September 2, 2009 ~ Rambo was ravenous this morning and dove into the kibble dish. Again todays meals were ProPlan Performance with EVO small bite chicken and Royal Canin Puppy 33, with some canned Pedigree. When I weighed him at noon he had a big full belly! Today his weights were 9:00am 2.61kg, 12:15pm 2.71kg. Tonight at 10pm he was ... 2.87kg! Rambo does have free access to water so some of his weight fluctuations may be due to his taking large drinks. He drinks from the same dish or bucket as his littermates but when he swallows he tips his head back like a bird.

I want to again thank the experts at Angell Memorial for all of their help with Rambo. Dr. Remillard and Dr. Willis from the Angell Nutrition Service have been so helpful in helping us grow Rambo up so that he can have his surgery in a few months. THANK YOU!!!

September 1, 2009 ~ Rambo's appetite is returning. I had mixed ProPlan Performance with EVO small bite chicken and Royal Canin Puppy 33, with some canned Pedigree and added the remaining half of an open can of AD with his breakfast. He dug right in. He was with his siblings for all of their meals and had a bedtime snack of the rest of the prime rib. Arthur Cat decided to join in but was quickly run off by little Rambo. Not only is he hungry but he's now protecting his food! His weights today were:10am 2.56kg, 3pm 2.62kg, 8:30pm 2.61kg, 10:30pm 2.64kg

August 31, 2009 ~ The hunger strike continues. If only he had a cause to dedicate it to (like Ghandi did). Trying to maintain humor has been difficult. Today we took Rambo to our local vet as Ram just isn't looking well. Dr Bob sent us home with some albon (pill) and changed the antibiotic to liquid clavamox. I was able to get the pill in him with a small bil-jac ball, lubricated with a bit of water on the outside. It slid down past the cleft with no problem. By mid afternoon he was showing interest in food again. Sam offered him some AD and he ate a couple of tablespoons of that with a few squares of prime rib. He joined Sangie and Chardonnay for two meals. His weights today were: 10:30am 2.60kg, 2:30pm 2.69kg, 10pm 2.68kg.

August 30, 2009 ~ Ugh, Rambo is showing very little interest in food and is dropping even more weight. He's beginning to look like a poster child for "Feed The Children". He sounds a bit raspy so we started him on some amoxicillin. His weights were: 10am 2.61kg, 10:30pm 2.69kg. Today the only thing he had interest in was tiny prime rib chunks ... I think he ate 1/4 cup of them.

August 29, 2009 ~ Another day with minimal interest in food. Today I opened the EVO chicken can. It's the same consistency as the AD. He liked it for a tablespoon of snacking and then showed no interest. All of his weigh-ins today were 2.66kg.

August 28, 2009 ~ Rambo wasn't eating as well as usual today so I picked up some different things to try to entice him. For dry food I added the Royal Canin Puppy 33 and EVO Chicken small bite. I also brought home some EVO, Merick, and Candidae canned. I opened the Candidae first. It is a lamb/rice formula and the first food I have seen that seems to disgust him. He immediately tried to bury it and wouldn't even go in close for a sniff. 12:30pm 2.70kg.

August 27, 2009 ~ morning (time not logged) 2.68kg, 4:30pm 2.76kg, 10:30pm 2.72kg

August 26, 2009 ~ Rambo's morning weight was 2.56kg and his evening weight was 2.70kg. As a comparison, his brother Sangiovese weighs 5.10 kg and his sister Chardonnay is 5.06kg.

August 25, 2009 ~ 12:00pm 2.57kg, 6:00pm 2.60kg, 10:40pm 2.63kg.

August 24, 2009 ~ 3:30pm 2.46kg, 10:00pm 2.59kg

August 23, 2009 ~ There's not as much to report as there was in the early weeks though I will continue to record Rambo's progress and weight gain on this page. He is eating regular meals with his siblings now and he continues to grow. We are monitoring his weight to be sure that it keeps climbing and so that we can intervene quickly if it begins to slide. Rambo eats everything his siblings do and quickly figured out that if he dallies on his way to the food dish Chardonnay may pick out the tastiest morsels before he gets there. He has discovered the spirit of competition! We have added a bit of ZiwiPeak to the puppy kibble to increase his interest and today we picked up some Bil-Jac frozen and dry that he seems to really like. For now we are greatly pleased by his desire to dive into a dish while remaining sensible about how he gets food down. The rate of his eating is not nearly as fast as that of his siblings. He takes his time and chews. Occasionally he seems to have a kibble "stuck" and he resolves this through head shaking and racing about. Once it has dislodged he returns to the bowl eagerly. He drinks from any dish or bucket but has developed a unique trait ... once he has water in his mouth Rambo lifts his head backward, like a bird, to swallow. Again, his drinking is slow and steady but at least he has found methods that work for him.

