March 30th - 6 1/2 weeks!

Sadie continues to get better, and seems to be more full of energy, getting closer to the way she was before!

The pups are doing great at 6 1/2 weeks! They are always active, playing hard and sleeping hard!!

They really enjoy there time outside, and Sadie is having lots of fun playing with the pups. Here are a couple of videos from the back yard. Sometimes the pups aren't quite sure if Sadie is playing or not....she must be to big for them!!

In this picture, they are sleeping in a two foot circle! It's hard to tell where one ends and the other begins!!

And in this one, a linear pattern was more appropriate!!!

March 27th - 6th Weeks old!!!!

The pups are now 6 weeks old yesterday and today! They continue to grow and are becoming more playful with Sadie, each other and with the family. Sadie still looks pretty big to them, so they are still a little timid when she comes running at them, but several of them have figured out she is just playing!

Is that Sadie walking by??

Sleep time creates some funny pictures...like the two-headed puppy!!

Pics of Gunner

Here are some pictures of Gunner, the sire to Sadie's pups! Gunner is a one year old, comes from a strong line of hunting Weimaraners, and has already shown to be an excellent field dog.

Gunner is out hunting on the river. You can see he has a good time out there, and he knows what he is doing!!

March 21 - Better and better!!

Sadie has continued to get better and better. She is acting more "spunky"...much more like her old self! She is eating well and putting her weight back on, and looking more and more like she used to! She even found some time to lay down with her "sleeping buddy" while in the house. Later in the evening, she was after Katelyn's washing duck!!

Once again, I would like to thank our local veterinarian, Dr. Christensen, his staff, and the doctors at the KSU vet clinic, especially Dr. Brenner and Dr. Sargent, for all their help in getting Sadie back to normal!! She's not there yet, but she sure is headed that way!!


Sadie sometimes has to wear a cone to keep her from bothering the incision. It looks uncomfortable when she wears it. We captured some video of Katelyn, as she couldn't understand why Sadie had to wear the cone. Watch for the "I don't understand" gesture!!! You can see part of Sadie's cone in the lower-right part of the video.

The pups continue to grow very quickly. They are becoming more independent each day. Visitors are stopping in to see them, and when they are out in the back yard, they seem to really enjoy their time outside!


I can't forget the grandkids, who are making all this even more fun!!!

March 17th - A New Home!!

The pups had some time to get used to their new home today, as soon they will be able to climb out of the whelping box and will need to move into the kennel.

Some were excited for the added room, some hadn't figured out you can't run through the fence, and some just sat and complained!!

Craig was tricked into trying to corral the puppies as they tried to exit the kennel....he didn't have a chance!! Enjoy the video and the pictures.

March 14th and 15th....Back Home....Again!!

Sadie returned home from Manhattan and the KSU animal clinic on March 15th. She is recovering from the latest surgery for septic mastitis. She appears to be doing well, but at this point, no one wants to get too excited.

Since Feb. 13th, Sadie has delivered and nursed pups, had a surgery for GDV, and now a surgery for septic mastitis. Our veterinarian, Dr. Christensen, and the doctors at KSU, Dr. Brenner, Dr. Sargent and Dr. Sumner, have all said that Sadie has been been worn down by an "extremely unusual" combination of unfortunate events. They have also said that it is a testament to her toughness that she is still with us and doing so well with battling all she has seen. On several occasions, we have been told that Sadie might not make it through the day, or make it through a surgery...we have said our share of "goodbyes". We are fortunate that Sadie has been so strong, and has continued to battle for us and has not given up....and we wont' either!!!

Since being back, Sadie has shown a strong desire to return to the whelping box with her pups...she tries to sneak in if we turn our heads. Posts-surgery instructions from KSU will not allow her to be with the pups for 2-3 weeks, and they could unintentionally cause infection in her incision, so we must tell her she can't get in with them. She tries to attend to them over the side, and we have brought them out one at a time and held them, so she can do some motherly cleanup. It is easy to see how frustrating this is for her...she knows she should be in the box with them, but we won't allow it.

The puppies are all doing well. Linda has cared for them when I return to Manhattan, along with the help of our family. The are growing fast, getting that "loose" Weimaraner puppy skin, and developing their own attitudes!! Here are the collar colors and puppy names as we now call them:

Pink - Katelyn
Black - Ethan
Purple - Willie (of course!)
Blue - Old Blue
Red - Valentine
Black Paws - Miracle (see previous post describing birth of puppy #8)
Red Paws - Silvarodo
Pattern - Geo Trio

Here are some of the latest pictures of the puppies and then Sadie. (NOTE: Sadie's scar is kinda' nasty looking! But this is the story of her and her pups!) The site appears to be down for a moment...I'll upload more pictures soon!

Thanks again for all the prayers and good wishes from all of you!!

Family Time!!

Newest member!!


Cali rubs against Sadie's collar as we prepare to go get Sadie. I think she wants Sadie to know she misses her sleeping buddy!

Sadie, in Manhattan, looking more like herself than she has in a long time!

This is what's left after Sadie's right breast channel was removed because of the septic mastitis.

