Emma and her eleven-week-old puppies

Emma is back in a great shape. One might say that she has an attitude problem!

She loves her puppies and is a good mother to them, even now when they are eleven weeks old. I think she is going to miss them. This week Ollie is going leave for his new home to Michigan.

I love this picture showing Oak and Olana with their mom.

Emma is a high energy dog and she does not sit in one place for long.

Oak, Olana and Olive

Olana

In and out

Oak

Olana

Pictures from the field

Last night it rained and most of the snow has melted. It was quite mild today so we went for a walk. These walks in our field give pups a good opportunity to use their noses and muscles, and when they get home they are tired enough to snooze quietly in crates.

To the right - Olana


Emma loves to run, and pups try to keep up with her, of course unsuccessfully.

Hey Mom, slow down, wait for us!

Oak is a handsome male, masculine and strong.

Ollie investigates the brush pile.

Oak

Pups are weaned now, and eat four meals a day. Today they had a mix of ground chicken and veggies for breakfast, and turkey necks for lunch.

A day later - update and some post whelping thoughts

Today puppies are one day old. They are doing really well, and have already put on some weight. Last night Emma was still a bit groggy after the surgery, but nevertheless she was taking a good care of the pups. She is on Clavamox (antibiotic) to prevent any post surgery infection. Her appetite is excellent, and she has a good supply of milk. The four puppies are:

• green male 10.6 oz at birth, now 11.6 oz
• blue male 11.4 oz at birth, now 12.4 oz
• pink female 10.8 oz, now 12.2 oz
• yellow female 9.2 oz, today 9.8 oz

This litter is Emma's third and last. In her first litter Emma carried nine pups. Two were malpositioned and lost during delivery, so we ended up with seven puppies born naturally. Emma had only two pups in her 2nd litter, and she had to have a C-section to get them out. The reason for C-section was not clear as pups were small and she had some contractions.

We had to resort to a C-section this time as well. Our vet thinks that the problem is partial uterine inertia – Emma had contractions but they were not strong enough to push out some pups. Since we believe strongly that only bitches who are good whelpers and mothers should be allowed to reproduce, we are going to retire her from breeding.

It is interesting that in the last 15 years of breeding we had only four litters delivered by C-section. Two were Emma's and the other two were out of FC Gela von Rauhenstein. In Gela's first litter, the first pup was unusually large, over 13 oz, and she was not physically able to pass it. We lost that pup, but 5 others were rescued. We bred Gela one more time thinking that a different male partner would produce different results. This time she did not have any contractions and six pups had to be delivered through C-section. Gela was retired from breeding after that litter.

all is quiet

Saturday 6 am
We are expecting Emma's puppies soon as today is the 62nd day from the first breeding.

On Friday her temperature in the morning and evening was 99.5F. Her appetite was diminished, but she was still eating small meals consisting of raw chicken and some cheese. She took an occasional small dog biscuit though she has refused dry kibble for a number of days now.

We don't know how many puppies to expect but she looks pretty large. She whelped nine puppies in her first litter and only two in the second. This time my guess is that she carries 7-8 puppies. We don't know for sure as we did not X-ray her. Usually we don't X-ray our pregnant bitches unless we think that a litter is small.

We hope for a smooth delivery but anything is possible. Emma is in a good shape and her pregnancy has been very uneventful. We limited her activities outside as so far this winter has been quite brutal.

I think that she is going to deliver on Sunday so today we will make final preparations. The whelping box has been ready for a number of days now, but she prefers to sleep in her own bed. She still looks quite comfortable all stretched out, on her back or side.

Saturday 3 pm

Emma has not had any food today, just one drink of water. Her temperature is 99.2F. At noon she jumped into the whelping box and she has been staying there since then stretched out. She is becoming less comfortable, occasionally is shivering, and I can see that puppies in her belly are moving quite a bit. From time to time she gives me the anxious look, but most of the time she is very calm and half asleep. Based on my past experience this stage can take quite a few hours, and now I think that she is going to whelp tonight or tomorrow morning. The whelping box is in my den so this is where I will be spending the night.

Saturday 11 pm

All evening Emma has been up and own, has gone to bathroom frequently. Her breathing is heavy and she has been throwing up. I have not noticed any contractions yet.