Pictures of Momma La Roux

 Pictures La Roux and Viktor hangin out on a warm afternoon

tummy shot 

Many days here100 degrees, she looked so cute in her modified continental cut but just too warm for her to be comfortable

so off the hair went

best tummy shot!

very short haircut to offset the 100 degrees here in Perris, California

which brings us to the apricot/red conversation

when we decide what the puppies "color" will be at 6 weeks old for pricing I will error on closer to apricot than red to keep the prices down.  But if the puppy is light red or dark apricot I will promise to do my best to state it correctly.  The dark red moyen puppies will be the most expensive ($2200).  La Roux' sister and mom are dark red however larger than La Roux.  Viktor and his dad (sire) are dark red however smaller (15+").  Viktor's mom is light apricot.  We will have an array of apricots and reds.

Ultrasound Results

Took La Roux to her ultrasound appointment this morning,

she counted 8 puppies

all of the little heart beats look good

wish I could get a copy to show off the little peek a boo puppies
but they don't have the equipment to do so

Momma and babies doing well

due July 25th

we will be opening the reservation list for a couple more puppies after the five we have previous today's ultrasound.

#1 co-owner/foster home male puppy is available

#2 pick is reserved by Suzanne R. in CA

#3 pick is reserved by Randi H. in NY

#4 pick is reserved by Annette C. in AZ

#5 pick is available

#6 pick is available

#7 pick is available

if you are interested in reserving a puppy from this litter

contact Paula at barefootpudels@gmail.com

also check out Hilde x Viktor's litter due August 15th

Pictures 6 wks pregnant

Are you kidding Pippa?  my bone!

 she's not giving up the bone

 come on!

all joking aside ... see her tummy?  It's a hanging

I'm guessing 8 puppies
I think she will have more boys than girls
it's her first litter, you could guess as good as I can


attention ... attention
we (well Jim) does a football chart for guessing gender and # of puppies, you should probably wait until Thursday after the ultrasound but the person that comes the closest wins a gift


but it's time for the people to have some fun
send your guess to
barefootpudels@gmail.com
doesn't matter if you are on the list or not
send in your guesses, you might win a really great gift


Grace's litter we had one person guess exactly

La Roux is 6 wks pregnant today

whoo-hoo

she is almost done, but now the tough part ... hot summer, getting larger and she's uncomfortable already

Ultrasound is Thursday!  whoo-hoo

my last vet (in WA state) had higher quality equipment and they could guess by one or two, hers is really an estimate

I'm getting excited hope you are too

will put the whelping box together this weekend, she starts sleeping in it to get comfortable to have her babies there

she jumps everything, I have a baby gate that I can put across the bathroom door (bathroom is large) but I'm worried about her jumping it so we will see how that works

when she lays on the floor, her tummy bulges out the sides or a hump when she lays on her side ... so cute.

Got a girth measurement while she was sitting today

she's 19", too much pressure to suck it in

what I was waiting for!  

she and Hilde got a big ox tail each to chew on this afternoon, they are happy and full

girth?

It's fun to guess how many puppies by measuring her girth.  With a standard poodle litter, 1" = 1 puppy

well ... she's far from a standard poodle with her little moyen body, so we will see how far off we are.  My main problem is I couldn't figure out if she was 16" or 18" at first

she would suck her belly in so much I couldn't measure her

let's say she started at 16", today she's 19"

the measurement technically is for the last week of pregnancy when the puppies are actual size and weight ... but fun to watch from now on anyways

*********** Sixth week ***********

La Roux is Day 36 today

Days 35 to 42 

(Pregnancy is very much obvious)

Puppies become colored (skin pigment develops), the dam’s nipples darken and grow, and tummy continues to swell

Suggestions:

• If you haven't yet...start adding cottage cheese and an egg. Continue with multivitamin, but not calcium supplement yet.

• Increase food to the maximum she will eat.

• Whelping area and box (picture coming this weekend) should be put up in a quiet area and she should be encouraged to sleep there. For an active kitchen the whelping box can be moved to the kitchen when pups are 3 weeks old. (Large breeds at 2.5 to 3 weeks, and toy breeds at 3.5 to 5 weeks).

