What a day

Hazel and her pups only a couple hours old

Starting last Thursday Hazel and I have been making almost daily trips into the vet to have the fetal heart rate monitored on the pups she was carrying.  The vet does this with an ultrasound machine, locating the pups heart and counting beats per minute.  Above 200 beats is normal for pups NOT yet ready to be born.  Once that heart rate drops below 200 it is a sign that labour is in progress and pups are on the way.  Thursday all were well above 200, Saturday...all above 200, Sunday...still above 200.  Come Monday the heart rates had dropped substantially, telling us that Hazel should be in labour and delivering her pups...now.  However, Hazel ate a big breakfast and was showing no sign that she was going to deliver her pups.  The decision was made to perform a c-section immediately while Hazel wasn't under any stress and we knew that up until the prior afternoon all the pups were in normal range.  30 minutes later we were toweling off six SCREAMING pups.  What a wonderful sound compared to the silence after Hazel's first attempt at motherhood when all the pups were tragically still born.
Hazel was sedated initially for surgery at 12:55pm by 3:15pm I had her and her 6 pups all safely home and in the nursery box.  Mom was very groggy and required my carrying her upstairs and setting pups on her to nurse.  She was pretty much zonked the entire evening, had a little rice & ground chicken and then slept the night away.  This morning she is looking much more alert and everyone seems to be doing very well, whew!  I can do without going through that sort of ordeal too often.
We have set Hazel up in a quiet corner in the laundry room/bathroom, Hexe is across the hall in the spare bedroom with her one week old pups.  Hazel is oblivious to Hexe, while Hexe is beside herself hearing the pups across the hall.  I have two baby gates and an exercise pen set up between the two moms, hoping that will keep Hexe on her own side of the hallway.
More photos of the new pups below, we have 4 black females, 1 black male and 1 very dark Pepper & Salt female.  If you are on my waiting list please know that I will be in touch with you in the next day or so to discuss placement of the pups, I know many were wanting a black male, I will need you decide if you are open to a black female instead.

Almost impossible to pick out the Pepper & Salt pup :-)