blog---current

When life gives you lemons instead of lemonade

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 01:46:00 +0100

This is a tough one to post. We were handed a huge disappointment - or more accurately - 3 disappointments with the ultrasounds yesterday. Vet confirmed that there were no puppies. Moving forward, we will try again with their spring cycle.
Dion will start her heat around middle of January - we will try Duke again, working closely with our vet to ensure our best chance of a litter. I have sent emails to people on my waiting list asking to transfer their spot to Dion's litter. If I did not email you, and should have, please let me know!

While we are sad about not having puppies in January, we will learn from the process and continue with the next cycles. We are sorry to disappoint the families who were waiting for a puppy - I believe they are worth the wait and hope that most will wait with us till the next litter.

Happy New Year!

Canine gestation calendar

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 01:36:43 +0100

**Canine Gestation Calendar**
Week	Changes
Zero to One	Breeding takes place. Within a few days, the sperm reaches the eggs and fertilization occurs.
Two	The fertilized eggs make their way to the uterus for implantation. You may notice behavioral changes in your dog. She may become moody or more affectionate.
Three	Implantation has taken place and the embryos begin to develop. Your dog may begin to display mood swings, appetite changes and breast tissue development.
Four	Fetuses can be felt in the uterine horns around day 28, and can also be seen by ultrasound. The spinal cords are developing, and the fetuses are beginning to grow facial features. Your bitch's uterus will shortly fill with fluids to protect the fetuses. After this, it will be weeks until the puppies can be felt again. Your dog's appetite will likely increase, so offer her more of her food.
Five	The fetuses develop their sex organs and begin to look like actual puppies. The leg buds lengthen and develop toes. Your dog's belly will begin to look noticeably swollen as the pups take up more space. *With less room for full meals, it's time to begin serving smaller meals more frequently.
Six	Pups continue to grow and pigmentation develops. The eyes now have lids and remain sealed until approximately ten days after birth. Your dog is noticeably more uncomfortable at this point. She may vomit occasionally due to the extra pressure against her stomach. *You may also notice clear fluid discharge from her vulva. This is normal.
Seven	Puppies are well-developed, and now begin attaining size in preparation for birth. You may be able to see/feel the puppies' movements in your bitch's abdomen. Her breasts are well developed and probably contain a bit of colostrum or "first milk". Your dog is noticeably tired and may begin searching for a place to whelp. Time to set up a whelping box.
Eight	The pups have fur and are now crowded in the uterus. You may notice a lot of activity as they get into position for the coming birth. Your bitch may begin digging the bedding in the whelping box. This is natural "nesting" behavior. *Allow your bitch to feed freely as she is able.
Eight to Nine	The pups are ready for birth, and may be quite still as they rest in preparation for the marathon to come. Your dog may appear uncomfortable and restless or anxious. *Time to begin taking rectal temperature readings 12 hours apart. Normal temperature is 100 to 101 F; a drop down near 97 F held for two consecutive readings indicates labor will begin within 24 hours.

Expanding waistlines

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:40:05 +0100

Measuring the girls' waistlines is something we do until due date - gives me reassurance that there is a pregnancy and subsequent growth of the puppies. Gestation would be an average of 63 days.

Dinnye 33 inches or 84 cms @ 46 days
Jazz 29.5 inches or 75 cms @ 42 days
Gloria 31 inches or 78.74 cms @ 41 days

Each dog is walked about 1/2 hour daily at least 5 days a week - it has been a perfect winter for this. They should not be gaining weight or size unless they're pregnant - each has increased their girth by an inch or 2.54 cm this past week so this is encouraging.

Ultra sound appointments for Jazz and Dinnye are scheduled for Thursday at 3 pm. Fingers crossed.

Christmas Eve

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 22:36:28 +0100

Merry Christmas Everyone! Beautiful balmy 5 degress celsius in Manitoba today! No snow...I could get used to this!
The jury is still out on whether to girls are pregnant. Dinnye is day 42....Jazz day 37 and Gloria day 36. They all LOOK pregnant but I'm just not sure. Just measured all their girths and they all gained...they get daily exercise so I tend to think it's not from overeating or being lazy. We will most likely take Jazz and Gloria for ultrasounds next week...if anything just peace of mind and KNOWING. Would be the best Christmas present ever if two of the three were in whelp. Will keep blogging to keep you updated.

D, E & F Litter

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 00:27:16 +0100

It's been a while since I've blogged! Not a whole lot to update yet. Dinnye, Jazz, and Gloria were all exposed to Duke during their heat cycles in November. Too early too tell looking at them physically. I don't think Dinnye is pregnant - don't think Duke had "figured things out" with her - we're quite alright with that as we were hoping 2 out of the 3 matings would take place. Physically Gloria and Jazz both show small bulges, pink enlarged nipples so we are hopeful. Will make a decision by the end of next week if we'll do the sonograms to confirm pregnancy or just wait until they're at the 48 day stage (gestation is around 62 days) and xray - we would know the amount of pups with the xray.