- La Roux in her whelping box pictured here -

Whelping box should be big enough for your dam to stretch out in, and have a doorway to go in and out. You do not want your dam to have to JUMP in and squish a puppy. Whelping box should have a guardrail to help eliminate suffocation and trapping behind dam (see photo of guardrail).  Guardrail inside whelping box.  Also, if the whole front of your whelping box is removable, then this makes whelping WAY easier.

they suggest an egg now and then, she will not touch it

she likes the pasta with mashed in raw dog food, she can pick and drink and then eat it

trying to keep weight on her, she's being a very picky momma eater (which is unusal)

good morning picture

I was updating pictures, etc. on Hilde's puppy blog.  I look down to get up, the laptop is out of battery

this is what's on the floor, where do I put my feet?

Viktor looking at you, laying on La Roux is six weeks pregnant tomorrow

the whitish feet is Fifi

couple of very candid pictures

La Roux does not like the camera, she always melts a little, she's outgoing and sweet she just doesn't like the camera at her, first she sees my face and then a black box I'm talking behind

you can see her tail constantly wags, it's usually high above her back (when there's no camera)

six week pregnant comments tomorrow

thursday is her ultrasound, her tummy pooches when she lays on her side now

not sure if La Roux is a little spoiled with the special meal or if turning her nose up at the kibble that it doesn't smell good to her, honestly, it's a little of both.

here we go, special meal challenge is on

This evening I couldn't get her interested in food,  dang, she's not a heavy girl in the first place

I put a handful of kibble, a not so cold raw egg and some warmish plain rice.  She jumped around and was thrilled to have her special meal.  Put her away from everyone (meant to get a picture, didn't, sorry). She gingerly ate the egg and left everything else.

Her mood has elevated, she's looking at her tummy often but still runs and plays which she wasn't as much until the special meal.  Hence the special meal challenge.

more pictures later

La Roux is doing fine, tummy is like a little pouch, big enough that she knows it's there and she's much more softer in everything she does

ultrasound is in eight days!

her tech equipment mostly tells us approximately but always fun to see the little dark circles on the ultrasound.  Too bad she can't put it on the CD ... will have an estimate of the size of the litter and that's always good to have.

La Roux' tummy

can ya see the puppies?  She's 5 weeks today

Animals In The Womb | Canine Embryo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD3bmHyVEyo

Tummy shot Tomorrow 5wks

La Roux is Day 28 today

************ Fifth week ************
Days 28 to 35
At this time the fetuses begin to look like dogs; their toes, whiskers and claws all are developing. They have become boy and girl puppies, eyes that were open now close. (When eyes are developing in the uterus, the eyes are developed in an open position and then they close and remain closed until about ten days old or so.)
Embryos are MUCH more resistant to development problems.
The dam's weight will begin to increase, and swelling will begin to be noticeable. If you have given a maternity haircut, swelling will be easier to see.

La Roux is a small girl, this is a big tummy for her

she can still suck it in when I'm looking too

breakfast included a little cottage cheese, she's gone outside, played a little ... now a nap

we are doing an ultrasound June 28th

La Roux was sleeping on her side all stretched out, I see her head pop up and look at her tummy 

she's like what the heck?!@

Today she itched and licked her tummy ... stops ... looks inquisitively at her tummy ... itches for a sec and realizes that licking her tummy was soothing

She can feel those puppies moving around, of course it's too early for the people to see or feel them, but, she's growing just the same

