Puppy Update & Slideshow [Munch]

On By MischenkoIn Animals, Music, Pets

On April 2nd this year, Cynder had her 2nd litter of eight puppies. We weren’t expecting her to have such a large litter, but knew that she’d have more than her first litter of three puppies because she was so huge during her pregnancy.

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We only had a small issue with the birth and had to tie off one baby’s umbilical cord. It appeared that Cynder had given birth to eight healthy babies and it was a sigh of relief to know that everything went well. Cynder loves being a mom and did such a wonderful job with both litters.

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Cynder loves being a mom

Dad and big sis patiently waited outside during the birth. Bowie was very curious. Winston, however, seemed to be quite ho-hum about it and had a worried look on his face. He would lose his best playmate again for at least a few weeks.

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Winston and Bowie (dad and sis)

This was a good time for him to bond a little more with Bowie. It’s taken him a long time to get used to her as it is, even though she’s his daughter, it doesn’t seem to matter. She was born last September, so nine months later he’s finally accepted her.

During the week of this new birth Winston was surgically fixed at our local vet and will no longer be able to produce puppies.

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Puppies:

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We had a pack of colored puppy collars ready to go and never needed a single one. Every one of these puppies was different in their own way. Not a single one was similar to the other. Here are some pictures below.

-MJ-

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-Pebbles-

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-Ozzy –

Ozzy has a very unique blue/brown left eye.

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-Griff-

The puppy we originally chose to keep

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-Lotso-

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-RJ-

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-Lashes-

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-Munch-

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Within a week of listing the puppies they were all homed and remained local! We had chosen to keep Griff because we were all so close to her, but things changed and we had to let her go. It was a very hard decision, but ironically her owner has kept in touch more frequently than anyone else and sends pictures via text weekly. It’s wonderful.

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We noticed that Munch–the smallest next to Griff–had issues not long after birth. She wasn’t able to nurse properly and didn’t seem to be getting enough nourishment. Not only that, she was rolling around and once she started to walk, she would fall a lot, shake and continuously cry. She constantly turned in circles and couldn’t hold her head up either. Cynder started separating her from the other puppies and we noticed she would be shaking off to the side often. Cynder seemed to know something was wrong with her. We started feeding her with a bottle and took her into the vet. They told us that it could be hydrocephalus (water on the brain), but there was no way of knowing for sure with her age. The vet told us because she was able to eat and her body functions were working, that we just had to give her time. The only other choice was to have her put down, but it wasn’t heavily recommended at this point and there was no way I was going to do that not knowing exactly what was going on.

Then, we noticed that she wasn’t responding to sound at all like the other pups. I would often come into the room and talk to the puppies, clap, and sing and noticed that Munch just wasn’t responding at all. You can see in the photo below that she would pretty much sleep through every sort of sound I made while the other puppies would lift their heads and became alert.

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Munch in the middle

She slept more and continuously fell over. It didn’t help that the other pups were at least twice her size. The only other small pup was Griff and they seemed to bond well. Griff seemed to stay close to her–almost attached. The others would sleep right on top of her and I wondered how she could handle all that weight!

We knew we were going to have to keep Munch because we bonded with her right away and her future was/is uncertain. I wasn’t going to offer her to someone we didn’t know very well (for free) and jeopardize her future not knowing if she would receive the care she needed. I’ve heard too many horror stories, plus we love all our puppies so much! So, here we are today and Munch is doing so much better. Most of her balance issues have corrected and she doesn’t fall as often. She does still seem to have some minor neurological issues, but she’s so much stronger than she was. As I mentioned, we planned to keep Griff too because she seemed to have a special bond with Munch, but with three other dogs already (soon to be four) we had to make the best decision for everyone, especially not knowing what future requirements Munch would need.

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Griff and Munch

At her second puppy check-up, the vet confirmed that Munch was most likely deaf, but suggested that we take her to a university hospital to find out what she ‘can’ hear if anything at all. We still plan to take her in to the university when she gets old enough, but she has to be at least 12 weeks old and she’s small for size. I suppose it’s possible that she could have something structurally wrong with her ears as they do stand a little differently than the other puppies, but we won’t know until we take her there and have her evaluated. I’ve read that most of the time congenital deafness in dogs has no explanation and they can live happy lives just as any other dog because unlike people, they don’t know they’re deaf in the first place. She’s responding to sign and understands thumbs up, sit, and down already. She’s super smart and she’s training well.

Life with Munch and her family is busy, but so enjoyable. She’s truly an inspiration and we love her so much. We feel very lucky to have her!

-Munch and Family Slideshow-

I can’t express how rewarding this experience has been for my family, but we won’t be having anymore puppies. This was Cynder’s last litter. All of the new owners are keeping in touch via email and text, so I’ll do updates from time to time on how Munch and the rest of the brood are doing. It’s such a blessing to be able to see these puppies grow and to hear about their adventures.

