For those of you who saw and responded to my last post...thank you for your thoughts and comments. I'm back home with Blue and as I suspected she would, the Vet prescribed a round of antibiotics. Hopefully that'll be the end of his course of treatment and he'll experience a quick recovery and get back to the business of gaining weight. For now I've got an alarm set for 5a and 5p so I don't miss any doses. Will also be assuring some solo nursing time to help him out while he's a bit under the weather. He's still acting normal... doesn't look skinny or dehydrated and fortunately the Vet saw nothing other than his elbow that caused her pause. His mobility seems a bit compromised, understandably, due to the swelling which seems to have increased throughout the day as I waited for his appointment. She noticed the scratches I mentioned and agreed with my thought that he may have been scratched by one of the other pups while he/she was trying to fight for position at the milk bar. Will keep everyone posted on Blue's progress... she did say not to expect much improvement for a few days. :-(
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Well as noted in an earlier blog post, Blue wasn't keeping up weight with his litter-mates. And this morning I think I identified the likely reason. While I had him with mom for a solo nursing session I noticed his left elbow is swollen. Might be evidence of a small healing scratch but not sure. In any event we are off to the Vet this afternoon to get their opinion of the situation. Otherwise he's still nursing well and moving about. We shall see. Send positive thoughts his way. I'll update when we get home from the vet. :-(
Seems a bit of the glitch in the system... or not. Maybe I jinxed Blue by miscalculating his gain last week. He started out as one of the larger pups but now assumes position of last place for weight. He's even been surpassed by Copper. He seems absolutely fine but things are tightening up at the milk bar and it's not uncommon for some to lose some ground as the larger pups power their way in. Worthy of keeping an eye on and worthy of stepping in to make sure he gets some one on one time with mom a few times a day for the next week or so. It's always a relief when they begin eating mash and their struggle to fight for position behind them. In Blue's honor... But also due to it being National Blueberry Pie today, in addition (mostly) to the fact that I still have some recently picked blueberries -I prepared and just pulled one out of the oven. Hoping it's good. Historically I've not been a huge fan of Blueberries but my tastes have changed over the years. Trip To Town For Ice Cream Is In Order!  Outside of it being you-pick fruit and local farm season, (strawberries last Saturday) I'm trying to get some things under control around the ole homestead while Getka is still the main caretaker of the pups. S far my job, has been that of making sure they held their own week one, taking their pics, stepping in only when deemed it might be beneficial and keeping a clean set of bedding under them. But I've got a couple HUGE rows of Azaleas I need to take down to stumps this year. Did the others last year. And now is the time. While my cousin was here and we were locked down for the most part, I did some work on an old gazebo, aka my "creepy" gazebo, that's been a long and ongoing project. Benefits of which are two fold.... a nice spot for a dog or two in addition to an added spot to enjoy myself. Unfortunately, I left Dazzle and Jess out there a bit two long one day and Dazzle proceeded to do some digging around the block work I did last year. Dealing with her idea of improvements which differ slightly from my own, is on the soon to do list too. I have a couple weeks left before the pups basically require all of my attention. The pups though are absolutely getting cuter and more interesting by the day. More mobile and animated. A little barking and a glimpse of personality. Today they'll receive their first dose of de-wormer and a nail clip. They've been getting regular cuddles and if I climb in and sit in the whelping box with them they're now maneuvering over to get close. Sweetness overload. The Stars Of The Show!  And on alert...  And... the wee ones are beginning to look like little Dobermans!!! Actually their attempts to maneuver at this stage remind me a bit of fishes out of water. Flipping and flailing about. But they're trying. I got a few pics of them up on their stubby little all fours however my attempts were about as successful as their attempts to walk were. But... pics I promised but pics there are. Sorry so late in the day. Click on link and please read....
