Large litter leaves local couple with 10 puppies
An abnormally large birth took place in Windsor on Tuesday, leaving one home with a dozen Boston terriers.
It happened on the 10th day of the month with the 10th puppy being born at 10:10 p.m. Mike Gray was snoozing on his couch with his pregnant Boston terrier, Diamond, when she went into labor, delivering the first of 10 babies on the couch.
"We didn't even think she was pregnant for the first month, but the second month she just blew up. She looked like a brick house with her belly dragging the floor," he said.
Gray immediately called for his wife Brandace to come and help. Together they moved Diamond to the bedroom.
"It took awhile after the first one, and then they just started coming," said Brandace. "Every time she had one, she'd come and sit in my lap, and I would help her with her contractions."
The Grays expected Diamond to have around three or four puppies, the average litter size for Boston terriers; however, Diamond had other plans.
"She just kept spitting them out," said Gray.
The first puppy was born at 7:15 p.m. and was a girl; at 8:10 p.m. she gave birth to a male; and at 8:30 and 8:45 p.m. she gave birth to males. At 9:10 p.m. she had her second girl, and at 9:20 p.m. she had a male. The Grays were sure she was almost done but at 9:45 p.m. she birthed twin males, and at 10 p.m. she had another male. The last one, a male, arrived at 10:10 p.m. Brandace kept track of the birth times in her journal and never expected to write down so many.
"We called the veterinarian the next morning, and the first thing they asked was, 'Who did the C-section?' as Boston terriers typically have to have a C-section to give birth. Next they asked me, 'How many died?' and when I said, 'None, she gave birth to 10 healthy puppies,' they said, 'That's insane,'" said Gray.
Seeking additional information, Gray called three different vets who all responded similarly.
"Boston terriers usually have four or five puppies max. We have never heard of a litter that large in our years at Silver Bluff Animal Hospital," Renee Girardeau told the Aiken Standard on Friday.
The puppies were born to Diamond and Titan, both AKC and CKC registered Boston terriers. The Grays have their hands full as they must help Diamond with the feeding process since it is nearly impossible for her to produce enough milk to feed all of the puppies. Every two hours, they must keep track of and rotate the puppies from their mother's milk to supplemental milk, making sure each baby gets a portion of both.
The puppies will be ready for new homes the day before Christmas, and the Grays are actively looking to place the puppies as they both agree there is no way they can manage a dozen dogs.
For more information, call 642-3371 or e-mail bsoutherngyrle@aol.com.
Contact Rachel Johnson at rjohnson@aikenstandard.com.