When you are responsible for newborns you have to make various checks, daily, to ensure everything is going well.

So along with checking their weight twice a day, I also monitor their umbilical chords and belly buttons. The umbilical cords dry up and will drop off. It is unusual for them to have problems but you must always keep an eye out for any signs of infection such as oozing serous fluid (clear), pus or redness of the skin.

With any animal in my care I monitor the poos. It is important to know what the poos are like as this gives you valuable information that everything is working ok – I check for colour and consistency. Currently I dont get to see them as Tilly is doing such a great job at keeping the puppies clean, but the moment it becomes my job to clean up then I will be making mental notes as to how they are.

i observe the puppies vital signs – pink gums, what their breathing is like and how healthy their coat appears.

Meanwhile the puppies are just cute little bundles of squeaks. I will be taking some better photos tomorrow!

Tilly has to have a vast amount of food to keep up with the demands made on her for feeding her puppies so she is enjoying 4 meals a day, nutriplus gel and cheese! I think she is rather enjoying the special attention she is getting!

The puppies were due to arrive on Monday, so when Tilly was showing signs of being in labour on Saturday at 4pm, we were a little bit surprised that the first stage labour was for only an hour as it is usually 12 to 24hrs.

Our first puppy arrived at 5.10pm, with the last puppy arriving at 7.30pm. Tilly did incredibly well.

We make sure she is given glucose throughout the labour, fluids and also food. It is so important to ensure the glucose levels are kept up. I do not give any calcium until AFTER the first puppy is born (NEVER ever before).

We have five bitches and one dog puppy. They are all healthy and doing well. They have gained weight over night. I will be monitoring their weight throughout their time with me. In the first three weeks I usually weigh twice a day. By keeping on top of recording their weight gains I can also identify if there is an issue with any of the pups, I will know straightaway if there is a problem that I have to act on promptly.

I will be sleeping next to the whelping box for at least two weeks if not three weeks. I have been known to stay with the pups for four weeks so I will play it by ear!

Orange Collar Girl Puppy – 17.10pm 330g

(33 minutes gap between puppies…)

Pink Collar Girl Puppy – 17.43pm 422g

(29 minutes gap…)

Red Collar Girl Puppy – 18.12pm 346g

(19 minutes gap…)

Purple Collar Girl Puppy – 18.31pm 306g

(28 minutes gap…)

Yellow Collar Girl Puppy – 18.59pm 378g

(33 minute gap…)

Dark Blue Collar Boy Puppy – – 19.32pm 338g

Tilly is now 57 days pregnant.  Her tummy feels very full indeed.  When she is laying down, the sides of her tummy are rather pronounced!  Tilly is very happy, content and wants lots of cuddles (she is quite a weight now!!) She has had the occasional episode of morning sickness – so she now gets ginger biscuits to help with this!

The pups development  at 8 weeks will mean they now have hair and pads on their feet.  They should be approximately 150mm.  They have one week left of growing – so Tilly’s tummy is yet to get bigger! Her tummy has expanded quite dramatically in the last few days. We can see them moving about which is amazing to watch!

Tilly is 52 days pregnant (based on first mating), she is very fit in herself, happy and healthy.

The start of the fascinating journey of a developing pregnancy begins initially at the scan when the pregnancy is confirmed and you see little blobs on the screen, but more significantly now, I can feel the puppies moving. I have been able to feel movement for the past few days. Tilly must be feeling all kinds of squirming going on bless her! When Tilly is laying flat out I can also see some movement too! It is all very exciting!

Development of the unborn puppy.
The pads on their paws will have developed now and they will also have hair growing on their bodies. This is the developmental stage when a puppy would be showing as black or yellow. We know this litter will all be black puppies as the Dad “Rolls” is black dominant.

So my preparations for the arrival of the Tilly Tots is ongoing, the washing machine hasn’t stopped and parcels keep arriving!

Tilly is now 6 weeks pregnant, her tummy is looking plump and a little saggy! Tilly has had a little morning sickness which I have been giving her ginger biscuits for. Other than the occasional morning sickness she is very fit in herself. Tilly’s appetite has increased so I have just started to give her a little extra kibble at bed time.

An insight to the developing puppies.

This stage of her pregnancy is where the puppies develop quite dramatically.  IF we were to xray Tilly’s tummy, we would be able to see the spines quite easily as the calcification of the bones is now taking place!

Between weeks 5 and 6 of pregnancy, the puppies will have developed their eyelids and also the little ear flaps will now be present.  The ear flaps remain closed until after they are born (opening up between 13-17 days old).  The ears look like little buds!  

The eyes also remain closed until after birth, opening up gradually at the age of 10 to 15 days.  (One of my favourite stages of development in a puppy is seeing those gorgeous eyes peeping back at you!). I cant wait!!!

