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Bella and Hudson Litter- Day 56 (Pre-Parturition)

Bella with 7 days to go!
I am not really sure where the time has gone, but Bella is now quite pre-occupied in selecting the best spot to have her pups. Her search takes her to a quiet corner of the house under a tree, probably a very luxurious location in the wild, but we have a much cozier and cleaner place in mind – her whelping box. We imported this premium whelping unit from England so I am not really sure why she feels “dirt” is better.

This week, we will re-acquaint Bella with the whelping box and make all the final preparations for the puppies’ arrival. We will be introducing it to her daily and trying to convince her as to how wonderful it is.

Bella is now receiving four smaller meals a day, as there is less room for food given the size of the puppies. She is becoming a little picky with her meals, but we continue to offer her a “gourmet” selection of nutritious foods. 

Bella's x-ray. How many puppies do you think she will have?

Bella abdomen seems to expand daily. She is now measuring approximately 36.25 inches (92 cm). Today we had her tummy x-rayed to see just how many puppies she is carrying which will help prepare us for the big event. That day (or night) won’t come too soon because Bella is taking up a lot of space on the bed and does an awful lot of grunting and snoring!

National Geographic image of a Golden Retriever Puppy
 

At this stage, the puppies have a full coat of hair and can be felt moving around in her tummy. As mentioned previously, Bella loves having her belly rubbed so it’s easy to detect movement of the little ones. It seems as if they’re anxious to get out into the world and meet their forever families!

Stay tuned .....
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