Jelly has been brought into Bay Cities Animal Hospital, our vet's office, to prepare for her C Section. Her temperature has dropped, and she has begun digging herself a nest in our son's closet. She is also panting and licking herself. Labor has begun.

Our vet gives her a pre-induction drug designed to prepare her for anesthetic. For anesthetic, he uses Isoflorine, which has a lower likelihood of crossing the placenta and making the puppies sluggish. Recovery time for the mother is also much quicker than it was with some outdated anesthetics.

Jelly is intubated -- this is the tube which you see in her mouth -- so that the anesthetic can be administered. Once she is fully 'under', our Veterinarian, Dr. Barry Burdiss, begins to prepare to open her abdomen for access to her uterus.