operated
	The operation was finished around 12
	Vet2 kept Sasha with her until about 8 in the evening, she even brought Sasha with to her own home
		so that she could keep an eye on her at all times
	We collected Sasha at 8, full of drugs, minus 2 teats and plus 40 stitches
	Sasha had to milked, have her teats massaged and given antibiotics every 6 hours
	Around 10 in the evening the last dog pup died 
	He had become lethargic and weaker the last hours, and with blood trickling from the mouth
		probably caused by pneumonia (ref vet2)

Sunday May 11th

	Sasha is much better, eats and drinks fairly well
	She manages to go for walks
	One of bitch pups is starting to have problems with the food intake around 11
	Vet2 has done all she can
	Blood starts trickling from the mouth
	The pup dies at 15:30
	The last pup, a bitch, is in really good shape

Monday May 12th

	Sasha is in good shape, eats and drinks
	She has her teats massages and washed every 6th hour
	She developed an abscess on one the remaining teats
	The abscess broke, expelling puss, the vet was OK with that
	She also gets 660mg Apocillin 4 times a day, and Rimadyl 3 times a day
	She is desperately looking for her pups
	The last pup has been named Al-Dahná's Vitae Victoria, or Victoria for short

Tuesday May 13th

	Visit to vet2 with Sasha, and she is very impressed by Sasha's condition
	Sasha is lively, in good spirits, and the tail is up
	A tube to allow leakage of liquid from the operation was removed
	Next visit to the vet is on the 23rd of May, to remove the stitches
	Victoria is a greedy pup
	Food intake is limited to 12.5ml 6 times a day (by vets order)
	She can not be reunited with her mum before Sasha is declared free of infections
	Victoria is now 500g