This week, I have had to go back to work at least part of the day and my dad is enjoying taking over puppy sitting. Today was such a beautiful day that we decided they should be outside for at least part of the day. We set up the x pens in the grass and brought them out. It was so fun to watch them sniffing and checking things out.
They caught on very fast how to get up the step onto the deck and immediately found what we affectionately call the puppy cave. I have taken a plastic vari kennel apart and they all seem to love hiding inside.
Dallas so enjoyed seeing the puppies outside today, he could hardly contain himself. He wants to play with them so bad. He is such a wonderful puppy sitter.
Last night I think Ivie tweaked something trying to get in the whelping box and has not been feeling too well today. I have been giving her pain medication and trying to message her, but I haven't been able to place where the pain is coming from. I think she was very happy to have the puppies outside today so she had some room to maneuver. I had originally thought we would make a step for the whelping box and leave it up but under the circumstances I think we will try and take it down in the next few days in order to give her more room.
All of the puppies are doing well on the puppy gruel and little lime girl has finally reached the three pound mark, much to my happiness. Of course we have Hot Pink and Black at 5 pounds and Purple boy is hot on their heels.
Ladybug
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Saturday, May 24, 2014
We are All Doing Much Better
The puppies are starting to get the hang of lapping up their food instead of sucking on it. There are moments of brilliance and then the next round they act as though this is a brand new thing and they don't know what to do. Up until a few minutes ago everyone but Lime girl was getting the hang of it and finally she did too.
Lime is still the smallest and I try and give her every advantage I can. Whether that is bringing her out of the whelping box and just letting her nurse on Ivie all alone in the living room or putting her on the best teat when everyone is fighting for their spot. She is doing well, but is quite small compared to the others and she just may be that way, in any case she is so sweet and very easy going and is going to make a very sweet pet for someone.
I have been getting asked about when people can start coming to visit the puppies. I had originally said at four weeks but that is next weekend and this is a bad weekend for me. Our local kennel club is putting on an agility trial and I have to make an appearance or two during the weekend so it is best if I am not trying to manage too many things at one time. I think the following weekend would be ideal, the puppies will be 5 weeks of age and their little personalities will really be starting to develop at that time.
If you would like to visit please let me know in advance and if I have lots of requests I may have to limit the number of people on any given day and the amount of time you are here. I ask that you don't bring other dogs to my house as I need to keep my property as contaminate free as I can for the puppies sake. Please wear shoes that you don't mind me spraying with a bleach water mixture and if you have old pants that is good as well. In the past I have seen where the bleach water has gotten on pants - including my own but it is all for the safety of the puppies. You will also have to spray your hands. Send me an email and I will give you directions to my house and if that weekend doesn't work for you then we still have a couple more before the puppies will be going home.
I did have situation last weekend that was not too good in that some friends with a 3 year old child came to see the puppies. He was a very, very active child, running full steam ahead and tried and tried to climb in the whelping box to get to the puppies. Ivie was beside herself with worry and she just knew that if he succeeded he would hurt one of her puppies and she came very close to biting the child. Ivie has NEVER, EVER tried to bite anyone but it was in her right to protect her babies and that is what she was trying to do. Because of this incident I am not sure how Ivie is going to react around children the next time they come to the house. I will test the waters next week with my niece and nephew that she knows and they know to be calm around the puppies. I need to have children be here so that the puppies can get used to them but I also need them to be well mannered and not screaming or chasing after the puppies. It was a very stressful situation last weekend and I have been putting off writing about it because I never want to offend or hurt anyone's feelings, however I have to protect Ivie and not put her in that situation ever again. Thanks for understanding and by the way I love comments if anyone ever wants to post one, that way I at least know someone is reading this.
Lime is still the smallest and I try and give her every advantage I can. Whether that is bringing her out of the whelping box and just letting her nurse on Ivie all alone in the living room or putting her on the best teat when everyone is fighting for their spot. She is doing well, but is quite small compared to the others and she just may be that way, in any case she is so sweet and very easy going and is going to make a very sweet pet for someone.
I have been getting asked about when people can start coming to visit the puppies. I had originally said at four weeks but that is next weekend and this is a bad weekend for me. Our local kennel club is putting on an agility trial and I have to make an appearance or two during the weekend so it is best if I am not trying to manage too many things at one time. I think the following weekend would be ideal, the puppies will be 5 weeks of age and their little personalities will really be starting to develop at that time.
If you would like to visit please let me know in advance and if I have lots of requests I may have to limit the number of people on any given day and the amount of time you are here. I ask that you don't bring other dogs to my house as I need to keep my property as contaminate free as I can for the puppies sake. Please wear shoes that you don't mind me spraying with a bleach water mixture and if you have old pants that is good as well. In the past I have seen where the bleach water has gotten on pants - including my own but it is all for the safety of the puppies. You will also have to spray your hands. Send me an email and I will give you directions to my house and if that weekend doesn't work for you then we still have a couple more before the puppies will be going home.
I did have situation last weekend that was not too good in that some friends with a 3 year old child came to see the puppies. He was a very, very active child, running full steam ahead and tried and tried to climb in the whelping box to get to the puppies. Ivie was beside herself with worry and she just knew that if he succeeded he would hurt one of her puppies and she came very close to biting the child. Ivie has NEVER, EVER tried to bite anyone but it was in her right to protect her babies and that is what she was trying to do. Because of this incident I am not sure how Ivie is going to react around children the next time they come to the house. I will test the waters next week with my niece and nephew that she knows and they know to be calm around the puppies. I need to have children be here so that the puppies can get used to them but I also need them to be well mannered and not screaming or chasing after the puppies. It was a very stressful situation last weekend and I have been putting off writing about it because I never want to offend or hurt anyone's feelings, however I have to protect Ivie and not put her in that situation ever again. Thanks for understanding and by the way I love comments if anyone ever wants to post one, that way I at least know someone is reading this.
