Scarlett and babies day 25

Well, Scarlett's babies were 5 weeks old Saturday. They will be going on Monday to get their first vaccinations and Scarlett will be spayed. Please do keep them all in your prayers.

Scarlett is looking amazing. Her hair is growing in so well and it looks like those extra vitamins are really paying off. She's spending more time away from the babies and they are loving their puppy mush. They are eating and drinking most of the time, with a little nursing on the side.

Several people have asked about donations for Scarlett and babies. There are a couple of ways to donate:
1- send your donation to our treasurer at

Scarlett and babies
c/o Gulf Coast Dachshund Rescue
2741 Meadowood Dr
Slaughter, LA 70777

2- PayPal to agileollie@yahoo.com


Some are also asking when Scarlett and babies will be available for adoption. The puppies will not be able to go to their new homes until they are spayed and neutered. That should be when they around 3 months old, which is December or so. We are considering to begin accepting applications for them in the next couple of weeks, and once those applications are approved, a non-refundable deposit will be required. That deposit will go toward the adoption fee once the pups are ready.

Scarlett will be ready for adoption around the end of November to the middle of December, depending on the puppies' readiness to be away from mom. I want them to get as much socialization as possible from her.

Enjoy the pictures!


SCARLETT









JULIE
Julie is a sweetheart. Her tail never stops wagging. She absolutely adores my 7 month old son. She, like all the others, loves to follow you everywhere. She is the smallest of the litter.


Gino (male)



Louie (male)





Stormie (female)


No name just yet (male)








P'nut (female) ADOPTION PENDING

Scarlett and babies day 13

Well, Scarlett and babies will have been here for 13 days tomorrow. The pups are really thriving. One, the biggest one who is mostly white dappled is a BULLY! He loves to growl and bark at everyone, including his momma and me! They are all really developing their own personalties. The little black and tan female is very laid back and passive. I see her as a little girl's pup. They are all doing so very well.

Scarlett is also doing wonderfully. Her infection is almost all gone and her bleeding has slowed substantially. She is the best mom. She dotes on her babies all the time. She looks so sad in this picture, but she is soooo sweet. She just wants to be loved. She begs to be picked up and held. This is an awesome dog.

I fed her yesterday and noticed the pups were trying to steal her food, so I decided to give them their own watered down version. You can see the video here.

Tomorrow I hope to post pictures of them all.

October 9, 2007 Day FOUR

Scarlett and babies went to the vet yesterday. Unbelievably, Scarlett is heart-worm negative. It is beyond my understanding how that's possible, but I'm so grateful that she is negative. Her missing hair is due to a combination of things- Demadex, poor nutrition throughout pregnancy, yeast and stress. With good food, a stable environment, and medicated baths, she'll be back to new in a few months. She also has a nasty yeast infection in her ears.

Puppies are all doing very well. They are thriving on the good food momma is producing, thanks to the change in diet.

Also, I got a call from one of the ladies responsible for contacting us about Scarlett and puppies. Apparently, Scarlett was not in the pet taxi with the babies. When the workers arrived at the house, she came running up to them. It was only then that they noticed the pet taxi and what was inside- Scarlett's puppies. Remember- we have no idea how long they had been there, so it absolutely breaks my heart to think of how terrified Scarlett must have been when she couldn't get to her babies. She must have been terribly panicked and so very grateful when those wonderful men opened that cage door to allow her to be reunited with her babies.
It's amazing how evil some people can be. I can not imagine what must have been going through their minds to think that treating these precious animals like this was was ok.

October 7, 2007 DAY TWO

I'm already getting requests and even a "demand" for adoptions of these babies. I have to keep reminding people that they will not be ready for adoption until they are spayed and neutered at 3 months. I wish people were as concerned with Scarlett as they are with the puppies. People keep forgetting the madness she and the puppies have already been through and that they are not even out of the woods yet. Adoption is the last thing on my mind right now. We need to get them healthy first.

Last night was a little hairy. Scarlett kept covering her babies. I was scared that there was something wrong with them, so I kept putting them back by her hoping she'd allow them to nurse. She did every time. Today, the puppies are making "puppy noises" for the first time. They don't do it a lot, but I feel a little better about them. Scarlett is eating very well. She's eating a mixture of high-protein dog food, raw egg, cottage cheese and milk supplement for dogs. She's eating about 3 cups per day, and finishing every bite.
She is super smart, too. She has not pottied in her x-pen at all, and even used the doggie door to go outside and potty. She is keeping her babies very clean. She keeps licking them and she's been laying with them all day.

She'll go with her puppies tomorrow to the vet to be checked over.

She'll need a heart-worm test, skin scrape (to determine exactly what is causing her hair loss), vaccinations (appropriate for a whelping mother) a good worming, and an over-all check up.

The puppies will get a once-over and a worming. We'll get a better idea about everyone's ages. I'm guessing the puppies are about 2 weeks and 1 day old, since their eyes just opened yesterday. I'm guessing Scarlett is about 3 or 4.

She is amazingly sweet despite all she's been through. I wish I knew who did this to her. I'm tempted to take out an ad in the newspaper offering a reward to find out who did this.

To leave a mother and 6 new-born puppies in a pet taxi in the full-blown heat is criminal. One way or another, I hope they pay for what they did.


Here is the crate they were "dumped" in and left for dead in the scorching heat:




Momma and babies





Staying strong, despite the odds:

October 6, 2007 Day ONE

I got the call last night at around 9pm that a couple who were remodeling an abandoned house found a momma dachshund and puppies. Doubtful that they were purebreds, I offered to come out and take pictures in case an all breed rescue could take them in. I was told that they were found in a small pet taxi barely big enough for one dog, let alone a momma and 6 new born puppies. I got out there today around 1pm and found Scarlett, a purebred dapple girl who is missing at least 75% of her hair, probably due to neglect and poor diet. She is skin and bones and has a bloated tummy full of worms. As sick as she is, though, she is doing all she can for her babies. They are getting what little nutrition she gets and she is going without. Her puppies are also purebred, apparently double dapples. There are 3 boys and 3 girls. All but one seem to be malnourished and are covered in mud. Their little eyes just opened today, making them approximately 2 weeks old. They are safe now, inside, probably for the first time ever. Here are pictures of them. I will keep their story updated as time progresses.