Every day Rambo is more and more like a normal puppy. He plays just as hard as the others and maybe a bit harder! He doesn't have the shut off switch the others do. While they are quick to stop play to take a snooze he gets much like an over tired child and won't easily stop on his own. He is very good in his crate and seems much relieved when he is sent there for a time out. Then he will collapse immediately!

We know that Rambo isn't "out of the woods" yet but he is progressing really well. Every gram he gains brings him closer to becoming a surgical candidate and closer to the day he is able to lead a totally normal dog life.

7:00am 2.38kg

8:00pm 2.43kg

August 22, 2009

3:00pm 2.32kg

6:30pm 2.34kg

10:00pm 2.40kg

August 21, 2009

9:30am 2.29kg

12:30pm 2.30kg

3:30pm 2.31kg

9:00pm 2.38kg - had a big drink before bed and weigh-in!

August 20, 2009 ~ Today Rambo had all of his meals with his siblings and a number of hand fed kibble snacks.

9:00am 2.20kg

11:00 am 2.25kg

5:15pm 2.28kg

8:30pm 2.31kg

August 19, 2009 ~ YIPPEE!!! This morning I put all of the puppies out in the run, Rambo included. I took them a normal puppy breakfast of ProPlan Performance , Eukanuba Small Breed Puppy, and ProPlan Select Chicken mixed with a bit of canned food and water. I tu rned my back, went into the house, and looked out the kitchen window expecting to see two puppies chowing down (Sangi and Chard). I DID see two pupppies busy eating ... but it was Rambo and Chardonnay! He worked on their kibble for nearly an hour. I wish I had weighed him before he went out. His belly felt pretty full when we brought them all in so we did not give him a gruel meal this morning. At lunchtime he again dug in with the others. It takes him longer to work on each kibble but he is tenacious in this task that is new to him. HOORAY! What a joy it is to stand at the window and watch him saunter by the dish and swing back for another bite as he heads to nap with his siblings.

12:30pm 2.24kg

3:30pm 2.26kg

8:40pm 2.26kg As of evening we have not tube fed Rambo. He has been eating all day, continually returning to the dish for snacks.

11:15pm 2.26kg. Had dinner with his siblings.

August 18, 2009 ~ This morning was a disaster. Shortly after placing his tube and starting delivery, a huge wave of his gruel came right back up. We removed the tube and discovered that while sending it down he bit a hole into it. It was our only 12 french tube. Sam called our vet to discover that they didn't have one in stock but they were willing to write a prescription for some. She was able to obtain new ones from a local medical supply company. There was some confusion at the store. The 'scrip was written for "12 & 14 feeding tubes" and understandably the staff had some issue equating that to straight catheters. Sam worked it out and we now have a few spare. Rambo had no interest in food today. He cuddled up next to the puppy pan when Sangi and Chardonnay had their dinner. He sniffed their meal and quickly turned his head as if in disgust. We are feeling very desperate about his total disinterst in food. His weight is dropping so quickly! Patty suggested finding some ZiwiPeak kibble as it's highly palatable. We found some online and have ordered it. It can't get here soon enough! We did take Rambo for a walk in the yard and he took great glee in racing up and rolling down the hill. He did his first agility tunnel and then the little bugger decided that he was going to do the A-Frame. Once he got started up, Sam and I each took a side to spot him. With fierce determination he made it to the top. Going down was scary for him but once he touched ground he wanted to race back up. We quickly distracted him and took him back to the house.