Friday, May 23, 2014
3 Weeks Today
Ever have one of those days that at the end of the day you wondered what the hell happened and you wish you could start it all over again, well that was yesterday. Backing up to Wed I had opened a new bag of formula and although it looked different, I didn't think anything about it. Wed night purple boy and lime girl had some loose stools. When I woke up yesterday morning - whewy I had ten puppies with some pretty stinky diarrhea. Nasty, stinky and very smelly. My morning consisted of cleaning puppies, cleaning a whelping box and cleaning more puppies. I called Anne and asked her what she thought about what was happening and she agreed with me that it was most likely the formula but to be on the safe side, I should take stool samples into the vets office, get them all wormed and start them on puppy gruel earlier than anticipated.
As I was preparing to do this, my holistic vet called and was originally scheduled to come to the house at 6 pm to give Brandy and Dallas a chiropractic adjustment and she wanted to know if she could come at 1:30. It was now 11:30 so I was going to have to wait to go to the vets office until after Dr. Finn had left the house. I was also supposed to go to work for a few hours, ha! That wasn't happening, so I called my office and explained that I wasn't coming in. Dr Finn came and didn't finish until after 4pm - ugh, I still needed to get to the vets office before they closed. This is when Christine told me that she had locked her keys in her truck, which was parked immediately behind both of my vehicles. She needed to be at another appointment at 5pm. My dad was here and I had to borrow his car to take her to her next appointment while AAA came to the house to unlock her truck. Then off to the vets office before they closed in order to get stool samples analysed. Good news I was able to accomplish all of this and find out there was nothing to worry about and I was pretty confident at that point that the formula was a bad batch.
Next I had to pick up a different brand of formula to make the puppy gruel and back home. Still had stinky puppies but they were STARVING and pretty sure at that point that someone had slit their little throats for lack of food. I hadn't been able to give them anything all day. I made the gruel and thankfully it was nice enough that I could take them out on the back deck to feed them.
They are really not ready to eat puppy gruel and I think I managed to get some down them in order to keep them from crying in hunger. At 8pm I sat down at my computer for the first time of the day and realized that I hadn't eaten all day. I don't think I have ever been so happy to have a day be over with.
Starting today - it was a much better day. The weather was not as nice today so I had to feed the puppies in the kitchen. I have these wonderful rubber mats that I put down and decided today that I would do one puppy at a time, dipping my finger in the gruel and letting them suck on it bringing it to the gruel. It has been a slow process, 10 puppies every couple of hours but I am happy to say that at the end of the day, I have 8 of the 10 puppies that are starting to lap up the gruel and diving in with gusto. Hopefully tomorrow little lime and orange boy will be doing so as well.
The puppies are starting to get more and more active and it is fun to watch them start to chew on each other. Last night little teal girl had the heating pad in her mouth and was tugging and pulling on it with all her might. Made me laugh after a really crappy day. Tonight I am sure I will be able to sleep much better not worrying about upset little tummies.
Tomorrow my dad said he would come by and help me do 3 week pictures so stay tuned.
As I was preparing to do this, my holistic vet called and was originally scheduled to come to the house at 6 pm to give Brandy and Dallas a chiropractic adjustment and she wanted to know if she could come at 1:30. It was now 11:30 so I was going to have to wait to go to the vets office until after Dr. Finn had left the house. I was also supposed to go to work for a few hours, ha! That wasn't happening, so I called my office and explained that I wasn't coming in. Dr Finn came and didn't finish until after 4pm - ugh, I still needed to get to the vets office before they closed. This is when Christine told me that she had locked her keys in her truck, which was parked immediately behind both of my vehicles. She needed to be at another appointment at 5pm. My dad was here and I had to borrow his car to take her to her next appointment while AAA came to the house to unlock her truck. Then off to the vets office before they closed in order to get stool samples analysed. Good news I was able to accomplish all of this and find out there was nothing to worry about and I was pretty confident at that point that the formula was a bad batch.
Next I had to pick up a different brand of formula to make the puppy gruel and back home. Still had stinky puppies but they were STARVING and pretty sure at that point that someone had slit their little throats for lack of food. I hadn't been able to give them anything all day. I made the gruel and thankfully it was nice enough that I could take them out on the back deck to feed them.
They are really not ready to eat puppy gruel and I think I managed to get some down them in order to keep them from crying in hunger. At 8pm I sat down at my computer for the first time of the day and realized that I hadn't eaten all day. I don't think I have ever been so happy to have a day be over with.
Starting today - it was a much better day. The weather was not as nice today so I had to feed the puppies in the kitchen. I have these wonderful rubber mats that I put down and decided today that I would do one puppy at a time, dipping my finger in the gruel and letting them suck on it bringing it to the gruel. It has been a slow process, 10 puppies every couple of hours but I am happy to say that at the end of the day, I have 8 of the 10 puppies that are starting to lap up the gruel and diving in with gusto. Hopefully tomorrow little lime and orange boy will be doing so as well.
The puppies are starting to get more and more active and it is fun to watch them start to chew on each other. Last night little teal girl had the heating pad in her mouth and was tugging and pulling on it with all her might. Made me laugh after a really crappy day. Tonight I am sure I will be able to sleep much better not worrying about upset little tummies.
Tomorrow my dad said he would come by and help me do 3 week pictures so stay tuned.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Oh how the puppies are growing and are all little chubby puppies. Their eyes are all open, although they cannot really see yet, they are busy moving around the whelping box and running into the walls and each other.
I am noticing that they are starting to paw at each other and mouth each other a little bit. Purple Boy and Red girl are doing it the most and it is really fun to see them starting to interact with each other.