Tuesday she is five weeks along

wow huh?  goes so fast

more updates on tuesday

Canine Pregnancy Article

Pregnancy in the dog lasts approximately 63 days. Just because a bitch was bred, however, does not necessarily mean she has become pregnant. Determining if a bitch is pregnant For the first three weeks or so of pregnancy, you may not notice any changes in the bitch. Some females will become more demanding for attention, their nipples may enlarge slightly, and some may become hungrier. These are not a guarantee of a pregnancy, but are good signs. Several methods are available to determine pregnancy. A clear mucoid vaginal discharge may be seen. It is a reasonably reliable sign of pregnancy and is noticed about 4-5 weeks (La Roux started this at 4wks, it's alarming at first, I go into worry mode at first but is normal and a reliable sign of pregnancy) into pregnancy and continues until parturition. Ultrasound is able to pick up fetal heartbeats at about 28 days into gestation. This will not be able to determine the number of puppies but can give an estimate and can confirm a pregnancy. (La Roux' ultrasound is June 28th, she does give us an estimate # of puppies) At about the same time, a veterinarian may be able to palpate the uterus and feel the fetuses. This may not be possible on a large dog or one that has the puppies under the rib cage. A blood test to check for pregnancy is available. It checks for the hormone, relaxin, which is produced when the fertilized egg implants. The test can be done about 28-30 days into the pregnancy. Small litter sizes (less than 3 puppies) may result in a false negative result. X-rays can be taken around the 60th day of pregnancy to confirm a pregnancy, count the number of fetuses, and determine size-wise if the puppies will fit through the birth canal. Care of the pregnant bitch The bitch should continue to have regular, but not strenuous, exercise to help her maintain her muscle tone and not become overweight. If feeding a high quality, premium dog food, a vitamin/minerla supplement is probably not necessary. The premium dog foods today are very good at supplying all the dog needs - that was not necessarily true in the past. Do not oversupplement, as that may be harmful to the developing puppies. Some breeders will add cottage cheese or a cooked egg to the diet on alternate days for extra protein. This is not necessary if a premium dog food is fed but can be done if desired. If you are adding supplements to the diet, get a list of all the ingredients and nutritional labels and take everything to your veterinarian to make sure it is still balanced. Oversupplementing with calcium during pregnancy predisposes the bitch to eclampsia. She should have been on a premium adult food prior to pregnancy and for the first few weeks of pregnancy. Starting the fourth or fifth week of pregnancy, begin adding a premium performance food or premium puppy food (do NOT use large breed puppy formulas, which are generally lower in protein, fat, and minerals) to her diet. Each week increase the amount of the performance or puppy food and decrease the amount of adult food, so when she is in her final week of pregnancy, she is on all performance/puppy food. Increase the frequency of the daily meals to three by mid pregnancy. She may need to eat small meals every 3-4 hours during the last week of the pregnancy as the puppies continue to take up more room. Remember, most fetal growth occurs in the last two weeks of gestation. La Roux is doing very well with her 4.5 weeks of pregnancy.  She's about Day 23.  We count from her first breeding however subsequent breedings can also attribute to which puppies are conceived.  Can take four or more days from breeding to conception, so we can breed her on the 22nd, 24th and 26th day into her season, she could not actually conceive but the sperm only lasts about 3-4 days, hence the genetic pool for this litter is established. She's showing but with her little body it's difficult for other people not used to seeing her on a daily basis see a big change in the pictures.  I can see the mood/personality changes in her but most people won't notice.  She's doing well, in good spirits, looks forward to her morning special meal.  I let her free fed the rest of the day.  I was giving her a special meal in the afternoon but when she would play and jump around, it would come up, so I decided to let her decide how much she wants to eat.  I do give the poodles treats during the day, sometimes not everyday, sometimes marrow bones, sometimes bites of cooked chicken breast, cheese, a chunk of a raw carrot, costco biscuits (oops, not very holistic but they love them), etc. If you like to look in more detail of a doggie's gestation, click this link: http://www.vetmed.lsu.edu/eiltslotus/Theriogenology-5361/ultrasound.htm more updates on La Roux' progress on Tuesday when she's (approximately) five weeks along.

La Roux is 4 weeks pregnant

and acts like it too!

