Puppy pics

 Faux fur pad for environmental enrichment

 Wren with her paw on her sister Dove

 Rosella sleeping on her back

 Dove with a full tummy.  Can still see the paint ID markings on Eagle and Ori.

 View from my lap at bottle feeding time

 Close up from my lap at bottle feeding time

 Tired Bridget

 Cleaning duties

Bridget and pups 10 days old

Eyes wide open

We finally saw puppy eyes on Friday.  Dove was very close on Thursday, and her eyes were fully open on Friday, along with Martin and Dee.  Mynah's eyes were open this AM.  The others look like they will be open this weekend.  Their faces change so much when you can see eyes - so cute.  The pups are walking champs, and even able to walk in a straight line these days.  A few pups, namely Dee, are starting to attempt to climb out of the tub (paws up and scratching at the sides).  Eagle successfully latched on to Bridget when she was standing up, he ended up on his tippy toes, but hung on as long as he could.   Since the pups are more mobile, I started adding environmental enrichment to the puppy pool, namely different textures such as faux fur and today plan to find my tub of small stuffed animals.  All pups doubled their birthweight by Wed (Day 10) which is a very important milestone - want to see pups double their birthweight by 2 weeks of age.  This litter is amazingly uniform, especially considering it is a cross with parents of two different colors.   The yellows are similar tones with the exception of Dee and Ori who are lighter.  As of Friday, all pups weighed 2 lbs +/- 1 oz with the exception of little Wren.  Wren may be smaller, but she is a chunky little pup, by no means does she look like a runt, just smaller.  The pups have consumed their first gallon of goat milk and have made a good start into the second gallon.  Bridget had done better on milk production this week and we did not have to suppliment as much.  But this morning, the pups (and Bridget) were all on empty and the pups eagerly consumed 2 bottle of goat milk.  Looks like it is time to increase Bridget's food again.

We have names

The litter continues to thrive.  Eyes are part way open.  The pups are very much up on their feet, moving around in an unsteady walk/wobble.  They are enjoying their bottles of goat milk three times a day.  Bridget is now enjoying 7/1/2 c of food per day and contemplating life without puppies.   She is perfectly content to hang out in the main part of the house away from the pups, and sometimes need to coax her to go take care of her puppies.  Like mother, like daughter.  Actually all of these highly human socialized retriever moms I have raised litters from seem to quickly become quite cavalier about their maternal duties. 

I have been pondering a litter theme, thinking Spring, and finally settled on the Bird Litter. 

Girls
Black pup - Mynah
Pink - Dove (one of the calmer pups)
Purple - Rosella
Green - Chickadee ("Dee")
Yellow - Wren (little girl)
Orange - Robin

Boys
Blue - Martin (too bad Purple wasn't a boy, i.e., purple martin)
Black - Falcon
Red - Oriole ("Ori")
Dark blue (Red/Blue) - Eagle (big boy)

1 week old

1 week old and doing very well.  Weights ranged from 1 lb 3 oz (Yellow girl) to 1 lb 10 oz (Red/blue now Dark Blue boy).  A vigorous litter with no "special needs" pups - no runts or pups with health issues.  Bridget is up to 7 c of food per day, but still not keeping up in the milk department.  She is starting to take breaks away from the pups, even took a 20 min nap in the hallway outside the puppy room yesterday.  The pups' eyes are starting to crack open, should be open later this week.  They are motoring all around the puppy pool, and can easily climb into my lap.  For the first few days, newborn pups have a pronounced startle reflex, and handling and even stroking seems stressful.  But now, the pups seem to enjoy being stroked and will fall asleep in a warm lap.  Very fun to just sit in the puppy pool and interact with the pups.  This morning, I clipped 10 little sets of toenails.  Not as easy with this bunch since they are so squirmy. 

The ravenous hoard

6 days old and getting big already

I was hoping to hold off bottle feeding until the pups were 1 week old, but Saturday, they were getting increasingly fussy, doing lots of frantic nursing, and Bridget was on empty.  Earlier this week, I picked up 5 gallons of frozen raw goat milk from a local hobby farmer.  So yesterday, I pasteurized one gallon of milk and introduced the pupsters to the bottle.  As normal, the little hungrier pups took to it more eagerly than the big pups.  Responses varied from almost instant, enthusiastic suckling, to resistance and spitting out the nipple, to slow hesitant suckling.  The typical response was that I would put the nipple in the pup's mouth and the pup would immediately spit it out.  I would repeat, working the pup's mouth so some milk dribbled into its mouth.  Then suddenly, the pup would freeze as if processing, take a tenative suck, and then enthusiastically go for its first bottle feeding.  Most pups seem to love how fast they can suck down a meal of goat milk.  Some litters have one or two pups who are more resistant and take 2 to 3 sessions before they accept the bottle, but not this bunch.  Everyone took the bottle the first time, and this AM, were quite enthusiastic, climbing into my lap and rooting around at my feet.  People have now assumed a new level of importance in their little lives.