Of course they all interact whenever it is chow time. and right now they are really only eating, sleeping and pooping. The poop always comes immediately after I change the bedding. This morning I thought I would wait an hour after they had eaten so that they could get that all done. Nope, they had to wait until fresh clean bedding was down to do their business. Funny how that works. I am still supplementing them, usually first thing in the morning, midday and the last thing at night so about every 8 hours. It is a two hour process to feed them and I have had so many people offer to come and help and I would really love the help. However, these puppies are the most difficult pups I have ever had the pleasure of bottle feeding. I have taken to wearing a leather glove - otherwise they would claw my hand to shreds and their toenails are trimmed to the best of my ability without taking them down to the quik. Black boy takes forever and I get a real upper body workout with him he fights and pushes for a good 30 minutes on each feeding. Orange boy needs to be fed twice as he only eats so much in each feeding. Lime girl spills half of it out her mouth. Gold attacks the bottle like it is her last meal and Hot Pink well she can suck down 6 ounces in nothing flat, so you have to stop her before she gets too much and make sure she burps.
Good news is that starting on Friday I will work them over to puppy gruel and the bottle feeding will go away.
I am noticing that they are starting to paw at each other and mouth each other a little bit. Purple Boy and Red girl are doing it the most and it is really fun to see them starting to interact with each other.
Of course they all interact whenever it is chow time. and right now they are really only eating, sleeping and pooping. The poop always comes immediately after I change the bedding. This morning I thought I would wait an hour after they had eaten so that they could get that all done. Nope, they had to wait until fresh clean bedding was down to do their business. Funny how that works. I am still supplementing them, usually first thing in the morning, midday and the last thing at night so about every 8 hours. It is a two hour process to feed them and I have had so many people offer to come and help and I would really love the help. However, these puppies are the most difficult pups I have ever had the pleasure of bottle feeding. I have taken to wearing a leather glove - otherwise they would claw my hand to shreds and their toenails are trimmed to the best of my ability without taking them down to the quik. Black boy takes forever and I get a real upper body workout with him he fights and pushes for a good 30 minutes on each feeding. Orange boy needs to be fed twice as he only eats so much in each feeding. Lime girl spills half of it out her mouth. Gold attacks the bottle like it is her last meal and Hot Pink well she can suck down 6 ounces in nothing flat, so you have to stop her before she gets too much and make sure she burps.
Good news is that starting on Friday I will work them over to puppy gruel and the bottle feeding will go away.
Friday, May 16, 2014
2 Weeks
Sorry, Sorry, Sorry! I have been wanting to post for the past week but remember me telling you about upgrading Internet. I did but it didn't work. Monday the CenturyLink guy came to the house and proceeded to tell me that what they sold me over the phone wouldn't work, but he could give me better internet, I would just have to get a new router. hmmm. Many phone calls to local business' later, I found the one and only router at Wal Mart for $499.00! I just about choked and went online and got it at Best Buy, but it didn't arrive until today. So between Monday and today I have been trying to work off my cell phone. To say I am relieved to finally have service back is an understatement and the fact that it is about 1000 x faster than what I had.
So much has happened this week, on Tuesday Addy and Dave went home. It was so nice having them stay with me and help with the puppies. We had a scare Monday night when in the middle of the night Ivie managed to step on little Lime Girl. Dave woke me scared to death that she was seriously hurt and he was crying, he felt so bad that it had happened on his watch. The good thing is at this age they are pretty flexible and although she screamed for a while she seemed fine within an hour. I did take her into my vet the next day just to be sure and Linda said she was just fine so that put us all at ease.
Black boy was the first one to start opening his eyes. Now they all have little slits, They still cannot see and it is funny to watch them walk into each other or the side of the whelping box. They are all up on all feet and walking really well. Poor Ivie has to make a loop around the box and she still cannot lay down without assistance since they are so active.
For the longest time Teal and Lime were they only two that hadn't reached 2 lbs. Teal reached that mark on Wed and Lime hit the 2 lb mark today. Black hit the 3 pound mark on Wednesday and by the afternoon Hot Pink Girl was also at 3 lbs and working hard on catching up with him. She succeeding in doing so this morning. She has been renamed in this house as Piggly Wiggly. That girl can eat!
Well now that I have internet I should not be so bad about posting.
So much has happened this week, on Tuesday Addy and Dave went home. It was so nice having them stay with me and help with the puppies. We had a scare Monday night when in the middle of the night Ivie managed to step on little Lime Girl. Dave woke me scared to death that she was seriously hurt and he was crying, he felt so bad that it had happened on his watch. The good thing is at this age they are pretty flexible and although she screamed for a while she seemed fine within an hour. I did take her into my vet the next day just to be sure and Linda said she was just fine so that put us all at ease.
Black boy was the first one to start opening his eyes. Now they all have little slits, They still cannot see and it is funny to watch them walk into each other or the side of the whelping box. They are all up on all feet and walking really well. Poor Ivie has to make a loop around the box and she still cannot lay down without assistance since they are so active.
For the longest time Teal and Lime were they only two that hadn't reached 2 lbs. Teal reached that mark on Wed and Lime hit the 2 lb mark today. Black hit the 3 pound mark on Wednesday and by the afternoon Hot Pink Girl was also at 3 lbs and working hard on catching up with him. She succeeding in doing so this morning. She has been renamed in this house as Piggly Wiggly. That girl can eat!
Well now that I have internet I should not be so bad about posting.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Happy Mothers Day
Good Morning Everyone - it is a beautiful sunny day and what a nice day for all the mothers to enjoy being with their children.
