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Happy-go-lucky Sierra, Day 53 days (pre-parturition)


Miss Sierra cooling off on a warm day.

Well we are now entering the final stretch and Sierra continues to be such a happy girl. The babies can be born safely at around day 57 onward. Sierra had her pups on day 59 previously so we will see if she makes it to day 63 which is average for most dogs.

Sierra’s abdomen is measuring approximately 34 inches or 86.3 cm. She has never turned her nose up at anything we put in front of her and continues to eat balanced meals with supplements to ensure she and the pups are getting all the nutrition they require. She seems to be prancing around the house in such delight of her upcoming big event.

Take a look at this link for a brief understanding of what is going on in Sierra’s womb.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnlEfXVKxgY


Around day 45 the puppies’ coats appear which is one of the last organs to develop. Toward day 50 of gestation, the fetuses will have fully ossified skeletons, which will be visible in an X-ray. Performing an X-ray is not damaging to the puppies and in most cases will enable us to count the number of developed pups and determine how much sleep we’re going to lose at the time of delivery!

The pups have now fully developed their “puppy” features and will continue to grow through the final stages of development. We can easily feel the puppies moving around when we rub Sierra’s tummy and we’re sure they’re getting very crowded in there!
Moms instinctively seek out a quiet place to make their nest or intended home for their new flock. Sierra will begin to scout the yard and begin digging her den until, of course she finds out that we have a nice quiet sanitary area already set up for her!
Stay tuned…..

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