[McheleM]

If you are considering breeding your dog, I hope you will read this. My 5 1/2 pound girl delivered 4 puppies last night, emergency c-section.
I am feeling so many things right now- I am grateful that my Allie is okay and that her puppies were all born healthy. I am exhausted because I have been up with her sporadically for the last 5 days. I napped with her but didn't sleep well because every time she moved I was checking to see what she was doing. I have been awake for almost 24 hours at this point. I am disappointed that things had to happen the way they did. I wanted better for her. Of course nothing ever goes the way we want it to-I read all the books, I researched, I talked to other breeders, I thought it wasn't that big of a deal to let her whelp. I was scared and nervous but thought I could do it. I knew the warning signs and what to watch for. I wanted a smooth, easy delivery with no complications and got a difficult labor that ended in surgery and a whole lot of complications. See Allie wants nothing to do with the 4 beautiful puppies that she just delivered. She won't feed them, she won't let them near her. In fact, she is avoiding them all together. The vet said she may get home and get settled and the meds all wear off and her Mommy instincts might kick in, but then again they might not. Right now, I am feeding her puppies and making them go pee and poo. I am doing her job because she doesn't want to. If she decides she doesn't want to be a mommy, I'll have to continue taking care of these girls. They have to be fed every hour or so to begin with. By the time I've finishing feeding all 4 and got them cleaned up, got their bedding situated and cleaned and changed out their heat socks, it's time to start over. Obviously this will be a round the clock job and I am already exhausted. Then when she gets home, I have to take care of her as well. I have to check to make sure she's eating, drinking, peeing and pooping and that she's not running a fever or has any inflammation at her incision site or that she's not licking it or pulling at her staples.

Mostly I am angry. I'm angry at myself for allowing this to happen. I'm angry that I didn't get her spayed last year. I'm angry that I turned my back for 5 seconds to move a mop bucket and allowed her to get pregnant. I'm angry that I put my beautiful baby through this and it could have been prevented. I'm angry because her suffering is my fault. I brought her home and promised to love her and take care of her and I just put her through hell. I've ruined her body and scarred her. I feel like the worst pet parent in the world right now. I hope that someone else will read this and change their mind about breeding. Even professional breeders have horror stories. People lose their dogs and the puppies all the time. I got lucky and my dog and her puppies are alive but had I not panicked and gone to the vet, her puppies and her might not have made it. The thought of her dying because of a careless mistake of mine kills me inside. It rips my heart to pieces.

No one needs to comment-I'm not looking for that, I just thought others should know that things can and often do go wrong. And I hope that if someone is thinking about breeding their dog, they'll reconsider.