Monday, September 26, 2011

Small Steps for the Future


Wesson with mom
 It has been a few days and the puppies have had their dewclaws off.  I started Early Neurological Stimulation....which in a short description improves health and reaction to stress and disease.  Their spots are getting darker.  It looks like Schuyler(green girl) is going to have quite a few spots. Her, Derringer (silver girl) and Pound (blue girl) have one nose freckle that is very similar on all three, so cute. 

So far the boys, Smith & Wesson, look like they will have open spotting and same goes for Pepper (pink) and Winnie (purple).
They do not mind being handled so far, by me, and Carly seems pretty relaxed when I take each one to stimulate and weigh them.

Carly and pups
  They are all over a pound.  Pink has doubled her birth weight. She is within reach of her brothers and sisters.  The other puppies are all gaining nicely coming close to doubling their birth weights as well. 

Carly is doing great, eating tons, starting to leave the puppies after she feeds them, I find her on her makeshift bed in the pen staring at the puppies.  She wanted to come out in the living room for a few minutes for lots of love and pets, then back to the pool with the puppies.

Henry, big brother, is doing good, he loves all the treats he is getting.  I love the new commands he has picked up...beg and down from standing.  He knows (mostly) sit, sit-then down and stay (for a few seconds) and come.  He loves to play tug and hide n seek.


Thursday, September 22, 2011

The Magnificent Seven



Winnie and Lady Browning (L.B.)

The puppies have all gained weight, one little miss piggie, Schuyler (green girl), actually lost some but is around her birth weight plus a little bit extra.  Pepper Box (pink girl), the smallest at the starting gate, is gaining every weigh-in.  Derringer (silver girl) and Lady Browning (light blue/Pound) are now the biggest pups at 13.15 oz.  Smith and Wesson are nice weights.  The second smallest, Winnie (Winchester/Pushy Purple) is now almost equal with her siblings.  Pepper Box (Pink girl) is at 9.15 oz but very sneaky when stealing a nipple and she needs to be. 
Pepper Box (PB) and Schuyler

Smith & Wesson and Derringer
Carly is doing fantastic.  I still have to force her out to potty, but that is okay she does so with a strict command.  She watches me when I weigh the pups but doesn't seem worried just curious over what I am doing.  The boys usually sleep while being weighed, but all of the girls hated it (kind of hilarious, weighing is dreading by females across species).
That's all for now, I have to go let big brother, Henry in and get to my appointment.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Puppies!!

They have arrived the Magnificent Seven. 
Monday night we held vigil, Karen Whyte (Carly's breeder and co-owner), Leanne (my landlord/roommate), Jaime (Leanne's sister/puppy nanny/child nanny) and me.
Who am I?  Well, my name is Sarah,  I own two dalmatians, I guess nine now, I am Gypsy Rd Dals owner, its my new kennel.  I co-own my two dogs with my mentor in the breed, Karen. 
So, back to the puppies,  after a missed breeding with Carly last year,we tried again this year with the same stud dog, CH. Spotsalot Hwy Paved in Chocolate, a.k.a.Hershey, it took.  So, an ultrasound was taken at 30 days confirming puppies and an x-ray was taken at day 58 telling us the number.  We knew after x-ray that there were atleast seven puppies, but because dalmatians and other deep-chested dogs can carry them up in their ribcage, it was possible there were more.
So, a week later Monday, Sept. 19, Carly's temperature dropped to 98.1 which is indication puppies will be born in next 24, some say up to 48 hrs.  So, we held vigil all night because it seemed like she would deliver anytime.  At nine in the morning Tuesday, Sept. 21, Karen went home to take care of her dogs and see her husband, nothing had happened yet.  All day, Tuesday, I was nervous, I had called Carly's vet Dr. Campbell, (who knows me well, since, we used to work together) reassured my that the first stage of labor can last a day or two and that I only need to worry if she is actively pushing without producing a puppy.
The day went by, my roommate and her sister went to get food for dinner at 3:50 and at 4:05 the first puppy was half out and breach, and Carly was exhausted and contractions weren't that strong so, I had to help him out, or possibly lose him because of his oxygen supply being cut-off.  After a few phone calls for help, and one to Karen who was trying to get on her way, blue boy a.k.a. Smith was out and free from his sack and breathing and figured out how to nurse quickly. 
So, then about 4:25, Leanne and Jaime had just walked in and the littlest pup of the litter, pink girl arrived and she was moving and nursing quickly.  I was there to help Carly with the pups if needed, Karen came to help and Jaime was helping dry them and get vanilla ice cream for Carly after each pup was born and nursing. Leanne was in charge of writing down stats of the puppy and picking the ric rac colors. The ice cream worked well, almost instantly Carly would have the contractions and the pups would be born. So, three hours after Smith was born, Carly had seven pups, The Magnificent Seven,  all black-spotted, 5 girls the smallest 7 oz, and the biggest 12.5 oz, and two boys, Smith n Wesson, only one patch in all and he is gorgeous, so far. Well, they are all gorgeous, as far as I am concerned, but we will see who among them will carry on as show dogs.