On Oct 27, 2025 we received several emergency calls about a dog struggling to whelp her puppies (dystocia). It was a stray the owner had found a year before. She had not received any veterinary care.
The owner was calling her a Dachshund mix due to her body type (short little legs, long back, black and tan in color). Maybe there is some Dachshund in there somewhere. She has more of an American Staffordshire look to her.
She had been accidentally bred to an 80lb pitbull. Momma was only 37lbs. Odds of her being able to birth puppies naturally with such a mismatch in sizes was unlikely.
She had birthed 4 of the puppies successfully at home. But she had been pushing for over 5 hours and unable to produce any more puppies.
The owners could not care for her or her puppies, so she relinquished her to the hospital.
Twix had emergency surgery that early morning. The puppy that was stuck was deceased. But she had 3 living puppies that were saved with surgery. So she had a total of 7 live puppies to nurse. .
We named them all after candy. Momma is named Twix. We estimate she is about 3 years old. Cadbury and Ghiardelli are the 2 girls. Milky Way, Nestle, Oreo, KitKat, and Reeses are the boys. Unfortunately, a few days after being born, KitKat died. But the rest of the puppies are thriving.
All the puppies are some version of black, white and tan, some with a little white. Similar to their momma.
Twix was spayed at the time of her surgery. She will need to be treated for Heartworms once the puppies are weaned completely. Twix is a love bug-loves attention. She is uncertain about dogs coming up on her quickly. Maybe in part as she is a momma raising puppies in a busy vet clinic. She seems a little too interested in cats so she may not be safe with them.
The puppies have started their vaccines. They are a little young to be spayed/neutered. The puppies are bundles of energy-piling out of their kennel, wanting to play.
If you want to come meet this “sweet” litter of pups and their momma, give us a call at Northwood Animal Hospital. We can take applications for individuals to hold until they are old enough to be spayed/neutered.
Name: Twix
Gender: Female/Spayed
Birthday: 10/11/22
Current Location: Northwood Animal Hospital
Minimum Adoption Donation: $100