7:30am hole in tube, most of meal returned

10:30am 95cc, 2.08kg

1:00pm 40cc, 2.17kg

7:00pm 96cc, 2.15kg

11:00pm 99cc, 2.21kg

August 17, 2009 ~ Rambo showed minimal interest in food today. He had a few bites of deli shaved turkey but turned away from the roast beef. He had maybe one kibble with his siblings. We are hoping that by spending time with them while they are eating he will join in. So far no luck there. About half of the 7:30pm feeding came right back up as the tube came out. It was a "Linda Blair moment" and something we will later laugh about ... once our worries of aspiration have passed. He wasn't feeling well following that episode. We are concerned about his lack of interest in food and his rapidly declining weight.

9:15am 118cc, 2.13kg

2:30pm no tubing, kibble offered, 2.24kg

6:40pm no tubing, kibble offered, 2.14kg

7:30 120cc, lost about half of it

10:45pm 90cc, 2.09kg

August 16 2009 ~ Our attempts to get Rambo to EAT continue. Today we tried withholding tube feeding for a meal so he would have a chance to be hungry. He still shows little interest in food though he DID eat three slices of deli roast beef. He had great interest in it but seemed to be challenged by maneuvering the food within his mouth.

1:00am 110cc, 2.22kg

8.15am 116cc, 2.19kg

2:30pm no tubing, kibble offered, 2.19kg

7:00pm no tubing, kibble offered, roast beef eaten, 2.20kg

8:15pm no tubing, kibble offered, drank a lot of water 2.25kg

August 15, 2009 ~ Road trip today! Rambo rode to eastern MA with Sam to Patty and Bruce's home where two of his sisters were picked up.

6:45am 105cc, 2.14kg

11:15am 115cc, 2.19kg

6:10pm 110cc,

August 14, 2009 ~ This morning Rambo isn't feeling well. He vomited after his breakfast meal and has had AD nasal discharge all morning. He is far less energetic than usual but is trying hard to be a cute and expressive puppy. He is using his water bottle more than I have seen him use it before. The drop at a time quantity it disperses frustrates him and he has grumbles when he tries chewing the metal end off with his molars.

7:30am 120cc, 2.10kg

1:00pm 60cc, 2.08kg

By midafternoon Rambo was feeling better and acting like a perky pup again.

6:15pm 95cc, 2.06kg

11:15pm 110cc, 2.12kg

August 13, 2009 ~ Today the puppies went for their cardiology exams. Rambo has a I/IV ejection quality systolic murmur, left base. We will recheck him in 4-6 weeks. We have seen a few of these in our GSP puppies and they generally resolve. Since cleft puppies have a tendency to have other anatomic midline issues we are relieved that his heart doesn't seem to have any serious problems. The rest of the litter was vaccinated today but since Rambo is still a tad shy of 5 pounds we will wait to give him is first shot until he reaches that milestone. He did have Nemex II with his 6:30 meal and seems to have tolerated that OK.

7:00am 116cc, 2.14 kg

12:30pm 117cc, 2.17kg

6:30pm 117cc, 2.18kg

11:30pm 118cc, 2.18kg

We weighed all of his siblings today. For comparison their weights are as follows:

The boys: Cabernet 3.55kg, Sangiovese 3.68kg

The girls: Chardonnay 3.75kg, Syrah 3.14kg, Zinfandel 2.84kg

August 12, 2009 ~ The new feeding tube continues to work much better than the last. Rambo is far more accepting of it and it is much easier to place. He is only moderately interested in the EVO kibble. The most he will eat in one sitting is 10.

8:00am 111cc, 2.06kg

12:30pm 112cc, 2.08kg

6:15pm 112cc, 2.11kg

11:30pm 118cc, 2.12kg

August 11, 2009 ~ We have been having some issues that we hope to have resolved today. In the last couple of days Rambo has been uncomfortable with the tube feeding. It has become more and more challenging to advance the tube to the appropriate "mark" and he has protested. Up until now he has been so easy to feed! We decided to try a new tube. He had been using a 16" long 10 french catheter. I don't know if it has become more flexible with use and his chewing on it but suddenly it has become problematic. Today we switched to a 12 french catheter. BINGO! It passes much easier and is much more comfortable for Rambo. Our second issue was the kitten food. The most he would eat before an AD meal has been 10 kibble. He didn't seem to like the IAMS kitten food that we had. So today we went in search of the highest calorie hard kibble kitten food we could find. We brought home a bag of Innova EVO kitten/cat food that is 612 kcal/cup. He seems to like it and immediately ate 7 kibble before a nap. Hopefully the number of crunchies he is willing to eat will be going up as this morning he LOST WEIGHT.