Ivie is still being a good mom and trying very hard to feed all of her babies, but it has come to my conclusion that she just doesn't have enough milk for all of them. One of her teats doesn't produce any milk so there are 9 good teats for 10 puppies. Last night Addy and I began supplementing again and I think everyone will be happier. I am going to try and do it just 3 times a day, once at night, once in the morning and once midday. Their sense of smell is amazing and this morning as I was starting with the two smallest, teal and lime girls as I would put them back into the whelping box the puppies that were around them started waking up and tried to suckle on them for the milk they had just had.
Black boy was the first one to reach 2 pounds last night and I think with the supplementing I will have a couple more that will reach that 2 pound mark today or at least very close to it.
The picture above is of Chas, Chas is my stepbrother and he adores puppies. Chas has begged my dad to bring him to the house every day so he can see the puppies. We told him on the first day that he had to wait until they were a week old before he could hold one. So yesterday he held me to that promise. Gold girl is his favorite and he calls her Goldie, I just loved this picture of her giving him kisses.
Susan
Ivie is still being a good mom and trying very hard to feed all of her babies, but it has come to my conclusion that she just doesn't have enough milk for all of them. One of her teats doesn't produce any milk so there are 9 good teats for 10 puppies. Last night Addy and I began supplementing again and I think everyone will be happier. I am going to try and do it just 3 times a day, once at night, once in the morning and once midday. Their sense of smell is amazing and this morning as I was starting with the two smallest, teal and lime girls as I would put them back into the whelping box the puppies that were around them started waking up and tried to suckle on them for the milk they had just had.
Black boy was the first one to reach 2 pounds last night and I think with the supplementing I will have a couple more that will reach that 2 pound mark today or at least very close to it.
The picture above is of Chas, Chas is my stepbrother and he adores puppies. Chas has begged my dad to bring him to the house every day so he can see the puppies. We told him on the first day that he had to wait until they were a week old before he could hold one. So yesterday he held me to that promise. Gold girl is his favorite and he calls her Goldie, I just loved this picture of her giving him kisses.
Susan
Friday, May 9, 2014
1 Week Today
Oh My Gosh - where has the time gone - I cannot believe these babies are already a week old. Momma Ivie is doing well and all the pups are getting enough nutrition from her that I am not supplementing. Addy was doing it in the middle of the night but I asked her to stop since it was giving Ivie the idea that she didn't have to take care of her babies since we would do it for her and that is not what I wanted from her. I know she can do it and it is showing as all of the puppies are thriving and have fat little bellies.
Addy and I trimmed toenails yesterday - 120 toenails if you think about it - 10 puppies x 12 toenails per puppy that is a lot of toenails and boy do they squirm so you have to try and wait for them to stop squirming so you don't take them down too far. I think Ivie was much happier that we did that, some of them were getting quite long and sharp.
It is fun to see the black pigment start to come in on their little pink noses and little goldie is going to have a black spot right in the middle of her blaze, I cannot wait to see how that is going to turn out. Little Teal Girl is the first one to a teat and the last one to leave so she is gaining nicely and Hot Pink Girl is the biggest pig of the bunch. She just muscles her way in and knocks off whoever is in her way, I predict she is going to be the alpha of the litter and the busiest of them all. It will be interesting to see if I am right.
Every once in a while you hear one of the pups bark or growl, it is the funniest thing to hear. You can see them dreaming and their little legs just running for all they are worth. They are also getting a very good sense of smell and someone always has to be with Ivie when they are sleeping and she decides to come into the whelping box. It is mayhem all squirming and scooting towards her as fast as they can scoot. Pretty soon I think a couple of them are going to be walking - they are so strong already it amazes me.
Addy and I will take new pictures tonight at one week of age and I will post them on here as soon as I can.
Addy and I trimmed toenails yesterday - 120 toenails if you think about it - 10 puppies x 12 toenails per puppy that is a lot of toenails and boy do they squirm so you have to try and wait for them to stop squirming so you don't take them down too far. I think Ivie was much happier that we did that, some of them were getting quite long and sharp.
It is fun to see the black pigment start to come in on their little pink noses and little goldie is going to have a black spot right in the middle of her blaze, I cannot wait to see how that is going to turn out. Little Teal Girl is the first one to a teat and the last one to leave so she is gaining nicely and Hot Pink Girl is the biggest pig of the bunch. She just muscles her way in and knocks off whoever is in her way, I predict she is going to be the alpha of the litter and the busiest of them all. It will be interesting to see if I am right.
Every once in a while you hear one of the pups bark or growl, it is the funniest thing to hear. You can see them dreaming and their little legs just running for all they are worth. They are also getting a very good sense of smell and someone always has to be with Ivie when they are sleeping and she decides to come into the whelping box. It is mayhem all squirming and scooting towards her as fast as they can scoot. Pretty soon I think a couple of them are going to be walking - they are so strong already it amazes me.
Addy and I will take new pictures tonight at one week of age and I will post them on here as soon as I can.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
All is Well on the home front
There hasn't been much to write about so I didn't yesterday - sorry if I disappointed anyone. Mom's milk is here and the puppies are reaping the benefits. All have surpassed their original birth weight and I wouldn't be surprised if we don't have our first 2 pound puppy by tomorrow morning - anyone care to guess who that will be? I will give you a hint - one of the boys.
A couple of the puppies are getting pigment on their noses and I do believe I am going to have to trim toenails today as they are starting to get long.
Addy and I are in a routine - I go to bed around 10pm and get up at 6 and she goes to bed at 7 and gets up around 2 or 3 - this is much nicer puppy rearing than trying to do it all by yourself. Have I mentioned how much I love having Addy here?
My good friend and Collie breeder Mary came by yesterday to see the puppies. She thought they all looked wonderful. She is very happy for me that I have seven girls to choose from, especially since this is Ivie's last litter. She likes Silver and Red the best based on what you can at this age. We noticed that little gold girl is starting to get some black pigment in her white blaze, either that or someone has gotten her nose dirty somehow.
