Mango and Steele Puppies - Day 39 Pre-parturition
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| Mango enjoying the shade of a spruce tree - with her ball! |
We were happy to confirm last
week that our sweet girl Mango is indeed expecting! It is hard to believe that she is already past the halfway mark
and is due in only 24 days (approximately).
If Mango had it her way she would be content to play ball all
day long then cuddle and have her belly rubbed all evening long. She has always
been a very affectionate girl but she is in overdrive now. She is in great
spirits and is still very active with her favorite sport – retrieving her ball.
Mango has been a little picky with her breakfasts lately but
we embellish with roast chicken, fresh veggies and apples and that seems to do
the trick. Nutrition is very important at this stage as the puppies grow so
rapidly over the next few weeks.
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| Above is an amazing photo by National Geographic of a puppy embryo at 25 days. This is approximately the time Mango had her ultrasound. |
At this stage the puppies eyes
and spinal cords have begun to develop and the face is also forming. Fetuses are approximately 1.3 cm. This may seem small but
they will triple in size in just one week. Between days 29 and 35 their toes,
whisker, and claws start to develop. They are now beginning to look like dogs!
Interestingly, their eyes are open during development but close and remain
closed until they are approximately 10 days old.
We will continue to pamper our Mango and impatiently count
down each day till the big event!
Stay tuned ….