Pups Weights Etc

Here are the weights in order of birth. I will not be updating these frequently but will every now and then. (B) Birth Weight (N) weight this morning at 7am (24hrs) 24 hours since yesterday (G/L) Gain or Loss Birth

1st Born boy

(B) 7-1/8oz -204g (N) 9-2/8oz 263g (24) 1-3/8oz 38g (G) 2-1/8oz - 60g

2nd Born boy

(B) 6-6/8oz -193g (N) 8-2/8oz 236g (24) 1oz 28g (G) 2-2/8oz - 63g

3rd Born girl

(B) 5-6/8oz -165g (N) 8-1/8oz 232g (24) 1-2/8oz 30g (G) 2-3/8oz - 67g

4th Born girl

(B) 6-5/8oz -189g (N) 8-7/8oz 252g (24) 1-1/8oz 29g (G) 2-2/8oz - 63g

All pups are finding mom and are doing great. They are rather strong in their ability to go from one end of the whelping box to another.

The cream one already is a character rolling over already. WOW!

Gallery is here and will be added to throughout the day.

Day and a Half Old

Here is the gallery.

Pups did really well. I can't believe they are edging up on day 2 at mighnight tonight. LOL Stormy had her comb out and massage. Willow I will get to this morning. Pups are all doing mighty well.

16 Plus Hours Old

Pups all gained. Many times for the first 12 to 48 hours they lose till milk comes in but both have almost too much milk. We already have to put them on the extra full milk stations.

As Willow was a 1st timer, we didn't know how this would go but both moms have their xpen area open so they can look at each others pups, get a drink and eat.

Dennis will do night duty. I may get sleep. Nathan had a nap. I walked outside on the deck in barefeet to wake up. Tomorrow maybe I will feel human. Maybe tomorrow the moms will also feel canine. LOL

Less Than 10 Hours Old

Click on Phptos for Larger View

It's hours away from doing their debut thang. Now that they are dry you can see how creamy the one boy is. They are beautiful and very lively.

Pups are holding their own on weight and 1 slightly gaining.

Here is the gallery.

The pups are very strong dragging themselves from one part of the whelping box to another. I am impressed.

Let me tell you about Stormy's delivery now that I am semi awake. You will have to see Willow's update later today to understand semi.

She never complained. She pushed. She got out after the 1st to go outside to pee. On the 3rd she did a walkabout as if she knew this would help things along and it did. She got their cords chewed off as she just couldn't stand anything hanging. She ate food during delivery. We were missing vanilla ice cream but had baby bell cheese. The calcium is good to help things along but you only give it after labour begins.

She was no nonsense and quite proud of herself and she has a right to be.

Today she is on her 3rd bowl of food. After not eating till labour all yesterday - well she was hungry. She has not gone outside but will after Nathan's shower where I suspect she will strut through the dogs pleased as punch to say look at me - what I did!

It is such a wonderful experience. We try so hard to make it so truly special as it is.

Later today she will get a massage then a comb out. We will change bedding throughout the day. She is still bleeding and will continue to do so for days to come. This is normal.

Ahhhhh puppies - nothing like them and bravo 2 girls - what do you know!

Pups Are Coming

Click on Photo for a Larger View

First one debut at 10:21pm and he is a boy. He is a sable with streaks. Have to wait till he is dry to see what he will be. He weighs in at 7-1/8oz - 204g.

Be sure to check out the videos found here. <- all the videos as we go will be found here.

The gallery will be uploaded when all the pups are born. She has already started pushing for the 2nd.

Click on Photo for Larger ViewSecond one born is a boy. He was born at 10:56pm. He weighs 6-3/4oz 193g Initially thought he was white but he is cream with red markings. We shall see how he develops. Another beauty. Okay, Stormy we need a girl. Her first litter was all boys. This one is starting out as all boys too. LOL

Click on Photos for Larger ViewThird one born at 12:12pm on the 22nd. It's her very first girl. Remember she had 5 boys. So, this is her 1st girl. She is a darker brown. She is the smallest at 5-3/4oz - 165g. All pups are eating really well and she came out head first unlike her brothers.

