Previous litter - Adele and Crewe. Adele delivered 10 pups (6 males and 4 females) on February 3, 2017. Dam - Setherwood Adeline "Adele"
Adele is a very sweet and energetic girl outside but inside she is the "velcro girl", always sitting as close as possible to anyone near her. She is a bit smaller than some on the other girls, with a straight smooth gold coat and very dark pigmentation. This is her second litter, having produced 9 pups in June of 2015. Adele has clearances for hip displasia, detectable heart defects and eye cataracts. Click HERE for details and for Adele's pedigree. Sire - Ch. Bowbell's Rigged'n Ready "Crewe"
Crewe is a fairly big boy with a beautiful medium gold coat and excellent pigmentation. He won his show championship easily due to his wonderful structure and cheerful nature that are so obvious to all who meet him. His pedigree combines some of the good old lines from Canada and the U.S.A. He has all his clearances including an OFA Excellent rating on his hips. Crewe has clearances for hip displasia, elbow displasia, detectable heart defects and eye cataracts. Click HERE for details and for Crewe's pedigree. Birthday - February 3, 2017. Adele and Crewe - 10 pups (6M, 4F) born on February 3, 2017. Adele delivered her first pup at 9:20 am and her last at 1:25 pm which is quick for 10 pups. The birth weights ranged from 14.5 to 16.5 ounces which is very acceptable. The pups were vigorous and nursed immediately. As of 9 pm Adele and her litter are doing well. The next 72 hours are important as Adele settles into motherhood and the pups organs begin to function. Here are pictures taken today.
February 5 update. Adele is a devoted mother, just as she was for her previous two litters. The pups are all nursing but two have lost a bit of weight so we put collars on them to allow us to make sure that they are getting the milk they need. Otherwise all is well. February 12 update. Nine days old and all is well. Four of the pups were smaller and we were concerned that they were not gaining as they should. So these pups were fed a supplement using a tube which allows us to inject the right amount directly into the stomachs. This is faster and more accurate than bottle feeding. As of today, all four have responded well and are now in the normal weight range. Adele is still doing a great job. She spends almost all of her time with the pups but has been seen sleeping outside the whelping box. This is normal. As time goes on, she will take more frequent and longer breaks but will still look after the pups' needs. Here are pictures taken today.
February 19 update. The pups are now just over 2 weeks old. Their eyes are opening and they are beginning to walk. They continue to nurse well and are growing as expected. All 10 are in an acceptable weight range so no feeding supplementation is needed. Everything is good at the moment.
Last week's visitors were able to hold the pups for the first time. It was quite peaceful as the pups slept through all the attention. Adele enjoyed some time away and insisted that she get her share of the pats available. Here are a few pictures.
March 2 update. The pups are just about four weeks old and are doing well. They were beginning to look over the side of the whelping box, a sure sign that they would soon climb out. So today we removed the box and re-organized their area to house the pups until they leave us. Their first time on the floor was a bit scary but they soon adapted. They experienced wood shavings, big dogs, water and toys. And, as is usual, they eventually fell asleep. From now on, Adele will not spend all her time but will visit twice each day to nurse them. They will also get two feedings of solid food each day. As the weeks go by, the nursings will decrease while the solid food feedings will increase until they are completely weaned at about seven weeks of age. Here are pictures taken today.
Mug Shots - March 2. The pups are now wearing the coloured collars that we will use to identify them until they leave us. Here they are.
March 3 update. There is no longer enough space for all 10 pups to nurse at the same time so Adele nurses 5 while the other 5 eat solid food (Royal Canin starter ration soaked and blended). As the next nursing/feeding time, the groups are reversed. The pups enjoy both events as these pictures show.
March 7 update. The pups are doing very well. Adele is still nursing on a schedule and the pups are eating solid food at a great pace. They are growing (see pictures below) and acting as expected. All is well.
Here are a few of the things that pups like to do during visiting hours.
Adele seems to feel a bit left out as all the visitors were spending time with the pups. Then, someone showed her that she is important too.
March 15 update. The pups are almost 6 weeks old. They are showing their personalities particularly as they play with the weekly visitors. All are active and outgoing. They have received their microchips. Adele is still nursing them but only once each day. The weaning process will be complete in the next week. Here are pictures taken during last week's visiting time. Our thanks to Bernie for providing the pictures.
March 18 update. Each morning, we clean the pups' area (they can be a tiny bit messy). While we are cleaning, they spend time out of their area playing with their activity centre and each other. Then, when the area is clean and ready (fresh shavings, towels, toys and water), we put them back and they continue to have fun. It's a tough life. Here are pictures taken this morning. March 28 update. We are in the last week before the pups leave for their new homes. They have almost finished the de-worming process and are being changed from the starter ration to Royal Canin Maxi puppy food. They have been matched to their new owners which made last Saturday's visiting time special. Our thanks to Bernie (he's in the second picture from the top, left side) for some of these pictures. Vet exam and first shots - March 28, 2017. Dr. Dan of the Uxbridge Veterinary Hospital came today to give each pup a physical exam and first vaccination. Mr White volunteered to give his account of the process.
March 30 update - new mug shots. Here are the mug shots that we took today beside the ones we took at 4 weeks. While the pups are bigger with more hair, they still have the same facial characteristics. And, of course, the same look of unbridled enthusiasm.
And here is the final growth picture - about 13 pounds in under 8 weeks. (It's Mr Purple.)
March 31 update - almost time to leave.
Going Home - April 1, 2017. The pups' day began as usual - breakfast, some time playing while the pen was cleaned and then a snooze. But soon there were many visitors. Most brought towels and toys that they wanted the pups to play with so that their pup would be less lonely during the first days. They were happy to oblige. After the seminar, we scanned each pup's microchip to be sure they were correct. And then, after weeks of waiting, it was time to take the pups home. Great excitement! Here are the pictures taken this morning.
Here are the happy owners and their new family members. We thank each of them for choosing Setherwood Goldens.
And just a few more.
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