Skip to main content

Olivia - Day 42 Pre-Parturition

Olivia sporting her baby bump.

 Olivia - Day 42 Pre-Parturition

Olivia has always had a voracious appetite, consuming her meals at a rapid pace. She is acutely aware of her feeding schedule, anticipating mealtimes to the minute. Over the past couple of weeks, Olivia has been enjoying three daily meals, a departure from our typical practice, but one necessitated by her evident hunger. Her diet continues to consist of a healthy regimen of fresh foods, including a variety of proteins, puréed vegetables, farm-fresh eggs, folic acid, and pre- and probiotics. As Olivia's abdomen expands, measuring 76 cm (30 inches), her capacity for food will diminish, prompting us to increase the frequency of her meals while reducing the portion size of each.

National Geographic embryo at 25 days of gestation.

The provided image from National Geographic depicts an embryo at 25 days of gestation, approximately the stage captured during Olivia's recent ultrasound on day 27. From day 35 onward, the developing offspring are classified as fetuses, with the embryonic sacs measuring just over 4 cm. While six sacs were detected during the ultrasound, the precise number of puppies Olivia will deliver remains uncertain. These fetuses, currently 1.3 cm in size, will undergo rapid growth, tripling in size within a single week.

Between days 29 and 35 of gestation, the puppies' spinal cords, hands, and vital organs begin to form, and their heartbeats become easily detectable. Their facial features, including their canine characteristics, are also taking shape, with the development of eyelids, ears, whiskers, claws, and separated toes. Interestingly, the puppies' eyes are initially open but will fuse shut around day 35 to protect them during the remainder of their development, reopening approximately 10 days after birth.

With a gestation period of approximately 63 days, Olivia's pregnancy is nearing its conclusion, with only 21 days remaining until the anticipated miracle of birth, expected to occur around June 22nd or 23rd.


Stay tuned!

Labels:
Location: Caledon, ON, Canada

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fiona & Dutch’s Autumn Litter 2025!

Dutch and Fiona's puppies arrived! Introducing Fiona & Dutch’s Autumn Litter 2025 We are thrilled to share that Dutch and Fiona has welcomed her first litter on Wednesday October 22nd!  She was expecting 12 puppies, and although we sadly lost three little angels after a long 14-hour labour, we are overjoyed to have  nine healthy, robust pups — three girls and six boys . Fiona has been an exceptional first-time mom, instinctively knowing what to do and bonding with her puppies immediately.  Meet our Autumn Litter, in birth order: 🍂  Miss Kale  – Purple collar 🍂  Miss Spice  – Orange collar 🍂  Mr. Acorn  – Brown collar 🍂  Mr. Apple Pie  – Red collar 🍂  Mr. Gourd  – Green collar 🍂  Mr. Twilight  – Black collar 🍂  Mr. Frost  – Light Blue collar 🍂  Mr. Sunrise  – Yellow collar 🍂  Miss Mushroom  – White collar We can’t wait to share more updates as these little ones grow! Stay...
3 comments
Read more

Storm & Tulip Puppies – Day One

  They're Here! What a day it was! Tulip didn't skip a beat yesterday. She enjoyed breakfast, lunch, and dinner as if it were any other day... and then, at 6:30 p.m., she calmly welcomed her first puppy into the world. Making a grand entrance was  Mr. Rocky Road  (brown collar). Not long afterward,  Mr. Maple Walnut  (beige collar) arrived, and that's when things started to get a little more exciting! Our third arrival,  Mr. Pistachio  (green collar), decided the backyard lawn was the perfect place to make his debut while Tulip and I were out for an evening walk. Thankfully, I always carry a towel with me when we're close to whelping. I scooped up our newest little traveler, and Tulip and I made a speedy dash back to the house. The surprises didn't stop there!  Miss Vanilla  (white collar) made her entrance on the bedroom carpet while I was letting Tulip outside for a quick bathroom break. Shortly afterward,  Mr. Moose Tracks  (blac...
1 comment
Read more

A Big Week for Dutch and Fiona's Puppies!

Two weeks old today! Fiona's puppies are now two weeks old, and what an exciting stage this is! Every day brings new changes as the puppies grow stronger, more aware, and even more adorable (if that’s possible). At this age, the biggest milestone is that their eyes are now open! Though their vision is still a bit blurry, they’re beginning to see the world for the first time — mostly shapes, light, and movement. Over the next week, their eyesight will continue to sharpen, and they’ll start recognizing their littermates, their mom, and of course, us humans. The puppies are also becoming more mobile. Their wobbly little legs are gaining strength as they start to scoot, crawl, and even attempt to stand. It’s amazing to watch how quickly they go from tiny, sleepy newborns to curious explorers. Fiona is doing a wonderful job keeping everyone clean, warm, and fed. Although she doesn't have the milk supply we hoped for, we are supplementing by bottle feeding at least once daily.  The p...
1 comment
Read more