More puppy pics

Black boy.  Just 4 days old and already trying to walk!

 Blue boy napping

Purple girl sleeping on Pink girl

5 days old

Hard to believe it has only been 5 days since this litter was born.  All pups now weigh over 1 lb, although the smallest pup, Yellow girl, barely weighed 1 lb this morning.  Most have transitioned to their new ID collars and I swapped out the laundry basket for a larger holding tub.  The pups are starting to act as a puppy pack, doing things as a group.  The first couple of days, they spent the entire time cuddling up to Bridget for warmth, and someone always seemed to be nursing.  Poor Bridget got no rest.  These days, the pups sleep in piles away from Bridget and typically wake up and race each other over to the milk bar for a frenzied 30-40 min of nursing.  Then wander off for another nap.  At least this way, Bridget gets some down time and she is starting to relax and spending a bit more time away from the pups.  For private nursing, I am attempting to catch the pups after a nap, and quickly transfer the larger pups to the tub and give Pink, Yellow and black female first dibs.  These pups are also proving to be precocious poopers.  Supposeably newborn pups need to be stimulated by their dam (licking) to toilet, and hence if you raise orphan pups, you need to assist in that department.  However, Black boy has shown that he is already a big boy and can take care of business all by himself.  Yesterday, I saw him drop off from nursing and wander 4-6 inches away and toilet.

Puppy pics

 Enjoy!

  

Black boy and Pink girl (1 day old)

      Orange girl resting on Purple girl (1 day old)

                                                                                Puppy pile ( 4 days old)

                                                          Green girl resting on top of puppy pile (4 days old)

                Pink girl 4 days old (4 days old)

Lots of changes

These pups are an incredibly precocious, vigorous litter.  I am convinced my calculated due dates were correct, and the pups arrived 1-2 days late.  They act more like 6 day old pups than 4 day old pups.  Their little umbilical cords have fallen off, and the yellows are developing pigment on their pads, noses, and skin of their muzzles.  They already seem to have above average thermoregulatory abilities and are starting to sleep in small piles away from Bridget.  Most amazing is their mobility.  They are not just scooching around like seal pups with their hinds legs splaying out behind when they push off, but can already get their feet under them and take a wobbly step or two.  And their vocal repetoire is increasing.  In addition to mewing and crying, they are also trilling and I even hear an occasional puppy bark.  And their little tails are starting to wag when they nurse - too cute. 

Poor Bridget can't keep up in the milking department, but with private nursing sessions, we have been successful keep the weight gains relatively balanced.  I expect to start bottle feeding this weekend to take some of the load off of Bridget and give the smaller pups more of mom's milk (mostly bottle feed the big pups).  Yellow girl is the smallest pup at a little over 15 oz.  All other pups were over 1 lb as of this morning.  Red and Blue/Red boys were the two big pups at birth, and they both weigh 1 lb 4 oz. 

This morning, the pups moved up into the big puppy pool.  Some litters initially look lost in the big pool, but not this brood.  Even though they are still small, with 10 pups that are already spreading out, they are loving the room.  Bridget is a long-bodied dog, and she thoroughly appreciates being able to fully stretch out.  I have had to rescue one lost pup (Blue boy) so far, but even if I wasn't there, a wandering pup would eventually find its way back around the circumference of the pool to mom and sibs.

The pups are already outgrowing their newborn puppy collars (elastic hairbands).  Yesterday, I tried marking some of the bigger pups with a dab of nontoxic paint which has worked well for other litters, but Bridget is proving a bit too diligent in cleaning department.  So they are moving right into my adjustable elastic tie collars.

BioSensor

On Wed, I began doing BioSensor early neurological stimulation exercises with the pups.  These will continue daily until 16 days of age.  More info can be found at http://www.angelfire.com/ca/curlycr/2001pups2a.html  At first, Bridget was concerned when I "borrowed" a puppy, but quickly accepted things.  Many pups this age are quite passive or even half asleep during the exercises.  But not this litter.  These are strong, vigorous pups and there was a lot of squirming and complaining going on.  This is also a great opportunity to assess each pup daily and start to get to know them as individuals. 

Private nursing sessions have begun

                                                              2 day old pupsters

Bridget and the pups are doing great.  The biggest challenge raising a big litter is keeping everyone fed.  It quickly becomes survival of the fittest, and the bigger stronger pups get most of the milk.  Without intervention, the smaller pups would likely not survive.  Weighing the pups daily is the single best way to assess health and keep everyone on track.  This morning, 5 pups had gained and were all over 1 lb each, and 5 pups had stayed the same weight.  So I will be providing private nursing sessions to the smaller pups by putting their bigger sibs in a tub periodically for long naps.  The little pups fully approved of the new arrangement and dived right in for a meal.  Bridget also approved - so much more peaceful having 5 calm contented nursing puppies than a rugby scrum jostling around for the best spot at the milk bar.  Bridget was also pleased that her food amount was increased this AM.  She was at 4 cups/day, and is going up to 5 c today and will be up to 6 c by the weekend.  And this is higher calorie performance kibble + getting suppliments like hard boiled egg, chicken, canned food, etc.  Lactating retriever dams typically max out at around 1 c of kibble per pup per day by peak lactation - so I expect Bridget will soon be consuming 10 c of food per day! 

