Camera Is Working

In the field this morning.

Warm Out There

 Too hot to be hairy - Zeus came back home

I must admit I struggled a little myself but after moaning about wind, rain and cool temperatures, I wouldn't dare say a word!!!!

Sammi, Loki, Ross and Beti

Orin and Siska

Proud But Disappointed

 I was told this morning that Beti had the most individual wins in puppy classes to the halfway point this year, but because the puppy male had also picked up a CC it pushed his wins up over her. So yeah, happy, but disappointed at the same time!

Day 58

Another small milestone as we get past that 58th day. If anything were to go wrong and she went into early labour then the babies would now have a chance of surviving, but I said before, they need to be in there till 9 weeks to be properly cooked!! lol 

Siska hasn't eaten that well today, but she's still doing better than Tali with her carrots and digestive biscuits. I've got eggs, white fish, sweet potato and lots of veg ready for when she needs them. I still think she looks like she could be carrying more than 4, but equally it could just be a lot of fluid. 

This morning we went to the vets to pick up some oxytocin for Siska (just in case). I asked to speak to the senior partner and told him Siska was due this weekend. As I was faffing a little, Steve jumped in with "you may remember what happened last time, if that other vet is on call I will be going over his head and ringing you, we now have no faith in him." He said yeah yeah ... but M is on call I think, then he started asking about Siska and if there was more than one or two pups? I'm glad he asked, I guess he thought that there would likely be more need of a vet with a singleton or a very small litter. I really hope there will be no need for a vet this time, but should there be a need I need to know I can rely on them!

Beautiful Day At Home

Whelping Box

I introduced Siska to the box today, she liked it and plonked herself in it for a bit before moving onto the cold kitchen floor. The lamp is set, I just need Steve to put the camera up now and we'll be good to go. No other dogs or cats will be going in the kitchen from now on, but I'll take Siska in as often as I can so she can feel relaxed and safe from the others there. This will be her private room now. I keep going from excited to nervous!!! 

Archie

Someone wasn't home this morning, I was worried. Someone didn't come home this afternoon, I panicked. I spent ages looking and calling, calling and looking ... and yes crying. I swear before "Islagate" I wasn't like this, I worry I've become a totally neurotic cat person, but in my defence this is the first time he's not been about in the morning. Someone came home for his dinner, I cried again!!!

One Man And His Dog

Due to cancer, a heart attack and poor mobility I have done everything with all the dogs for quite a while. Yesterday Steve offered to take his "bessie" Zeus to the field for the first time in a long time. I guess neither of us expected what happened ... Zeus wouldn't go, waited for me. I felt sorry for Steve I have to say, maybe hairy likes me after all eh! 

Day 56

I wonder if they will be here by this time next week? All I can hope for is a safe successful delivery for all. As Marc Almond said;  "This could even make me pray ... I who never, ever prays!" 

My curiosity got the better of me in the evening as I measured her, 34" - wow that is 6" from her normal waistline, this morning for the "official" measurement she is 33.5" so not far out this morning really ...  Sammi was 32.5" with her litter of 3 and 37 with her litter of 9, Kaiah was 35.5" with her 7 ... but bear in mind they were both 29" at 4 weeks, Siska was 28" ... so now let's start taking bets ..lol 

Surprisingly, Siska has eaten everything that was offered this morning. I was smiling inside as I thought  of Tali who only ate digestive biscuits and carrots for days priory to giving birth to her family, no wonder Asha came out hungry! 

It's a glorious morning on the mountain, if we didn't have a Ross we'd have the pool out. If you know, you know!!! 🐟 For safety Siska spends an hour here or there in the pen, when she comes in the house, all but Orin are evicted into the middle room and garden. Then of course they need supervision .. Because not only does Ross like water, but he also likes digging, that why he is mostly in the yard and living room! 😬 Anyway, the pen is now Siska's own private tent! 

The Last Week

Day 56 

Starts calcification of teeth. 