Click on Photo for Larger View4th born at 12:59am. It's another girl. She stayed halfway inside for 23 minutes. Had to laugh. She weighs 6-5/8oz - 189g. She has a white streak on her chin.

Here they are...

Click on Photo for Larger ViewFinally - unedited is the gallery throughout.

Now its time for bed for me. All pups are eating really well and lively as ever!

Here is the link to the videos. This is where you will see all videos.

Thank you to Sherry for the wonderful mats for each so the pups can look gorgeous for their photo-ops. Huge thank you to Sylvia for the Japanese Curry. Wow was that good and I saved some for lunch today. Without it I doubt we would have ate. It's just too busy when they are in labour.

Till later....

Pushing

She is now pushing. We will have pups tonight.

The main link to all the videos is here. As we go, I try to upload.

The Stormy One

Always keeping me on my toes. She is nesting fiercely but no presentation of pups. The plan is I will stay with her downstairs and Dennis and Nathan will go to bed with the ogs. I will call Nathan on his cell when it is time. LOL

She is progressing. Nothing is wrong. They sometimes stay in stage 1 a long time. She is vomiting bile, refusing to eat - all normal fun stuff in this stage.

See Video.

Stormy's Xray

Click on Photo for Larger View

Okay - interesting view. It looks like 4 but with this vire - who knows. It is indeed 4 but this leaves opportunity for hidden pups. Not sure why she went with this view.

Stormy is still nesting. Pups are of size and fully caclified and seem ready for debut. We may be dealing with feet first unless they turn. It is not an issue. Some come head first and some come first first.

Puppy Count: Updated

Well, we are in shock as she is huge but only 4 pups. Unless one is hidden, that's all the vet counted. Xrays coming. They are having issues as they have a new system. Would have liked to see Stormys at position. They will keep trying - argh.

She asked to be in the whelping box so I figure sometime today. I may take a nap.

Here is how the vet went. One dog on long lead. They come out with gloves, masks, clothes protection. You step on lead, they retreive the dog. They do the xray. They bring out the dog and call on phone. Then we do it again and then again. You pay through credit card - no cash - no e-transfer - really need to get e-transfer if this is going to last. $330 later and that's with out discount due to multiple dogs, we are at home awaiting xrays and them sending without attachments. Got to love it.

Now we wait for Stormy. I figure 3 more days for the other 2 moms. Yep, it may be on Farley's birthday. LOL

Off to Vets

Yes - she is nesting...

Off to vets in 30 minutes. No dropping into place on pups. Panted off and on all night. Today she is nesting and temps are back up to 99.3. We will see how we progress today. Glad we are making the xrays. Though I am bringing my whelping stuff just in case the car ride is interesting.

I am so tired. Hoping for a nap today.

Temp Dropped: Update

Nathan is tv watching. Temps dropped? Hoping it's a false drop.  It went down to 98.0 then up to 99.4. Now it is back to 97.9. At 627pm it is 97.8. Looks like it is staying down. When it goes back up, it is within 12 hours. Stay tuned. It is going to be a long night. Hoping she still makes xrays but who knows. Got to create an emerg bag.

No nesting - she's 98.9 at the moment. I hope I get a good sleep and she has her xrays tomorrow but we shall see.

Normal temperature for dogs is 101 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit (38.3 to 39.2 degrees Celsius).

She is not due till the 24th but it is always 3 days either way.

At 911pm she is still 98.9. She is resting. I hope I can. LOL

Temp Update

99.2. Not there yet. I will start checking the other 2 on Tuesday as they are approx 3 days behind Stormy. This is great to have them so close as all the pups will easily be meshed together. They learn to cope with non siblings and many different personalities. Bonus!

Updates

We started updating Stormy's blog again since last night. Her mucous plus is almost entirely gone now. Temps is too high for impending at 99.6. It needs to go down to 98.0 then you have 12 hours of the rise back up to have pups. Each delivery is unique.

Here are her belly shot gallery.

