Fast Forward to Tuesday

I was working in London all day Monday and Jan was holding the fort so the only thing to report from Monday is that we need some new scales to carry on weighing them.  Little Morse is now 2135g, next up Monk at 2210g, then Murdoch at 2285g and Lottie recorded ERRR.  She is now too heavy for the scales!

Feeding continues to be a big event for the puppies, they are now quite happy eating the porridge.  Morse continues to be the most accomplished lapper and Murdoch the least.  More often than not he will take a step towards the dish, stumble and fall head first into it.  Not content with that, he manages to get a load on his chin and then smear it over everything in the box.  I had to wipe down the camera today and that wasn't even in the box at the time.  Alice isn't very good at cleaning her pups so after Murdoch has kindly shared his excess with all the others, they need a wipe down.

Tuesday we tried to take some pictures of them standing but that proved quite difficult.  Alice still isn't happy about them being outside the box so we'll save that for another day.

As an aside, Hudson managed to strategically place a long string of slobber over the entrance to a Croc shoe.  It was positioned perfectly so that when you slid your [bare] foot into the Croc, it would catch between your toes before settling between the bottom of your foot and the inside of the Croc.  Luvverly.

Today's picture is a headshot of Monk.

Weekend Catch Up

The days seem to merge into one and it's hard to remember what happened on which day so a weekend catch up is in order.  The puppies colour seems to get stronger almost as you look at them and all their legs are now becoming quite dark as the ratio of white is reduced.  Monk's legs are quite spotty, Morse and Murdoch more roaned.  They continue to gain weight and seem to like the extra food they are getting now.  Alice likes it too!

Still no sign of teeth on any of them but I guess it's still a bit early for that.  They are becoming more aware of their surroundings and seem to recognise voices.  Alice is leaving them for a bit longer but still spends quite a bit of time in the box with them.  On Saturday night/Sunday she was quite restless and couldn't decide where she wanted to be.  We have started to let her outside off the lead now, first stop the stream and second stop is the big hole under the pampas grass.  Why does she have to do it that way round,  for maximum mud I reckon.  It's a pain having to clean her down every time but she enjoys a bit of freedom in the garden and it gives us a chance to sort the box out.  She is still quite possessive and although happy for them to be handled if you are in the box, she doesn't like them being taken out of it yet.

This is my favourite picture from the weekend, all four puppies sleeping happily together.

TGI Friday

Another weekend approaches and the temperature has dropped somewhat.  So time to put the heating back on, great excuse when you have puppies to keep warm.  The morning porridge feed went very well, apart from having to keep Alice away, but she likes to clean up any leftovers from the bowl or on the puppies.  So far they have been quite good about lapping from the dish, Morse is streets ahead of the others in his technique and loves his extra rations.  The puppies tend to sleep for much longer after having a porridge feed which means Alice can get some rest too.

Today we gave them a second feed in the afternoon which didn't last long, then weighed them.  At day 23, Lottie has broken the 2kg mark at 2060 grams, Murdoch next at 1970g, Monk at 1915g and Morse is now 1735, still a little behind the others but a steady gain nevertheless.

Picture of the day features Murdoch [how handsome am I] wearing his cute, angelic face, with Lottie to his left, Monk to his right and Morse at the back on his favourite pair of teats.

Thursday

Pups are standing up and moving around more today. They are also playing more with eachother. Introduced the puppy starter meal porridge, mixed half and half with the goats milk. They loved it and tucked in. Alice likes the move into the lounge and now we have moved the whelping box in she can jump in and out as she pleases or just lie on the sofa and watch them from above. Murdoch likes to sit by the entrance of the box which only has two layers of panels at the moment and he can see over the top. Won't be long before he tries to get over the wall and escape! When we all settled down for bedtime he sat looking out and then started barking.............at Hudson who was asleep on the dog bed by the window. Guard duty done he then settled down with the others and handed over guard duty to Alice. She is being very good with Hudson and Bobby in the lounge with her and they know not to go too close to the whelping box.

