blog---current

It's been a while....

Thu, 04 Apr 2019 15:12:51 +0100

It's been a while since I've posted anything...its been pretty quiet around her for the past year. In August 2018 Blanka whelped a small litter of 2 - The Double Litter. February 25 Blanka started her heat cycle and we were waiting for the timing to arrive to mate her to Dominic. I did progesterone testing to make sure we would get the timing right and in case we needed to artificially inseminate her. Dominic arrived in Canada February 1 and this is our first time asking him to perform his studly duties. Well, he was frustrated, as well as we were, when her heat cycle turned into a false cycle. After 6 progesterone tests where numbers did not rise to the point of ovulation, we realized that we weren't going to breed her at this time. I was hoping that it was a split cycle, meaning that in a few weeks, the real heat cycle would start. That is exactly what happened - on March 26 she started again and by all indications it looks like a true cycle. No testing this time - I'm going to trust Dominic to tell me where things are at. Back this up a few weeks - Stella started her cycle a few weeks ago and Dominic bred her naturally Mar 28 & 29 - no A.I. which makes us very happy - if the breeding took, she should have her litter around May 30. Looking forward to a busy spring/summer with puppies.....when it rains it pours...we expect Reese to cycle in the next month and our plan is to pair her with Dominic.

Trying Times

Fri, 27 Apr 2018 03:23:56 +0100

In 21 years of breeding goldens, we have come across many situations. We've always known, the longer we breed, there will be more new situations to deal with. I am on several breeder forums and read about the different experiences breeders go thru - we have many more to experience. There was another first this past week. Juno was about 5 weeks pregnant - seemed to show all the signs of carrying pups - starting Wednesday she refused her dog food....she always has a big appetite so this was a surprise....Morning sickness wasn't out of the question....she was also drinking more. Thursday was a repeat, however she would eat whatever food I brought her, as long as it wasn't dog food. She continued to go on our daily walks - a bit slower, but eager to go, tail wagging. Not much different Saturday - just a step slower. Saturday, her eyes were very red....this did not seem like morning sickness. Sunday night I called the emergency vet and shared all her symptoms and my suspicion that she may have pyrometra. Vet didn't think she needed to be seen that evening - not life threatening - but to have her checked the next day. She was lying in a pool of liquid in the morning - the room had the familiar smell of birthing. My thought was that she had aborted the pups - packed her up in my vehicle and called the vet on the way to the clinic. She did a vaginal swab which showed some bacteria, but nothing alarming. She had a slight temperature; bloodwork showed minor anemia - nothing conclusive. with elevated white blood cels. While we were waiting for another test, she started oozing red smelly pus - that confirmed that she had pyrometra. - most likely open because is was now coming out. After some deliberation I chose a medical treatment as opposed to a spay, understanding that if she didn't improve, a spay would be mandatory.
This was a huge decision - not wanting to compromise Juno's health, and yet still wanting to have her in my breeding program. I left her in the vet's care....received an update the next morning that her white blood cell count was even higher - a spay was necessary. I drove to the clinic just before lunch to give Juno some reassurance - my visit was twofold - to give her a reason to fight or in the worst case scenrio, a final goodbye. By 2 pm I got the call that she had done well through surgery and was just waking. Vet was happy with how it went. She confirmed that there were no pups in the uterous - just a lot of pus. The next day the update was not good - Juno had chewed off her intravenous line and was not doing well.Her temperature was 36 degrees celsius - dangerously low - heading towards septic shock. They put a cone on her and hooked p her intravenous again.....later in the day the next update still was not positive...vet was thinking her immune system was overactive - working against itself. She intervened by giving a prednisone (steroid) shot - temperarily stopping her immune system....basically doing a reset. Vet checked on her that evening and could see that her intervention worked. Bright eyes - met her at the door - trotted around outside. So this morning the update was the best news I could get - she ate all her food....she could come home! After being touch and go for 3 days, this was such a relief.

Her white blood cell count was still high, however everything else was pointing to a dog that was feeling better and on her way to recovery. She is now at home with meds. Will need to keep her quiet for about a week, which she will find very boring. Fingers crossed that there will not be any setbacks - still do not feel we are out of the woods, but at least we have hope. Juno is my Junebug...the sweetest temperament, very affectionate, a bit stubborn, great mother, great friend to Gloria and Blanka. If anything changes I will update this post. No news will be good news!

