Its been a while since we have updated this site. Sorry about that, but 9 pups and a 3 year old son keeps us busy! The pups are now a bit over 4 weeks old and are really growing fast. Last weekend, we took the outside for the first time. It was really hot (97*) so they weren't out there for too long. Aaro Aato August Archer Atticus Alwyn Amarah Aila Aurora New living space This week, the pups moved out of their whelping box and are either in their pen in the living room or spend their time in the kitchen. They have grown so much that they needed a much bigger space. They have plenty of toys and a tunnel to play in. They have also been introduced to a litter box and have been doing pretty good at using it. All pups are doing well. Below are pics and descriptions of each pup. Atticus On the Fly - male Atticus is our smallest pup. Don't let the small size fool you. He is SCRAPPY! He regularly bullies the larger pups to get to the milk. He is growing quickly and is catching up in size with the rest. He is my favorite male at the moment. He will be roan like Zandor but will likely be built more like Tikka. His markings are going to be fantastic! Aato On the Fly - male Aato is our Big Guy! He will be brown and white like Tikka, but will likely have a thicker build like Zandor. He has a bigger head like Z. Aaro On the Fly - male Aaro is also a big boy that will be brown and white like Tikka but with a heavier build like Z Archer On the Fly - male Archer is another pup that will be thicker built like Z but brown and white. He is one of our bigger guys. August On the Fly - male August is a smaller male. He will be roan like Z, but built like Tikka. He has a good appetite and is quickly putting on size. I love his white collar! Amarah On the Fly - female Amarah is a beautiful brown and white female. Aila On the Fly - female Alwyn On the Fly - female Aurora On the Fly - female
Tikka's temperature started to drop Monday night. By Tuesday morning, it was firmly in the 98.5 range signifying impending birth. Aside from the panting, there seemed to be no other behavioral change exhibited (i.e. she was still chasing the squirrels). The vet asked that we call them Tuesday, which I did, and bring her in Wednesday morning if she hadn't whelped. Wednesday morning, after 24+ hours of stage 1 labor, she still hadn't delivered. We brought her to the vet for a progesterone test and it came back at 0.8 which means she ought to have delivered. They said that if she hadn't given birth by 3 PM to bring her back in for a c-section. I called and spoke with the vet some more, and around 1:30 PM I decided to bring her in. Around 3 PM, June 27, 9 healthy pups were delivered via c-section. 5 males, 4 females. It is a good thing that we brought her in as the vet found a small tear in her uterine wall, likely caused by overexertion. Tikka is such a stoic dog that she never let on that she was having issues contracting. The vet fixed her up and sent her and the pups home. Here are some pics! Here is a video of Tikka meeting her pups for the first time after waking up from surgery. They introduced them a few at a time. We will post more pics of the pups soon with the names given.
The whelping box is finally finished and completely set up. 1/2” HDPE plastic sheets cut in a way that allows it to be assembled quickly and without any fasteners. 1 1/2” pvc pipe for puppy rail. Good to go!
We think she will likely whelp a couple days sooner than Thursday. She’s still eating a bit and not showing any signs of nesting. But her temp is hovering in the low 99s. We began taking Tikka’s temperature last night to get a baseline of what her normal temp is. We were expecting to see it in the 101-102 degree range. We took it a couple times because we got an initial read of 99.5. This got us a little concerned as we thought that maybe her temp was dropping as a precursor to the whelping. Apparently, a dog’s temp drops to the 98 degree range right before whelping. After a couple readings last night, it is looking like her normal temp is mid to high 99s. Chiani I also saw a clear discharge coming from Tikka this afternoon. This, combined with a lower body temp had us concerned that she was preparing to give birth, even though we hadn’t seen any signs of nesting and she was eating and acting normally. A quick call to Warner Center Pet Clinic let us know that this is all perfectly normal and that she is likely not in early whelping stages. For the first time, I was able to distinctly feel the puppies move around. Amazing feeling! Can’t wait to meet them all! The Bark Box delivery came today. Tikka gets so excited when they arrive. Here is a video... Tikka's ultrasound confirming pregnancy. The vet snuck us in while another dog was being prepped for an emergency c-section so she wasn't able to spend much time with us. She did see at least 4 pups though. Tikka looked "big" right after her return from Nebraska. This is her 2 weeks ago doing the classic Munster pose while pregnant. It took her a little longer than usual to be able to roll over. Tikka last weekend looking VERY pregnant. Stormy spending a little time with Tikka this morning before the vet visit. I love how well these two get along.
Took Tikka to the vet this morning for an x-ray to see how many puppies we should expect. Dr. Jackson said she counted 9, but there may be 1 or 2 more that she can't see.
She is normally 43 lbs. When I weighed her today at the vet, she was 56.6 lbs! Tikka is doing well, but will likely whelp before the due date of June 28. She is a total potato right now! |