Eight beautiful puppies arrived on Christmas night.
There are 4 girls and 4 boys. One puppy, the first
born, is snow white with black ears. The rest are
black with tuxedo markings and one looks like the
daddy, Deuce. Robust, weighing 12 to 16 ounces, all
are vigorous and thriving. New mom Amber is calm
and attentive. Previous moms Honey Bear and Red
are curious and peeved at being excluded from the
excitement. And I am bushed after the 7 hour whelp
even though that was very efficient on Amber's part.
She is going to be a great mom.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
The Whelping Box is Ready!
Amber is due to have her puppies this weekend. A visit to the
veterinarian for prewhelp X-ray shows probably 10 babies.
Because there are so many and the horns of the uterus are super-
imposed on one another in a lateral X-ray, it's hard to be exact.
But it is a large litter for a PWD. The average litter is 7 puppies.
My husband and I just assembled the whelping box this afternoon
and are awaiting the big event. Despite the holiday, wonderful
reproduction veterinarian Dr. Robert Dove will be there for me if
we run into trouble getting all the puppies out. His staff told me,
"Oh sure, we've done C-sections on Christmas before. Just call if you
need us." I am sleeping better knowing he will be there for my girl.
She comes from a line of great whelpers and great mothers so I am
optimistic that beautiful puppies will soon be lined up and
suckling on a happy mom.
veterinarian for prewhelp X-ray shows probably 10 babies.
Because there are so many and the horns of the uterus are super-
imposed on one another in a lateral X-ray, it's hard to be exact.
But it is a large litter for a PWD. The average litter is 7 puppies.
My husband and I just assembled the whelping box this afternoon
and are awaiting the big event. Despite the holiday, wonderful
reproduction veterinarian Dr. Robert Dove will be there for me if
we run into trouble getting all the puppies out. His staff told me,
"Oh sure, we've done C-sections on Christmas before. Just call if you
need us." I am sleeping better knowing he will be there for my girl.
She comes from a line of great whelpers and great mothers so I am
optimistic that beautiful puppies will soon be lined up and
suckling on a happy mom.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Yes, we are expecting puppies.
It looks like we will be having puppies on Christmas day this year. Amber is
5 weeks post insemination and she appears to be pregnant. Most breeders
confirm pregnancy with a sonogram at about 4 weeks. It is expensive and
inaccurate to count puppies. Generally, if you wait a week, the pregnancy is
obvious. Prior to delivery I often get an abdominal film. Occasionally it is
possible to get an accurate puppy count but the main reason for doing a
film is to see if there are only a few large puppies. In that situation, an
elective C-section might be the best course. The average litter of 6 or 7
puppies weighing about 12 ounces each generally can be whelped without
major difficulties . So, now I know how I'll be spending my holidays!
5 weeks post insemination and she appears to be pregnant. Most breeders
confirm pregnancy with a sonogram at about 4 weeks. It is expensive and
inaccurate to count puppies. Generally, if you wait a week, the pregnancy is
obvious. Prior to delivery I often get an abdominal film. Occasionally it is
possible to get an accurate puppy count but the main reason for doing a
film is to see if there are only a few large puppies. In that situation, an
elective C-section might be the best course. The average litter of 6 or 7
puppies weighing about 12 ounces each generally can be whelped without
major difficulties . So, now I know how I'll be spending my holidays!
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