Ice Litter 11 days old

Sat, 09 Dec 2017 20:22:55 +0100

11 days old - Blanka is doing very well as a first time mom. She is spending less time in the whelping box and feeds as necessary...this also means that if you snooze you lose. I weigh the puppies every evening to make sure each puppy gains a decent amount of weight. 10% of their weight per day is a guideline - but the weight gains can differ daily. There are tummy upsets and this has been the "poopiest" litter I've had in a long time. 10 puppies are 10 poop factories and Blanka's milk is plenty. Today, Dec 9, was the first day eyes are open, and that is right on schedule. They are a pretty content litter and seemingly laid back so far. When I weigh them on my scale they just lie there while I record...the last litter, the Happy Litter, did not like the scale - they wriggled and tried to crawl off.
With the eyes open, puppies will start moving around more and I will start sitting in their whelping box - very interesting to see who seeks me out; who stays back and just watches me. Their hearing will also start this week, which will make them more aware of my comings and goings.

Ice Litter DOB: November 29, 2017

Fri, 01 Dec 2017 00:52:12 +0100

The Ice litter has made its arrival, not without some excitement and angst though. I learn something new with every litter - something new/different happens, mostly negative, and you learn about it, deal with it and move on. There was a first with this litter....first born was delivered in the back of my Ford Edge! We need to go back a day to start from the beginning. Blanka had a temperature drop Monday Nov 27 mid evening. When the thermometer dips below 37 degrees, you know you should be seeing puppies in 24-36 hours. She was shivering, restless till mid day on Tuesday - all a part of stage 1 labor. Heavy panting started during the afternoon and by 5 pm her water broke. I was thinking, "great, maybe they'll all be born by midnight"! hoping I wasn't in for an all nighter. By 7 pm I noticed some light green discharge...a bit concerned but thought I would just observe...the green got darker by the hour - green before any puppies are born can mean that there is early placenta separation. Called my vet and we agreed I would wait it out a bit longer. 1st contractions were noted at 9:20 pm...they looked quite gentle - something like when us humans have our first contractions...just a tightening and you catch yourself thinking this isn't so bad.
No puppy by about 10:30 so I left my vet a message saying I was worried and that a c section might be needed. Packed her up and headed to Morden. About 15 minutes into my drive I could hear that Blanka's breathing had changed and then I heard a squeak - pulled over and climbed into the back of my Edge and there was a puppy, alive, on the blanket with Blanka. Turned around and headed home, called my vet to say with the first one born, I was going to go home and whelp them there. She thought I should still come in...I think she wanted to avoid the SOS call during the night.
So, we settled back down at home and #2, a girl, was born - this was a tough delivery as her front legs were behind her shoulders. Another boy born at 12:50 followed by his brother at 1:30 am. At 1:47 another boy made his debut, and the gender ratio evened out a bit more with another girl at 2:18 am The odds got better with # 7 being a smaller girl. #8, a boy was another tough delivery. Very quickly after #8, #9, a girl slid out. An hour later a boy, 1st breach one of the bunch was born. So 10 puppies entered our world...I stayed with Blanka and the pups till about 7:30 am to make sure she was done. All puppies had nursed multiple times all night so I headed to bed to try to get some sleep. Checked them within 2 hours and then after breakfest went to check again and there was a lifeless pup between Blanka's paws...my sinking feeling was that she had laid on him. I tried to revive him but to no avail. Removed him from the whelping box and went back to account for the puppies. Counted to 10...couldn't be...must have miscounted....counted 10 again....it occurred to me that #11 was delivered while I was having breakfast...he was a big pup and in all likelihood because he was delivered so much later, may not have taken a breath.

I take holidays after a litter is born so I can watch and monitor closely. Count to 10 many times a day...make sure Blanka is eating so she produces milk and I rotate the puppies for nursing to make sure everyone gets a turn. My #1 priority is to keep everyone alive. The first week is so critical for the puppies'survival...not to let them get over heated or under heated...they can't regulate their body temperature until they're 2 weeks old. New mothers sometimes lay on their pups...not on purpose...just out of exhaustion and a newborn has a tough time trying to wriggle out from under her.

