Can you imagine what it would be like to give birth to 19 kids? A dog in Arizona has been there, done that and is slowly preparing to say goodbye to her record-tying litter.
Kingman Animal Hospital in Kingman, Ariz., recently provided CBS News with access to the literal pile of puppies and Cleo — a four-year-old Great Dane and proud mother.
“We (were) going, ‘Man, this is a lot!’ It’s never-ending,” said owner and lead surgeon Erika Agnone of the February delivery. “We just started calling up staff and family members saying, ‘Hey, we have a big C-section’ (and to) come on down.”
“They just kept shooting out one after the other, and I was handing off to technician after technician,” Agnone added.
All but two of the puppies survived, leaving 17 that need care.
Cleo’s giant-sized litter matched another Great Dane’s litter in 2014. The largest litter on record was delivered in 2004, according to Guinness World Records, when a Neapolitan Mastiff delivered 24 pups, however one was stillborn and three more died in the first week.
The Great Dane is a German dog breed known for its massive size — both male and female adults weigh at least 110 pounds and stand roughly 30 inches high, according to the American Kennel Club. They usually live between seven and 10 years.
Cleo’s owner has confirmed that every surviving puppy is spoken for. Many will soon venture out of state to their fur-ever home.