Day 21

The puppies are just about 3 weeks old now and the time has flown by.  Tonight we moved their proper box into the lounge where they can start to get more used to the normal household goings on and integrate a little more with Hudson and Bobby.  H&B have been very good considering and although they are curious, have kept their distance, especially when Alice is around.  They sense she needs her space but Hudson will take a closer look when she is out in the garden.

They had another goats milk porridge meal this morning and this seems to settle them for sleeping more during the day.  Their features are becoming more spinone like now and they are looking more like small spins and less like large guinea pigs.  Lottie is the biggest and Morse the smallest but he seems to benefit most from the porridge meal and is certainly the most accomplished at lapping it up.  Monk tries to paddle it and it goes everywhere, Lottie is also quite good at lapping (being a girl I suppose) and Murdoch wasn't too interested but he was no doubt full up with mother's milk.

Today's picture then is of Morse, quietly sleeping.  He is the sweetest of the litter, not just because he is the smallest.

A Day of Rest

Yesterday I fed Morse some goats milk porridge as he seemed to be lagging behind a little in weight, the stronger pups being too greedy at the milk bar.  He loved it and once he got the hang of lapping managed to get a good meal.  This morning I made up some more, Nutrolac goats milk, teaspoon of yoghurt, teaspoon of glucose, and a little ground oats to thicken it a bit.  Morse had first go and seemed to enjoy it, then each of the others sampled a little.  Later on I weighed them and Morse had gained the most, an amazing 300 grams in 2 days.  Just the one extra meal today as we don't want to overdo it.

They have been very contented today, and spent most of today asleep.  Even Murdoch who we expected to be active after his escape yesterday settled down and snoozed all day.  Alice has been in and out a bit more today, when she is out they sleep, when she is in they feed.  Simple life really.

Because they were all asleep so much, we didn't get many interesting photo opportunities today, but I quite liked this one of a tail between two heads.

New Surroundings

Today we set up a second pen in the lounge so that Alice could feel a bit more part of the family again.  The puppies liked their new surroundings and after a good sniff around settled down to sleep in the little bit  of sunshine that we had today.  Alice was quite relaxed and spend more time away from the puppies as she could come and go a bit more easily in the larger room.

I made up some Nutrolac goats milk, with a little yoghurt and ground oats in it, Morse has been missing out a bit on the milk bar as the bigger dogs push him out and he finds it hard to get enough milk from Alice,  He soon got the hang of lapping it up and seemed to enjoy it.  Lottie and Murdoch soon joined in and it was soon gone.  Tomorrow we are going to try them on some puppy porridge.

Achievement of the day award has to go to Murdoch, who worked out how to escape from the puppy pen.  Found himself a little gap and pushed his way through.

The Bank Holiday Weekend is here

A long weekend to look forward to, with a weather forecast to match unfortunately.  The puppies are starting to become a little more active, well Murdoch is mostly.  Their eyes are staying open for longer and I think they are starting to see shapes as they seem to be looking at things rather than just gazing anywhere.  Other than the occasional tour around the box by Murdoch, tripping over anything in his way, its still very much a sleep eat sleep routine for them. Alice is still reluctant to spend any time away from them and today has been a bit fussy about eating.  The puppies are more aware of her food and you can tell they are able to smell it and show a bit of interest.

Today we tried to take some pictures of their faces - with varying degrees of success.  Monk was the best behaved so he is chosen for today's picture.

Worming day arrives

The last day of April, and we have escaped with no April showers.  We are hoping the weather stays nice during May so that the puppies can spend some time outdoors when they are a bit older.

Today is when they get their first worming dose.  We have to weigh them a bit more accurately which will be a challenge based on past experience.  We have to find a bigger box to put them in as they have outgrown the first one.  We then use a damp cloth on the scales to stop it slipping around so much.  Lottie is up first at 1520 grams.  She falls asleep in the weighing box, good girl Lottie.  Not knowing what is to come, she obligingly opens her mouth and in it goes ... and then dribbles down her chin a little.

Next up is Murdoch at 1510 grams.  He has never stayed in the weigh box for more than a nanosecond but today he too is a good boy and stays still long enough to get a good reading on the scales.  Opens his mouth wide and in goes the Panacur. 

