Saturday, August 8, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
All is well and the pups are growing fast!
The pups did fine with the dew claw removal yesterday, but the experience was hard on Maggie. She stayed in the car with the air conditioning running and barked and whined the whole time...my daughter and I stayed in the car with her, but Maggie's eyes were fixed on the door where I took the pups in. It still amazes me how strong the maternal instinct is...in humans and in animals. Maggie knows that the pups need her completely right now and they are the only thing she thinks about. When the pups start opening their eyes and moving around more, she will spend less time with them. I start feeding mushed up puppy kibble at about 2.5 weeks of age and that is another indicator for Maggie that the pups don't need to nurse quite as much. She usually sleeps outside the puppy pen to keep an eye on them, but she is also comfortable hanging out with family for awhile. The pups don't need to nurse after 6 weeks of age and they are eating softened puppy kibble well at that point. Maggie won't be sleeping with them anymore, but she still will let them nurse briefly when they chase her down...!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
It's dew claw removal day...
The puppies are going in to have their dew claws removed this afternoon. Many breeders are opting not to do this procedure anymore, but I still feel that it is a minor procedure at this age. If it is done when they are older, it is a painful procedure that requires time for the dog to recuperate and heal. Some dogs use their dew claws like thumbs if they are used for hunting or in agility. But, the risk of tearing the dew claw is higher than the possible need for a thumb. Trends are changing and the Veterinary Assn. does not promote tail docking or ear cropping any longer. I don't think they will make the same decision about dew claws because of the possibility of injury from them.
The procedure takes just a couple of minutes and they don't get any stitches from the vet I use. There is no bleeding and they heal in a couple of days. They do cry when they are removed, so Maggie and I will wait in the car together. She would be upset hearing her babies crying...me, too...! Even though I am a nurse myself, the pups are like my own kids and it is hard for me to see them have pain, even if it is for a minute...I have no problems giving shots or placing microchips because I am fast and they rarely even notice that I did anything. The vet always asks me if I want to watch them remove the dew claws...I always say, "no, thanks" and head out to the car with Maggie...
The procedure takes just a couple of minutes and they don't get any stitches from the vet I use. There is no bleeding and they heal in a couple of days. They do cry when they are removed, so Maggie and I will wait in the car together. She would be upset hearing her babies crying...me, too...! Even though I am a nurse myself, the pups are like my own kids and it is hard for me to see them have pain, even if it is for a minute...I have no problems giving shots or placing microchips because I am fast and they rarely even notice that I did anything. The vet always asks me if I want to watch them remove the dew claws...I always say, "no, thanks" and head out to the car with Maggie...
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
This is my biggest litter at this age!
I always compare puppy weights with previous litters. This litter is starting out as the largest litter, weight-wise. It does not necessarily mean that they will end up the largest dogs as adults, but they will definitely be standard labradoodles in the 50-70 lb. range. CocoBella (Maggie's daughter from Nova's litter who was called Lacey on the chart) was the same weight as her littermates all along, but she ended up being only 45 lbs. as an adult whereas her brothers are around 60-70 lbs. When she had her own litter in May, the pups were smaller than she was when she was born (not counting Max who is going to be a big boy!).
Anyway, here are the weight charts from Maggie and Nova's litter, CocoBella and Brody's recent litter, and the current puppies. I hope you can read my writing...! Double-click on the chart to see it larger.
Monday, August 3, 2009
What we have been doing today...
At one day of age the pups eat and sleep...they cannot see or hear. They crawl around searching for their mom or siblings or the warmest area in the whelping pen. They are not able to shiver for a few weeks so the pups need to stay in a warm environment. I use a heating pad (set on low) under a towel or thin blanket and I also have an overhead heat lamp. I don't keep the heat lamp on all the time because Maggie gets too hot.
Maggie keeps busy licking the pups to clean them. The pups cannot poop or tinkle on their own for a few weeks so Maggie cleans them and stimulates them to go.
Their umbilical cords are drying up and will fall off the next day or two. Maggie is very protective of her babies at this age. She barks loudly if a stranger walks by the den door or if the doorbell rings. It is sometimes hard to get her to leave the pups to go outside to potty. She had two retained placentss, not uncommon, so she has a lot of discharge. Having her go outside gives me a chance to rinse her bottom, tail, and hind legs off. I also hurry to change the pads in the whelping box. Maggie is very anxious to get back in with her puppies so she whines at me to hurry up! Her appetite is pretty good. With osme previous litters, she has not wanted to eat much after delivery. She needs to eat and drink to produce a lot of milk for her babies. She is readily eating some canned dog food and a "shake" that has goat's milk, vitamins, cod liver oil, molasses, and eggs in it. She needs calcium-rich foods to help avoid eclampsia. I give her a couple of Tums every day, too, for the calcium.
I keep a close eye on Maggie and the puppies. Our whelping box has a rail all around which is about 6" high. It gives the pups a place to go without the risk of being laid on accidentally. I still count the pups often and make sure they are not stuck in a strange place or under a blanket. I did not sleep well at all last night because Maggie was fussing a bit with the squeaky babies so I kept getting up to check on them. I usually sleep on the couch near the puppy room (den) for the first few weeks because I want to be able to hear the pups if they're crying for some reason. I also have a baby monitor in my bedroom so that I can hear the puppies as they get older.
More news later!
Maggie keeps busy licking the pups to clean them. The pups cannot poop or tinkle on their own for a few weeks so Maggie cleans them and stimulates them to go.
Their umbilical cords are drying up and will fall off the next day or two. Maggie is very protective of her babies at this age. She barks loudly if a stranger walks by the den door or if the doorbell rings. It is sometimes hard to get her to leave the pups to go outside to potty. She had two retained placentss, not uncommon, so she has a lot of discharge. Having her go outside gives me a chance to rinse her bottom, tail, and hind legs off. I also hurry to change the pads in the whelping box. Maggie is very anxious to get back in with her puppies so she whines at me to hurry up! Her appetite is pretty good. With osme previous litters, she has not wanted to eat much after delivery. She needs to eat and drink to produce a lot of milk for her babies. She is readily eating some canned dog food and a "shake" that has goat's milk, vitamins, cod liver oil, molasses, and eggs in it. She needs calcium-rich foods to help avoid eclampsia. I give her a couple of Tums every day, too, for the calcium.
I keep a close eye on Maggie and the puppies. Our whelping box has a rail all around which is about 6" high. It gives the pups a place to go without the risk of being laid on accidentally. I still count the pups often and make sure they are not stuck in a strange place or under a blanket. I did not sleep well at all last night because Maggie was fussing a bit with the squeaky babies so I kept getting up to check on them. I usually sleep on the couch near the puppy room (den) for the first few weeks because I want to be able to hear the pups if they're crying for some reason. I also have a baby monitor in my bedroom so that I can hear the puppies as they get older.
More news later!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
They're all here and all are healthy!
Maggie delivered 8 beautiful puppies in about 5 hours on August 2nd! We have 4 boys and 4 girls. There are 3 chocolate girls, one black girl and four black boys. Most of them have white mismarks on their chins, toes, and chests. Maggie did a great job and she is taking a nap with her kids right now. I may take a nap soon, too! All of the pups weighed about 1 pound.
Today might be the day!
Maggie is up early, not wanting her breakfast, is panting gently. She went out first thing this morning and dug in her favorite hole in the yard behind the shed...she also has been in my walk-in closet a few times to dig around. Her buddy, Lucy, says it is way too early in the morning to be up and so active...!
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