The pups will also have claws growing on their tiny paws. At 6 weeks the digits are formed, although they do not have any pads on their paws. They have not yet developed any hair. You can also determine the sex of the puppy.

At this stage it is hard to guess how big they are but they will be at least 6cm – 7cm.

I now have to organise all of my supplies, get washing all of the bedding and sterilise all of my kit!

I like to try and show the journey of the puppies as they develop, so here is a peek into Tilly’s tummy!

Over the past five weeks a lot of changes will have been taking place.

The fertilised eggs do not attach to the uterus until approximately 19 days. If the bitch has normal colour gums, you should see between 19 and 21 days that the colour of their gums go a little paler when the eggs implant. Tilly doesn’t have your regular pink gums so I can never spot this particular stage!  By the third week of pregnancy the embryos will be 5mm long, they progress in the following week to have developed little buds which will develop into their legs!  In the space of that one week they will have grown rapidly, growing four times in size!  They are now 20mm!

When Tilly was 4 weeks pregnant she didn’t have any obvious signs of pregnancy apart from her teats protruding and her chest being wider.

Tilly at 5 weeks pregnant now has quite a pronounced tummy!

The stage Tilly’s pregnancy is at now, the puppies will have developed eyelids and ear flaps (though they are not flaps they are very small buds).  The growth is rapid as they will have reached approximately 35mm.

Tilly is fine in herself, enjoying plenty of cuddles and being very affectionate!  We haven’t increased her food. This is a common mistake that people increase the food too early when all it will do is slow her fitness levels down at this stage, which is not desirable when we need her to continue being fit, not fat!

We give Tilly folic acid supplement everyday until the puppies are born – which she has had since she was mated. This helps with the development of the pups.

Hi there I hope this post finds you well.

I havent posted about the firework campaign for a while.  The Firework abatement group have been campaigning long and hard for a change in regulations.

The Government petition to ban fireworks has reached (and surpassed) the required number for signatures to be debated in parliament.  The Government have responded and the issues surrounding fireworks will be debated 26th November 2018.  This debate will be the third debate since June 2016, but not only that the second debate was earlier this year in January 2018

How YOU can help make changes!

First of all….
If you havent already signed the two petitions please do so!
Government Petition http://bit.ly/2OrghLI

The Firework abatement campaign petition (change.org) has also surpassed in numbers.
Change.org http://bit.ly/2Db0K1b

Secondly,
We need further support from those who have signed.  Please write to your MP’s to let them know of your personal problems with fireworks.

I urge you to please contact your MP’s in advance of the debate about fireworks.

writetothem.com

“Please attend the firework debate on 26th November at 4.30pm in Westminster Hall.
Fireworks cause me problems and as my MP I would like you to represent me.” [THEN add a sentence of your own.]

Without the key help from those who are affected by fireworks then changes are harder to achieve.  Please inform your MP of the debate and ask them to support you.

You can mention (in your words) the impact it has on you and your animals, the frequent but random timed fireworks are a nuisance, as it stands the law allows fireworks to be used 365 days of the year from 7am through till 11pm.  People cannot prepare for fireworks when the frequency is 365 days, that and the times they allowed, in effect is not a regulation at all.

It is time for change when you consider on top of the frequency of fireworks being hard to manage for animals and people who suffer distress, (many animals have died as a result of their distress or incurred horrific injuries) but there are other factors such as pollution and littering.  The chemicals, the impact on the NHS and Fire Services.  The misuse of fireworks when they have been reported to be thrown at people.    The problems associated with fireworks is far reaching and there is very little policing in place for the people on the receiving end of the problems that fireworks create.

Please sign the petitions and write to your MP.  Get your MP to attend the debate!

Time for change on an outdated law and that time is NOW.

Thank you!

Whoop – good news.  A couple of weeks ago we had Tilly’s hips and elbows scored.  We have just got the results back today.

I am very pleased to confirm the following scores:-

Hips 5:5

Elbows 0

This now means we can consider having a litter with Tilly.  Currently she is a little young (in my opinion) so we would be looking at Spring 2019.

We have had to say goodbye to our dear boy Charlie.  My gentle bear.

read my tribute to my boy, Our Angel Pawprints

Love my Charlie bear, forever and more.  He will always be in my heart.

Love Mum xx

Today we saw Miss Yellow off to her new home. A beautiful angelic little puppy.  It is always sad saying goodbye to the puppies, however it is now time for new beginnings.

Here’s Miss Yellow in her sending off photo…

To all my beautiful puppies and their lovely owners.  I will take this opportunity of wishing you all well.  Lots of happiness in your new homes.  BE GOOD!

It is now my chance to welcome Tilly (Matilda) into our home.  Tilly is taking full advantage of cuddles on the sofa.  We discover rapidly, the need for our stargate!

Lets hope we can share many tales of the adventures our puppies get up to.

Puppies …. be wonderful! xxx

To the next chapter for our class of 2016!