Day 57 

Movements of embryos are more pronounced. Significantly swollen mammary glands. 

Day 58 

The puppies have developed lungs and from this stage the puppy is viable if born. Avoid any rough and tumble play or stimulation which might lead to the onset of early labour, as ideally your pups should spend another week in the womb. Your bitch will probably begin 'nesting' at this stage, and you may even be able to see and feel the puppies moving within her tummy when she's lying down. Towards the end of week eight, your bitch will start producing colostrum, the forerunner to her nutrient- rich milk, and then the milk itself. Continue to feed as much as your bitch will eat and prepare for the birth! 

Day 59 

The abdomen of the bitch will become loose, uterus decreases and body of female is preparing for birth. It is time to be prepared, and to have everything at hand. The female may start to give birth any day now. You need to start measuring and recording body temperature in the rectum of the female each morning and evening. 

 Day 60 - 65 

Shortly before birth (12-24h) most bitches refuse to eat normally and there is a decrease in body temperature from 38-39 °C to 36.5-37.5 °C. (1-2 °C) 

Previous hormonal changes lead to the induce of uterine contractions, which subsequently causes abdominal contractions (contractions), and starts gradually exclusion of fetus. The progress of the delivery can be for each female very different.

Everyone Out

The only thing wrong with mobile phone photos is the inability to zoom without losing clarity!

Today's Belly

We will hit the 8 week mark tomorrow. All the white vet beds and puppy towels are ready to go. The CCT camera is ready to set up over the box and the heat lamp is working. Even in August it will be needed, newborn puppies can not regelate their body temperature, and they need to be warm, very warm. I'm going to move the kitchen table this afternoon and make room for my better half to set up the box over the weekend. For a normal birth the puppies will not come till Saturday, or maybe Friday evening, but they will be viable after day 58 (Tuesday). Obviously, the nearer the 9 weeks they are in there the better!! 

Camera

I really don't want to seem ungrateful but there are things that I'm quite fussy about. Correct, well bred,  unexaggerated GSD are top of the list, but if you know me you'll know I like a bloody good camera and the best mobile phone I can justify paying for. I was really taken aback yesterday when Steve presented me with a camera he'd bought for me .. how can I say it? Well, It was shit! I just couldn't understand how he thought it would be suitable, though to be fair the idea behind it made sense. (He thought it would be handy to always have in my bag - but I always have my mobile) Today I took it out with me and took some photos with it, they were, as expected, shit! 😟Now the last thing I wanted to do was upset him or seem ungrateful so I really did give it a fair chance ... I repeat, it was shit! 🙊 Carefully, and as tactfully as I could I told him I'd tried the camera and that it was shit. No, No, I said it wasn't right for me. I showed him the photos taken on action setting and out of about 60 action and static photos about 15 were clear - ish! With most things in life I'm very easy going, but the photo of these dogs are so important to me, that one thing I do like to get right. Anyway seriously it was a lovely thought and from a place of love and kindness, such a shame it was shit!🙈🙉🙊

Did you watch the programme last night about a cluster o 4 storms coming together in California? (I think) Wow it was bloody dramatic, winds of 140mph, sand storms, rain and complete darkness within 2 mins .. well this if Fron having a go at it this morning, yes I got soaked! Interestingly I was talking to a lady in Pant Du about the wind in Fron yesterday .. she move up here from Carmel a few years back. She said after moving up just a mile from Carmel she couldn't believe the difference in the severity of the wind. I guess you have to be here to get it! 

Day 54

Photos always help to explain don't they. Siska is on day 54 and from the side looks very pregnant, but looking down over her there is nothing to see really. She is very deep though, and that skirt is hiding a fair bit I think. She's had one meal split into two so far today, an egg .. and a piece of fish. There is some homemade chicken stew for everyone tonight, so hopeful that will encourage her to eat the kibble too. Yes I am pandering to her, and I will continue to do so for some weeks to come!

Just Photos

I Was Thinking ..

..as I do.

