Day 3--All is Well

Another quiet night here. Risk is proving to be one of the best dams we've ever had. I only had to teach her once about being careful getting in and out of the whelping box and she has it down. She is attentive to the pups although last night she did want to come down and join the family after dinner. I think she was getting bored and lonely so we all moved into the whelping room to watch a movie. Risk was much happier and Andy looked like he was having a good time, too.

All the pups have gained a little weight since birth but we should start seeing bigger gains now. All the umbilical cords have dried up and fallen off. Tails are starting to wag while nursing. Barks burst out of them occasionally but most of the time they are peaceful and quiet. I did see something I'd never seen before yesterday--Miss Sienna was scratching her ear with her hind leg. Although that is common for older dogs to do, I had never seen a two-day old puppy do such a thing. They are not very coordinated at this age so it was impressive. I'll try to catch it on tape if it happens again.

Corey, Una and Dreamer asked to come visit this morning. I've attached a photo of Corey at the door, asking permission. Of course, one-year old Dreamer didn't know what was in the room so just barged in. Once she got in, she realized that she was on thin ice. She stared with amazement then backed out of the room. Risk is watching them carefully but I suspect they will be helping out with the pups soon.

Here is a video of Risk and the pups from this morning.

Quiet Night

Risk and the Patriots had a quiet first night together. Risk is a mother much like her grandmother, Flyer--calm, patient, attentive without being obsessive. She is learning to be careful of the pups when she moves around the box and lies down. She is cleaning them well and has lots of milk. Here is a shot of Mr Green nursing on his back, all four feet in the air. He's a pretty relaxed boy.

Risk is getting lots of sleep which enabled me to get a little sleep last night. The pups squeak, mew and even bark but they were generally quite happy last night. The weather certainly helped--the humidity is gone and the temperature was around 68. They cuddled up next to their mom and were as happy as could be.

Rosie is still here helping out, which is a real gift since I'm usually tied to the whelping room for days. I think Risk loves having both of us here--it hasn't been often in her life that this has happened.

Before I head back to the pups to get everyone weighed, etc., here are a few more photos: on the left, the entire happy family and on the right, a head shot of Miss Yellow.

The Firecrackers are here!

Risk decided to celebrate the 4th of July in a big way. She presented us with nine pups, 5 boys and 4 girls. After a restless night, Risk told me around 6:15 AM that she was ready. At 7:35 AM, Mr Green arrived weighing 14 oz. His brother, Mr Light Blue (14.75 oz) joined him at 8:55 AM. The numbers were balanced with Mistresses Black (14.3 oz) and Raspberry (10.75 oz) arrived together at 9:05 and 9:10 AM. The boys kept coming when Masters Purple (14.25 oz) and Red (14.75 oz) joined the party at 9:41 and 9:47 AM.





Risk took a break for a while before delivering Miss Sienna (13 oz) at 11:20, Mr Brown (15.3 oz) at 11:26 and Miss Yellow (14.75 oz) at 11:38 AM. After her initial shock at delivering Mr Green, Risk has charged into motherhood. All the pups are vigorous and strong. Risk is keeping every clean and warm.





The best part of the whelping was that Rosie Higdon, Risk's co-owner, was able to get here in time to see the last three pups born. Risk smiled a huge grin when Rosie walked in. It was great to see.

Mr Green arrives


Risk taking a break

Stay Tuned

Risk's temperature has stayed down most of today so I expect we will see pups over the next 24 hours. I'm hoping for a good night's sleep and then a daylight litter but we will see how it goes. Risk did have a good day, with a little retrieving this morning and then a swim in the pool this afternoon. However, at the moment, she is looking pretty uncomfortable. Think positive thougths and I'll let you know how things are going as soon as I can.

Not Today

Risk continues to progress toward whelping though not quickly. Yesterday, she had a few temps below 99 but then last night and today, her temp went back up. You can see the up-and-down progression she is making on the chart to the right. The 99 mark is indicated by the solid horizontal line. We want to see her temp at least twice below this line. Thus far, she is just teasing us but this is all very normal.

Risk did eat breakfast, though not enthusiastically, but she had no interest in lunch. She is looking pretty full of pups so there can't be much room for food in there. She is still enjoying her walks however and isn't showing any signs of nesting.

I have to remember to pull out Una's files, Risk's dam. If I recall correctly, Una did this same thing and it wasn't until her temp dropped nearly to 98 that things started happening.

So, for now, we wait (and rub her belly for her). I'll try to get a photo of Risk for tomorrow.

99.0 and Counting

Well, Risk's temperature dropped to 99.0 this morning. It bounced around quite a bit yesterday but she was out field training with us and it was hot and humid, so I wasn't surprised. We may have pups sooner than expected...or we may not. The girls are so unpredictable.

The whelping box is set up and I've got the aero-bed all ready to move into the whelping room. Risk, Andy and I spent some time hanging out in the box last night and she seemed fine with it. Actually, there wasn't much room because Corey, Una and Dreamer wanted to show that they could lie down in the box, too. It's just not big enough for the whole family but everyone having so much fun make Risk very comfortable in it. We'll do that nightly until the pups come just so she doesn't mind being in there. No doubt, she will still insist upon having her pups elsewhere--under a bush, in the closet, on my bed--but once I explain she simply cannot do that, I'm sure she'll be fine with the whelping box.

Risk is still going for walks with the dogs, swimming in the pool and making a valiant effort to catch the squirrels that are eating all the pigeons' food. She has slowed down and doesn't have her usual speed off the mark but she is her normal self. She is pretty big though nowhere near as large as her granddam, Flyer was when she had the West Point litter, all 15 of them!

Getting Ready

I usually blog once pups are born but I've decided to start the blog early for this litter. Risk is due toward the end of next weekend so preparations are under way. I'm monitoring her temperature four times a day. As she gets closer to whelping (giving birth), her temperature will drop well below normal and stay there for at least 12 hours. A dog's normal temperature is between 100 and 102 F but as the progesterone level drops to trigger whelping, the bitch's temp drops below 99 and stays there for at least two measurements. Yesterday, Risk's temperature was normal but this morning it was 99.6 F. I expect to see fluctuations over the next five days or so as the pups prepare to be born.

Risk also didn't finish her breakfast yesterday, another sign that things are progressing. I've been feeding her quite a bit each meal but now the pups are squishing her stomach so she can't eat as much. We start three meals a day today so she doesn't have to get as much down.

I used the doppler yesterday to check for heartbeats. Risk was so patient as I squeezed ultrasound gel all over her belly. I found 10 heartbeats but am never very confident that I haven't counted one pup twice. Regardless, I got 11 colors of yarn ready today just in case :-).

I'll be setting up the whelping box this afternoon and getting all the gear ready. Showtime is coming!