Ivie fell asleep after Mary left in the whelping box and didn't move from 3pm to 9pm when I basically woke her up and encouraged her to go outside for some fresh air and to get some nourishment. This morning she has been looking for a place to dig and I secretly think she is hoping to move the whole crew outside - not happening sweetheart.
The puppies sense of smell is getting amazing - when she comes into the whelping box they all start stirring and crying out for her, I am going to have to try and take a video of it and see if I can post it for you.
A couple of the puppies are getting pigment on their noses and I do believe I am going to have to trim toenails today as they are starting to get long.
Addy and I are in a routine - I go to bed around 10pm and get up at 6 and she goes to bed at 7 and gets up around 2 or 3 - this is much nicer puppy rearing than trying to do it all by yourself. Have I mentioned how much I love having Addy here?
My good friend and Collie breeder Mary came by yesterday to see the puppies. She thought they all looked wonderful. She is very happy for me that I have seven girls to choose from, especially since this is Ivie's last litter. She likes Silver and Red the best based on what you can at this age. We noticed that little gold girl is starting to get some black pigment in her white blaze, either that or someone has gotten her nose dirty somehow.
Ivie fell asleep after Mary left in the whelping box and didn't move from 3pm to 9pm when I basically woke her up and encouraged her to go outside for some fresh air and to get some nourishment. This morning she has been looking for a place to dig and I secretly think she is hoping to move the whole crew outside - not happening sweetheart.
The puppies sense of smell is getting amazing - when she comes into the whelping box they all start stirring and crying out for her, I am going to have to try and take a video of it and see if I can post it for you.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Do you have a Cows Nose?
I got your attention with that headline didn't I? So yesterday afternoon Addy and her husband Dave showed up and what a blessing they are, such great people and for Addy to selfishly offer to come and stay with me so I can get some sleep - well those friends just are pretty amazing in my book. Especially when one has been sleep deprived for a day and a 1/2.
When they arrived Addy asked if Ivie's milk had started to come in yet, which it hadn't and I told her so. She then proceeded to ask me if I had a cow's nose? huh, did I hear that right. I know at this point I am rather sleep deprived but I couldn't have heard her correctly. So she pointed to her nose and said a cow's nose, do you have a cow's nose? Why on earth would I have a cow's nose is beyond my scope of things, and I told her no I did not. That is when she told me that in China they make a Soup with a Cow's nose in it and it helps with milk production. Ok, now I have learned something entirely new. If I couldn't get a cow's nose, then a pigs nose was the next best thing and pigs feet were good as well. It is now eight pm on a Sunday night in Port Angeles and finding these things are not going to happen, but I can make some phone calls in the morning and see what I can round up.
We had some dinner and Dave worked on my internet which I have been saying for years is slower than slow. He tells me that the technology that my internet is coming in on is outdated and they stopped using it 10 years ago....hmmm that is about the time I bought the house and had it installed... Great....One more thing to talk to Century Link about, however since they have a monopoly and I have no other option up here I don't know how that is going to change...but I digress again.
Addy then sends Dave off to the store to purchase supplies to help Ivie. As they are talking in Chinese I have no idea what they have planned but have my faith in them. Addy and I decided at that point after weighing the puppies that they really needed some supplements and so we bottle fed them after they had nursed on Ivie for a while. I felt better going to bed knowing they all had full little bellies and had faith that Ivie's milk would start coming in soon. So off to bed I went....oh the much needed sleep that I was talking about. Anyone that says sleep is over rated has never had puppies and been deprived and this is only day one - you should have seen me the first time around. When I woke this morning, Ivie and babies all looked very happy and her milk was starting to come in, whether this is on her own or Addy's doing, I don't know, but I will give her the benefit of the doubt.
This morning I woke up much refreshed and sent Addy off to bed. Puppies all look great. Ivie was happy to see me and this morning when I weighed everyone their weights were starting to climb back up. Ivie's milk is now coming in and I think the danger part is over. I then made those phone calls for Addy, looking for pigs feet, cow's nose or a pig snout. I can just see the eye's rolling on the other side of the phone call and I will be the subject of many dinner conversations tonight. What we do for our dogs - right!
At noon we had an appointment with my vet to get dew claws removed and have her check on everyone. Dew claw removal is one of those things I hate but I hate dew claws even more so I do remove them. Quite a few of the puppies had double dew claws so I am glad we did remove them all. In the middle of the removal the vets office had an emergency so we had to stop and wait. This made for a long afternoon. On the way home we stopped at the butcher and picked up our treasure's and Addy is going to make some god aweful concoction tonight after her nap that I am sure the dogs will love. Me not so much and I plan on making sure the kitchen window is open so the smells don't permeate the house.
So there, I hope you all have had a good laugh and for those breeders out there that are reading this, I expect you all to stock your freezer's with Cow Noses, Pig Noses and Pigs Feet. I will let you know how it goes.
When they arrived Addy asked if Ivie's milk had started to come in yet, which it hadn't and I told her so. She then proceeded to ask me if I had a cow's nose? huh, did I hear that right. I know at this point I am rather sleep deprived but I couldn't have heard her correctly. So she pointed to her nose and said a cow's nose, do you have a cow's nose? Why on earth would I have a cow's nose is beyond my scope of things, and I told her no I did not. That is when she told me that in China they make a Soup with a Cow's nose in it and it helps with milk production. Ok, now I have learned something entirely new. If I couldn't get a cow's nose, then a pigs nose was the next best thing and pigs feet were good as well. It is now eight pm on a Sunday night in Port Angeles and finding these things are not going to happen, but I can make some phone calls in the morning and see what I can round up.
