My bitch lost her singleton puppy due to premature placental separation, required an emergency section but the puppy was without oxygen for too long (never again will I let an ER vet talk me into doing oxytocin shots and wasting a half hour when I darn well know that the bitch is not having any contractions, the placenta has separated and we need to section immediately but that is another story). Fancy pined for her puppy even though she never even saw it. I found two toys the size of puppies in my stash of new toys and gave them to her, she had no interest in one of them but carried the other for weeks. I would pick it up and tell Fancy what a beautiful baby it was etc. After about 3-4 weeks I caught her tossing it in the air and playing with it like it was a toy and not a puppy so I figured she was back to normal. It really did help to distract her if nothing else while her hormones and instincts were telling her she was supposed to be caring for something small.
Please know you and Chloe are in my thoughts and how badly I feel for you for having to go through this. Premature puppies are really unusual and without the necessary lining for their lungs they could not have survived. When you think of how little time puppies have to develop in utero it makes sense that if they are born several days too soon they won't be ready to cope with the world yet. |