Monk is a little lighter at 1340 grams and finally Morse at 1230 grams.  Their weight gain has been steady and increasing each day so although Alice hasn't got masses of milk, there seems to be enough - at the moment anyway.

They are starting to try and use their legs more today.  Needless to say Murdoch is the most advanced and likes to walk to the edges of the box and then wails because he is lost and can't find his food supply.  During the night, he and Monk started a screeching match, loud enough to wake everybody up.   No apparent reason, maybe they were just talking to each other and had to shout! It stopped as suddenly as it started and they both flopped asleep.

Today's picture has to be Lottie.

Thursday

Today the puppies had nail trimming - they were getting very sharp like little needles and I'm sure Alice appreciates this being done so they don't scratch her milk bar as they paddle with their front feet when they suckle. The pups are getting more active by the day and trying to stand up.We are going to take down the pig rails in the whelping box as they keep bumping them as they try and stand up.  Alice was happy to spend a little time in the garden today and was keen on seeing off the ducks who had decided to congregate close to the fence at the bottom of the garden. Tomorrow we are going to worm the pups - should be a challenge!!

2 weeks old

The puppies are now 2 weeks old.  Alice is still unhappy to leave them for anything other than a short trip to the garden and seems quite happy spending all her time in the whelping box with her babies.  Today we saw Monk's eyes open from time to time but both he and Lottie still have them shut for some of the time.  Maybe they didn't like what they saw when they opened them!  Murdoch's don't appear as tightly shut as they were so we think he will be next.  He has been trying to stand up today and is almost there, no doubt the blog will have many antics to write about once he is fully mobile.  At the moment they are all sleeping most of the day, only moving to get food or find their litter mates.  I suppose in a couple of weeks time we will look back and long for these quiet days.

They seem to change almost overnight and their heads are starting to take shape.  Their ears are hanging down a bit more, no longer the little tabs they were born with, and all seem to have nice ear sets at the moment.  Jan hasn't seen them for a few days and today the two things she noticed most were how much bigger and how the colour is coming through, especially on their legs.

We have tried to avoid having people come to the house and have put a notice up on the door asking visitors not to ring the bell or knock.  Today we had a planned visit from the TV man who was supposed to call before arriving in the afternoon.  I was upstairs just out of the shower while mum was puppy watching.  The ever alert Hudson started barking - the TV man is early and hasn't called first.  Mum is trying to keep Alice calm and Hudson quiet while I grab some clothes and organise Hudson and the TV man, still dripping wet.

Today's picture shows Lottie at the bottom of the pile, Monk is feeding, Morse is curled up in the foreground and Murdoch is being himself, noisily.  He is definitely the most vocal in the litter.

Tuesday, Day 13

A fairly normal day today, it's been quite warm and sunny outside so we haven't needed heating during the day.  Lottie is still the only one who has opened her eyes but I thought I saw a glimpse of Monk's eyes today.  I really thought Murdoch would be one of the first as he seems to be more advanced in other areas, he is the only one who is trying to get up on his legs, but that could be personality more than development.  He seems to be more independent than the others, and will often be missing from the puppy huddle.  The other 3 tend to group together.

Lottie opens her eyes

A milestone day today, when Lottie opened her eyes (day 12).  Just short peeps but for long enough to be sure.  Murdoch has been particularly active today and trying to use his legs to stand up a little. His roaning is more pronounced than the others making him look grubby.  The others are starting to show some colour on their legs.

Little Morse broke the 1kg mark today, weighing in at 1020 grams.  Murdoch is the heaviest at a wriggly 1275g, Lottie not far behind at 1250g and Monk 1140g.

Alice has slept a lot more today, she seems to be relaxing around them a bit more, maybe because they are getting bigger and less fragile.  Since the episode with the Bonio, she looks at Morse differently to the others, almost like she is checking up on him more.  Where is he and what is is doing?

Anyway picture of the day has to be the lovely Lottie, welcome to a new world Lottie.

Day 11 - Sunday

A pretty normal day, we didn't manage to weigh them all today, only Lottie and Monk who each gained another 50grams. Now 1150 and 1050.  Murdoch was too wriggly and is getting a bit big for the container and Alice came back too quickly from her trip to the garden to weigh Morse.