 I've been telling everyone that Siska is due on the 5th, but of course 63 days from ovulation is the 4th, so actually it'll be, be prepare from the 2nd won't it! Today I spent £100 on second hand Croft puppy pen. It's in amazing condition, new it would have been out of my price range. It was a friend selling it who also threw in some Petnap WeanaFeeda bowls. Everything is in immaculate condition and of course I trust the person implicitly.   

I was talking to a friends who's bitch was scanned for 4 puppies, and had 4. It was funny as she also thought her bitch was small till about 6 - 7 weeks, then all of a sudden she started thinking her bitch looked big, but somewhere between 7 and 8 weeks it dawned on her that her bitch had stopped "growing." All 4 puppies arrived safely. I'd say that Siska has also had a spurt, it will be interesting to see what happens over the next week. Expect 4, but be prepared for more eh! 

Big Stretch Beti

Day 52

 

Siska refused breakfast again today, but was happy you have a boiled egg instead. I have noticed there is more chance of her eating after 11am - and yeah, thankfully she did again today. She's a little quiet today, maybe a tad uncomfortable?? 

Day 51

Siska is looking great, heavy under her skirt but very little bulging at the sides. As I've said all along, she's not big, but now I must admit in my mind she's getting too big for just 4. She's eating some meals and not others, there is no way I could get her to eat anywhere near the 50% extra that is suggested on the internet page that I've been sharing the daily changes posts from. Not a bad thing really, Siska is not a pig and I'm sure nature is telling her what is for the best.

I've made some changes in the dogs routines to stop the others going into the kitchen as often. Zeus now eats in a crate, yes he has one, he just never uses it. Beti now goes to bed the same time as her crew, she doesn't get the extra 15 mins in the kitchen and the extra last wee ... well she doesn't need it does she!  Orin and Siska continue to go out together, but now I don't put them in the pen together. 

Since the day of the Siska scream and everyone crowding around her pee, Orin has been different. He's very full on and not that he's a misery guts generally, but he's a very happy bunny. I often wonder what he knows, well what they all know? Like I said in her diary, everyone bar Ross stopped that day and really investigated that wee! Today, as Orin hammered around the field like an idiot, Siska just sat there and watched him, she sure seems aware that she needs to take care of her of herself. 

What's This? Sunshine!

Beti and Sammi

I love this photo of Beti and granny Sammi. Oh and Beti isn't bigger than Sammi, she's just uphill!!!

It Stayed Dry

Day 49

Two weeks to go! 

Siska is doing well, but still quite small. The changes from morning to evening on a daily basis are remarkable. I often ask her in the morning, "Where have they gone?"  But they are back in the evening! lol I suppose there is a lot of room for a 4 - 6 litter, when a bitch can carry double that easily!

Siska is struggling with breakfast again some days, but finishing it off at lunchtime, and I am giving her a small supper. 

Her measurements is now 32" - 32.5"  so 4" - 4.5"  bigger than her normal size before pregnancy. (Sammi was 31" for her first litter, 35" for her second and Kaiah was 33.5")

The Week Ahead

Day 49 

 Now the puppies are well-developed and begin to reach the necessary size for birth. If you were still wondering when you’ll be able to feel puppies move in a pregnant dog, now is the time. If you are patient, you can even see the puppies’ movement in your dog’s abdomen. Your bitch will begin shedding the hair on her belly in preparation for the birth - this is totally normal and no cause for alarm! The embryos will continue to grow and develop, and now look almost completely fully formed. Towards the end of the seventh week, do not add any additional calcium rich foods to the diet. Dietary supplements, milk, vitamins and minerals are generally not recommended if a high-quality growth/lactation diet is fed. Feeding excessive amounts of calcium or vitamin D can cause calcification of the soft tissues of the embryo, as well as other birth defects. Although lactation requires large amounts of calcium, supplementation during pregnancy does not prevent calcium depletion during lactation (eclampsia) and may actually compound the problem. Fetuses reach 75% of the size at birth.

