An animal hospital in Arizona has shared their joy on social media after helping a Great Dane called Cleo to deliver a whopping 19 puppies last weekend.
Cleo, the new mother, successfully delivered the adorable puppies at Kingman Animal Hospital in Kingman, Arizona, after undergoing Caesarian section surgery. The puppies were photographed nestling against their mother after the surgery in the veterinary hospital’s treatment area.
Kingman Animal Hospital posted pictures of the new canine family on their Facebook page after the puppies were delivered. Cleo and all of her puppies are in good health after the delivery that went off without any complications, the hospital wrote.
‘Thank you all for the kind words and congrats to the momma dog and our hard-working staff that came in for this emergency,’ Kingman Animal Hospital wrote.
It added: “None of these photos were taken in the surgical room. These are not photos of the procedure but before and after pics. This is in our treatment area where we were checking puppies afterward for any issues. The procedure was performed in a sterile surgical room.
According to KPRC-TV, Cleo weighed about 143 pounds pre-birth, which is around 43 pounds heavier than the breed typically is. A Great Dane litter is usually far smaller, it noted.
“On average this breed will deliver no more than ten puppies at a time,” Dr. Erika Agone, the medical facility’s surgeon, said, ABC News reported yesterday. “So, in this case, it was like double, which is why Cleo had to come in to give birth. It was like never-ending puppies”.
Doctors said they were shocked by the number of puppies. “We lost count,” said the company’s administrator Ruby Duey, adding: “We used just as many hands as we could get.”
Images showed the babies piled high in a medical bucket after the operation had taken place. “It took many hands to get these puppies into the world!” the hospital stated. “All puppies seemed to be in good health and crying and very active,” it added under another picture of the pups.
Great Danes are known for their giant size, with the tallest dog ever recorded, Zeuz, reaching 44 inches (111.8cm) from paw to shoulder before his death in 2014.
The breed is famed for being friendly and gentle, but Great Danes have also been nicknamed ‘the heartbreak breed’ because of their relatively-short eight to 10-year life expectancy.
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