NINE PUPPIES ...WOW...

 At 4:34 this morning, Livi had her first puppy. She gave birth to eight more by the time she was through. I didn't see the ninth one until much later when I went to leave the room. So, she has at least 5 females and three males. I will have to sort them all out to see what the last one was. 

She was so big, I felt so sorry for her when she was at her biggest. She just waddled around the house and all the other dogs had to get out of her way or she would knock them out of her way. 😂

Her and her puppies are all settling in, she is mostly sleeping and they are wiggling and they are so noisy. Gonna be tough sleeping for a few nights. 

Below are the pictures of the puppies (except one) taken right after birth and Livi after she had her ninth.

I think it's time for all of us to get a nap in.

New Litters More Puppy Breath and Kisses

 We are going to have a double litter this spring. They both will be born in May and the puppies will be ready to leave by September. The mothers are Olivia who will have her puppies first, sometime around May 14 - May 20 and Ellie Mae who will have her litter sometime around May 26 - June 2. 

Olivia is a very good mother who has had several litters in the past. We took her in for an ultrasound and saw at least six puppies, so we are looking at a nice size litter. She will have all blenheim color puppies as her and the father are both blenheim.

This will be Ellie Mae's second litter. She too is a very good mother and her mother, Annie, will step in and help raise them also.

Ellie is alot whiter then most other Tri-color Cavaliers. She has also developed the black streaks in her fur that most spaniels have. She has passed these on to her previous offspring. Ellie will have tri-color as well as blenheim puppies due to the father being blenheim.

This is the father, Atticus aka Bobble Head. Yes, he is full of personality and you wouldn't believe what he can get himself into. 

So, I will keep you updated as time draws near. I am also having back surgery on May, 26 so I might be a bit slow in updating around that time, but I will get the pictures in. 

New Location

 I moved these little ones the weekend before Thanksgiving, so they have been in their new location for a week now. They are getting curious above food and water as they see their mother eat and drink. They are doing a lot of sleeping I believe because the heater is up a bit high and it keeps them very warm. They don't really want to do anything but sleep. I will be turning the heater down and hopefully they will become more active.

Here are a couple of close ups of individual pups. The female Blenheim has been sold, I have one Tri female and one Tri male and three male blenheims

Eyes Open at Two Weeks

 The puppies have had their eyes open for almost a week. They started opening last Tuesday. They are now starting to get up on their little feet and walk a little. In another week I will be moving them into a crate in the living room where they will have alot more room to move around. The fence will still be up, but they will be able to start excercising and let their curiosity get them into everything. Here are a few pictures of the little cuties.

Wouldn't they make a great Christmas present under your tree. Well, maybe near your tree. 😁

One Week and Three Days

 It's been one week and three days since Ellie had her puppies. She is just a fantastic mother, feeding her litter very well and being so carful and very nurturing. I'm very happy with her as a mother. She has given birth to six very healthy puppies. These puppies are thriving and gaing weight really nicely. By next Thursday I will be able to show her puppies' eyes starting to open. Below is a picture of all six taken on their one week birthday.

Six puppies

 All are healthy and doing great including mom. She was quite the trooper as she showed very little signs of being in labor. She was super restless around 4:30 in the afternoon and by 7:30 she had her first. By 9:30 she was done and all six were alive and kicking. Below are some pictures

Ellie ended up have four boys and two girls. The two girls, one tri and one blenheim. There is one tri boy and three blenheims. Mom and babies are resting comfortably and eating very well. More pictures in the following days.

So Close

 Ellie Mae is finally showing she has puppies in her. I can watch her tummy when she is lying down and the puppies are moving and kicking. She was very restless last night and I am expecting her to have a restless day. Once she starts to pant she will be in labor and then it's just hours. This coming week is day 57 - 60 and this is delivery week. Ellie's mom, Annie has been hanging around and I do believe she is talking to her daughter to comfort her.

I got her welping box ready this past week. Every time I go through this I learn how to do things better or different to make it better for both mom and babies. So, I bought a small dog bed to put the puppies in while mom is still delivering. The moms usually step or sit on their puppies while they deliver the next, so with the small bed I can keep the puppies warm and safe while mom has her next.

I've got all the medical stuff ready in a box. There is gauze, forceps, scissors, cotton balls, iodine, calcium and colostrum and a nose sucker.The calcium helps with stronger concractions when mom is in labor, It also helps her endure all the stress that goes with labor. The colostrum is something that you give to the newborn to give them a kick when they are brand new. The iodine is to dab on the umbilical cord to stop the bleeding and disinfect it.

I also have a lot of washcloth size towels and hand towels to wash off and rub the puppies to get them breathing.

I have been feeding Ellie Mae twice a day with a meal of boiled egg, fresh pet (a meat and veggie roll you can find in your pet store) and quinoa.

While Ellie has put on weight with the puppies, she has also put on body weight which is so important when she starts to feed her babies. I will continue to feed her twice a day while she is nursing.

So, while I don't have pictures of babies, yet ....it won't be long and I will post pictures as soon as they are born.