Alice is quite happy to go to the garden, but when she decides she wants to come back, superstrength kicks in and it's quite hard to hold her back.  Today I thought I saw a flicker of an eye, hopefully it won't be too long before their eyes open.

A Not So Quiet Day

After a day of peace and quiet, they certainly made up for it today.  I don't think it will be long before eyes start to open, saw a very fleeting glimpse on one puppy today.  Just a flutter or did I imagine it kind of glimpse.  Monk passed the 1 kilo mark today which just leaves Morse now. 

OK onto the "dramas" of the day.  Not 1, or 2 even but 3, one for each boy - needless to say Lottie has been an angel.

Morse was the first one to get into trouble, not his fault really but Alice was eating a bonio and Morse happened to get a bit too close on his way to the milk bar.  Alice didn't take too well to that and really told him off.  Poor Morse and no more treats for you Alice.

Next up is Monk.  3 puppies feeding in line and no room for Monk to squeeze in so he decides to climb on top of everyone and lays half on top of Alice and the other half across the heads of the others.   He digs deep and finds a spare teat to latch onto but in doing so he loses his balance and backflips into line with the others, landing on his back but never losing his teat.  Reminded me of someone falling over but keeping their pint intact.

The grand finale came from Murdoch (who else). Monk is sleeping contentedly under the rail at the front of the box when Murdoch decides to join him.  Plenty of space either side but Murdoch has to climb on top of him, squeezing between Monk and the rail.  There isn't really enough room but he pushes on through dislodging the rail from its sockets.  We just manage to catch it before it falls on them both.  It's a vey light plastic so wouldn't have hurt them but lots of commotion.

The only one caught on camera was Monk's backflip, well the aftermath of it, legs still waving in the air as he makes a space for himself.

A Quiet Day

Nothing of note today really.  They slept, they fed, they slept again.  You get the picture, talking of which today Jan took our favourite picture so far.

Lottie and Murdoch pass the 1kg mark today.

Lottie in our favourite picture so far

1 week old

One week on and so far so good.  They are all gaining weight, Murdoch put on another 100 grams today and is almost at the 1 kilo mark.  A vet check today and Alice is doing well too.  We need to keep monitoring their weight to make sure she is producing enough milk.  Murdoch was making too much noise for the vet to hear his heartbeat but what he could hear sounded fine.  He left his mark by weeing on the table, typical!

Alice is happier to spend a bit more time away from them now and today couldn't decide between the back door and her puppies or the gate and a walk.  The puppies won ... just, which is a good job because its a bit soon for a walk, sorry Alice.

Left to Right - Murdoch, Lottie, Monk and Morse

Wednesday

I can't believe that we are coming up to the end of the first week.  The time has gone so quickly and as I write this in the early hours of Thursday morning, this time last week we were anxiously waiting for the 2nd arrival.  Murdoch made us wait 5 hours before making his entrance and 7 days later he is still grizzling!

Lottie now heads the weight chart at 888 grams (a shade under 2lbs), closely followed by Murdoch at 872 grams.  They have each put on 200 grams (7 ozs) in the last 2 days. It's quite incredible to think they have gained nearly 25% of their body weight over 2 days. 

Monk is 778 grams (1lb 11oz) and finally Morse at 716 grams (1lb 9oz).  They have averaged a 60 gram increase (2oz) increase over the last 2 days.  Here are Morse and Monk cuddled together.

Tuesday

Alice is continuing to eat well and drink plenty of goats milk. The pups are content and it's only Morse who gets a bit frustrated at finding a teat to his liking. He only likes the back two and we are trying to make sure he gets first go at those so they aren't empty by the time he gets on one. Alice is happy to spend a bit more time away from them and we don't have to put them in the other box any more as she is much better at getting back in with them - we herd them together under the pig rails and she gets in and lies down and waits for them. She counts them all and know how many she has and is much more relaxed about them being further away from her in the whelping box. Good job really as Murdoch likes to crawl around and get in the corners.  Alice went for a paddle in the stream in the garden today which was nice for her and washed off her legs. The pups like to lie across her back legs when she is lying down, which would explain that early trait of behaviour for when they grow up and sleep across human legs in bed!!!

