Charismatic Chanel - 50 days (pre-parturition)

Chanel enjoying some playtime in the snow!

Chanel is sailing through this pregnancy so far, but one thing we’ve noticed is that she’s becoming increasingly more affectionate. She strategically positions herself beside either one of us in the hopes that we’ll take the hint and caress her…..non-stop. She is heading into her final two weeks of pregnancy but so far is happy and enjoying the mild winter “muddy” weather.

Chanel continues to devour her food and is always looking for more. She is getting a very nutritious mixture of ground raw meat, fruit and veggies plus folic acid and raspberry leaves. Raspberry leaves have been used to strengthen the uterine walls and decrease labour time. Next week we will increase her meals to three daily.

Fetus at approximately day 39

Chanel’s abdomen measures 33 inches (84 cm) and this is when the puppies will head into a huge growth stage. Their heartbeats can easily be detected with a stethoscope or ultrasound. They are developing toes, eyelids, whiskers and claws and are beginning to look more like puppies every day. The fetus is about 45 millimeters long and has developed skin pigment.

National Geographic image of a Golden Retriever puppy fetus.

At this point, the puppies’ coats of fur are fully developed, and they will gain 75% of their size in preparation for their birth during these last few weeks. It’s truly amazing!

Stay tuned …..

Comments

Ruly and Tulip Litter - Week 1

Ruly and Tulip Litter - 1 Week Old What a week it's been! The Tulip puppies continue to thrive, gaining weight steadily and remaining fairly quiet. Tulip dotes on her family, rarely straying far from the whelping box. As you can see on the 24/7 camera, she is starting to spend a bit more time outside the box, but she consistently checks on her babies. Tulip currently eats around 4 pounds of food per day, along with calcium and pre-probiotics supplements. As her pups grow, her daily food intake will be gradually increased, reaching 5 - 6 pounds per day by the time the pups are about 7 weeks old. This increased caloric intake is necessary to meet the energy demands of milk production and to maintain Tulip's own body condition. Tulip still believes an outdoor den would be best for her pups, so we are monitoring her closely when she ventures out. The whelping box is lined with padded bedding and clean, white bleached towels on the bottom. The white towels allow us to quickly spot a...

Ruly & Tulip Litter - Week 2

Many viewers of the 24/7 puppy camera have raised questions, such as what are the pipes running alongside the whelping box. These are called "pig rails" and they are designed to protect the puppies from their mother accidentally lying on them, ensuring the puppies' safety. Since the puppies are unable to regulate their own body temperature, we use a heat lamp over the whelping box to keep them warm when Tulip is outside the box. However, we turn the heat lamp off when she is nursing the puppies. By 3 to 4 weeks of age, the puppies can regulate their temperature, which should then be in the normal range of 100.5°F to 102.5°F (38°C to 39.3°C). The most significant event this week is that the puppies' eyes have opened. Mr. Devil's eyes (the one with the red collar) were the first to open. Each puppy followed and within 48 hours they had all opened. The puppies are now weighing almost 3 lbs, and Tulip provides them nourishment at least every 2 hours, often throughou...

Ruly & Tulip Litter -Week 3

Three Weeks of Puppy Love: Tulip's Little Ones Are Growing Fast! Our "Spanish" Halloween litter is now 3 weeks old! As they enter their 4th week, we're seeing even more changes. The puppies are much steadier on their four paws and are actively walking around, as you can observe on our 24/7 camera. Mom Tulip continues to provide nourishment every few hours. Tomorrow, we'll introduce the puppies to their first solid food - a mix of pure turkey, ground bone, organ and muscle meat, along with goat's milk. This will be a communal feeding, and while the puppies may not know exactly what to do at first, they quickly devour the meal once they've had a taste. We'll start with one feeding per day and gradually increase to three times daily over the next few days. They'll continue on this three-times-a-day schedule until around 6 months of age, when we'll transition to twice-daily feedings. Mr. Broomstick cuddling with momma❤️ In other updates, the puppie...

Regalgoldens Golden Retrievers

Search This Blog