The puppies have a good solidness about them...already I can feel the extra weight from nursing in the last 36 hour. They are a travelling bunch - already moving all over the whelping box, always searching out their mom of course.

Their pink noses and pink pads will darken with every day....until they are totally black. The color of the litter is very uniform - very light pale coats.

Blanka is doing well as a first time mother...very attentive to their squeaks and squeals and a bit overwhelmed at times. She looks relieved when I come to check, like she needs reassurance. She is loving the special food I have been giving her....calcium levels have been depleted from the delivery and now nursing pups so its very important that I feed her calcium rich foods for the first while. A big pot of mashed potatoes with cottage cheese, yogurt, sour cream and shredded cheese mixed into her kibble has enticed her to eat.

Glitter Litter has arrived!

Sun, 28 Aug 2016 20:17:22 +0100

It's already 6 days after the arrival of the much awaited Glitter Litter. I thought Juno had started the labor process on Sunday...but Monday came around and there was no progress in the labor. Just heavy panting on and off and so very uncomfortable - couldn't sit it one place for more than 2 seconds...she was also fairly whiney which was not like her. I stayed home from work to observe her and as the day grew longer i was getting concerned that we may have to make a trip to the vet. At 8 pm i called the on call vet for a consult. She offered that I could come in for an xray to rule out any blockage. I thought I would give her another hour....the intensity of her panting seemed to increase and she kept looking at her back end....there also seemed to be more discharge, possibly her water breaking. At 9:07 pm was the first visible contraction...so game on...i would not need to go to the vet. She had quite a few big contractions and at 9:50 the first boy was born...he was the biggest of the litter at 446 grams - he was also the toughest to deliver. Two more boys followed at 10:15 pm and 10:50 pm...first girl born at 11:45 pm at 340 grams. Four more boys - 12:02 am, 12:24 am, 1:05 am, 2:13 am; At this rate I thought I'd be in bed by 4 am. A longer whelping pause and the next pup was a girl at 360 grams at 3:40 am; two more boys arrived at 4:53 am and 6:55 am. 11 in total 9 males and 2 females. The average birth weight was 397 grams which is very good. Lightest was 340 grams and heaviest 446 grams. Juno did well throughout the whole process...after it was all said and done she lay down on a blanket outside the box...she looked at her pups...her look said...I've done my part. I had to coax her back in the box to let them nurse. Thankfully after each pup was born, I was able to get it to latch on to get that every important first milk - colostrium. I was pretty sure she was done so went to bed at 7:30 am setting my alarm for 9:30 am.

So, now started the constant counting to 11. Also started was the checking of every pup to make sure it was breathing. I've whelped enough litters to realize that anything can happen with any litter...mother unknowingly lies on a puppy...puppy gets squished...since I changed to a new whelping box with "roll bars" I know I have decreased the chances of that happening.

Here we are on day 6 and feeling much more comfortable with the chances of all 11 making it...not out of the woods yet but feeling pretty good. The puppies gained really well. I handle them at least once a day as well as weigh them every evening. The puppies are solid and I can feel the chunkiness setting in. Juno must have super milk. 11 pups are alot of mouths to feed....it seems like she is always feeding a few. Calcium depletion is a concern for a nursing mom so she has been served a special concoction of mashed potatoes with whipping cream, cottage cheese, sour cream, yogurt and cheese. I add extra protein to her kibble - chicken or ground beef or scrambled eggs - she is very appreciative of the special food and the other dogs are very jealous!

It struck me yesterday that I have enough boys for a baseball team so I am going to do a combined theme litter. The girls will still have glitter in their registered name and the boys will take on my beloved Blue Jays names. It doesn't happen very often that you have 9 boys so this is my chance to commemorate the Blue Jays.

