She is still pregnant...and still smiling!

My sweet girl is ready to get these wiggly puppies out!

Still waiting...

Maggie's temperature today was 100.0 so she does not seem to be ready yet. She is being a stinker by going under the deck and digging around...she gets all dirty, but she comes out smiling! I need to watch her closely so that she does not decide that that is a good place to have the kids! She was playing ball today and is relaxed and settled. I am guessing that the second of the two breedings was closer to ovulation so that would make her due date sometime in the next day or two. Sometimes I use progesterone testing while my girls are in heat to pinpoint ovulation and the exact time we should breed. But, it is not really necessary when we are doing a natural breeding because the girls usually ovulate around the 12th to 14th day after they start to bleed. I use progesterone testing when we do artificial insemination and when I absolutely do not want to miss a girl's ovulation. Usually, but not always, the girl shows she is ready by "flagging" which means she moves her tail to the side often. The males seem to know when the girl is ovulating, too. They often won't show much interest when the girl is not ready.

A little roadblock...

So, I slipped on some rocks last evening and broke my ankle...not very painful, but unstable. I have a knee-high boot on for stablilty and I will see the ortho. docs soon. Will make delivering puppies more challenging, but we'll do fine!
Maggie's temp. is 99.5 and no signs of labor yet. She is calm and sleeping. The babies are very active and we can see them move in her abdomen! I may make a video of her tummy later to show the movement!

Getting Ready...

Below is our whelping box where Maggie delivers her babies and stays with them for a couple of weeks. I put an ex-pen around the box to keep out nosy dogs and kitties...! I remove the whelping box when the pups are able to crawl over the edge and keep them in the ex-pen. I double the size of the ex-pen when they are around 4 weeks old so they have more room to run around.
Here are some supplies I use for the birth. Lots of towels, peon forceps to clamp the cord, scissors to cut the cord, dental floss for tying the cord, a bulb syringe for helping get out mucus from the puppies' mouths, colored id collars, betadine to clean the cord, a scale for weighing the pups at birth and everyday for two weeks (then every 3 days), glucose supplement for Maggie while she is working hard in labor, styptic gel for cords that tend to ooze after cutting. I also have a thermomter for taking Maggie's temperature right now to watch for it to drop to 98 degrees. She should deliver within 24 hours when her temp. stays down. We use our den for the puppy room so that we can watch the puppies and Maggie at all times. It is decorated with a lot of artwork from my daughters!

Lanikea

Lani had her Pennhip xray today. It takes about 3 weeks to get the results. She is a gorgeous English Golden Retriever who is now 16.5 weeks old. Fingers crossed for good results!

Maggie is having 8 puppies!

We just got back from the vet and Maggie had her xray that showed 8, maybe 9, puppies! She had 7 in her first litter, 9 in her second, so 8 is perfect! Her temperature today was 99.8. When her temp. gets down to 98.0 or so she should deliver within 24 hours. She is doing her "nesting" by digging in the yard, snooping in closets and behind chairs. She knows she is close...
It is very hot here in Oregon today...103...glad we have air conditioning!

Are You Really Ready For A Puppy?

I Am Your Puppy


I am your Puppy, and I will love you until the end of the Earth, but please know a few things about me. I am a Puppy, this means that my intelligence and capacity for learning are the same as an 8-month-old child. I am a Puppy; I will chew EVERYTHING I can get my teeth on. This is how I explore and learn about the world. Even HUMAN children put things in their mouths. It's up to you to guide me to what is mine to chew and what is not. I am a Puppy; I cannot hold my bladder for longer than 1 - 2 hours. I cannot "feel" that I need to poop until it is actually beginning to come out. I cannot vocalize nor tell you that I need to go, and I cannot have "bladder and bowel control" until 6 - 9 months. Do not punish me if you have not let me out for 3 hours and I tinkle. It is your fault. As a Puppy, it is wise to remember that I NEED to go potty after: eating, sleeping, playing, drinking, and around every 2 - 3 hours in addition. If you want me to sleep through the night, then do not give me water after 7 or 8 p.m. A crate will help me learn to housebreak easier, and will avoid you being mad at me. I am a Puppy, accidents WILL happen, please be patient with me! In time I will learn. I am a Puppy, I like to play. I will run around, and chase imaginary monsters, and chase your feet and your toes and 'attack' you, and chase fuzzballs, other pets, and small kids. It is play; it's what I do. Do not be mad at me or expect me to be sedate, mellow and sleep all day. If my high energy level is too much for you, maybe you could consider an older rescue from a shelter or Rescue group. My play is beneficial, use your wisdom to guide me in my play with appropriate toys, and activities like chasing a rolling ball, or gentle tug games, or plenty of chew toys for me. If I nip you too hard, talk to me in "dog talk," by giving a loud YELP, I will usually get the message, as this is how dogs communicate with one another. If I get too rough, simply ignore me for a few moments, or put me in my crate with an appropriate chew toy. I am a Puppy, and I am a creature with feelings and drives much like your own, but yet also very different. Although I am NOT a human in a dog suit, neither am I an unfeeling robot who can instantly obey your every whim. I truly DO want to please you, and be a part of your family, and your life. You got me (I hope) because you want a loving partner and companion, so do not relegate me to the backyard when I get bigger. Do not judge me harshly but instead mold me with gentleness and guidelines and training into the kind of family member you want me to be. I am a Puppy and I am not perfect, and I know you are not perfect either. I love you anyway. So please, learn all you can about training, and puppy behaviors and caring for me from your Veterinarian, books on dog care and even researching on the computer! Learn about my particular breed and it's characteristics, it will give you understanding and insight into WHY I do all the things I do. Please teach me with love, patience, the right way to behave and socialize me with training in a puppy class or obedience class, we will BOTH have a lot of fun together. I am a Puppy and I want more than anything to love you, to be with you, and to please you. Won't you please take time to understand how I work? We are the same you and I, in that we both feel hunger, pain, thirst, discomfort, fear, but yet we are also very different and must work to understand one another's language, body signals, wants and needs. Someday I will be a handsome dog, hopefully one you can be proud of and one that you will love as much as I love you. Love, Your Puppy Author unknown