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Nora and Crewe - 11 pups (2 females, 9 males) born November 10, 2017.
Nora
is a compact girl with a beautiful head and expression. She is easy to
live with, always wanting to please and always ready for a walk or a
swim. We bred her to Ch.
Bowbell's Rigged'n Ready "Crewe". We have had several litters sired by
him from other mothers and have always been pleased with the resulting
conformation and excellent Golden temperament. We expect that these
pups will have lovely heads, pleasant expression and excellent
movement. We also expect a variety of shades of gold. Nora has clearances for hip dysplasia, detectable heart defects and eye cataracts. Click HERE for details and for Nora's pedigree.
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 dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, detectable heart defects and eye cataracts. Click HERE for details and for Crewe's pedigree. Birthday - November 10, 2017. Nora had a very easy and efficient delivery, producing 11 pups in just under 3 hours (5:50 am to 8:45 am). The birth weights ranged from 9 to 15.5 ounces. The pups were vigorous and nursed immediately. As of 1 pm Nora and her pups were doing well. The next 72 hours are important as Nora settles into motherhood and the pups organs begin to function.
Nora is nursing her pups in two shifts to be sure that the smaller ones have opportunity to nurse. So she nurses five while the the other six sleep in a heated green bin. After about 45 minutes, the shifts change. She will have all 11 overnight. The smaller pups will be watched carefully so that we know if they need to be supplemented.
Four days old - November 14, 2017. All 11 pups and Nora are doing well. Nora is eating everything that we offer and is spending all her time with the pups. And the pups are nursing well and growing as expected. We feel that none of the pups are at risk.
The pups are still following the nursing schedule (half nurse while half sleep in the green bin). Here are a few pictures of the bin residents.
We have been supplementing the two smallest pups to be sure that they thrive. We are feeding a milk replacer by stomach tube. Both pups have responded well. We use the stomach tube to supplement as it is easier for the pups with less loss. We mark the tube to be sure that we insert it to the proper depth. We then slide the tube down into the stomach and inject the fluid.
Two weeks old - November 24, 2017. The pups are all doing very well. At birth, they ranged from 9 to 15.5 ounces. Today, their weights ranged from 2 pounds to 2 pounds 8 ounces. No feeding supplementation is needed. They are still nursing on a schedule during the day as there is not enough room for all to nurse at once.Their eyes are starting to open. Nothing will change during the next week. The pups will continue to nurse, sleep and grow. Here are pictures taken today.
Visitors - November 25, 2017. This was the first time the new owners could cuddle the pups. Here are a few of the many pictures taken.
First feeding - November 29, 2017. Although the pups are not yet 3 weeks old, we decided to see if they would eat solid food (Royal Canin starter kibble soaked in hot water until soft). Some were ready and others not. Nora enjoyed the clean-up.
Here are two other pictures taken today.
Three weeks old - December 1, 2017. The pups can see, hear and walk. They are eating solid food well which is unusual for 3 week olds. They are probably 3 to 4 days ahead of schedule. Nora is nursing while standing which is working well for her and for the pups. We still have two shifts, one staying with Nora and the other sleeping in 2 bins (they are too big for just one bin). In addition to the nursings, the pups will eat two meals of solid food each day. Here are pictures taken today.
And one more to show how to get more than your share.
Visitors - December 2, 2017. Some of the new owners arrived to view, photograph and cuddle the pups. And Nora enjoyed some attention as well.
And two more.
Moving day and mug shots - December 7, 2017. As the pups were beginning to look over the side of the whelping box, it was time to move them to new quarters. So the whelping box was removed and the area was set up to house the pups until they leave us. Their first time on the floor was a bit scary but they soon adapted. They will eat 4 meals each day, 2 nursings and 2 feedings of solid food. The number of nursings will decrease each week while the number of solid meals will increase until the pups are completely weaned at about 7 weeks of age. The next four weeks will be a time of change. Before the pups leave us, they will be weaned, de-wormed, vet-checked, microchipped and vaccinated. They will spend several hours with their new owners and others during visiting times so that they will be confident with people. They will also develop their individual personalities as they interact with each other. It's a lot to experience but essential if they are to be ready for life in their new homes. They are up to the challenge. Here are pictures taken today.
While most of the pups went to sleep soon after arriving in the new area, Mr Blue went exploring. Here are a few pictures.
Mug Shots - December 7. The pups received their coloured collars today. As usual, we asked them to show their most intelligent faces which, of course, they did. Here are the results.
Visitors - December 8 and 9, 2017. Pups and visitors entertained each other for two hours each day. As is usual, the pups were active at the beginning then fell asleep. Everyone had a great time.
Five weeks old and visitors on December 16 and 17. The pups are great. They are healthy, active and inquisitive. They are weaned and eating their mushy meals (4 each day) with enthusiasm and speed. Their personalities are developing and they are gaining confidence every day. Next week they will be given another dose of worm medicine. Except for that indignity, it will be a week of growth and fun. During one of this week's visiting times, we clipped the pups' nails. Not all enjoyed the experience (2nd picture).
Also, 3 of the pups were sleeping in a row so we decided to try to make it a row of 11 sleeping puppies. The result is pictured below.
Six weeks old and visitors - December 24. The next 2 weeks will be a time of change as we prepare the pups for their lives with their new owners. Their food will be changed to the Royal Canin Maxi puppy food that they will be fed after they leave. They will be given a veterinary health exam, their first vaccines and their microchips which will be their permanent identification. They will receive their final parasite control meds and will be matched to the new owners. And finally, they will leave us to start new lives. There is a lot for them to experience and, like the pups before them, they will be just fine through it all. The pups have been well socialized, due in large part to the weekly visiting times. The visitors have shown them that humans are gentle and fun and each week they have become more confident. Here are a few pictures taken as they interacted with the visitors this past weekend.
Update - January 6, 2018. The pups were due to leave us but, due to a health issue affecting some of them, only 5 are ready to leave. As of today, 4 have gone to their new homes and are doing well. One more will leave tomorrow. We will keep the others for another week to see how they do. Hopefully, most will be able to leave next weekend. Here are pictures of the 4 pups meeting their new owners.
And the family shots.
Here is Miss Pink as she starts her new life on January 7.
The pups still with us had 2 visitors today. They were in great form.
Update - January 10, 2018 - Snow Days. We took the 6 pups for some time in the snow on January 9 and again on the 10th. They did really well, enjoying the snow for about 15 minutes each day. Here are the pictures.
Update - January 13, 2018. Mr Red, Miss Purple and Mr Black left us today. They are completely ready for the transition to new homes. Here are the pictures.
We took the pups to the parking area for a quick run-around before the car trips home.
Update - January 14, 2018. Eight of Nora's 11 pups have gone to their new homes. The remaining 3 (Mr White, Mr Turquoise and Mr Blue) were held back to be sure that their earlier health issue had cleared. We are now able to say that they are healthy, have had their vet checks, first vaccinations and microchips and are able to go to new homes. As we needed their area for the 2 new litters, we set up an new area for them. Here are the pictures.
We have started crate training and are taking them for several walks each day. And, so they can be real dogs, we have named them: Abner (Mr White), Bartholomew (Mr Turquoise) and Cuthbert (Mr Blue). Update - January 15, 2018. Mr Blue (aka Cuthbert) left today for his new home. Here he is with his new family.
Update - January 20, 2018. Mr White and Mr Turquoise are now in their new homes. Here are the pictures taken as they left.
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Mr Lime Green
Setherwood Yara "Charlotte" (Miss Pink)
I'll hide - they'll never find me!
