Eating and Sleeping at One Week Old

Puppies are growing so nicely. They are in my bedroom right now and I love to hear their little squeaks and squiggles!  They are one week old today. I can't believe it has flown by so fast. Still, there is not much new to report so I thought I'd just fill in on what development has taken place at one week.

Typically they double their weight the first 8 to 11 days. For about the first two weeks their eyes and ears are closed. They sense light, though, and they find Phoebe by scent. Sometimes they look for her and she is sleeping outside the whelping box which brings on a series of woeful pleading cries to which she responds immediately. She is such a good mother.

As for Phoebe, I am letting her free feed from 6:30 am until 6:30 pm. She is eating about four times what she normally eats! I watch her closely for signs of mastitis...swollen or hardened teats.

Really, at this stage puppies are a very easy proposition. Phoebe does everything from feeding to rounding them up to cleaning their little poops and pees. She constantly licks the puppies' tummies to stimulate their bowels and bladders and, believe it or not, she benefits nutritionally from what she ingests. 

Three Days Old

Puppies are three days old now and gaining every day. Here they are resting and nursing. Phoebe prefers to nurse sitting. Easy to do with just six pups. Note that two we thought were Black Parti have lots of brown hair showing up underneath. These will likely fade to a tawny brown and white...just like their mama did.

From left to right we have:
Puppy 3, Boy, Black Irish pied, birth weight 215 grams-now 251
Puppy 4, Boy, Sable Parti (not black parti as formerly thought), birth weight 177 grams-now 187
Puppy 6, Girl, Sable Parti (not black parti as formerly thought), birth weight 198 grams-now 213
Puppy 5, Boy, Brown Parti, birth weight 213 grams-now 251 (huge gain!)
Puppy 1, Girl, B/W Parti, birth weight 240 grams-now 265 (my biggest but that will likely change)
Puppy 2,  Girl, B/W Parti, birth weight 164 grams-now 179

My Vet Was Right

Six puppies. 3 boys and 3 girls. 5 black and white and one sable and white boy. All very strong and vocal! Phoebe is such a great mother. Won't leave the box. Did eat two breakfasts already this morning. More photos once we all get some rest!

Havanese Puppies are Arriving

Phoebe went into labor about 7 pm tonight. She delivered her first puppy at 9:31. I was a little worried....that's a bit of a stretch. Then I learned why. Little puppy girl #1 weighs 240 grams. That's one very large puppy! Second puppy came on her heels weighing in at 164 grams. Another girl!

A happy mother to be!

Phoebe's water broke about 7:30 pm. She's cleaning it up here.

Cleaning up Puppy #1

Puppy #1 delivered at about 9:31 and weighs 240 grams.

Two girls so far....both black and white and very strong!

Phoebe had her x-ray done on Wednesday. Here are the results. Difficult to see on this page, I'm afraid but basically you look for tiny heads and spinal columns. My vet saw six of each. I'm seeing seven. How many do you sde?

Here We Go Again!

We have very exciting news. Phoebe is pregnant. The lucky father is my friend, Denise Gregg's Dino. Dino is not just an AKC champion but a Grand Champion. Better yet, he is a real sweetheart! His photo is on top, Phoebe's on the bottom. 

My best guestimate is that Phoebe is on day

Here is the chart which gives you some idea of what is going on.


