Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Tongue out Tuesday

Orange Boy "Tanner" and his little tongue.

Comfy much?

Green Boy "Tait" getting SUPER comfy.

Weight gain - 24 hours


Each of the BOYZ each gained almost 2 oz. in the first 24 hours.  Good job kids -- and mommy Zene!  Pups are weighed daily for the first two weeks and they should double their birth weight in the first week.  I think we are on the right track! 

Brotherly love "Trey" and "Tommy"

Red Boy "Trey" and Blue Boy "Tommy" 

Milk Coma . . .

Silver Boy "Taz" relaxing after a trip to the milk bar. 

Monday, September 29, 2014

Group HUG!


They're Here!


Introducing . . . The True Love "Boyz"

Orange -- "Tanner" 14.0 oz
Blue -- "Tommy" 14.6 oz
Green -- "Tait" 13.2 oz
Red -- "Trey" 13.3 oz.
Silver -- "Taz" 14.1

Zene whelped five handsome boys late last night.  Everyone is happy and healthy and hungry! 

Puppy Cam not ready yet -- check their photo album:


Sunday, September 28, 2014

We are on Puppy Watch!





Zene's temp has given the telltale "drop" to 97.8 which generally means puppies in 24 hours. Stay tuned....

Friday, September 26, 2014

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Zene's X-Ray . . . DRUM ROLL, please . . .


We are expecting 5 ("maybe" 6 puppies)! Dr. Williams at Yorba Regional Animal Hospital gave her a clean bill of health and estimated her due date to be next Tuesday-Thursday.  I am taking her temperature twice a day (AM/PM) and will watch for the "drop" to 97° which indicates puppies should arrive in the next 24 hours.  

Once the pups are 2-3 weeks or so, visits by their future families are possible. In the meantime, I will have the Live Puppy Cam link up and running so you can watch them ALL DAY LONG :) 

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Zene - Day 54



Zene had a great check up today with Dr. Williams at Yorba Regional Animal Hospital.  Dr. Williams said she looks FABULOUS!  WE LOVE YOU ZENE! xoxo

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Recap Weeks 6-8 of Zene's Pregnancy

Zene is just into Week 8 of her pregnancy, here is her progress thus far . . .

Week 6

Zene has a noticeably larger tummy and her pregnancy will be obvious to "most" people. Her tummy seems to grow on a daily basis, and her nipples have become noticeably darker.  I've increased her food about 30%.  Zene is currently eating Merrick Grain Free Chicken & Sweet Potato *or* Holistic Grain Free kibble.  

I have also added her favorite Raw Dog Food by "I and love and you" (link: http://www.iandloveandyou.com/dog/raw-dehydrated/).  Eventually the puppies will be raised on this  entire same diet (kibble and dehydrated raw).



Week 7 and 8 

I've started to prepare my spare bedroom to setup the whelping box for Zene and the babies.  She will have soft fleece bedding, all the whelping supplies as needed, and a thermometer to monitor the the temperature (needs to remain 78-80F at all times).  

As the next week progresses, I will ensure she avoids any rough and tumble play or stimulation which might lead to the onset of early labour, as ideally your pups should spend another week in the womb. Zene has shown some signs of "nesting" at this stage in her pregnancy, and I can see and feel the puppies moving within her tummy when she's lying down (especially when I am using the doppler). 

The puppies will continue to grow and develop, and now look almost completely fully formed. Towards the 50th day of gestation, their skeletons are ossified, so I can therefore ask my vet to do an x-ray (I prefer after day 55-57).  This examination, in most cases, will enable the number of babies she is expecting and helps reassure me that no puppies have remained stuck. The x-ray is not damaging to the health of your bitch or her puppies.

Towards the end of Week 8, Zene will start producing colostrum, the forerunner to her nutrient- rich milk, and then the milk itself.  I will continue to feed her as much as she'd like (and continue to provide exercise to her for good muscle tone/easy delivery) to prepare for the birth.

Zene has begun shedding the hair on her belly in preparation for the birth - this is totally normal and no cause for alarm.

While she is noticeably bigger with that belly she is in good spirits, very cuddly - and has a great energy level (chasing lizards as usual in the yard!).  She is a TERRIFIC mom and I can't wait to see the new babies in the next 10-12 days.


Listening to PUPPY heartbeats . . .


