Summer and her puppies have had a content and relaxed 24 hours.
Summer is taking her new role very seriously. She is
extremely careful when moving in and out of the whelping box.
Summer has lots of nicknames within our circle of friends and
family - including "Dumber" (by our friend's two-year old son
who at one time could not pronounce an 'S'), "Party Girl" and
"Miss Adventure" but underneath her Joire de Vivre
is a loving and and attentive mum. She 'smiles' and wags
non-stop.
She
is enjoying a quality diet which includes Arden Grange Puppy,
fresh chicken, Complan and a drink made up of goats milk, Manuka
Honey Active 10+ which has antibacterial properties, and raw egg
yolks. This diet will be adjusted as the puppies grow.
The
puppies seem to have their own rota for the milk bar so at this
stage we are allowing them to feed as they wish and not split
the litter into two feeding sessions. As we are monitoring
their weight on a daily basis it will be easy to adjust this if
needs be, but Mother Nature seems to have thought of everything
and we see no need to interfere at the moment.
Below is Miss Yellow who decided to snooze on top of some of her
litter mates at the milk bar!
The
puppies have all gained 1 oz and have started to become plumper.
The colostrum has now been replaced with milk.
Summer
has been to the vets today for a post-op check - she has made a very
pleasing recovery.
16th
October 2008
Summer
and Puppies had another good night of feeding and sleeping. The
puppies "Sat Nav" is working well and they reach their destination
easily.
We have
now got into a good routine with the puppies. Here they are
enjoying a snooze in the box while the vet bed is changed. We
have two new additions in the whelping box this morning. Two
monkeys arrived in the post for the puppies from Emma and Benson
(Summer's single puppy from her first litter).
They are
also weighed during this time and then returned to a clean and warm
whelping box. Summer enjoys time outside while this is
happening.
The
puppies are changing at a rapid rate and their pigment is starting
to develop.
Today we
plan to give Summer a shower and groom.
As usual
I am very fortunate to have friends supporting me and I am very
grateful to all of them for all the advice they give me to ensure
the puppies get the best possible start.
17th
October 2008
Today
the puppies have had their nails trimmed to ensure that Summer is as
comfortable as possible while feeding. Their umbilical cords
have now fallen off and their pads are completely black......
......their once pink noses have also started to change colour.
Summer
enjoys being fed when the puppies are feeding - here she is enjoying
Complan, with honey and egg yolks.
The
puppies have continued to manage their feeding pattern themselves
and all are gaining weight evenly. Here they all are resting
peacefully together at the milk bar after a feed. They are
very content puppies.
Sleep........................the puppies twitch and purr in their
sleep.
Summer -
showing off her bright eyes, wet nose and "smile". Her
recovery had been superb.
18th
October 2008
All is
continuing to go well in the whelping box.
Summer
has surpassed all our expectations - it is not easy to rear eleven
puppies but she is coping with the task with ease so far. Even
though she is given the opportunity to take breaks away from the
puppies, just as Libby did when she had puppies, Summer chooses to
spend all of her time with the puppies. Listening to her
snoring contently, as she lies surrounded by eleven equally content
puppies makes us smile. I am still sleeping beside the
whelping box and getting more sleep than I anticipated.
Housework has been superseded by puppy-watching! The other
dogs are continuing their usual routine of daily walks and snoozing
in the house and garden.
Today
the puppies have been re-marked with nail polish. We have
decided at this stage it is easier to mark their hind-quarters in
order to see who is feeding at the milk bar as heads are not always
visible. The puppies are still continuing to agree the feeding
schedule between themselves. If at any stage we notice a puppy
is not getting their fair share we will intervene but at this stage
Mother Nature is doing a very good job.
Tomorrow
we hope to take a short video clip of Summer and the puppies.
19th
October 2008
Below is
a video clip of the puppies this morning. It shows them sleeping happily
prior to Summer's arrival in the box. Her arrival triggers a
rush to the milk bar but order is soon regained and within minutes
the puppies are asleep again! Although Arden Grange makes up
the vast majority of her food Summer also enjoys "snacking between
meals" on fresh chicken and her favourite drink.