7:10am 98cc, 1.97kg

12:45pm 105cc, 2.00kg

6:30pm 110cc, 2.03kg

11:45pm 110cc, 2.05kg

August 10, 2009

7:10am 96cc, 1.92kg

12:15pm 97cc, 1.96kg

6:15pm 90+- cc, 1.99kg

11:25pm 98cc, 2.00kg

August 9, 2009 ~ What a great week Rambo had at the dog shows. He entertained many in his exercise pen as he danced with his bunny toy and chew hoof ... Phoebe found one that had smooth edges so we didn't have to worry about him choking on a piece. He's up to 6 kitten kibbles at a time. It is getting easier for him to keep track of the kibble as he eats though he still has issues with it falling out of his mouth. Who remembers how challenging our first real meals were?!? He had AD gruel meals of 96cc at 7:00am, 12:45pm, and 6:30pm. His 11:15 feeding was 97cc. His last weigh-in was 1.91kg.

August 8, 2009 ~ We have started adding some dry kitten food to Rambo's diet. So far the most he eats is 3 kibble at a time. Chewing is hard work and keeping a kibble organized in his mouth is challenging. Again he had four meals of 96cc each at 6:30am, 12:30pm, 7:00pm, and 1:15am. Top weight is 1.84kg

August 7, 2009 ~ Rambo began his day at 1.66 kg and went to bed at 1.75kg. He had four feedings of 96cc each at 6:40am, 12:30pm, 7:00pm, and 11:30pm.

August 6, 2009

6:40 am 96cc, 1.6kg

12:30pm 96cc

6:45pm 98cc, 1.64kg

11:30 95cc, 1.67kg

August 5, 2009 ~ Today the local dog show circuit began. Rambo rode along so that we could keep his meals on track.

6:15am 90 cc, 1.5 kg

12:30pm 90cc

6:40 92cc, 1.53 kg

11:30pm 96cc, 1.6kg

August 4, 2009

1:00am 82cc, 1.37kg

9:15am 84cc, 1.4 kg

2:00pm 87cc, 1.45

7:00pm 89cc, 1.48

12:00am 90cc, 1.5kg

August 3, 2009

7:00am 80cc, 1.34kg

1:00pm 82cc, 1.36kg

6:00pm 82cc

August 2, 2009

7:10am 74cc, 1.26kg

12:30am 76cc, 1.27kg

6:10pm 77cc, 1.29kg

10:45pm 80cc, 1.34kg

August 1, 2009

12:00am 70cc, 1.16

7:00 am 71cc, 1.18kg

12:25pm 71cc, 1.18kg

6:15pm 73cc, 1.22 kg

11:15 74cc, 1.24kg

July 31, 2009 ~ Rambo is growing swiftly now. He is visibly larger from one feeding to the next.

7:15am 66cc, 1.10 kg

12:30 66cc, 1.13 kg

7:00 68cc, 1.14 kg

July 30, 2009

6:30am 51cc, 1.01 kg

12:10pm 61cc, 1.04 kg

6:30pm 62 cc, 1.04kg

11:15 64 cc, 1.07kg

July 29, 2009 ~ YIPEE!!! Rambo made it to one kilogram today (that's a little over two pounds!). He is eating a lot and seems to grow right before our eyes. He started on amoxicillin today for his sinus infection but seems to be feeling fine.

12:30am 46cc, .91 kg

7:15am 46cc

1:00pm 47cc, ,94 kg

7:00 pm 48cc, .96 kg

11:30pm 51cc, 1.01 kg

July 28, 2009

2:20am 44cc

8:30am 45cc, .90 kg

2:30pm 45cc,

6:30pm 45cc

July 27, 2009

12:20am 44cc, 87 kg

7:15am 44cc, .87 kg

11:55am 44cc

7:25pm 44cc, .87 kg

7:25pm 44cc, .87 kg

July 26, 2009 ~ I am a couple of days behind in posting Rambo's progress. He is doing well and continuing to grow. We did get new photos of him last night and I will post them today. In the meantime, here's how he's progressing:

7:15am 43cc, .86 kg

12:15pm 44cc, .86-87 kg

7:35 44cc, .87 kg

July 25, 2009

2:15am 42cc

7:10am 42cc, .84kg

1:00pm 42cc, .85kg

6:00pm 43cc, .86kg

11:20pm 43cc, .86kg

July 24, 2009

7:00am 42cc, .83kg

5:35pm 42cc, he weighs .83kg

9:40pm 42cc, .83kg

July 23, 2009 ~ Good news and not-so-good today. This morning in Rambo's wee hour feeding I discovered another small hole in the roof of his mouth. I don't think this will be a set-back for him as it's really small. On the up side the new scale arrived. Now we can report his metric weights.