I gave her a bath in case she doesn't make xrays in two days. The other 2 moms will have their baths tomorrow.

When she is standing, you can visibly see she is full of milk. That is good for pups. Sometimes it can take a full day to come in and all they have is colostrum. That is normal too. All 3 moms seem to have milk. We are progressing but I hope we have till Friday. So selfish of me but my life gets crazy busy so a few more days of getting things accomplished is good for me. Pups will come when they come.

Setting Up

Started setting up tonight.

Had to remove a couch and a recliner. Usually when I remove something Nathan counts koo on something or other. I have lost something every darn litter. It gets moved out and he claims it for the tv room. So, he tried it out with the recliner that I bought from saved tips. I said no, it's not happening this time. After losing 2 recliners, I think the 3rd that I bought from tips was going to return to me after pups are done. Yes, of course the whole house is both of ours but the tv room, although I use it is actually Nathan's and the family room where I have the litters - well it's mine and yes Nathan uses it too. LOL

So, the recliner is now upstairs in a guestroom not getting used till it returns downstairs. Finally, I am not losing anything as I had to shuffle furniture.

We had to set up differently as the TV is not stuck in a corner anymore. It's a bit chaotic in here but starting tomorrow, I will start setting everything up so we are ready. We also have to put cameras on each of the whelping areas so I can record the birth and I also take photos.

Nathan does the whelping unless a puppy has an issue and I take over. If we finish at 3am, he crawls into bed and I do the night duty. I stay up usually 24 hours before as moms are usually restless and then if its not during the day, I stay up through the night. Then Dennis does night duty. He sleeps in till 3pmish and we do it all again when the next whelps. Usually I am updating the blog between pups. Hopefully, in that way you feel a part of it. I know I am the only insane one that does this but you get to be there from the start.

Tomorrow I have to sterilize everything and I then seal it till it gets used. I also have to assess what I am missing. I hope nothing in this shopping atmosphere. I do know I need baby bell cheese for calcium for the moms and I do need Starter Mousse from Royal Canin. It is easy on their tummy but it is time we made sure we have enough.

Oh, did I mention that even at night time I check in on the pups via my ipad. I feel the need. LOL I should sleep though.

Tuesday xrays. I am not sure when they will email them to us or if they have a count but I send them to my repro vet and she tells me and of course I am pretty good at counting but nice to have more people counting. I will post them here. Stormy is the first as she was bred first. Leti amd Willow could actually whelp the same day but please not at the same time - please.

So, it begins!

XRAY Updates

It is now scheduled for all 3 moms on the 21st at 10am. No inside. We call from car. They bring each in. They send us the xray. Vets are emerg only now in Ontario so I am happy that they deem this an emerg as it can be. I am relieved. 

First Belly Shot

Click on Photo for Larger ViewStormy is sporting a huge tummy. She is the 1st due but the other 2 are due on the same day. LOL We shall see if that materializes.

Here are Stormy's Belly Shots.

She thinks she is starving. It is interesting to note that even though Stormy is on the high end of the standard, she consistently has pups that turn out smaller than her. They grow fast from the start and slow down in their growth chart. Her pups are also amazing personalities. They all are but Stormy has always been the class clown and enjoys life - all parts of it. I could learn something from her if I just would stop and allow!

