Mothers Day for Mabel

I'd argue that Mabel never intended to get pregnant, didn't consent or request motherhood - especially not nine puppies, definitely too many for her.
I think I can count on one hand the number of times she nursed them unassisted by us. We've been rotating pups because there aren't enough producing breasts and she was bruised on the sides of breasts where puppies sucked harder and harder hoping they could make milk come out.

Often we had to put Mabel down on her side and stay there petting her to get her to nurse.
A few days ago she resisted like never before and we trusted her.
We used to tease her that she just wants to go buy earrings with her friends at Claire's but this wasn't her usual "I prefer the humans to these toothful bores." We figured it was simply that their teeth seriously are sharp.

And then she was done. No more nursing. Of course, her body didn't get the message. We might have pressured her more, but the puppies were happy eating goat-milk-softened puppy kibble, and gaining weight faster than ever.

So her breasts engorged and we were read the internet, consulted, and applied cabbage leaves and milked her. We kept a t-shirt on her because she was clearly tender and didn't want puppies sucking (biting!).

And got to the vet today, thankfully - because she has necrotic tissue in one breast - poor Mabel! She'll be so relieved to get spayed.

With burdock and cabbage and ace bandages and prescriptions and lots and lots of rags and towels everywhere, we're going to get through.