1:15am 32cc

7:15am 32cc

12:10pm 32cc, weight 29 oz.

6:30pm 33cc, .84 kg

11:15pm 42cc, .84 kg. This began his week 2 feeding plan.

July 22, 2009 ~ Rambo is getting more and more feisty about being weighed. I am hoping the baby scale will be more forgiving of his movement (flailing).

1:10am 32cc, weight 29 oz.

7:20am 32cc, unable to weigh him as he kept trying to jump out of the bin to give kisses

5:25pm 32cc, weight 28-29 oz.

9:25pm 32cc, weight 29-30 oz.

July 21, 2009 ~ Today was the first of our worrisome days with Sam out of town and my working a full day. Rambo did well. He was sound asleep in his crate when I got home and when he heard my voice he immediately sat up to scold me for being late. He was excited and wiggled too much for me to get his weight so I will be sure to try again before his mid-evening meal. FedEx says the new scale is in Northborough, MA which has me hopeful that it will be here in a day or two.

1:00am 32 cc, weight 28 oz

7:20am 32cc, weight 28 oz.

5:25pm 31cc

9:15pm 25 cc, weight 28-29 oz. I was afraid to overfeed him so I didn't give a full meal.

July 20, 2009 ~ Sam has headed out of town for a few days so Rambo's schedule won't be as tight as it has been. This is one of the few weeks this summer that I have a full schedule of 8 to 5 shifts. Unfortunately this means that Rambo's lunches will be very late. Sam was able to feed him before she left so he's on track for today. Our big news ... Rambo is now 28 ounces!

6:10am 30cc - a firm stool was witnessed

11:30am 30cc - he weighed in at 27/28 oz. Still using that rickety scale!

6:00pm 32cc - Mini Whippet-Man is up to 28 oz!

July 19, 2009 ~ 29 Days old. Rambo had some loose stool after breakfast but doesn't show any signs of dehydration. I have added a photo of him with his littermates taken shortly after birth to the bottom of this page.

6:00 am 28 cc, he's still holding at 25oz.

10:00 am Rambo is now 26 oz. YIPPEE!!

12:15pm 29cc

6:30pm 30cc - his weight is up to 27 oz! We are seeing some changes in him already. We can see that he has grown and he's looking less "pop-eyed" than just a couple of days ago.

11:20pm 30 cc

July 18, 2009 ~ I'm behind in reporting Rambo's weights. It's taken me longer to set up a site than I thought it would. Hopefully daily additions will be easy from here. In the meantime, here is his progress ... 25 ounces today. YIPPEE!!

Today's meals were:

2am 24cc (he's at 24 oz)

8am 28cc (he now weighs 25 oz) Rambo went to the whelping box after this meal and vomited a little so he was moved to a crate for half an hour. Once he seemed to feel better he went back to the box.

1:45pm 28cc Following this meal I put him in a crate for half an hour before letting him go back to the box. No sign of stomach upset.

7:05pm 28cc and he's holding at 25 oz.

11:45pm 28cc

July 17, 2008 - all 4 measurements of Rambo were 24 oz.

6:00am 26cc mix of "old" gruel (75%) and new (25%)

12:00pm 26cc of 100% new diet. From this point on all meals are the AD diet

9:00pm 26cc AD

July 16, 2008

9:20am 22 cc gruel + 4 cc water (his weight 23 oz)

1:00pm 24cc gruel (his weight 23 oz)

4:45pm 24cc gruel (his weight 24 oz) he vomited some of this so we delayed his next meal

11:00pm 26cc mix of "old" gruel and new AD diet 50/50 (his weight 24 oz)

Background

Rambo was born on June 20, 2009 at 6:15am. He was the fourth puppy in a litter of 6. All were seemingly normal at birth with each puppy of similar size. Everyone seemed to be nursing normally too.