We had some dinner and Dave worked on my internet which I have been saying for years is slower than slow. He tells me that the technology that my internet is coming in on is outdated and they stopped using it 10 years ago....hmmm that is about the time I bought the house and had it installed... Great....One more thing to talk to Century Link about, however since they have a monopoly and I have no other option up here I don't know how that is going to change...but I digress again.
Addy then sends Dave off to the store to purchase supplies to help Ivie. As they are talking in Chinese I have no idea what they have planned but have my faith in them. Addy and I decided at that point after weighing the puppies that they really needed some supplements and so we bottle fed them after they had nursed on Ivie for a while. I felt better going to bed knowing they all had full little bellies and had faith that Ivie's milk would start coming in soon. So off to bed I went....oh the much needed sleep that I was talking about. Anyone that says sleep is over rated has never had puppies and been deprived and this is only day one - you should have seen me the first time around. When I woke this morning, Ivie and babies all looked very happy and her milk was starting to come in, whether this is on her own or Addy's doing, I don't know, but I will give her the benefit of the doubt.
This morning I woke up much refreshed and sent Addy off to bed. Puppies all look great. Ivie was happy to see me and this morning when I weighed everyone their weights were starting to climb back up. Ivie's milk is now coming in and I think the danger part is over. I then made those phone calls for Addy, looking for pigs feet, cow's nose or a pig snout. I can just see the eye's rolling on the other side of the phone call and I will be the subject of many dinner conversations tonight. What we do for our dogs - right!
At noon we had an appointment with my vet to get dew claws removed and have her check on everyone. Dew claw removal is one of those things I hate but I hate dew claws even more so I do remove them. Quite a few of the puppies had double dew claws so I am glad we did remove them all. In the middle of the removal the vets office had an emergency so we had to stop and wait. This made for a long afternoon. On the way home we stopped at the butcher and picked up our treasure's and Addy is going to make some god aweful concoction tonight after her nap that I am sure the dogs will love. Me not so much and I plan on making sure the kitchen window is open so the smells don't permeate the house.
So there, I hope you all have had a good laugh and for those breeders out there that are reading this, I expect you all to stock your freezer's with Cow Noses, Pig Noses and Pigs Feet. I will let you know how it goes.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Day 2
Not much to post today other than the fact the Ivie and I are very tired. She has been sleeping most of the day and the puppies nursing on her off and on. Her milk still hasn't come in all the way but the puppies are maintaining their birth weight so that is good. That is all except little teal girl. I have been putting her on the best teat in the house for the past 24 hours and if she doesn't start gaining by this evening I will probably start supplementing her with some goat milk formula. I hate to do this if I don't have to so here is hoping that she starts to gain.
Help in the form of sleep is on it's way - Addy Cui is a friend of mine that recently moved to Washington from Hong Kong. Addy is fellow Bernese lover and has offered to come and do the night shift for a while. This works well since she works remotely for a company in China and is awake from 10pm to 4am every day and is happy to sit and work next to the whelping box and make sure all is well. This will allow me to get some much needed sleep for this fog induced stupor that I find myself in at the moment.
This morning the puppies had their first official visitor and that is Chas. Chas is my Step brother and ADORES puppies. He will be pestering my dad for the next 8 weeks to come and see the puppies and is the best at sitting with them. They always seem to know that he is a gentle soul and gravitate to him. He so desperately wanted to hold one of the puppies today but I told him they are still too little and they tend to squirm and he would feel bad if he dropped one. He did get to pet each one and wanted to know which one was Lucy. During our first litter - Chas thought that little Yellow Girl should be called Lucy and it stuck with us. I told him we didn't have a Yellow girl in this litter and he was going to have to come up with another name for one of the puppies - should be interesting to see what he comes up with, I will keep you posted.
Help in the form of sleep is on it's way - Addy Cui is a friend of mine that recently moved to Washington from Hong Kong. Addy is fellow Bernese lover and has offered to come and do the night shift for a while. This works well since she works remotely for a company in China and is awake from 10pm to 4am every day and is happy to sit and work next to the whelping box and make sure all is well. This will allow me to get some much needed sleep for this fog induced stupor that I find myself in at the moment.
This morning the puppies had their first official visitor and that is Chas. Chas is my Step brother and ADORES puppies. He will be pestering my dad for the next 8 weeks to come and see the puppies and is the best at sitting with them. They always seem to know that he is a gentle soul and gravitate to him. He so desperately wanted to hold one of the puppies today but I told him they are still too little and they tend to squirm and he would feel bad if he dropped one. He did get to pet each one and wanted to know which one was Lucy. During our first litter - Chas thought that little Yellow Girl should be called Lucy and it stuck with us. I told him we didn't have a Yellow girl in this litter and he was going to have to come up with another name for one of the puppies - should be interesting to see what he comes up with, I will keep you posted.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
The Morning After
Ivie is much better this morning, has some color to her gums, she still doesn't want kibble but is happy to have turkey and raw beef to her diet and that is fine, right now she can have whatever she wants which includes my home made banana bread that she seems to really like.
The puppies are all doing very well. All have gained a little bit of weight except for the two little ones Teal and Lime girl but they have only lost a small amount so I am still not worried. I haven't started supplementing but m prepared to if need be, I want to give Ivie time to bring in her milk and if she can do it naturally that is the best for the puppies.
Ruth stayed with me last night and she let me take a good 4 hour nap this morning. Afterwards we weighed and took pictures of all the puppies. For the life of me, I cannot figure out how I managed to lose the pictures of Orange Boy, Gold Girl and Black Boy but I did and when someone comes over I will enlist their help in getting those and posted on the blog for you. In the meantime I didn't want to lose the order in which they should be so I have left the pictures of pups in that order from the first litter.
