Regalgoldens Golden Retrievers

Mango, Day 53 days (pre-parturition) As we head into the home stretch, our beautiful girl is losing her figure and the look on her face tells us she knows it! Mango is slowing down and prefers to observe her canine playmates rather than participate in play. Mango looking a little embarrassed with her increase weight! She now measured 82 cms. There isn’t much room for food in Mango’s tummy these days. The puppies have grown so much that we are feeding her smaller meals throughout the day. She is rather picky in the mornings, but we can usually entice her to eat by adding some roast chicken to her breakfast. This past week, we set up the whelping box for her to get used to, however it seems that everyone has tried it out with the exception of Mango. She is still determined to have her babies outside under a spruce tree she has chosen! We are just trying to make these last ten days as comfortable and stress free as po...

Maddie, Day 53 (pre-parturition) Our calm Miss Maddie! As Maddie heads into the final ten days of her pregnancy, she is definitely slowing down and there is certain calmness about her. She continues to enjoy everything that life has to offer, but just in moderation. And she sure has a waddle in her walk these days! The one thing about Maddie that isn’t slowing down is her appetite. Typically as the puppies grow, there is less room for larger meals so we provide smaller meals throughout the day. However, Maddie hasn’t followed the norm; she is eating slower than usual but other than that, she has a great appetite! This is about the time that Maddie will focus on nesting. She will begin to seek out that perfect spot in the yard where she intends her puppies to be born. In the evenings, she continues to “demand” constant belly rubs and now we can feel the puppies when she is flat on her back. At this stage, the puppies’ coats of fur are fully developed and t...

Beautiful Mango – 46 days (pre-parturition) Mango still eagerly plays ball! It’s hard to believe that in just over 17 days, Mango will have her babies. She continues to treasure her ball and usually carries it around in her mouth all day long.   She still enjoys retrieving and playing with her canine pals but we do notice she is taking more breaks and spending time just relaxing by herself. Mango’s waistline has expanded to 77 cms. While her appetite is increasing, Mango is eating less at each meal, but is eating more frequently as we move closer to her delivery date. As always, she is receiving the most nutritious food possible. At this point in their development, the puppies have all their features. Now they will begin to grow rapidly until they are born. Several days prior to Mango giving birth, we will have an x-ray done to see approximately how many puppies she will have. This week, we will prepare the whelping box and introduce ...

Loving Maddie - 46 days (pre-parturition) Maddie can never have enough belly rubs!   Maddie hasn’t skipped a beat with this pregnancy. Her appetite certainly hasn’t suffered and she continues to polish off her meals and look for more food! We don’t want her to gain unnecessary weight so we are monitoring her food intake. Maddie’s waistline has expanded to 77cms. She is becoming increasingly more affectionate and is demanding more belly rubs as you can see from the photo above.  Her activity level has remained about the same but over the next couple of weeks we expect she will be slowing down. 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. Pregnant dogs tha...

Mango and Steele Puppies - Day 39 Pre-parturition Mango enjoying the shade of a spruce tree - with her ball! We were happy to confirm last week that our sweet girl Mango is indeed expecting! It is hard to believe that she is already past the halfway mark and is due in only 24 days (approximately). If Mango had it her way she would be content to play ball all day long then cuddle and have her belly rubbed all evening long. She has always been a very affectionate girl but she is in overdrive now. She is in great spirits and is still very active with her favorite sport – retrieving her ball. Mango has been a little picky with her breakfasts lately but we embellish with roast chicken, fresh veggies and apples and that seems to do the trick. Nutrition is very important at this stage as the puppies grow so rapidly over the next few weeks. Above is an amazing photo by National Geographic of a puppy embryo at 25 days. This is approximately the time Mango had her...

Maddie and Jazz Puppies - Day 39 Pre-parturition The above dark area shows a pup in the gestational sac   We had some terrific news this past week: an ultrasound confirmed our sweet, beautiful girl Maddie is expecting!  This is an exciting time for all of us as it seems like an eternity since we have had puppies in our household. Maddie is in great spirits, active as ever and is becoming increasingly more affectionate.  She never seemed to experience morning sickness, which is certainly not the norm for most expectant moms. Diet is so important at this stage as the puppies will begin to grow rapidly over the next 24 days. In the coming weeks as her abdomen grows, Maddie will obviously begin to slow down. Embryo at day 39   At this point, the embryonic sacs are a little over 4 cm.  Although several sacs were detected during the ultrasound, it is still difficult to determine exactly how many babies Maddie...

Mr. Brown ...looking so Regal! This week was all about having fun and getting dirty in the process. Fortunately, the morning dew that covered the lawn was nature’s little miracle footbath that cleansed the puppies’ feet on their way back to the playpen. This week was also about meeting new people, making new relationships and evolving roles. As their mother and caregiver, Bella still provided the occasional snack to her little entourage, but after mealtime, she became their playmate, one on one or in groups. Not unexpectedly, their “Aunt” Sierra who has always adored the puppies, was their favourite and most capable chum. She would inspire a group to chase her and then roll onto her back to allow the little ones to climb on her. With such keen maternal instincts, Sierra is bound to be an exceptional mum herself one day. Aunt Sierra playing with Bella's puppies. The group was eager to get further acquainted with their dad, Hudson and their “Uncle” Jazz, but did h...