Faith - Day 50 (pre-parturition)

Faith on the lookout!

Faith, aka “The Cookie Monster”

This mom-to-be has had a ferocious appetite for the past several weeks. She just can’t seem to get enough food, whether treats or meals - she is always looking for more. This was our first indication she was pregnant followed by her desire for constant affection.

Faith’s abdomen now measures approx. 31 inches or 78.7 cm with two weeks to go. She really hasn’t slowed down much but is certainly more cuddly and affectionate. Her favourite time is when we settle for the evening to watch TV. She has a keen sense of timing, patiently waiting and then jumping up on our laps and literally melts! If we don’t continue to rub her belly, her back leg instinctively kicks, letting us know we can’t stop.

Faith is currently eating two healthy meals daily which will most likely increase next week to three smaller meals daily as the pups continue to grow and there is less room for her stomach to expand. This is when the puppies will begin a huge growth spurt. Right now the spine and skull are continuing to form and the nose is clearly visible. Their heartbeats can easily be detected with a stethoscope or ultrasound. They are developing toes, eyelids, whiskers and claws and beginning to look more like puppies everyday. The fetus is approx. 4 to 5 cm long and has developed skin pigment. Although many sacs were detected during the ultrasound at day 30, it is still difficult to determine exactly how many puppies Faith will have. Their heartbeats can be easily heard and their canine features are becoming more pronounced.

The gestation period in dogs is approximately 63 days. We are looking forward to the miracle of birth once again on approximately January 2 or 3rd.

Pre-natal period: It is an interesting fact that a dog's tactile perception develops before birth, therefore unborn puppies can detect touch when the mother is petted from the outside of the abdomen. This establishes the basis for puppies to tolerate being touched, when compared to puppies born to mothers that were not petted. Of course, we would never let that happen here!

National Geographic fetus at approximately day 39.

Stay tuned....

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