10 Beautiful Babies
So this afternoon my girlfriend from Roy showed up and as we were sitting in the living room catching up on things, Ruth noticed that Ivie had a discharge. I took her back to the whelping room and she didn't want to leave her box. We both decided that the time was near - give or take a few hours. So I called Dr. Wagner and told her what was going on and she and I both agreed that if we were going to do a c-section, doing one at 5pm rather than 2am was a good thing. She called in her troops for the vet clinic and I called in mine - all meeting at the clinic about the same time.
Three hours later, lots of bloody towels and working hard to revive puppies we have 10 beautiful babies. 7 girls and 3 boys. All are healthy and strong with beautiful markings. The biggest is a boy at 1.5 pounds and the smallest is a girl at 1.04 most are between 1.24 and 1.36 so it is a very consistant litter. I am not concerned about any of them thriving which is much better than the last two litters of many sleepless nights and crying and praying to god that they all survive. These puppies are good and strong and have healthy lungs.
Ivie had a hard time with this c section. Her blood pressure dropped and they had to put in an extra tube to get fluids into her and it took her a long time to recover. She is now at home with her babies and seems to be doing much better. She hadn't eaten all day and they have a big tube down their throat for the anesthesia so I like to start her off with some vanilla ice cream. That was a huge hit she perked right up after spoon feeding her some. Then I had some chicken that I was saving for her and she just about ate my hand trying to get it...poor girl is starving. She polished it all down with some raw food and some pain pills wrapped up in turkey.
The pain pills are starting to kick in and she is sleeping with her puppies nursing on her She doesn't have a lot of milk yet, but I am sure it will be coming in soon. Right now it is important for the pups to suckle on her to get the production moving along.
I have the night shift and Ruth has gone to bed and will relieve me in the morning. Then we will take some pictures of everyone and I will post them so you can see them. All in all I am very pleased with these pups.
Three hours later, lots of bloody towels and working hard to revive puppies we have 10 beautiful babies. 7 girls and 3 boys. All are healthy and strong with beautiful markings. The biggest is a boy at 1.5 pounds and the smallest is a girl at 1.04 most are between 1.24 and 1.36 so it is a very consistant litter. I am not concerned about any of them thriving which is much better than the last two litters of many sleepless nights and crying and praying to god that they all survive. These puppies are good and strong and have healthy lungs.
Ivie had a hard time with this c section. Her blood pressure dropped and they had to put in an extra tube to get fluids into her and it took her a long time to recover. She is now at home with her babies and seems to be doing much better. She hadn't eaten all day and they have a big tube down their throat for the anesthesia so I like to start her off with some vanilla ice cream. That was a huge hit she perked right up after spoon feeding her some. Then I had some chicken that I was saving for her and she just about ate my hand trying to get it...poor girl is starving. She polished it all down with some raw food and some pain pills wrapped up in turkey.
The pain pills are starting to kick in and she is sleeping with her puppies nursing on her She doesn't have a lot of milk yet, but I am sure it will be coming in soon. Right now it is important for the pups to suckle on her to get the production moving along.
I have the night shift and Ruth has gone to bed and will relieve me in the morning. Then we will take some pictures of everyone and I will post them so you can see them. All in all I am very pleased with these pups.
Friday, May 2, 2014
They say a watched Kettle doesn't boil
And I am beginning to think a watched mom is much the same. Although this morning Ivie really didn't want to eat her food. She ate some then spit it out - much to Dallas and Brandy's liking. She is resting, her temperature has not dropped which they say in necessary in order for her to start delivering puppies. However Ivie has never read the breeders handbook and does things her own way. With her first two litters I never saw her temperature drop, so why should it this time.
In either case, my very good friend Ruth Johnson is on her way to spend the night with me tonight. Which will be so nice in case puppies decide to come in the middle of the night. If not we have a c section planned for Tomorrow at 1pm and I have all my peeps lined up to help. Linda Dalton - also coming in from out of town and is the BEST at organizing people. I have my friend Mary Franden, who is a collie breeder, Susan Kowitz who has a puppy from my first litter and is the queen of taking pictures and documenting everything. Anita Pedersen who is a retired er nurse and will do whatever anyone tells her to do, Courtney who is my dog sitter and a vet tech. Ashley Angevine who is the vet tech on call and the best at reviving puppies that don't want to be revived, I know we have Kizmet today because of Ashley's determination and willingness to not give up and of course Dr. Wagner who has given me her cell phone and told me I can call her in the middle of the night - here is hoping we don't have a middle of the night thing and more of a afternoon delivery. My team is in place!
I have been nesting for two days, there is enough food at my house to feed a small army, I have cleaned, cleaned and cleaned some more which is probably a very good thing. I managed to get 1/2 of the lawn mowed again last night and I think I will do the dog yards again once Ruth is here. That way if I cannot get them mowed for another three weeks it won't look like I am growing hay in my back yard. At least it is cooler today which is nice for Ivie.
I will keep you all posted....The countdown begins.
In either case, my very good friend Ruth Johnson is on her way to spend the night with me tonight. Which will be so nice in case puppies decide to come in the middle of the night. If not we have a c section planned for Tomorrow at 1pm and I have all my peeps lined up to help. Linda Dalton - also coming in from out of town and is the BEST at organizing people. I have my friend Mary Franden, who is a collie breeder, Susan Kowitz who has a puppy from my first litter and is the queen of taking pictures and documenting everything. Anita Pedersen who is a retired er nurse and will do whatever anyone tells her to do, Courtney who is my dog sitter and a vet tech. Ashley Angevine who is the vet tech on call and the best at reviving puppies that don't want to be revived, I know we have Kizmet today because of Ashley's determination and willingness to not give up and of course Dr. Wagner who has given me her cell phone and told me I can call her in the middle of the night - here is hoping we don't have a middle of the night thing and more of a afternoon delivery. My team is in place!