Jensen Canine Pregnancy Calander

Pregnancy Calendar for Dogs
Date:	Thu 13 Dec 2012
Sire:	GCH CH Amblers Watching the Girls Go By
Dam:	Roughriders Winnett
Breeder:	Jacqueline Carney
Fri 30 Nov 2012	First day of mating. 48 hours after the first mating the bitch should be mated                                        again.       Subsequent matings occurring over a period of time                                                     enhance the chances of fertilization taking place. The spermatozoa migrate up through the cervix.
Sat 1 Dec 2012	Sperm travel searching for a mature ripened eggs.
Sat 1- Sun 2	Spermatozoa reach the eggs in the oviducts.
Sun 2 - Mon 3 Dec	Fertilization occurs in the oviducts which lead from the                                                 ovaries to the uterus.
Mon Dec 3 - Wed 5	Fertilization eggs migrate down the oviducts and into                                                       the uterine horns. The migration continue to enable even spacing of the                                                  embryos. During this migration the eggs will grow into a                                                     blastocystes.
Tue Dec 11- 13	The blastocystes implant in the wall of the uterus.
Tue Dec 11 - Tue 25	The blastocystes will grow into an embryos. During the next two weeks the important organs will                                                  develop.
Fri Dec 14  - Fri Dec 21	Dams nipples begin to pink enlarge. The fur on the dams belly and around the nipples may                                                    become thinner.
Thu Dec 20 - Thu 27	Morning sickness might occur due to hormonal changes                                                    or stretching and distension of the uterus. Dam may                                                    appear a bit apathetic. She may be off her feed for a while                                                 and vomit from time to time. Feeding the dam several meals spaced throughout the day                                              might help. Your veterinarian may want to prescribe a drug to relax                                                       the uterus.
Tue Dec 25 -Sat 29	An experienced person (a breeder or a veterinarian)                                                         can tell by careful palpation whether the dam is pregnant. It's now the best time to do this because the embryos are                                  walnut-sized now and easy to count.
Fri Dec  28	Start to increase the dams food ration. Don't overfeed, excessive weight gain should be avoided. The fetuses are now and are fully developed miniature dogs.
Thu Jan 3	The Dams abdomen starts to get larger.
Sun Jan 13	It's very easy now to feel the puppies, counting them might be a bit more difficult.
Wed Jan 16  - Thu 24	Dam begins to spend a lot more time in self-grooming. Her breasts become even more swollen. She may become a bit restlessness and begin to search for                                                    a suitable place to have her puppies.
Fri Jan 18	The dam might lose her appetite during this period. Her                                            abdomen can be crowded with puppies. It is better to feed several smaller meals spaced throughout                                                 the day. You can easily detect abdominal movement now.
Fri Jan 18  - Sat Feb 2	Nipples and vulva should be gently cleaned with warm                                                   water, you might want to trim the hairs surrounding the                                                nipples, to allow easier access for the puppies to suck.
Mon Jan 28 - Thu 31	Milky fluid may be expressed from the nipples.
Tue Jan 29	You might want to start taking the dams rectal                                                       temperature each morning and evening.
Fri Feb 1	Twelve to 24 hours before she is due to deliver, the                                                           dams rectal temperature may drop from 101 to 98 degrees. Clear discharge from the vulva might occur. Expected date of whelp. Of course this is just an average.                                        Whelping may take place from the 59th to the 65th day.                                                Puppies born before the 58th day will probably be too young                                              to survive.

This javascript was originally designed by Suzan van Prooijen at the Cattery El Sham's Pregnancy Calendar version 1.8
rewritten for a canine by Debra L Jensen Copyright © 1996&1997 Suzan van Prooijen, Cattery El Sham - The Netherlands
http://www.dataweb.nl/~sham/misc7.html

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Household Chemicals and Your Pets

I created this blog for several reasons. One was to keep track of my puppy families. But another is to offer up information I hope will be helpful, not just to my families, but to all pet owners.

This week I'm doing some research into items commonly used inside and outside our homes with regard to how they can affect our pets. There is, fortunately, a lot of information on the web and I hope to share some of those links with you here.

I'm sure all of us have had the unfortunate experience of losing a pet prematurely, or have close friends who have. Havanese, for example, should live from 12 to 14 years. There are many who live well beyond 15 years. And, sadly there are some Havanese who don't make it to their 8th birthday. Sometimes accidents take the lives of our dear ones but, as often as not, cancer is the cause. Exposure to chemicals in and around our homes has long been suspected of causing these cancers.

Think about all the products we use on our floors, on our carpets, on our driveways, in our gardens and on our lawns. Then think about your pet who spends the majority of its time in these areas.

"The Truth About Cats, Dogs and Lawn Chemicals" is a PDF file put out by pesticidewatch.org and it is a real eye opener! I encourage all my readers to take a good look at this document.

I also hope my readers will feel free to comment on this article and add any information they have discovered about household chemicals or green alternatives.

One final note...I would appreciate your spreading the word about my blog. The more readers we have, the more information we can disperse...a kind of forum for all dog families!