Checking the baby heartbeats tonight (Day 52) on the doppler and they're right on target at 224 BPM (180-240 is normal).  I have a pretty good idea of how many pups there are but I'll wait for the x-ray to share.

An x-ray is done around Day 55-57 (next week) to get an idea of how many pups Zene is carrying. Exciting stuff! 

Friday, September 19, 2014

Zene giving me "the look" ;)


Puppy Pool Time!


*** PUPPY POOL *** Submit your best guess for the: 

1) number of puppies born, 
2) male/female breakdown, 
3) birth date and time of first puppy 

• Winner to be determined by the order of the breakdown (i.e. if only one person picks ten, and ten pups are born, they win). WINNER GETS A PRIZE - and no it's NOT a puppy! Entries accepted through September 27th, one entry per person (no changes). 

• Details: Photo is of Zene at Day 49, her due date is approx. October 1-3rd. Her last litter was 6 (4 male, 2 female). GOOD LUCK!

Enter on Instagram (http://instagram.com/moonlightvizslas) or Facebook (link coming soon on https://www.facebook.com/MoonlightVizslas). 

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Sunday pupdate...


Zene's baby belly is looking full --- almost time to start the guessing game. We will have an Instagram puppy pool to guess the number of puppies, their sex and time and date of birth. 

Get your guesses ready and stay tuned!


Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Week 5 of Zene's Pregnancy


Definitely a baby bump at Day 40!

Week Five

Amniotic fluid in the uterus increases in order to protect the pups around day 32 of gestation, and so you or your vet will no longer be able to detect the presence of puppies by palpating the abdomen. 

From week five onwards, the puppies are much less susceptible to developmental issues and defects. The individual toes begin to form, and claws and whiskers start to grow. The foetuses also develop their male or female sexes during this time. The puppies will begin to develop their markings and the skin pigmentation that will eventually determine their colour and looks.

The fetuses develop their sex organs and begin to look like actual puppies. The leg buds lengthen and develop toes. Your dog's belly will begin to look noticeably swollen as the pups take up more space. With less room for full meals, it's time to begin serving smaller meals more frequently.

Monday, September 8, 2014

Training tips from The Naughty Dogge


Saying what we mean, and meaning what we say:

There are two parts to this:

First, we must be consistent in our requests. If you ask for a sit, then don't compromise. If you said his name, then expect an ear flick or a look. If we want to be valued in their lives, then our words must have value, for both us and them. Make sure that your requests are actually important enough so that you will follow through. And if it isn't important enough, we tend to call that nagging - and no one appreciates or needs that so don't do it. If it is not important enough to care, then don't say it at all.

And second, your spoken words need to be spoken in a manner that they feel what they mean. If you say 'good dog' would a non-English speaking person know that you were happy and proud? Your words need to have emotional value.

Our dogs might not understand English, but they do understand our Intent. They know if we want it, and if we believe it.

Monique Anstee
Victoria, BC

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Tired momma


Zene had a relaxing weekend with a romp at the park, laps around the yard and perfecting her napping. She's in her fifth week of pregnancy and I can definitely see her *puppy* belly. 

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

What is a Fetal Heart-rate Doppler?


(Photo from 2013 Litter)

Puppy heartbeats for the True Love Litter were detected by a hand held fetal heart rate doppler (I listen for the fast beating). Zene lays quietly on her side while I check the puppy heartbeats, she is such a patience and sweet girl (and I think she likes the treats she gets for the "belly check").

A normal puppy heartbeat (near full term) is between 170-230 BPM (beats per minute) and somewhat resembles the sound of galloping horses. An adult dog has a heart rate between 90-120 BPM.

Ultrasound doppler equipment has been used in human medicine for over 20+ years to confirm pregnancy and monitor fetus development and well being. 

In a canine, fetal heart rates can be detected around Week 5 of gestation. The doppler detects the motion of the beating heart and translates that motion into an audible heart beat (some dopplers, like mine, have a display showing the heart rate). Using a doppler throughout gestation allows me to confirm a pregnancy (after Day 30), and approximate the number of fetuses in the litter (Day 45 and up). I also use the doppler during whelping to monitor the fetusues and communicate any issues to my reproductive veterinarian.

We're expecting!

Pregnancy is confirmed! 

Zene is expecting a litter the first week of October. An x-ray will be done around the end of September (Day 55-56) to see how many pups she's carrying.