Well, we are getting very close to PUPPIES! Kyrie began having smaller contractions today, so we should have pups soon! Stay tuned!
I thought I would toss in a photo of our lovely Durawhelp box which is holding up very well (it is corrugated polystyrene, super easy to clean and disinfect, and breaks down and stores neatly back in its shipping box between litters!). The blue hanging sheets are surgical drapes, generously donated by a friend of ours. :) The lamp emits only heat, not light. Baby puppy eyes are sensitive, and we lock down the blinds when they are younger. As the pups get older, after their eyes open and start to adjust, we like them to get lots of natural light. This corner with its two large windows is perfect. :)
Off to the side of the whelping box enclosure (which has a pad for Kyrie to sleep on outside of the box, along with space for her food and water), we have our grooming table set up with the medical supplies and accessories we might need during and after whelping. There are pads for the whelping box down below (after whelping is over, we will exchange the newsprint for these soft, washable pads in the whelping box), and a box holding more supplies. We also have extra ribbon for puppy collars (used for identification until we learn who is who!) and a baby scale for the puppies. Just after birth and then every day for the first couple weeks, we will weigh the pups to make sure they are gaining a healthy amount of weight. :)
This will be my last post for a while, as I try to get the house in order (I know I will have no time to do so during and after whelping...new puppies are a full-time job!). :) If you email me and do not get an immediate response over the next few days, don't worry too much--once the pups are born and the situation is stable, I will update this blog, email all of our puppy people, and post on our Shiloh Shepherd Friends forum (www.shilohshepherdfriends.com) as soon as humanly possible! :D
Thanks for reading, everyone! We're very excited about these pups!
What an informative post, Anne! For those of use who think puppies just arrive POOF like magic, it's interesting to see how much preparation and planning goes into bringing a healthy litter into the world. Your puppy people must be so excited!----Joanne (Davey from Riverwind)
ReplyDeleteHi Joanne! Yes, it is definitely quite a bit of work and worry but having everything organized and where you need it helps quite a bit in keeping one's sanity. :)
ReplyDeleteKyrie is having larger contractions today and I think the puppies have dropped in preparation for moving out, as I noticed that Kyr's profile has changed a little when I took her out a while ago. My guess is we will have pups by tomorrow morning. Crossing fingers!