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Thanks for reading! ❤ Happy Wednesday everyone. 🙂

 

 

 

62 thoughts on “Puppy Update & Slideshow [Munch]”

  2. Oh, Jenn!!! Thank you times a million for this post. What a beautiful way to start my day. Munch is the cutest and definitely a lucky puppy to be loved and cared for by your family. Happy Wednesday to you! 😊💛

    Liked by 3 people

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  5. kerri

    This made my day, omg, I’m so glad all the puppers got great homes and that Munch is doing well! I’m a foster dog mama so I totally get the sadness of watching them leave, but the updates and visiting is so much fun and so satisfying 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. Aww! How cool that you foster. I want to do that some day! That has to be hard though. ❤

      It was easier on the kids this time around, but still heartwrenching. We just love them all. We would’ve loved to keep every single one of them. 😁

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      1. kerri

        I definitely recommend it, it’s so great and rescues always need more fosters! And I definitely understand the heartbreak, I would’ve kept all 7 of my fosters in a heartbeat! ❤

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        1. I’m going to look into it. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but with many kids and my schedule, I just haven’t been sure. Thank you so much for helping out as a foster mom too! The world needs more people like you. ❤

          Like

  6. stephanie haddad

    Wow, wow, wow! Fantastic post. The pictures and videos are priceless. I especially think the last pic with all 4 together is great. Munchie is the best and so much fun. ❤️🐕

    Liked by 2 people

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  14. Oh my gosh!!!! 😍😍😍😍😍😍

    I am glad you decided to keep Munch! I couldn’t imagine he would get as good of care anywhere else! I am sorry you had to let Griff go, but 5 dogs would be a lot!! I can barely handle 1! What kind of dogs are they? All of them are super adorable! I want one!! 😍😍😍

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    1. Thank you, Brittany! I agree that five dogs would be too much and we just really weren’t sure about Munch and her future. She seems to be quite normal, and I’m hopeful she’ll just keep getting better, but we don’t know. ❤ They are all Border Collies. My favorite breed! 😀 xoxo

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  15. Thank you for sharing these darling photos! Munch is a beauty. I wish you guys all the best with her care. But she is clearly in loving hands which makes a world of difference. I see how your hands have been busy these last few months. Lol

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  16. Such precious pups! I seriously don’t know how you were able to part with any of them. They are absolutely darling. But Munch is such a cutie pie. It’s good that you’re able to keep in touch with some of them.

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    1. Thanks, Vanessa! It was hard, but not as bad as last time. I was talking to my husband about building an outdoor kennel so that we could keep them all, but we just honestly wouldn’t have the funds for that, or the time. Border collies require a lot of attention and exercise too, so we just have Munch with the rest of the family now. Four is a lot for being indoor imo. It’s such a blessing that all the others went to amazing homes though. Everyone is keeping in touch. It worked out perfectly. ❤

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  17. Noriko

    Beautiful puppies! I’m sorry that Munch turned out to be deaf, but I am glad her balance issues seem to have resolved! Hope Munch get to hear as other puppies do. We are definitely looking forward to any updates on Munch and other puppies!

    Liked by 2 people

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  19. Puppies!!!!!! Oh my gosh they are all so darn adorable! I am so happy to hear that Munch is going to be so well taken care of and loved despite being born with problems. I hope you find out what exactly is going on but truth be told she looks happy now despite the rough start so it shows what a little love can do.

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    1. I’m so glad you liked this post, Carrie! She is very happy and seems to be normal for the most part now. She does still have a little bit of a bobble head at times and can’t hear, but she’s just living a happy little life. Thank you. ❤ 😀

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Hehe you knew I was waiting to find the puppy update. I would have so much trouble parting with any of them they are all so precious but I’m so happy with your decision to do all you can for Munch and love her like she deserves to be loved. 🙂

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  20. So cute! So beautiful! Good luck to Munch — I hope she thrives. Sounds like you found great homes for all of the puppies. Thanks for sharing these great photos — it’s so nice to start the day with something uplifting!

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Thanks!! I appreciate that so much. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. The puppies all have wonderful homes and we can just concentrate on working with Munch now. ❤ Hope you have a wonderful day!

      Like

      Reply

  21. Thanks so much for this update Jenn. They are so adorable and their antics and expressions are precious. I hope little Munsch gets diagnosed and can be treated. It must be so hard to have to find homes and worry about their future. You are all wonderful.

    Liked by 2 people

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  24. Nel

    I’m late to the party but this was fantastic! All the photos and the video especially I just love. I’m so glad you all were able to find loving homes for them all and that the owners keep in touch via email and text. Can’t wait to see more updates and cuuute pictures on Munch’s progress. 💜

    Liked by 2 people

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