Long rest before the fifth pup Michewa whelped

Lasya's fifth pup Michewa was a female too, whelped over an hour after the fourth one - at 3.07pm and was the smallest of all the Lhasa Apso pups weighing in at a mere 145gms. Named Phalden Michewa which means Glorious Heavens in Tibetan language little Mishi has grown up to be a petite little lady.

Mishi suffered from colic within the first week itself and refused to take her feed. Instead she would keep racing in circles around the puppy bed and even when I placed her on Lasya's teat she would still climb over and continue her circling. This meant a weight-loss she could ill afford and when the other pups got Diarhea in the second week little Mishi had a further drop in her weight. Four days after the pups were born, on 6th August, I had to call the Vet for an emergency home visit at midnight because the last pup Tashi was sickening. While this pup responded quickly to the treatment the Vet found Mishi's low weight a matter of concern and instructed me to watch her closely for the next 48 hours.

At 3 weeks while the biggest of the pups Rinchen (now named Akki) weighed 762gms, Mishi weighed just 636gms. This is also when I had to introduce a supplement for the pups because Lasya's milk began drying up. Possibly she was stressed because she was constantly feeding the huge litter of six pups who were always jostling with 1 or 2 always being left hungry. At 8 weeks Rinchen weighed 2.2kgs and Mishi weighed 1.57kgs - almost half his size!

By this time they were already being weaned to kibble food and were discovering their taste buds. Mishi was completely overshadowed and outnumbered by her bigger and more aggressive litter-mates who would push her out of the way and finish her meals. The poor little pup would keep crying out to me after mealtimes when the others were sated and took their naps  - and I thought she was just wanting attention. It was only when she reached for and gobble Simba and Lasya's dinner in the kitchen a couple of times that I realized that something was wrong. This added to her weight issue and growth and she has since remained a slow developer.

Mishi sharing a chewstick with Lasya at 3 months

Being a timid little puppy Mishi was also the quietest of them all, which is why she was always overlooked by prospective adopting families who were looking for a playful pup. After four of the pups found their new homes by December 2010 only Yeshe and Mishi were left with us and that's when Lasya began to train her with more one-on-one attention. She helped Mishi gain confidence and coaxed her into playing games and even taught her - and Yeshe - to get a little aggressive with her!

Mishi exhausted and taking a well-deserved nap after the Dog Show

A little after Mishi turned 6 months old I entered her in the Bombay Presidency Kennel Club Dog Show in the minor puppy class where she won the 1st Place with a Gold Medal on 6th February 2011. The two judges gave positive comments on her good looks and coat quality. I'm currently preparing her for the next Showing season and hoping that she does well. The aim is of course to earn a Championship or even a CC (Championship Challenge).

Mishi in a pretty red dress enjoying her 1st Birthday Dinner on Tuesday 2nd August.

Yeshe and Mishi on their 1st Birthday. While Mishi got a pretty red dress Yeshe got a matching bow tie! Happy Birthday Michewa - my petite baby!

Third pup Yeshe whelped breach

Lasya had a tough but quick whelping with her third pup Yeshe, the second male weighing 182gms born ten minutes after the first one at 1.40pm. The first three pups - Misa, Akki and Yeshe came out breach (feet first) within five minutes of each other and while Lasya wasn't in trauma she was in a lot of pain. Also, with each new pup being followed with labor pain she was focusing on pushing them out rather than cleaning the newborns.

I was told by the Vet and other breeders that I just needed to be with her for moral support and she would do everything by herself but on that day I was thankful for having found whelping videos on YouTube which showed the breeder cleaning up the newborn pups and even cutting the umbilical cords; I was prepared for this event but had to overcome my own nervousness to help her calmly by cleaning the first three pups.

Yeshe was tagged with Navy blue wool for colour coding and his complete name is Yeshe Chogyal - which is The Wise King in Tibetan.

                                          Yeshe's profile pictures taken at 6 weeks

This little pup soon discovered a friend in Rehaan, my young neighbor and would crawl across his baby bed and even fly into Rehaan's hands every time he visited after coming home from school. This special friendship continues till date with both Rehaan and his younger sister Esha as seen in pictures in earlier posts.

Yeshe has always been a sleepyhead and can sleep through any amount of noise and distraction - he even sleeps through the noise created by firecrackers during festivals, thankfully since my older Lhasa Apso  Simba and even Lasya tremble at the slightest bit of firecracker noise!

I decided to keep back Yeshe as he showed Dog Show potential with the perfect body structure and temperament. He has also turned out to be the lightest in coloring.

Yeshe is also probably the most mischievous of Lasya's pups having taken after his dam. This little joker is also ready to challenge his sire Simba and any other dogs in the locality including a Siberian Husky in my complex! Happy Birthday Fly Boy!