Maddie was bound to be a dog lover since we had a bouncer with a dog on it that she would sit and stare at as a newborn. Then we had 10 puppies at our home when she was only 4 months old. But her passion for Mia, our black lab has been a surprise. She loves her. I find almost daily them cuddling with one another. I have been looking through pictures and came across all these gems….
(Maddie and the puppies)
This photo was taken by my niece, Emily, on the 4th of July, 2012
We love you Mia!!!
Maddie’s best friend, cuddle pillow, leftover eater, and hair stylist,
Anna’s favorite dog, pet to yell at, and tag player,
Dave’s wrestling partner, official greeter at the door, and face washer,
& My running partner, foot warmer, and 3rd responsibility to keep alive and well
HAS ARTHRITIS!
My poor doggie, Mia, has arthritis and she is ONLY 5 YEARS old! I know she isn’t on her death bed, but it makes me so sad for her! She has been struggling to get up sometimes and isn’t my usual good running partner. I have wondered and felt bad pushing her if she was really hurting, so I took her to a Vet. Sure enough she is overweight and has Arthritis. We can give her some medicine and vitamins, but it is inevitable that she will get worse. She had to get a few shots and Anna was so worried about her all day. She wanted to sit by her to read her bedtime books and told Dave to be careful with her because, “she had to go get shots!”
She still runs like crazy in the back yard and barks at those who goes by (much to my dismay), but she is getting slower. We were just saying a little while ago how we thought we had only about 5 good years with her and had to live it up! Especially with the girls, who adore her. Maddie is more excited to see her everyday than anyone else.
It is amazing how pets become such a part of the family. I admit there are days that I loathe her hair, her licking, and her barking, but all in all she is wonderful to have around. She is patient with our craziness and so loyal.
We love you Mia and hope you can get a little better!
P.S. if you stop eating all our crumbs and such you wouldn’t be so fat!
Once upon a time a girl named Mia met a boy named Romeo.
Then they had TEN puppies, 2 yellow males, 2 black females, 6 black males! They are super cute! Mia was a little overwhelmed at first and didn’t know what to think of it all. She really didn’t take to them until 2 days later (even growling at them and biting one of them), but she would nurse them. She was in labor for 8 hours and didn't break any of the sacks or help at all, Dave and I did everything. The last few days we have had to watch her like a hawk to make sure everything was okay.
Now she is a super cute Mommy, whines for her pups and is taking good care of them!
When labor began…
Here they are just a few hours old….
During labor…
Two days old…
Disregard my makeup and bags, it has been a LONG three days.
Yes that is a bum on top of a head, They are hilarious!
I took Mia for an x-ray today and to meet the Vet. He is super old school in his outdated office, but great to talk to and helped me prepare and feel more relaxed about it. I am so proud of Mia. She is a trooper. I know she is uncomfortable, in fact as I watch her get up I have flashbacks to 2 months ago when I took 30 seconds to stand up!
Well the stats are in. We can expect 9 ( I think I see 10) PUPPIES! She is 58 days today, a normal gestation for a dog is anywhere from 58-63 days, 62 being typical. So any day now. I have to take her temperature twice a day until her temperature drops from 102 to 98 degrees. When that happens she should deliver within the next 24+ hours. It can take anywhere from 4 to 24 hours to deliver the pups and Mia should be able to do most of it all on her own. (The vet told me to get a Diet Pepsi and sit and watch… Perhaps a Cream Soda, my new favorite.)
Here is a photo of the x-ray. It isn’t the best, but you can kind of see the heads and spines.
Here is uncomfortable Mia, This is her favorite spot. Look at those teats. Poor girl.
Mia doesn’t seem to have an appetite so this is how she has eaten her last couple of meals, Thank you Anna. And here is a close up of three of the puppies.
We love you Mia, you cute dog!
