Growing

Those little guys and gals are growing like crazy.  I had bought a digital scale to weigh them on and it doesn't work for they are too wiggly and the numbers bounce all around.  I've been looking for the past month for an old fashioned food scale, and haven't seemed to locate any.  Looking in all the wrong places, I guess.  My learning curve? Steep...  All is quiet here in Montana at 4:00 in the morning.  Belle Starr is snoring in the nursery, pups sleeping, and Fred snoring in the bedroom.  Once in a while I hear an elk bugle.  All good sounds.  Belle Starr is really getting attached to those pups.  We have to really talk to her to get her to go outside to do her duty. Then she wants right back in.  She did go for a short walk with Fred and Abie yesterday, so that was good.   The pups have their first vet appointment Friday to get their dew claws removed.  They may have to put me in a straight jacket.  But, I know it needs to be done.  Then we can have them checked and Belle Starr as well.  Day 2 is here for the first born...

Day 2

We Have Puppies

Wow!  What an experience....  First time for momma Belle Starr and first for Fred and I.  Belle's temp dropped yesterday morn October 4th.  So I rushed around and got the warming box plugged in and the puppy nursery ready.  We stayed up with her taking turns.  Fred took over at 1:30 this morning and at 4:00 came and got me out of bed.   The first puppy was born at 4:30.  We  did end up calling the vet, for we didn't know how soon they needed to eat after birth and Belle wasn't sure what she needed to do.  But because Fred and I did a lot of reading and talking to the vet, we were able to help her with the birth of these 11 puppies.  She was quite equal in her delivery.  First a white, then black, then white, then black, etc.  then toward the end a couple of blacks together and finished with a white.  And then she was equal in that she had 5 boys and 5 girls.  Thinking we were done, we started cleaning up the lovely mess, putting things away and making sure all the pups were eating.  Then at 12:30 when I was ready to go take a shower, she stood up and out came one more.  A little black female, to upset the equality of it all.  The books did not warn me of what a mess there would be, and that I needed to buy a lot of detergent to keep the linens washed.  So over 12 hours we traded after birth, fluids, and other disgusting stuff for poopoo and urine.  But we are all fine with that.  Love the warming box.  With this many puppies, it works to have just a few with mom at a time.  So we need to keep track of who eats and when. Which means we are taking turns in the nursery.  So, bring on the hot chocolate.  And that is what we use to do when my older kids were in 4-H when there ewe's gave birth.  Also, they didn't say anything about preparing meals for a few days and put in the freezer.  Soup for lunch, and cold cereal for dinner.  But we are finding we are so busy that we don't have time to eat.  These puppies are so cute, and quite a comical bunch.  First Birthing and Very Excited and Exhausted.  

1st baby,  a big girl

Anxious

As the time grows closer, the tension builds.  It's like the other dogs know that something big is going to happen, and they have grown needy.  Belle Starr's puppies are growing more everyday and she is quite big,. Tomorrow is day 60 and we would like for  her to hold on for another couple of days. She is doing well on the quality puppy food that we are giving her in small portions throughout the day.  She is very clingy and is beside us all the time.  But, that cute little lab tail is always wagging, even in discomfort.  Love the Belle Starr, she is a great inspiration.  And the Shadow, he is one calm dude.  He lays with her a lot and their friendship goes way beyond play time.  But, he seems as if he isn't taking the baby business to serious. The warming box is ready and on, the whelping box is ready, and the equipment sterilized and in place.  Now if I had confidence in myself, Life would be Good.  We will hope that mother nature is on the ball and things go well for the Belle Starr. My happy sound is her snoring, for I know all is well at the moment.  

Scare

We ended up taking Belle Starr to the vet yesterday.  She took to throwing up the night before and then onto into the morning.  When I called, the vet said to bring her in for a checkup to make sure her chemical balance was okay.  He was quite amazed at how big she is.  She is now getting small portions of food throughout the day to accommodate her growing puppies that are taking up a lot of room.  We need  her to carry them through at least next Tuesday, October 6th.  We don't want to have little preemies.  Like children, they need those last few days for lung development.  While in Missoula,  I shopped for the last of my puppy room supplies.  Today my goal is to finish the puppy room and have most of it ready to go.  I'll construct a warming box using a plastic tub and things that I have here.  That is so when the puppies are born, there will be a place for the ones who are born while mommy has another.  It also serves well for little ones who are sick, or if you need to do maintenance on a puppy.   Hands Out to all our mommy dogs in the world for they have a delicate job to do when whelping puppies.  They must be good, for look at all the dogs in the world today.  Know that I did sneak in a hair cut yesterday even with the eventful day...

Preparation

Okay, all I can say tonight is, "Take a deep breath Linda.",  all will be fine.  After ending up working 3 days in a row, I haven't had the time to work on the puppy room as expected.  Belle Starr is getting rounder and rounder as I type.  She is also a little restless, and on top of that threw up her dinner.  Yeah, in my bedroom on the carpet. Tomorrow I'll start the temperature check 3 times of day and start tracking for the final stage to begin.  Her temp has been running on an average of 100.5.  When it drops in the 90s, then she is close.  I have the whelping box in my puppy room,  lined, and heating pad ready to go.  Waiting for some orders to come in yet, and I have to admit, I'm not sure what I have ordered and forgot.  Too bad they don't have one site with all the things needed and at a reasonable price.  I have been shopping, comparing, and getting things here and there.  I'm sure I have forgotten to order the colored collars for the newborn puppies so you can tell them apart.  Also having problems finding a little scale to weight them on.  Tomorrow a trip to Missoula to find all the small items I need to finish my whelping supplies.  Probably  Walmart. While there,  I'm going to get my hair done.  Then to the Wine store...