Monday

Pup Murdoch is going to be the 'bad boy' in the litter. He is already exploring the confines of the whelping box and while the others are content to spend most of their time with their mum he just has to go the extra mile and go much further away. Alice watches him crawl away and is dying to drag him back with her paw but we are on hand to turn him round and point him in the right direction back to her, so he paddles his way back and then when he hits a solid object like another pup or her leg he moves direction and carries on. It's like watching one of those hoover robots who is programmed to clean your house and just go round and round change direction when they hit objects and keep cleaning!

I was sitting in the whelping box and he came up against my leg and just carried on and crawled up my trouser leg.  It was surprisingly difficult to get him out again, he obviously felt quite safe and secure in there

Murdoch and Lottie are the biggest at the moment and Monk next and Morse is smallest - he was the last one born. Murdoch is darker brown than the other three and has more brown patches and the longest tail.  Monk has identical brown patches to Alice and Jarno.  Today they each put on 60 grams, apart from Murdoch who was wriggling so much it was hard to get an accurate weight. 

A welcome diversion came today, looking out of the window one of the shetland ponies in the field next to the house has given birth to a foal.

Sunday

Alice is being a good mum and isn't keen on leaving the pups to go out for pee and poo time - but nature takes its course and she has to go. It's a tricky balancing act to move the pups into a box next to the whelping box without upsetting Alice as she doesn't like to leave them but needs to visit the lawn outside from time to time. She hasn't quite got used to getting up gently so we use the box for the pups so she doesn't tread on any when she is getting up. Also this helps when she comes back into the whelping box so we can get her to lie down and then put the pups back on her. They are still so small and we don't want anyone to get trampled.

Today it's the ISCGB AGM which Linda has to go to so I'm on my own for the day and must say that my fears that Hudson & Bobby would be a pain, wanting to be out then in then out again and barking at everyone on a Sunday stroll down the lane didn't happen!!! Bless them they just stayed quietly in the lounge and got comfy on the duvet on the sofa and watched TV all day.

Alice is eating well and we are giving her Nutrolac powdered goats milk made up into half pint drinks throughout the day and night. She doesn't have an obvious milk bar but the pups are gaining weight and not grizzling so they must be getting enough.  Today they gained between 40 and 60 grams each.

3 Days Old

We spent some time today re-organising the room.  Sitting on a mattress on the floor for a few weeks isn't going to work.  Today also we set up a web cam so that Mum can watch the puppies.  She is looking after some of the other dogs and we don't want her to miss out too much.  We have Hudson and Bobby here and they are being very good.  They seem to know that they aren't allowed in their room and are making the most of their freedom in the lounge.  We weighed them today and they have all gained since yesterday so that is a positive sign that they are getting enough to eat. 

With only 4 mouths to feed I think Alice will be ok, although she still isn't showing the milk bar we saw with Fraggle & Molly's litters.  They are quite happy suckling and although they have to work hard to get any milk, they are not crying or distressed.

We have already identified the trouble maker in the litter.  The 2nd born dog who we have called Murdoch  - after Detective William Murdoch of the Toronto Police.  If you haven't seen Murdoch Mysteries on Alibi it's well worth watching.  He is undoubtedly the most active and advanced.  Also the most vocal.

The only girl we have named Lottie, the other two boys are still un-named until we get to know their personalities a bit better.  We will try and continue the detective theme with them.

So Far So Good

Thursday night was relatively smooth, we took it in turns to watch Alice and her new puppies.  Although she must be very tired, she was alert throughout the night and didn't really sleep.

It's amazing how maternal instincts kick in.  Alice is a bit of a lad and we weren't at all sure how she was going to be. My money was on "I've delivered them for you and they're all yours now".  I had visions of having to hand rear them but since the initial horror, she is getting more used to them.  She isn't too good about toileting them and definitely doesn't do bottoms.  In fact if anything unsavoury gets into her mouth she spits it out again!  She is very protective of them and taking her outside for a wee has been a bit traumatic.

Her milk supply doesn't look too plentiful but the vet says that will come as the pups suckle more and also the oxytocin injection will help there.  But looking at her, she is pretty much 'back in her jeans' so to speak.

