Update and Development of the Puppies for Weeks 8 and 9

Hilde is getting very uncomfortable, she's still eating well and turning in for the night by 8:30-9pm, puppies are easily seen when she's resting romping around.  Time to give her a bath and tummy shave.  Her discharge was a little gumming this morning.  It's time to watch her carefully

She lays on her side and has moved several time to get comfortable, letting her tummy stretch over a pillow, kicking her back feet to get comfortable ... augh, finally resting.  She knows where her puppy pool is for whelping and sleeps in there (my master bathroom) every night, she's quite content.  Every morning she has her back to me when I move the baby gate to let her out for the morning (about 6:30-7:30am).  Once the puppies are 2-3 weeks old we move them into the whelping box, exercise area with the potty park there ready for their eyes to open and start to go towards it to use (it's amazing they really do!)

Today she's very restless to get comfortable and doing a lot of stretching, my guess is the puppies are getting in line to be born, sometimes puppies can get pretty active deciding the lineup.

WEEK EIGHT (Days 50-57)  (Hilde is 53 Days Pregnant Today)


DEVELOPMENT OF THE PUPPIES
* Fetal movement can be detected when she's at rest
* Puppies can safely be born from now on (that's ok, we will wait until at least Day 59.  Dear puppies, that will be nothing before March 30th... please stay put)


CHANGES IN THE BITCH (technical term for a mature female dog)
* Milk may be squeezed from nipples (not yet)
* Bitch will be very large (uh, yeah, and affectionate)


CARE OF THE BITCH (my care of her)
* Add moderate lunch

TO DO LIST
* Gather whelping kit (have one one order with a quick delivery, I have most everything, thought it would be nice to see what they include in an official whelping kit)
* Prepare phone list (includes vet's phone number, emergency clinic's phone number)
* Make sure your car is gassed up


WEEK NINE (Days 58-65)  


DEVELOPMENT OF THE PUPPIES
* Growth and Development continues


CHANGES IN THE BITCH
* Nesting behavior may be seen
* Bitch will become distressed with the onset of labor (panting, pacing, digging profusely)
* Temperature should be around 100.2-100.8 degrees Farenheit
* When the temperature drops to around 98-99.4 degrees Farenheit, puppies should be born within 24 hours (please note Grace's previous blog, she got the people in an uproar when she did this a week prior to whelping ... augh.  There's many other factors to observe than just the temperature)
* Appetite will disappear as whelping approaches,
usually when my girls are starting labor they will get nervous and check on me and then go dig like the dickens at the newspapers in their whelping box.  That's when I truly know it's time.


CARE OF THE BITCH
* Start taking temperature three times a day (in my experience that's too many, it alerts the dam and makes her nervous)


TO DO LIST
* Be attentive with her, I follow her through the yard (sightfully) I usually have them able to go in and out of the house at leisure, now is when I start closing the door and keeping my eye on her.
* Notify the vet for any problems earlier than later
* Keep detailed records on temperature and behavior of bith
* Double check that whelping supplies are ready