 Day 50 - 53 

Organs are already well developed. Belly is crowded with puppies and you may see sporadic movement. The bitch may lose her appetite, but you should feed regularly in small portions. The total daily feed should be increased by 50%. 

 Day 54 

The bitch will spend a lot of time resting preparing for birth as the last of the internal organs develop. 

 Day 55 

The body of the embryo is covered with fur, but the fur on the feet is less visible. Claws are already developed. Starts pigmentation of skin. Size of fetus is 145 mm.

Advert

A homemade two-page poster for Breed Council's National Magazine. 

How Would You Say It?

I don't want to count my chickens .... but I can't help but think of names, baby names, registered names and of course a feminine pet name. (if I only get boys .. well to quote Ed Sheeran in "That's On Me" .. I'm Fucked!) 

As much as I love the name Kyra, I've had to put it on the back burner. It really would have been a lovely name in tribute to a wonderful girl, but it just sounds too similar, and I fear the slip-ups would haunt me! I like Keeli, but that is apparently masculine, Keely is the feminine version, strangely I kind of like that a bit less, but I do think it would be easy to call. Mira has been suggested, and I really like it as I liked Mila, but someone "stole it" lol. So would you say Myra or Meera? Well, the easy solution to that would be to spell it Meera, and that's really easy to call too! Yeah, Meera goes into the book as a possible pet name with Mirana/Meerana a possible registered name. Sammi is registered and Ivana and Kaiah Jeevana so it does stick to a theme .... and it's meaning? 

"Mirana is a girl’s name of Slavic origin, meaning “world peace.” This melodious name is mainly a variant of Miran, but it may also come from Mira, meaning “sea” or “ocean” in Sanskrit. Mirana has various meanings across many cultures and languages, including Latin, where it draws inspiration from the word mirandus for “admirable” or “wonderful.” With such deep roots all over the world, there’s no doubt this name will see its bearer flourish and thrive, finding tranquillity in all corners of the globe." 

Not much info on the other spelling, but I found this ... "Your name of Meerana gives you a happy, spontaneous, generous personality."

I've been giggling to myself thinking that if I get 4 females their puppy names would be Jennifer, Alison, Philippa, Sue, though that wouldn't work with less than 4, of course it would work with more Deborah, Annabelle too. If you know, you know, if not there's always google!!! Then there are 6 Chasers, 4 males, 2 females ... and there is always the easy way going with coloured collars, Miss Pink, Mr Blue etc ... 

Today's Photos

"How Do You Do It?" They Ask

Well, I threaten them, beat them and pin them to the spot. The truth is a little worrying. I do teach wait, but for 5 of them it's done for food. As I say - "I pay them!" Ross won't drop his kong to eat the treat, as soon as the photo is taken he grabs it and waits for the others to run off with him ... Zeus only gets a "release word,"  which is usually Ok, or sometimes "Great Job!" (Don't ask!)

In The Field

Siska Pics Day 44 & 45

I just have to share these - Siska caught gardening on Tuesday evening!

Watching Orin whilst out yesterday - her belly is now growing quickly with changes really obvious in the evening. I'm excited, and naturally a little scared! 

Windsor

Hydrangea

It's been a strange old day. This morning I took a photo of the hydrangea in the field to send to my brother. Mum had taken against it and chopped it back before getting my brother to dig out the roots to put it in the bin. Loving them, I said we'd bring the ball of roots home and give it a chance in the field. Well two years on and it's thriving. The flower has changed colour, but I'm so pleased to see it doing so well.

This afternoon was the third emotional day for Mum, and I went with her to the funeral of one of her special friends. It was the first time I'd been to the crematorium since Dad's funeral, but I couldn't let her go on her own could I! It was so odd to be an agnostic sitting in a traditional, religious Welsh service for a person I didn't know, never even met, I felt out of place as there was no connection for the person lost, but yeah the emotion was there, especially as my mum cried.