January 9, 2009

A Dalmatian in England has given birth to 18 puppies, potentially setting an all-time UK record for her breed. (Pet Pulse Illustration by Tim Mattson)

LONDON -- The litter didn't quite ring in at 101, but 18 puppies is no small feat, either.

Button, a 3-year-old dalmatian who lives in the UK, gave birth to the mammoth litter by Caesarean section on Dec. 23 at the Chine House Veterinary Hospital in Sileby, Leicestershire.

The birth, which British media learned of this week, is a record for dalmatians in the UK, according to the British Dalmatian Club.

"I never heard of any breed of dog giving birth to 18. The real miracle is that they've survived this long because it's so hard to rear that many pups," veterinary surgeon Con Hassett told Sky News.

As a new mother of 18, Button is carrying out a family legacy -- she is the daughter of a dog who starred in the Disney film 102 Dalmatians.

Last year, Button gave birth to a litter of 16 pups.

Though her latest 18-pup litter was the biggest ever delivered at the Chine House Veterinary Hospital, the procedure went smoothly, Hassett told the Times Online.

"I delivered all 18 puppies in about 9 to 12 minutes. The surgery itself is reasonably straightforward, but it's the aftercare that's harder," he said. "We had to have five or six nurses there to revive and tend to the puppies."

Button doesn't have to worry about handling all the pups -- or nursing -- on her own. Her owners, Adam and Nicola Morley, have been stepping in, taking on some of the hand-feeding themselves.

The job requires around-the-clock attention and devotion.

"We feed all of the pups several times a day because Button can't feed them all constantly," Adam Morley said. "We all take it in turns to feed them -- my stint is usually 3 a.m."

Though they had previously handled a comparably large litter, the birth was still "a big shock," to the Morleys, and perhaps Button, as well.

"It's a lot of work looking after them all," Nicola Morley said.

The Morleys intend to keep one of the puppies, which they said they will name Rudolph. Families for the other pups, which are all in good health, have already been arranged, the Morleys said.

The family said they do not plan to breed Button again.

The average dalmatian litter will yield eight or nine puppies. Button's litter is the "biggest" Leicestershire Dalmatian Club representative Paul Hoskins says he has known of.

"I have heard of 14 or 15 puppies and that is reasonably common," he said. "A friend of mine had a litter for 14 not long ago."

According to the BBC, the Guinness World Book of Records counts 24 puppies to one mother as the largest litter. It does not consider different dog breeds, and their specific records.

Button's litter only fails to trump that of Tia, a Neapolitan bull mastiff in England who gave birth to 24 puppies in 2005.

Tell us what you think about "Not 101, But a Dalmatian Record: Dog Births 18" below. Share your favorite videos by clicking on the ZootooTV tab. Send us your story ideas by e-mailing us at news@zootoo.com or by calling us at 877-777-4204.

BBC News, Sky News and The Times Online contributed to this article.