I hoped for a miracle - and one came in the form of an 8oz healthy pup. She is jet black just like her mum and dad. We said we would not take Amy back to the Vet at week 8 but she started panting heavily and discharging a lot of black gunk! So as we were told not to expect anything resembling a pup - we took her to see if they could ease out any thing that may be festering away inside her. Amy seemed ok and the stuff stopped coming - so we decided against an op and thought we'd let nature take it's course. The Sunday after - her due date - she started again with the discharge, so I took her back. They asked if they could keep her in for a few hours and give her an injection to help her with contractions. We were told there was no way there could be anything alive as a previous scan showed a heart beat but no skeletal formation. Anyway I called them at 5.30pm and was astonished to say the least to hear Amy had given birth to a healthy pup, sadly along with a badly deformed and another dead one.

That was yesterday - they are both doing really well.

We haven't named her yet - but my 7 year old son wanted to call her 'Snowball' - A Jet Black Cocker?

As she is a miracle we have got to keep her - and I'm not sure I would want her tail docked as it really doesn't matter to us - any thoughts to why docking would benefit her?

Thank you all for your words of comfort - I'll keep logging on to see if I can offer any words of wisdom.

Carl, as I said in my reponse to this post in another thread, if she is to be a working dog then I would dock.  I have a spaniel that needed his tail amputated because of damage and I would never put a dog through that again, that is my personal experience and opinion and realise others will have different opinions.  You don't have long to decide, or to find a vet who will do it.  This is really one of those things that needs arranging before pups arrive, but I understand things haven't exactly gone to plan with this pregnancy.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Please add this to your still active thread on this subject.