When a dog gets pregnant, one of the first things that their owners want to know is how many puppies they are having. And while this is not an exact science, with equipment vets can get a pretty good estimate of how many pups are on the3 way. So, when one vet’s math was way off it left the dog owner in sʜᴏᴄᴋ by just how much the vet was wrong.
SHE SAID: “I THOUGHT SHE’D STOPPED AFTER NUMBER 15, BECAUSE IT LOOKED LIKE SHE HAD LAID DOWN TO GO TO SLEEP. BUT THEN ALONG CAME ANOTHER ONE, AND TWO MORE AFTER THAT. NELLIE IS MAKING A REALLY LOVELY MUM. I’M IMMENSELY PROUD OF HER, SHE’S BEEN AMAZING.
When trainer and breeder, Cecilia Lanton Bunkergot got the exciting news that her dog Miley was pregnant, she was ecstatic but very prepared. As the proud owner of a prestigious breeding program that has produced numerous titled and championed dogs over 27 years, Cecilia is the definition of an expert when it comes to handling situations like this.
Cecilia would take Miley on regular trips to the vet to monitor her pregnancy to ensure she and her pups were safe and healthy. With the help of x-rays and ultrasounds, her vet speculated that Miley would have 3 pups. As time passed Cecilia sensed that the count was off. However, Miley continued to be healthy and happy and that was the most important thing.
After her gestation passed, Miley began her labor and Cecilia called on the team of veterinary nurses that she had on standby to help ensure a safe delivery. After the 3 predicted pups were born with no sign of stopping, Miley’s delivery team was sʜᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ to deliver pup after pup. For Astro’s part, he must have been a true Wonder Boy because Miley gave birth to 18 healthy puppies to the surprise of everyone.
Typically, Dalmatians have litters of eight or ten puppies, but first time moms have even less than the average. So, the humongous litter landed Miley in the Guinness book of World Records for the world’s largest litter ever birthed.
Since there are so many little guys, Cecilia and her husband are helping the new mother with the puppy-care. There is always a fresh supply of warm milk available for the little guys. “Fortunately, we have a lot of outside space and the dogs have lots of things to play with.” Louise said. “They’ve got their own Wendy House, and swings and slides that they love to play on.”
To tell the puppies apart (because that’s an awful lot of spots to distinguish), the puppies have a temporarily dyed color on their neck until their collars arrive. Just thinking about how adorably tiny the collars are going to be brings a smile to my face!