When Rambo was about 36 hours old I noticed that he was dehydrated. He was full of deep wrinkles and looked more like a newborn than his siblings did. I tried to get him to nurse from his mother but he just couldn't seem to latch on. I looked in his mouth to see if there was an obvious defect and couldn't find anything. So I warmed up a bottle of Goat's Milk Esbilac (GME) and bottle fed him. Taking the bottle was hard for Rambo too. I had nipples in two sizes ... the tiny one that came with a puppy feeding kit sold by Esbilac and a small playtex nipple. When the little one didn't work well I tried the larger one. We both wore a lot of formula that night and I was disappointed that I wasn't able to monitor how much he was ingesting vs. wearing.

The next day I asked my vet for a feeding tube. I hadn't tube fed before but had spoken with other breeders who have had great luck with it. I had read Myra Savant Harris' book,"Puppy Intensive Care", and thought that using a tube might help Rambo. He was tube fed for the first 3 weeks of his life using GME, Puppy Esbilac, or Just Born ... I bought out all of the local stores supplies of milk replacer. Rambo weighed 8 ounces the first day we tube fed him. His siblings were averaging 15 ounces then.

I will confess that even after 25 years of breeding dogs, I still do not consistently weigh my puppies. If there seems to be a small pup, or if the litter is huge and I worry that an individual's progress may be difficult to track, I bring out the old kitchen scale. Otherwise, I watch them all closely for uniformity and don't record weights. That is, I didn't weigh them until Rambo. I have a digital baby scale on order that should be here in a day or so. In the meantime, Rambo is using the old kitchen scale so our recorded weights aren't as precise.

Once we started tube feeding Rambo quickly gained strength. He took the tube easily and would open his mouth as soon as his feet touched the towel I'd put on the counter for his feeding station. As the puppies' eyes began opening he started learning to use his legs first. Without the weight the others had he was easily up on his feet. Through all of his first 3 weeks Rambo was strong. He was thin but didn't look like a skeleton with skin. He had some body fat, just not much! I wish I had all of Rambo's early weight journals but I don't. I tossed them every few days and kept them only long enough to know that he was still gaining weight and to track the volume and times of his feedings, which were given every 3 to 4 hours.

At 3 weeks of age we started feeding the litter gruel, a mixture of milk replacer, ground puppy kibble, canned puppy food, rice cereal, and yogurt. He ate with the litter for their first meal and afterward Rambo wasn't himself. He was very weak with raspy breathing. Sam called me at work and told me she thought we were losing him. But when I got home an hour later he was fine. His strength was regained and he was acting normally. However, the same thing happened after his next gruel meal. I called my vet and after consulting with him we scheduled a barium swallow for the following morning. That night I checked his mouth again. There it was ... way, way back. Rambo had a tiny cleft. If I had discovered it at 2 days, I expect that I would have followed conventional wisdom and had him put down. After 3 weeks of feeding him every 3-4 hours we had grown attached. His eyes were open and his personality was coming through. We decided that if he had a chance to someday become a normal dog then we were going to do our best to find it.

Sam is an internet addict. She immediately went online researching and emailing our vet friends. You never know when an inquiry will strike gold though hers did. Her email was quickly returned by a fellow Whippet enthusiast who is on staff at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital in Boston. She generously offered to show photos of Rambo's cleft to a surgeon there to see what his prognosis might be. The surgeon indicated that he thought the cleft was small and seemed to only involve the soft palate. Rambo might have an 80% chance of a successful surgery, one that would allow him to live the life of a normal dog. To have the most success, he advised waiting until Rambo is 5 to 6 months old. We didn't even need to discuss it. Sam and I agreed that if Rambo had a chance we would do our best to give it to him. Plus we would have some time to save up funds for his surgery. Our co-breeder (Phoebe) was on board with us. Knowing that we wanted to go forward, informarion was sent to the nutrition team at Angell. With the tracked weights we provided they were able to develop a diet and feeding plan for him.

Our Rambo page begins from there. My hope is that this will be an easy way to share information with all of the people who have offered their assistance and to post photos as he progresses. I haven't done a blog before so please be patient with me. Any suggestions will be welcomed!