Friday was a long day, but everything appears ok.  Pups are feeding well, they lost a little weight today but it was difficult to weigh them yesterday so they may not be accurate.  Alice is quite contented and settled in her whelping box.

My favourite picture from today:

Puppies No 4 and 5

Four hours after no 3 was born, no 4 appears from nowhere and is sadly stillborn.  Alice was lying down and appeared quite comfortable, no panting, no contractions, in the blink of an eye he just slipped out almost un-noticed.  We tried the ususal to revive him but to no avail.

Now we are not sure if there is another one to come or not, and if there is, has it been delayed by the stillborn pup (a boy by the way).  Not wanting to take any chances, we call the vet who advises us to bring in Alice and her brood to be checked over.  A scan reveals what looks like a spine, and a heartbeat is also detected.  They can't be sure that this is the only one so we leave Alice and pups with them, the plan being to administer an oxytocin injection and hope this delivers the puppy.  They will then rescan to see if any more can be detected.

An hour later we get a call to say that she has delivered another boy and that all the puppies are happy and feeding.  They have been checked over and are fine.  No more to come so we collect them all and settle them down in what will be their new home for the next few weeks.  They seem none the worse for their unplanned trip and Alice is more relaxed now.

Puppy No 3

Only a civilised hour and half to wait for puppy number 3, another boy with only a few brown patches.  A fairly straightforward birth, head first and not in his sac. Alice takes a little more interest in this one, perhaps she is getting used to things now.  There is at least one more to come so we all settle down and wait hoping it won't be too long.  Meanwhile, the brood so far are happily feeding or sleeping and Alice takes 40 winks too.

Puppy No 2

An hour passes, and another, and another.  There are definitely more puppies to come but apart from more panting, there are no signs of another arrival.  We hadn't seen any contractions with the first puppy, it just popped out, so we watch more closely for any indication that another one is due to be born.  A quick call to the vet who advises waiting a couple more hours as there are no visible contractions or evidence that she is straining.  Five hours after the first born, puppy no 2 arrives, head first and not in its sack.

She hasn't paid much attention to the first puppy and is only mildly more interested in the second one giving it a cursory once over.  Both puppies seem quite contented though and are feeding quite happily.  The recent arrival is a boy who has more brown patches and a longer tail than his sister.

The First Puppy Arrives

It's 10.50pm and I'm woken up from dozing on the sofa with a loud scream from Alice, followed by another one almost straight away.  The first puppy has arrived, still in its sac, and Alice is so shocked and surprised by this that no maternal instincts kick in, so we get puppy out of its sac and dry it off in a towel.  It's a girl, and the look on Alice's face below says it all.  Not that you can see her face, she turns away in disgust.

Day 63 Arrives

Since yesterday, Alice has become more restless and has been digging and panting a lot. During the pregnancy we haven't seen much movement of puppies in her abdomen and it's only in the last few days that her shape has changed significantly.

Here she is with 5 days to go.















Despite her being up most of last night, nothing happened so we arrive at day 63 after her first mating hoping that there is not too long to wait now. As the day goes on, she is clearly getting more uncomfortable, wanting to go outside frequently and roaching her back more. Needless to say she is kept on the lead outside as her choice of whelping area would either be underneath the pampas grass in the garden or in the stream.

Her temperature has dropped to 99F and as we approach the evening, it looks like we will have another restless night.  By 10pm still nothing has happened so I take a snooze on the sofa while Jan watches Alice.

Introducing Alice and Jarno

Alice and Jarno are 2 Italian Spinone dogs who are expecting a litter of puppies in April 2010, a first litter for both of them.

Some vital statistics then: Alice is Michiamo Valtellina (Sh Ch Ben of Deladrio x Sh Ch Inostricani Simoni del Michiamo), a brown roan bitch. Jarno is Redrue Silver Spirit (Sh Ch Redrue Sea Biscuit with Monzamo x Vanda Della Redrue), also brown roan. We are expecting to have all brown roan puppies but there is a chance we may see a white and orange if both Alice and Jarno are not dominant brown.