Pregnancy Calendar

Pregnancy Calendar for Stormy
Date:	Thu 12 Mar 2020
Sire:	Rufus
Dam:	Stormy
Breeder:	Talemaker
Tue 19 Feb 2020	Day 1 First day of mating. Sperm travel searching for a mature ripened eggs.
Wed 20 Feb 2020 - Tue 26 Feb 2020	Week 1 Fertilization occurs. 2 cell embryos are in the oviduct.
Wed 27 Feb 2020 - Tue 5 Mar 2020	Week 2 Embryo will be 4 cell at start of week and 64 cell by end of week. Embryo enters the uterus. Feeding small amounts of high protein supplements, such as eggs, lean muscle meats (not pork) or liver is a good practice..
Wed 6 Mar 2020 - Tue 12 Mar 2020	Week 3 Embryos implants along uterus wall. During the next two weeks the important organs will develop. Her nipples begin to turn pink and enlarge. May loose appetite during this week. Morning sickness may occur.
Wed 13 Mar 2020 - Mon 18 Mar 2020	Week 4 Morning sickness should go away and appetite return. One of the early signs of pregnancy is for the dam to 'adopt' a toy. Development of eyes and spinal cord and faces take shape. The fur on the belly and around the nipples thins.
Tue 19 Mar 2020 - Mon 25 Mar 2020	Week 5 The doctor may be able to detect pregnancy (85% accuracy) by feeling the abdomen. Diagnosis by x-rays is usually possible after 45 days (95% accuracy for determining the number of puppies). You may be able to feel the little puppies -they would be the small bumps in the abdomen. Develpment of toes, whisker buds, and claws. Eyes now close and gender can be determined. The puppies are now considered fully developed miniature dogs. She may be showing... She may also gain a little weight particularly if she is going to birth more than 1-2 puppies..
Tue 26 Mar 2020 - Mon 1 Apr 2020	Week 6 During the last several weeks, your dog’s nutritional needs nearly double. Feed small meals several times a day. We recommend feeding puppy food through the end of lactation (nursing).. Increase water. Enlargment of mammary glands as nipples darken and enlarge.
Tue 2 Apr 2020 - Mon 8 Apr 2020	Week 7 She may shred papers, blankets or bedding in an attempt at “nest building” in the last weeks. During the last 2 weeks, your pet may become irritable and should avoid contact with small children. Moderate exercise is the proper approach. Neither forced rest nor strenuous exercise is a good idea. Short periods of gentle play and short walks are good.. You may feel the puppies now but counting them may be a bit more difficult. Definate abdominal enlargement. Abdomen hair will start shedding.
Tue 9 Apr 2020 - Mon 15 Apr 2020	Week 8 Dam begins to spend a lot more time grooming herself. Her breasts become swollen as her milk forms. Nesting begins as she looks for a place to have her puppies... Make sure you have her box or spot ready.. The dam may not have as big of an appetite during this period. Her abdomen can be crowded with puppies. You can feel the puppies move now. See if you can get her used to her whelping box
Tue 16 Apr 2020 - Tue 23 Apr 2020	Week 9 Nipples and vulva should be gently cleaned with warm water, you might want to trim the hairs surrounding the nipples, to allow easier access for the puppies to suck. She may express milk from her nipples. Watch for her temperature to drop. You may take it rectally if you want but she's just plain old cool to the touch compared to what she has been the last 8 weeks. She may also become restless, seek seclusion and in the last few days, soil the house. She will be 'nesting' 12-24 hours before the birth
Wed 24 Apr 2020	Expected Date of Whelp. Expected date of whelp. Average is 62 days but may take place from the 58th to the 68th day. Keep watching for that cool to the touch.. if you're actually taking the temp, it does drop from 101 to 98 degrees. Appetite will disappear as whelping approaches. May see a clear discharge from the vulva. At onset of labor may pace, dig, shiver, pant and/or vomit. First fetus will be delivered within 4 hours of the onset of labor.

Stormy Morning Sickness

Stormy has been having morning sickness. She is the 1st to be bred.

Still planning on a calendar. :-)

Next Days

When I catch my breath, I will put up a calendar for all 3 girls so you can see what occurs in development from week to week and day to day. This way you know what is occuring with your pup even when in utero.

Stormy pups will be 1st and Leti and Willow at the same time.

Ties and Boy & Date

This is Stormy with her last litter. She is an excellent mom. None of her pups are oversized but we are breeding her to a small boy to retain mid range to smaller dogs.

This is how big she was last litter. Let's compare when the time comes.

Stormy is a play monkey and her pups are full of fun.

This was Rufus when he was in the ring and younger.

He produces a lot of reds but that is not why we bred to him. He brings us back to the line of our Abigail.

The duo connected 2 times on Wednesday at 415 for 12 minutes and Thursday at 430am.

Puppies due April 21-23 - depart the end of June.