Ky Bday & PUPPY ANTICIPATION

Well, Kylee turned 2 yesterday. She got a wonderful treat -- some Chef Michael's wet dog food mixed in with her kibble and a gravy for the kibble. She ate and ate and ate, haven't seen her eat that much in a long time.

Thankfully, I bought a bunch of those and Cesar brand wet food to begin mixing in with her kibble to get her to eat. She still does spit out some of the kibble, but for the most part now she's doing well between having the kibble moistened and having actual wet food in there, too.

And, of course, the other dogs get a couple spoonfuls of the wet food as well :)

She is still clingy, affectionate, and possessive of me. If I begin to pet one of the other dogs, she jumps up in front of them and onto my lap or chest to block the other dog(s) from touching me. Stinker!

She has also "missed" a couple times when trying to jump up, just did not have the boost behind her to make it onto the bed or couch sometimes. So she gets the 'elevator' (as hubby calls it) of being lifted up.

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas - even if your weather was horrid.

We spent time with family and a great time. The doggies enjoyed visiting with my parents Shelties (Traverse, Teak, & Tyler) and eating some special food for the occassion.

Kylee, and the others, managed to get some cream of chicken (diluted!) soup, applesauce, green beans, carrots, pumpkin, pizza crust, and many other little left-over pieces. Other than the "extras" Kylee hasnt been eating much kibble, so we're trying to find something she will eat, and I have been encouraging her to eat by hand - or spoon - feeding her.

She is continuing to get wider around her ribs and waist. And, if she is still for about 10-15 minutes she now falls asleep - usually on a lap or right next to one of us.

It's her birthday tomorrow (Monday, the 28th) which - if the first breeding took - the fetuses should be fully developed "miniature dogs" :)

She also went for her first "Therapy Dog" visit on Christmas Day. To see my grandmother, and managed to make more friends with the people around. She did very well with the wheelchairs and walkers, the patients, residents, and staff. Of course, at first, her nose was glued to the floor looking for crumbs :) Such a sweetheart she really is ...

Thats all for now, more later this week :)

DECEMBER 23rd -- Palpation

Well .......

(who else is on the edge of their seats???) ...
The vet palpated and palpated and palpated ...
He *believes* he feels something up at the edge of her rib cage, but could not say 100% she is pregnant.
So, we wait until much closer to the due date for an xray of the exact number and check the positioning then, too.

PUPPIES ANTICIPATION

Well, its Monday the 21st…
She should have fetuses with the important organs mostly developed right now.
Our vet appt is on Wednesday, hopefully they feel something :)

As for how she’s doing ---
Her “rib cage/chest” measurement increased by almost 1 inch, while her waist measurement appears to be the same. Kinda hard to tell though, because she has thinned out some fur from her grooming.

Her appetite has slowed down with food, she will, however, snatch a milkbone out of your hand before you’re ready to give it to her! And beg for people food, which she never used to do.

Her personality is definitely changed, and hubby and I kinda like this personality better ;) She is much more affectionate and cuddly. Always wants to be near her people. If I am laying on the couch or bed, she will jump up and put her body in a “play bow” state - her front legs on my chest, and supporting her body with her hind legs still standing. Does she not want pressure on her tummy?? She will also curl up next to me and fall asleep. In the past, she was a dog who’d get pets and cuddle for a minute, then run off to play, or “give you her butt” by turning around before settling down to cuddle. She is sleeping more, too. Doesnt usually start a play session, but if another dog does, she will get in it.

She is LICKING almost anything - people, pillows, herself, toys, etc. Many times she falls asleep doing this, as well.

No “morning sickness” yet, thankfully. A couple of her nipples do appear larger than the others by 2 times the size (or so).

The 28th (her 2nd birthday) if the first breeding took, the fetuses’ organs & structure should be fully developed!

PUPPIES ANTICIPATION

Ky’s doing well, she is eating every little morsel in her dish :) She’s being very cuddly, clingy, and LICKY! She wants to lick anything around her - including my notebook and papers while I was studying and she was next to me. Kinda cute, actually.

She is still playful and happy. She must still kinda smell good b/c Tig has tried to “welcome her home” a few times. Think a bath will be in her future this week since I wont have classes ;) Although, when Tig tries, he gets his ears and face snarled at and mouthed at (not really bitten, but a ‘back off’ warning) - by BELLE!! :) Silly girl.

Ive started to put Kys food in the whelping box, she goes right in, no problem so will just keep that up and get it slowly more ready with papers and padding.

Found a really cool website the other day (her breeder sent it to me) : http://www.debbiejensen.com/date.html
You can put in Nov 30 (her first mating) and see whats happening in every stage of her pregnancy. No need to put names of the dogs in. Of course, this outline would be if she “took” on her first breeding, but it gives you an idea of what is happening. Hopefully her blastocytes have implanted on her uterine wall now and will begin to turn into embryos now :)

I measured her waist and rib cage Saturday, will do it weekly… Her rib cage was 22 inches (just behind her front legs/shoulders), and her waist (in front of rear legs) was 19 inches. Once I start to see those values grow, we’ll start taking some guesses on how many we think she has :) Her half sister, Amy, is due pretty much anytime, and shes BIG, should be a nice sized litter.

Made the appointment for her palpation exam—Dec 23rd :) This is just a confirm yes or no, hopefully. Occassionally they can say they feel more than one, but dont tell an accurate number from this usually… Then, closer to her due date, we will get an xray to make sure pups are lining up as they should and confirm the number

Kelly

PUPPIES ANTICIPATION

Just heard from Gloria… Sunday was the last successful breeding. Today she wasnt feeling it, so theyre done. Now we wait. And I should get her back by the end of the weekend, still ironing out those exact details…
4 total breedings ... Last Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday… She wasnt flagging today and tried to nip at him, so shes done… Depending on the weather, we’ll get her Friday or Saturday.

PUPPIES ANTICIPATION

Email from Gloria on Dec 2nd:
Hi

Second breeding a huge success tonight. Kylee was even courting Breckon and what a sight it was. So sweet with a 20 minute tie!! Usually the second breeding and then after is so much easier. She is still flagging like mad :)

What was so cute, she was laying in her crate and I sat on the lounge chair to watch TV. I called her and she came running and jumping into my arms. She liked being held and cuddled. Just the sweetest dog.

Ok, we’ll go for another breeding on Friday and I’ll let you know

She is eating some, as long as she picks something, we think that is good. I think today we may see how she reacts to our food. Who knows?? At least I do know she is happy here and not stressed at all. She loves the couch and just stretches out and takes her naps.

PUPPIES ANTICIPATION

Got an email early this morning from Gloria:
“The breeding went well last night, Kylee was flagging, but since she never was bred before, also was a bit jumpy, however Breckon got the job done with a 15 minute tie. I could tell she was nervous, but I have seen this before so I was not surprised and just calmed her down. The next time will be easier. We will do another breeding on Wed. I like to skip a day between breedings. So all is well and breedings begin!!!! “

:)

I do miss her like crazy, it is so weird not having her here. She sleeps on our bed - right above our heads by the pillows and is usually the one who wakes me up in the morning to remember to let dogs out and feed them. Even today, Tig didnt wake me up until almost 930am! And he spit his cookie out and let Belle eat it, he really misses her.

The plan was for her to stay 2 weeks, but if shes done being bred early, I may try to convince my dad to get her sometime next week while Im still in school. Theres also our last chance at a UKC show the 11/12/13 to hold onto our TopTen ranking. But, if she is still willing to breed, Im not going to pull her away early.