D Day

Sun, 21 Aug 2016 18:11:41 +0100

Today is the due date for the Glitter Litter Juno & Bingley All week I thought she wasn't going to wait until due date and here we are. Her temp dropped this morning to 36.7 C - this means puppies should be born within 24 hours - if this is a textbook delivery - so very likely she'll start tonight - almost never fails - litters are normally born during the night - i suppose going back to their ancestors birthing during the night because it was safer. I've only whelped a few litters during daylight hours. Juno has been uncomfortable all week and i think milking it for all its worth. Her belly's circumferance is 39" or 99.06 cm. I am estimating 8 pups....number doesn't really matter - my hope is that it is an uneventful delivery of healthy puppies and doesn't need any emergency measures at the vet. Very ironic that Aug 22 2015 was when Jayda had her last litter and its very likely that will be the date for Juno's litter.

So this will most likely be a 2 part post. The first one sharing that I think the process has started. The next one will be sharing the experience of the debut of the Glitter Litter. Here is Juno on her last day of pregnancy:

Hollywood Legend Litter 4 weeks old!

Fri, 17 Jun 2016 01:00:12 +0100

I am really wondering where the last 4 weeks went! Can't believe the puppies are 28 days old! Such changes in the past week. They've experienced a few firsts:

1. We expanded their living area from a 4 x 8 whelping pen to a 12 x 12 room. They were ready - was amazed how steady they were on their 3 week old legs.

2. The had their first outdoor adventure. I think I had more fun than the puppies. They were a bit tentative...weren't sure about the tickley grass underneath their paws. It will only get better. Some hardly ventured off the blanket and others sniffed around. It helped when mom lay down to feed them - putting them right at ease.

3. First meal - first meal other than what mom provides, that is. I often start puppies earlier than 4 weeks - often depends on size of litter and mom's milk supply. With only 5 pups, she's had more than enough milk for them. Georgia looks really good - often by the 4 week stage mom can be looking quite skinny...Georgia is put at a perfect weight right now
The feeding went really well. I put some puppy food kibble (Performatrin Ultra Turkey, Duck Salmon) through the blender to make a gritty substance - added hot water to soften it up and mixed some puppy replacement powered milk to make it a rich blend of puppy mush.As soon as the first one figured out how to lap it up, the others her her slurping and wanted some of what she was having. Ms orange lay down beside the dish and was more interested in the dish than the food. I kept dipping my fingers in it and she very willingly licked it off my fingers...eventually she at from the dish also. They ate almost everything I had prepared....let Georgia in their room to clean up the dish and the pups got to nurse on her for dessert.

Their teeth came in earlier than normal. At three weeks they all had teeth poking through - often this is more at 3 1/2 weeks. I am very happy with their development. Their coats are becoming fuller and longer. They have very nice heads with short profiles...a few have more gold highlights than others.

Vet appointment/vaccinations have been arranged for June 29....right after that I travel to a friend of mine who tattoos their ears...this is for identification purposes and will appear on the official registration papers.

Puppy selection will take place Jul 1-3 - picking will be in order of deposit received. If there are any issues/conditions revealed at the vet appointment that will be mentioned before any puppies are picked. The vet will check for heart murmurs, check eyes, ears, joints, and whether both testicles have descended for the boys.

Hollywood Legend Litter - born May 19 2016

Wed, 08 Jun 2016 16:02:44 +0100

I know what you're thinking...it's about time she's blogging! You're right....don't know if I can really explain the delay....just wasn't feeling it. Go back 3 weeks ago.....

May 19.....still had 5 days to go for Georgia's due date....the morning started out normal...until I was going out the door to work...let the dogs out one last time and noticed something dark on Georgia's back end. Thought it was just a twig...when I bent down to take it off, realized it was dark green discharge. As a breeder, dark green is not a color you want to see before puppies are born. Typically it means there's some kind of distress....detached placenta or dead puppies. I monitored for about an hour then called by vet...could only bring her in at noon. The discharge was gone by that point so we were considering waiting 24 hours. Discharge started again and we elected to do an ultrasound. The machine was not on location so I offered to drive to the spot where it was and bring it back....this brings us to 1:30....ultrasound showed viable strong heartbeats for some of the pups....there was also a pup closer to the pelvis that wasn't showing a heartbeat. We did a progesterone test that showed she would deliver in 24 hours. Because of the discharge and lack of heart beat a c section was scheduled for 3. By 3:30 we were tending to puppies....I was in the room outside surgery helping the assistant with rubbing and suctioning puppies. A few times the vet walked by with dead puppies...this was gut wrenching...am not a stranger to dead pupppies....but in this case there were 7 dead and 5 live. The observation was that some of the dead puppies were small in size and there were some deformaties. To my eyes, there were 2 that looked full term. We don't always have answers for these situations...only possibilities. Damaged sperm; poor placements in the uterine horn; stress from travelling while pregnant. During surgery the vet called me in and said that her cervix hadn't opened so there was no way she would have delivered the pups on her own. A dead puppy close to the birth canal sometimes doesn't stimulate contractions. If we would have waited 24 hours all puppies would have been dead. So we focus on the living!

