THE arrival of pups can present mum – and her owner – with a bit of a handful, or in this case two handfuls.
Jennifer Thompson of Blakeney Hill suspected her pet Samoyed bitch Kia was having a little trouble giving birth and consulted vet Matt Saunby of the Severnside group.
Kia had been in the first stage of labour for 24 hours and was starting to become distressed. At the clinic a scan showed the pups' hearts showing irregular beats and the decision was taken to perform an emergency caesarean.
"She could not have managed on her own – it was all hands on deck!" said a vet clinic spokesman.
"The pups kept on coming and extra staff stayed late to help them all take their first breath, Vet Helen Dixon spent an hour with one particular little boy until he could breathe on his own."
The spokesman said most dogs manage to give birth without trouble on their own following the 'first stage' of restlessness lasting 24-36 hours. However if the mother strains for 30 minutes without producing or if four hours elapses between pups, or if you are otherwise unhappy about the labour, contact a vet.
Kia's cuddly eight are destined to be wonderful pets, but if you want one it's unfortunately too late – they are all spoken for.