Pups continue to do great!!! Along with Getka who's doing a fabulous job mothering them. Appetites are increasing, eyes are just beginning to open and pups are beginning to get their feet under them. Green was the first to demonstrate a fairly decent walk yesterday. Now several of them are trying. A "walk" equates to just a couple steps but I give them credit for it. Hard to capture with a camera though because they don't stay up long. Have been a little busy around the ole homestead... still dealing with the fall of leaves... in spring. Seems I spend a considerable amount of time yearly tending a burn pit... either dealing with leaves or remnants of some sort of construction project. Yesterday was both... at least until my sweeper crapped out on me. Have to go out today and see if I can do some surgery on it to unlock the wheels. Sadly I think it may have simply reached end of life. But I shall see. Today I'm posting pics of Galtero simply because he was my helper for the most part of day and the subject of my photography... Will try and get some updated pup pics today or this evening and post tomorrow... DAD... OUT DOING DAD THINGS LOUNGING  Playing Ball! And Drinking!  Sorry guys... No offense intended. I know you work hard too... :-)
Pups are all doing great and have experienced good gains over just under a weeks time. One just over a pound, most 3/4 to just under a pound, and for some reason one, Brown, only six ounces. He seems healthy though. I've not noticed any behavior that leads me to think otherwise. Maybe it's as simple as him missing the feeding just prior to weights being taken. While my intent was to upload some photos yesterday the pups just weren't being photogenic. Ended up taking the camera with me when I retired for the evening and snapped a few as I watched them along with some TV. Some not the greatest maybe -but better than none. Everyones getting around fairly well. Scooting for the most part pulling from the front with back legs extended. A few trying to propel on occasion by drawing a back leg up for a push off. Tails are looking good... healing. Other than that there's not much new to report... eat sleep and repeat.  Getting The Hang of Proper Formation: Mealtime Etiquette  Busy day around the homestead yesterday and didn't even take a moment to check the website but this morning I see you guys have been busy with comments. And I love it. Also like to see the interaction between some of you. The comment section is a bit limited in amount of times you can respond to a specific post but new threads can always be added via new comment. I really enjoy input... lets me know you're keeping up to date with updates. Also helps me build a rapport with each of you outside our typically lengthy initial phone conversations. We have a lot of ground to cover over the course of the next 9 weeks. Many pics and general updates to cover on my end... and preparations for incoming on your end. I'll try and make your wait as pleasant as I can. Will try and snap a few more photos today and get them uploaded this evening.... pups are growing and getting plump. Doing well. Below is our adjusted reservation list... please check it and make sure your names coincide with what you had originally agreed to and are expecting. I still have copy of the original.  But of course each of you waiting are already aware of that development. I finally reached the last person on our list yesterday. As it turns out Getka came through pretty much perfect as far as satisfying her reservation list goes. I've decided not to keep a pup from the litter... too much on my plate as it stands. Additionally, one on our list has unfortunately been adversely affected financially by the Covid-19 crisis and another, last on list, due to the same reason feels now may not be the best time for her. Both will hold out for a pup from an upcoming litter. Hopefully things will begin to settle before that time comes. I want to thank each of you for your patience while waiting for me to get my blog up and running. It's been a busy few days. The pups began to make their appearance early morning on Monday with the last arrival just after noon. Monday was basically a wash for me. Exhausted from a long night that extended throughout the day. Tuesday was kind of a return to normal although I still had my cousin visiting and Getka required frequent checks for safety's sake. Wednesday was a day to chill... my last day to enjoy company in this day of social distancing. Maryann left me early yesterday morning for her return trip to Idaho. Now it's back to business. The pups had their first road trip this morning for a vet visit that included phase one of breed specific beautification... tails and dewclaws. All are settled once again with mom and doing well. Weights were obtained the day after birth and will be done roughly weekly. We have one pretty little guy. He lands within the low normal for expected birth weights but in comparison to the others he's light. Not uncommon to have a small pup or two in a litter but as long as latching, eating etc I've learned not to be concerned. He may get a bit of extra attention down the road if the larger pups start to push him away from the milk bar. A little extra alone time with mom but I expect nothing else. Collars were placed and the colors they wear today will be their color throughout their time with me. I do have a bit of disappointing news. I called to schedule crops and for some reason we are being made to wait until the pups reach the age of ten weeks. I'm aware it's the Vets preference as he attempted to hold off until the first litter I delivered to him reach the age of 10 weeks. That time after speaking with the receptionist she spoke with him and an "exception" was made. This time around the receptionist wasn't budging when I called. Mentioned something about Covid... Not sure how that would affect the pups but since it's difficult to locate good croppers I decided it was in my best interest not to argue too much. The pups are scheduled for their crops June 22nd and will be ready for pick up June 23rd. So mark your calendars now. It's best to get them on their way as soon as possible so they don't destroy each others surgical ware. I guess that's about it for now. I'm struggling a bit with my server. Weebly isn't allowing me to change the header photo of this page so for now we'll be looking at a gazebo roof. Hopefully a temporary glitch in their system. As I type this, I have my fingers crossed that I don't run into the same problem when I attempt to upload a slide show. Up next on my list of things to do. Wish me luck. I know you're all anxious to get a glimpse of your pups.  Day One One and A Half... Out For First Linen Change  Day Two Click on photos to enlarge these small ones... Day Three-Four Settling In! |
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