Dam: Ms. Daytona DGO
Sire: FC Willie's Little Boss Man
Hi Everyone! This is the first of my posts to update everyone on what is going on with DeeDee and her newborn puppies. Puppies were born on Tuesday beginning at 1:15am. Based on the X-rays, we were expecting 6 puppies, although the vet thought there might be a seventh, but was leaning toward 6. Somewhat surprising of a number, considering she had had a C-section with her last litter due to the last puppy being too big and getting stuck. Normally, litter sizes are reduced for future litters after a C-section. Considering DeeDee's last litter was 11, which is huge, I guess 6-7 IS a reduction, but still! It is still a relatively large litter on average! DeeDee's delivery went very smoothly with little to no assistance needed. This was her 3rd (and most likely last) litter, and the pups just popped on out with little effort. At 8am, after 6 puppies were born, DeeDee seemed to relax, stop having contractions, and get sleepy. I cleaned up the dirty bedding and got her set up. Puppies were all either nursing or napping, so Dave traded out with me so that I could still go into work for the day. Then at noon, I got a call. Dave went to go move the puppies into their nest box (from the cot I had been sleeping on in the barn and which DeeDee insisted on sleeping on and delivering her puppies on!). He moved 2 puppies into the box, then 2 more, then went to move the last ones and counted...3! He looked back in the box, looked back to the cot, and sure enough, there were now 7 puppies! Sometime between 11am and 12pm, DeeDee delivered one more! Guess the vet was right after all! The breakdown is 4 boys, 3 girls, and all of them are tri-color. They have a lot of white with big black spots, taking after their dad.
All of the puppies are doing well. One little male is being observed carefully, as he has lost a little bit of birth weight. Not unusual, but since the other puppies have all gained, we are taking this as a cue to be watchful. I'm occasionally giving him with subcutaeous (under the skin) fluids to provide him with some extra hydration and am making sure that he gets place in the best nursing spots. If need be, we'll begin supplemental feedings with puppy formula. However, since he is nursing strongly, I doubt we'll need to. Nonetheless, we continue to monitor all of the puppies' weights on a daily basis (using a little kitchen scale), as weight loss is often one of the first signs that a puppy is not thriving.
So I've taken the first puppy pics and placed them in the slideshow to the right. If you double click on the slide show, it will open up the photo album. The pictures are full-size, and you are welcome to save and/or print any pictures you want. I will continue to add album pictures as the puppies grow.
It is getting very late, and I'm already pretty sleep-deprived, so I'm going to get going here. I'll be in touch with everyone shortly to confirm reservations for puppies and explain the process for picking. To check your spot on the waiting list, please go to our website and click on the "Puppies for Sale" page. Talk to you all soon!