The pups are currently residing in a small wading pool.  For privacy and warmth, I have the pool encircled by an ex-pen that is covered with blankets creating a tent. 

Newborn puppy pics

Less than 1 day old

Day 1

Bridget and the pups are doing very well.  The caretaker who raised Bridget's first litter in Colorado reported that Bridget was an exceptional dam, and indeed she is.  She is taking motherhood very seriously, and moving expertly and carefully around this mass of puppies.  Her milk production looks good, and all 10 spiquots are working, although I suspect we will need to bottle feed by week 2.  Below are puppy stats. 

Collar	Sex/color	Birthweight (oz)	Day 1 (oz)
Pink	F/yellow	13 5/8	14 ¼
Purple	F/yellow	13 ¾	14 ¾
Green	F/yellow	13 ½	15
Blue	M/yellow	12 ¼	14 ¾
Yellow	F/yellow	12 ¼	14 3/8
Orange	F/yellow	12 5/8	13 3/8
No collar	F/black	12 ¾	15 ¼
Black	M/yellow	13 ¼	14 5/8
Red	M/yellow	15 ¼	16
Blue/red	M/yellow	16 ¼	16

Happy Birthday

Bridget’s due dates were April 15-16, and being as big as she was, I was thinking  she would go a bit early.  But I am learning that these subsequent whelps tend to be less predictable and often late.  Bridget started showing early signs  of impending labor (restless, panting) at 10 pm Friday April 15, and I thought we were on track for a April 16 whelp. . . but no.  By 3 am Sunday morning she was resting peacefully and had appeared to have given up on the idea of having puppies any time soon, and I went to bed.  Later Sunday morning, about the only behaviors she was doing differently were not very interested in food (normal prewhelp) and wanting to hang out in a crate (denning behavior), but only occasional soft pants not much different than she was late term pregnancy.  I was just about ready to go out into the yard to do some yard work with frequent checks back in when I heard a groan, and looked over to see a Bridget having a contraction.  When a pregnant dog has externally visible contractions that typically indicates the onset of Stage II labor and a puppy is likely to be born within 30 min!!  I did a quick change of clothes, called my whelper helpers, and inhaled some late lunch (currently 1 pm).  Bridget quickly started having some serious contractions and broke water, but no puppy.  I examined her (I am a DVM), and could barely feel a puppy.  I rechecked her after a few more contractions and that puppy wasn’t making any forward progress – not good.  And then the tip of another fetal membrane appeared, and I was becoming seriously worried we had a stuck pup.  By now, my whelper helpers had arrived and we were coming up on 1.5 hours and no puppy.  Nancy got her van configured for an emergency trip to the vet and probable c-section.  Since Bridget was being such a trooper, I decided to make one last attempt to loop something around a puppy foot (coming breech, which is perfectly normal) and if so, would hopefully be able to provide a bit of traction.  It worked, and I was able to deliver one very vigorous, vocal puppy (Pink girl).  And within 7 minutes, her sister quickly followed (Purple girl).  At first I had suspected we had a big first puppy, and big breech puppies can occasionally obstruct when their heads don’t clear the pelvic rim.  But after noting Pink girl only weighed 13 ½ oz and we had that mysterious second set of membranes, I now believe we had two pups in the birth canal, and Purple girl had gotten wedged in there causing the obstruction.   Afterwards, we commented that Purple girls have had a reputation in previous litters of being the trouble makers and it looks like this Purple girl was off to an early start.  After that rough beginning, Bridget was truly amazing, delivering 9 puppies in 2 ½ hours!!  Then she finally slowed down to a pup an hour and was done at 8:17 pm.  By the end, Bridget had delivered 11 pups.  Ten healthy puppies (one didn't survive), 1 black female, 5 yellow females, and 4 yellow males.  So much for reading up on Mendelian genetics.  Statistically, we should have had a 50/50 mix of yellow and black puppies (the pup we lost was a yellow female).  Poor Jammer may be wondering if these are really all his puppies. 

Bridget Checks In

Bridget moved in on Monday April 11, looking VERY rotund.  But she had a seemingly easy pregnancy and arrived in great condition.  Her fan club at the Bedford Library and local Bedford elementary school where she does reading therapy are going to miss her.  The sire of this litter is ICAN's black Lab Jammer.  This is a repeat breeding.  Bridget's first litter was whelped by Canine Partners of the Rockies in Colorado, and many of the pups from that litter are completing advanced training and will hopefully be making matches as assistance dogs this spring and summer.  One of those pups is ICAN's Piper. 

Proud Papa Jammer