And living they are....the first 48 hours are always tough after a c section. Mom wakes up to 5 hungry mouths and doesn't know why we expect her to do anything about it. It took about 24 hours before maternal instincts kicked in...until that point, she growled when puppies wanted to nurse...so I supervised feedings around the clock until I could see she was accepting them. She was growing because they were near her incision and she was protective over that area. That meant pottying them after each feeding because she had absolutely no interest in being near them. A fellow breeder suggested putting a dab of peanut butter on a puppy's bottom to entice her to lick them....it worked! We haven't looked back since. Georgia is a good mom - very attentive to their squeaks and squeals. She has plenty of milk - the puppies have gained steadily - all doubled their weight by 8 days. Weights as of June 7 were:
Mr Green 1.31 kgs (2.88 lbs)
Mr. White 1.5 kgs (3.3 lbs)
Mr. Purple 1.39 kgs (3.1 lbs)
Ms Orange 1.22 kgs (2.68 lbs)
Ms White 1.34 kgs (2.95 lbs)

Eyes were open by 2 weeks and with that there was increased mobility. They are definitely hearing as they are reacting to my sounds and especially mom's presence.

Week 4 - during this week their teeth will come in - Georgia will be feeding them while standing instead of lying down. Towards the end of week 4 I will introduce them to puppy food: puppy food that has been soaked in hot water and pureed with formula.

Very happy with how things are going. The puppies are starting to look really nice - very nice heads on them. Looking forward to the little personalities that will start to present themselves.

The Designer litter's final days with us

Mon, 19 Oct 2015 02:00:19 +0100

It was a whirlwind of a weekend...puppy pickup started on Thursday and ended Sunday afternoon. It's almost an empty nest..Ms Orange is still with us. It was great meeting the families in person - seeing the joy in their faces as they were leaving....it all makes sense in that moment why I am a breeder. It is a process I love from start to finish....I'm often asked if its' hard to see the puppies go. Yes, in simple terms. However, I am a realist and know that at 8 weeks the puppies need to start their forever life. Seeing them go to good homes and knowing they will be loved does make it easier. Jayda was a bit puzzled by the process of puppies leaving...think she is happy she still has one puppy. I should be able to put some weight on Jayda - she is 62 pounds...another 5-8 pounds will look good on her. I am also looking for a caregiver home for Jayda - for more information on what that entails - send me an email and I'd be happy to explain.

The little designers that graced our lives the last 8 weeks: Coco Chanel; Donna Karan, Muccia Prada; Donatella Versace; Calvin Klein, Christian Dior, Giorgio Armani; Mark Jacobs

Thankful...

Sun, 11 Oct 2015 18:10:14 +0100

I am very thankful for many things in my life...my husband, children, grandchilden, my job, friends,my life, and the freedom we enjoy living in Canada. Am also very thankful for the Designer Litter. They have been an easy litter to whelp and to raise...it doesn't get better than this! As a breeder, we deal with many different situations - from still born pups; pups that have been laid on by mom; cleft palettes, water head, puppies born with no eyes, puppies that don't grow in first 4 weeks of life...and there's other situations that I haven't even encountered....as long as I'm breeding, there'll be more situations to go through. Every litter is an education in puppy raising...sometimes the education is with the people you are entrusting to give your puppy a forever home.

Only one more week before this litter leaves for their homes. I will enjoy them every day and will be sad when they leave.
I have planned a few play dates this week also for co workers and friends to get their puppy fix.

Looking forward to meeting some people I have only emailed/spoken via phone...always great to meet people in person, whenever possible.