I have been nesting for two days, there is enough food at my house to feed a small army, I have cleaned, cleaned and cleaned some more which is probably a very good thing. I managed to get 1/2 of the lawn mowed again last night and I think I will do the dog yards again once Ruth is here. That way if I cannot get them mowed for another three weeks it won't look like I am growing hay in my back yard. At least it is cooler today which is nice for Ivie.
I will keep you all posted....The countdown begins.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
1st Day of Waiting
When Ivie had her big litter two years ago she decided to deliver her puppies two days early, while I was in the shower. So this time I decided I would be prepared. I brought home all files I needed from the office last night and advised my clients that I would be working from home for the next couple of weeks since my dog was going to be having puppies.
I have to say I think most of my clients were understanding and excited, but there are a few that I don't think understand the concept. Why would you stay home with puppies, don't you just let the mother care for them....Yah right. So then I have to explain to them that what should happen when a person makes the decision to breed their dog. Puppies are fragile, they can get squished unknowingly by their mother and especially when there is a big litter, it sometimes is just impossible for her to lay down without laying on a puppy. Then you hear the muffled ummph cry of a puppy that cannot breath, and you have to roll your hand under mom and pull them out. Also with a big litter, mom usually doesn't have enough milk, and you have to watch and rotate the puppies on to the good teats and sometimes supplement with goats milk in order for everyone to get enough to eat. A good breeder will also socialize and work with the puppies as they grow in order for them to be able and willing to adapt to their new environment. After talking with them for a while, they are amazed as they had no idea that so much went into raising a litter. So many people have never gotten a dog from a breeder but rather gotten them from a pet store or humane society or a friend who's dog just happened to have a litter of puppies. I must admit I have been one of those people in the past and recognize that person....but I have gotten off the subject of coming to work from home in order to be prepared.
Last night I laid out all the supplies needed, changed the light bulbs in the whelping room since the only way to do so is to put a ladder in the whelping box and I didn't think that would be too good of an idea with puppies in the box. I had bought a couple of bulbs that are supposed to last 20 years and decided this was a good place to put them. I wondered as I was trying to get them out of the packaging If I break them getting them out of the package will they still be replaced by the manufacturer? I doubt it - it practically takes a rocket scientist to figure out how to get these dang things out of the packaging, but I managed and installed them without breaking them, Yeah!
We are ready and prepared! This morning Ivie woke me up in her normal manner of whimpering and letting me know she was hungry, this is a good sign that maybe today is not yet the day and I can actually take a shower, which I did for inquiring minds. She ate her breakfast, went out in the yard and did her business and proceeded to whine and wimper for the next hour. I think it was because I was home and she was hoping for some sympathy, which of course she did get. Took her temperature and it has not dropped, although this has never been an indication of puppies coming with her and proceeded to double check the whelping room. Towels, check. Scissors - check, paper towels - check, garbage can - check, dental floss - check, iodine - check and the list goes on. I am ready - I think and as I sit here typing she is relaxing by the front door, probably hoping I will let her out so she can go dig a hole big enough for a small car to get lost in - but that is not happening sweetheart at least not today. Anyway, I am prepared - I think!
I have to say I think most of my clients were understanding and excited, but there are a few that I don't think understand the concept. Why would you stay home with puppies, don't you just let the mother care for them....Yah right. So then I have to explain to them that what should happen when a person makes the decision to breed their dog. Puppies are fragile, they can get squished unknowingly by their mother and especially when there is a big litter, it sometimes is just impossible for her to lay down without laying on a puppy. Then you hear the muffled ummph cry of a puppy that cannot breath, and you have to roll your hand under mom and pull them out. Also with a big litter, mom usually doesn't have enough milk, and you have to watch and rotate the puppies on to the good teats and sometimes supplement with goats milk in order for everyone to get enough to eat. A good breeder will also socialize and work with the puppies as they grow in order for them to be able and willing to adapt to their new environment. After talking with them for a while, they are amazed as they had no idea that so much went into raising a litter. So many people have never gotten a dog from a breeder but rather gotten them from a pet store or humane society or a friend who's dog just happened to have a litter of puppies. I must admit I have been one of those people in the past and recognize that person....but I have gotten off the subject of coming to work from home in order to be prepared.
Last night I laid out all the supplies needed, changed the light bulbs in the whelping room since the only way to do so is to put a ladder in the whelping box and I didn't think that would be too good of an idea with puppies in the box. I had bought a couple of bulbs that are supposed to last 20 years and decided this was a good place to put them. I wondered as I was trying to get them out of the packaging If I break them getting them out of the package will they still be replaced by the manufacturer? I doubt it - it practically takes a rocket scientist to figure out how to get these dang things out of the packaging, but I managed and installed them without breaking them, Yeah!
We are ready and prepared! This morning Ivie woke me up in her normal manner of whimpering and letting me know she was hungry, this is a good sign that maybe today is not yet the day and I can actually take a shower, which I did for inquiring minds. She ate her breakfast, went out in the yard and did her business and proceeded to whine and wimper for the next hour. I think it was because I was home and she was hoping for some sympathy, which of course she did get. Took her temperature and it has not dropped, although this has never been an indication of puppies coming with her and proceeded to double check the whelping room. Towels, check. Scissors - check, paper towels - check, garbage can - check, dental floss - check, iodine - check and the list goes on. I am ready - I think and as I sit here typing she is relaxing by the front door, probably hoping I will let her out so she can go dig a hole big enough for a small car to get lost in - but that is not happening sweetheart at least not today. Anyway, I am prepared - I think!
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