Mako

2nd Puppy
Male
Curly
12.5 ounces
born at 7:24

Angel

1st Puppy
Curly
Female
11.75 ounces
Born at 6:37

We have Puppies! - the 1st three

Stoker did lots of digging while was at work last night, but settled down for a nap on the couch while Jan and I watched TV until 11:00 PM. We both went to bed after that, Jan in the bedroom and myself and Stoker in the room where the whelping box is. Luckily Jan seemed to get some good sleep because Stoker and I got NONE! Stokie paced and dug nests and went in and out the dog door ('til I blocked it off for fear she would have a puppy in the outdoor run) and got up and down off the futon and.... Well, you get the picture.

She got increasingly agitated until I finally woke Jan up at around 5:00 AM and told him I thought that surely the first puppy was not too far off. As all my close friends will tell you, Jan is a WAY better/calmer puppy midwife than I am. I clear out and write down pertinent information and provide supplies and he assists the Momma dog. Jan sent me off to catch a little sleep until the first arrival and woke me just in time for our first puppy at 6:37 this AM!

Allowing for errors in sex and coat type due to lots of frantic activity and a slightly stressy mom (settling down nicely after puppy #3):

The first pup was a female, 11.75 ounces and with parti-color (lots of white) markings. It looks like there is dark skin under the hair, so I bet she will tick in like her mom. She looks to be curly. Her litter name is "Angel".

Second pup is a male, 12.5 ounces, born at 7:24 and mostly black. He looks curly too. His litter name is "Mako".

Third puppy is also a male, 9.5 ounces and lightly Irish marked (collar, stomach, muzzle/blaze). He looks wavy. His litter name is "Hammerhead". Hmm, perhaps because his marking reminded us of Decker....

As you can see, the litter names will all be different shark varieties. Stay tuned for more updates. Chili has been helping and very nosy (and Stoker doesn't seem to mind), while Decker is staying clear of the chaos out in the living room.

Still Waiting...

Stoker went in for an x-ray on Monday so we could get a more accurate count of how many pups to expect. The x-ray showed six pups, one more than we spotted on the ultrasound. It's always amazing to see the x-ray of a pregnant bitch. All those puppy skeletons seem to take up the entire insides of the Momma dog!

I took her for a walk after the vet appointment and then left her home for Jan to watch while I went to agility class with Chili and Decker.

On Tuesday, Decker and Chili were scheduled for chiropractor appointments. They get quite a bit of wear and tear on their bodies with all the activities they do and preventative maintenance sure beats having them get injured and needing to be patched back together again. When the chiropractor heard that Stoker was pregant she suggested a less intensive adjustment would be good for her too, as it should help her have the puppies easier. I was all for that, so Stoker got an adjustment as well.

This morning, Stoker was the last to clean her breakfast bowl and usually she is the first. I fed her lunch, and she wanted to be fussed over and hand-fed. I brought her home a little early this PM since she seems just a little stressy and was shivering a little bit now and again when I would check on her. Now that she is home, she is sleeping peacefully, of course! I'll take her temperature before I feel comfortable heading back down to teach classes this evening and leaving her in Jan's care.

The Taking of the Temperature

Oh the indignity of it all! Lucky Stoker gets to have her temperature taken every morning and evening between now and when the puppies come. Generally pregnant bitches during the last trimester will have a baseline temperature somewhat below what is normal. A significant rise in temperature, followed by a dramatic drop to under 98.4 F usually indicates that labor will begin within about 24 hours. Taking Stoker's temperature can help give us some advance warning of when the puppies may make their appearance.

Stoker has a Big Booty

We went for a fitness walk on Monday despite the torrential rain and wind. Stoker got dolled up in Decker's rainsuit and didn't mind the weather at all.

Stoker hadn't been to work with me for about five days, and I brought her in with me yesterday (Tuesday). Hopefully Stoker couldn't understand what was being said as I had comments ranging from "boy, her butt is getting really wide!" to "hey, she's starting to waddle"!

She got a haircut today. I trimmed her Jacket and legs to about 1-inch long and shaved her rear shorter. This short lion trim should be quite practical for her maternity leave. When I get her home tonight, I will have Jan hold her on her back for me so I can clip her belly short. I got some before and after photos from her haircut and I'll post them as soon as I have a chance to upload them.

Tummy Shots

Stoker is getting almost twice as much food as she usually does. We've been careful not to increase her food intake to the point that she is overweight, because she needs to be fit to whelp the puppies. Her ribs are still easily felt, so she is a good weight despite the high volume of food she is consuming!

The photo at the left shows Stoker reclining on the couch on Sunday 11/25/07, while the photo to the right was taken today. In the photos, I don't think she looks all that much bigger, but in "person" she looks like she has swallowed a volley-ball! Her looks are deceiving because the jacket of her lion trim falls right around her waistline, but when you put your hands on her, she has no waist at all.

I am hoping to run into Portland tomorrow to stock up on Chicken wings at the meat wholesaler. We buy them 30 pounds at a time throughout the year as one of the meat sources in the dog's diet. The wings were Chili's favorite protein source when she was nursing her litter so we want to make sure we have plenty on hand.

Keep an eye out for continued updates as things progress.