Deep down I knew that I would probably be having to write this entry, nature had its way, so here it is. Other than the contented murmurings of feeding pups it had been a quiet night in the whelping room and there was no indication that the day would start the way it did.
A check of the pups resulted in the sight of 5 snuggled up together and the 6th (Phoebe) distanced a little from them. On touch she was a little chilly but appeared to still be okay. I positioned her on to mum and encouraged her to feed, which she did, but only a little. I left her and Kassi in that position when I went to make our morning drinks. I shared the news of the pups with Louise who immediately went to have a look at the pups, but specifically Phoebe.
I think we both knew there and then that she wasn't going to make it but we both took turns cradling her in a towel to try to raise her body temperature. When she seemed to be a little warmer we put her back with her brothers and sisters so she could absorb some of their body heat - it didn't work and when she closed her eyes again it was for the final time.
There is always a tendency to beat oneself up when a pup doesn't make it, but we believe that we did everything we could for her - we gave her Puppystim, Nutridrops and supplementary milk, we made sure that she had time alone with her mum so that she could suckle in peace, and we kept her warm. But sometimes best endeavours and intentions aren't enough to overcome the physical problems of an early birth; she just wasn't well enough developed to survive.
Call us sentimental fools, but it would be nice to think of Phoebe being with Kiva, her great-great granny, and Bed, her brother from another litter, and the other Lumikoiras that have passed away
Rest in Peace Phoebe, you will always be remembered along with all the others.
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