And we wait

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:32:49 +0100

And we wait for Dinnye to show us that she's going to deliver a few puppies. Tomorrow June 2 is her due date...if she doesn't have puppies by the end of the weekend, I will have to accept that either this was a false pregnancy....or she had puppies at the time of the ultrasound, died and were absorbed by her. Out of our hands at this point...all we can do is be ready in case there are puppies. I am taking her temperature 3x's daily. Mornings have been consistent at 37.3 Celsius...afternoon and evening 37.6. Eminent delivery would be if it dips below 37 and gets close to 36.7. She continues to act pregnant - is enjoying the pampering - but when I watch her I believe that she truly believes that she is pregnant.
She keeps turning her head and starting at her back end - as though she's feeling something but not sure what it is - always looks like it takes her by surprise. Keep tuned for another update. As for Jazz, I'm not confident that she's pregnant either. Time will tell.

D Litter Blog

Thu, 26 May 2011 00:32:52 +0100

Are we really at this point again! With the last puppy from our C litter gone only for a few weeks, we are now 1 week away from our much awaited D litter to be whelped. This is a litter that has been in the planning stages for over a year. I had frozen semen from Dewmist Silver Diamond sent to me in April of 2010. A series of events prevented us from using it on one of our females at the time, so it has sat in it's frozen state waiting for the right opportunity. Dinnye is the lucky recipient, implanted surgically March 30th. We waited impatiently for a month so we could do an ultrasound to confirm pregnancy. It was a happy day when we were told Dinnye was pregnant! I think our vet Jackie was just as excited - the entire vet office feels this is "our litter" First time we used the A.I. procedure and it was the first time Jackie used a surgical method to artificially inseminate. Dinnye is visably pregnant - we're told it's not a very big litter. Our guess is 4 or 5 pups - we bought a doppler (fetal heart monitor) to check the puppy's heartbeats - we're pretty sure about 4 - hoping for 5! Xray is planned for May 26 - for peace of mind that on birthing day we know exactly how many puppies will be born and to see if there are any problems that can be detected before the birthing process. Dinnye has started the nesting process - starting to burrow in places in our shrubs - I watch her prepare the area with care - she has chosen the place where the pups would be born IF she was the one making the decision. We have a nice whelping box ready for her when the time comes.

Oct 22

Sun, 24 Oct 2010 15:30:22 +0100

Oct 22

Where did the week go? This is a dream litter - all are healthy, feeding well - most are content - a few noisy whiny pups - complaining when the milk doesn't flow fast enough. Chunky! That was the word that came to mind this morning when I was changing blankets in the whelping box. 75% of the puppies have such a solid weight to them. They're travelling all over the whelping box - eyes are starting to show slits - should be open by the time they turn 2 weeks old - on Oct 26. They are becoming sensitive to light...especially when I'm using the flash for pictures. I've posted a few new ones on the home page as well as on the current litter page. For every one I post, I have about 50 that I don't ever use. There's a photo op everytime you spend time in their space - from tiny yawns to paws around a shoulder to noses nuzzling together while they sleep. The twitching is hilarious - the twitching is also a sign of a healthy puppy so twitch away. Gloria is the perfect mother - attends to ever cry and obviously is feeding them well. What has surprised me the most is that Dinnye can walk up to the puppies any time and Gloria doesn't mind. I had her pegged as being an overprotective mother. I'll weigh the puppies tomorrow and post weights. I do know that the pink girl and red boy have doubled their weights - I suspect I'll add a few more to the list tomorrow.

Oct 17

Sun, 24 Oct 2010 15:29:07 +0100

Oct 17

Always amusing when we define time by how old the puppies are. Tuesday seems like a long time in the past. Puppies and Gloria are doing very well. Puppies are gaining weight steadily.

weights: Females:.416 kgs; .498; .444; .492; Males: .560; .468; .570; .526; .540

The weights are on the light side - especially when I compare them to Dinnye's May litter of 4 pups. I know they will all make up for it by feeding regularly from Gloria - she's eating a lot of food these days to keep up with their demands. She's always feeding a group of puppies when I look in on her - never all at once - always 4 or 5 at a time - she has a system and it's working!

All the puppies have a solidness to them when I handle them - will continue to weigh them every few days to make sure they all stay on track. Noses and pads of feet are turning from bright pink to a dark shade of grey - will be black in the next few days. Puppies will be seeing and hearing by the end of next week. Already, some are travelling fairly well around the whelping box. At this point, they simply pull themselves around. Gloria is very attentive to all their needs - a bit disturbing that she is still searching for her 10th puppy. Everytime she goes outside, she searches in the same two spots - digging and expecting to turn it up. She whimpers when she sniffs her live pups - hoping that eventually she will forget - if anything it has intensified. I hid a small stuffed animal in the bushes where she digs - she looked quite pleased when she found it - still no replacement for the "missing puppy".

They're here!

Sun, 24 Oct 2010 15:27:35 +0100

2:00 pm what a day (so far) 9 puppies! 4 females & 5 males - everyone's doing great! Gloria is pooped and I can only hope she is done!

Quick update: noon 4 girls 2 boys so far more to come possibly started @ 9:20 am