"Ok, boys and girls, see this scar?? It's off limits!!

First time back together with the pups!!

Playtime gets aggressive!!

Even more!!


" Are my linens changed yet???"

Stretching their legs!!

The pups are starting to really enjoy their time outside...well most of them! Here are some pictures of their latest trip to the back yard!!

I want to go inside!!

4 weeks old!!

The puppies went outside today for the first time as it was in the 70's today. They did a good job excercising their voices as well!!

Did I hear the can opener??

This is the life!!

Rough Weekend...Mar. 8-10

Sadie took a turn for the worse on Saturday. The IV's that Dr. Christensen was giving Sadie just weren't beating her infection or fever back. Although the swelling in the breast tissue had gone down, Sadie had developed septic mastitis...a gangrene infection of the breast tissue and surrounding skin. Also, Sadie was developing a blood poisoning that was causing a high fever...104.5 at one time.

I took her back to KSU on Saturday night about 11:00 p.m. She received plasma, cologen and platelet tranfusions to get her stable for surgery. She started the surgery about 8:30 a.m., and was done about 2:30 p.m. Dr. Sargent, the same surgeon who did Sadie's GDV a week before, again worked on Sadie to remove the septic mastitis infection along with the gangrene tissue.

Sadie made it through the surgery, and is doing reasonably well. She is eating puppy food, but will only eat from someone's hand! Her fever is gone, she is using outdoor facilities (# 1 only so far), likes to whine/bark for attention until someone comes over to her, and then seems content.

She does have additional edema, or swelling in all of her legs (started off as only the back right leg). The doctor said this was usually do to low protein, which Sadie has, and is still fighting since the GDV surgery. They are going to do more blood and lab work to see if there is someway they can get her to absorb the protein.

She remains on IV's and anti-biotics, and so far the incision seems to be good, but it is still too early. Overall, seems like a fairly good report. Again I would like to thank Dr. Christensen and his staff for all their time and effort with Sadie that was above and beyond the call. I would also like to thank Dr. Brenner, Dr. Sargent and the student doctors at the KSU Small Animal Clinic for their help and support.

Update March 11...
Sadie remains on IV's and anti-biotics. She is eating a little better today, and Craig is going to try to go by to see her...hopefully a friendly face will make her feel a little better!


On a brighter note, the puppies continue to give us a smile back home. Feeding time is quite a lot of work, but almost always offers a humorous sight. Here are a few!!

Day 22...not a good day.

Today was not a good day for Sadie. When we awoke this morning, Sadie had a large swelling in her mammary glands. Dr. Christensen found that Sadie had mastitis, a condition where the gland becomes inflamed. In Sadie's case, it has become infected, as her white blood cell count has not returned to normal after recovering from the GDV surgery and the births. Eventually, it will become a breast abscess, which will hopefully allow draining to dispel the infection. We must be very careful, as this condition and infection can be life threatening.

The problems Sadie has been having since the births has made creating and updating this blog very difficult, but I want everyone to know what's happening with Sadie and her pups. Unfortunately, we have had good with the bad. Sadie has had to deal with three major events (the births, the GDV surgery and the breast mastitis). Any of these individually could be potentially life-threatening....all three together has put Sadie almost into a state of shock, and she is not fighting off the latest problem very well. Hopefully tomorrow will bring better news.

11:00 pm Mar 6th
11:00 pm Mar 6th

7:00 am Mar 7th
Updated 11:00 pm Mar. 7th....
Sadie seemed to respond better with the last treatment of IV's and antibiotics that she received from Dr. Christensen tonight. She ate a little solid food, moved a little easier and seemed to be more alert. The picture below shows how she is still swollen, but it appears to not be as tender as before.


Sadie may not nurse while she is battling this infection (because of the chance of passing it through her milk to the pups) so Linda and I and the family have once again assumed the duties of feeding the puppies. At least now, at this stage of their development, they seem to be able to drink the substitute milk from a bowl, which will be much better than bottle feeding.


Also, Katelyn got to spend a little time with Purple Willie today, and both seemed to have a good time!!

Three weeks old today!

The pups are three weeks old, and are definitely starting to develop puppy skills! They all have their eyes open and are walking, climbing and yelping more!

Sadie seems to be encouraging all this development through her natural instinct. This video clip seems to show that Sadie is encouraging the pups to stand and reach for supper...she keeps them at bay until she is finally ready!!

When Sadie was finally ready, she and the pups settled in for dinner! Again it looks like nature is guiding Sadie in much that she does. Notice in the video below how she keeps her front feet bent, which helps her keep a few "gaps" under her chest, allowing pups from behind to find their food!! You can see in the video clip how each pup is getting stronger....definitely needed in fighting for food!!

Day 19 - Active and Playing!!

The pups are becoming more active and are beginning to play with each other. This video shows a couple of the playful ones and then chow time for Sadie and the pups!! It also shows how the pups at this age cannot relieve themselves of their bodily wastes, and how Sadie must do the dirty work!!

Here are some pics as the pups get ready to settle in for the night!! (A couple of them needed a midnight snack before retiring!!)