Since it's La Roux' first litter, we have scheduled an ultrasound for June 28th to check on things and count the puppies

here's this week's stats

*********** Fourth week **********
Days 21 to 28

Vet can palpate (feel) and possibly detect pregnancy  between days 27 and 31(after day 32, fluids increase to protect pups and making palpating not possible).
• Fetuses grow from 5-10mm to 14-16mm, faces take shape, eyes and spinal cords develop

• At this stage the embryos are most susceptible to defects and it is said that eating a toxic substance at this stage can cause eyes to not form properly, or cause cleft palate. Fact or fiction, I am not sure. The mode of inheritance for many congenital defects and genetic defects is still unknown. But for the sake of your dam and pups, make sure your environment is a safe one.

• The dam may have a clear, odorless vaginal discharge, and her teats may begin to develop.

Suggestions:
• Limit working dogs and refrain from strenuous activity like jumping and long runs. For small companion dogs, slightly reduce activity, especially in agility.

• Some like to add 1/4 cup of cottage cheese and 1 scrambled egg every other day. Or mix them together and add a tbsp to the food daily

• I like to start a vet-recommended multivitamin at this stage, but do not give calcium pills. The dam needs to build up her own reserves still. You do NOT want to put her parathyroid gland to sleep by giving an abundant supply of calcium.

 

I do discourage excitement and running hard, she naturally jumps and flips over out of being happy.  She's eating her special meal every morning of Life Abundance and raw dog food.  She looks forward to it every morning.  Today she bit into the food to eat quicker, yesterday she only licked it slowly and looked around while she ate, but ate it all in one sitting.  She's definitely quieter, really though, she's not terribly affected to being pregnant.  She's doing great.

3.1 wks pregnant pictures

Grooming day for La Roux

La Roux is slowing down and eating more

 La Roux' hard rock tummy bump 3 weeks 1 day

look at the second row of nipples, she's starting to put her knee out

compare couple of weeks you will see the tummy grow

look at the second row of nipples to see the puppies hard rock bump

 La Roux in her new little hair do
I shaved down the ears during the spring and summer with the poodles for hygene & keep them cool

here's ma and pa

it was already pretty warm, they're like, can we go into the house now?

La Roux with her afternoon special meal -- hmm

Pictures of Viktor's parents

This is Viktor's momma, Lilly

she's imported from Russia, she's about 16" tall, really a sweet lovely lady, we really like her, Viktor is very much like her

this is Viktor Dad, I've Got A "Dream"

he's a 15" miniature, dark red, AKC champion

he was very connected to his owner when we saw him, he's like, yeah I'll come see you but then would go right back to Deborah.  He's beautiful, great guy.

go to the right and click on "February" to see picture of La Roux' mom and dad

Week Three is tomorrow Tuesday

It's tough to measure her girth.  As soon as I touch her tummy she sucks it in and humps her back.  I'm like shoot!

how am I going to get a true measurement

that being said, I measured 18 1/2".  I think she's looking thick but she has a medium length poodle cut, the weather man said this weekend cools down to low 80s so I'm putting it off giving her a very short summer haircut.  Her tummy feels rock hard and she doesn't especially like me touching her tummy.  She's doing fine, eating well, loves her little extra foods here and there.

Mornings is a full breakfast of Life's Abundance mixed with OC Raw, she eats readily within minutes

since I thought she was a little off of her food the other day, I'm offering her OC raw at lunchtime, she's loving it and I havn't noticed her looking as tired like she did a few days ago.

here we go, Week Three already!

************ Third week *********
About day 18-20, the embryos will implant in the uterus.

Momma's nipples begin to pink, enlarge

morning sickness might occur due to hormonal changes or stretching and distension of the uterus from June 5th to 12th

Feeding smaller meals more often throughout the day could help

Pregnancy Update

Canine pregnancy calendar says the "blastocystes" implant in the wall of the uterus June 2nd, the blastocystes grow into embryos.  During the next two weeks the important organs develop.


She's definitely acting like there's progress, not feeling so good this morning.  Offered her a little extra OC raw several hours after breakfast.  She ate slowly with a little nose wiggling.
She felt much better after a little snack this morning.

Gave her a bath yesterday
today was suppose to be grooming day for her
hmm, will groom her when she feels better

no doubt, she's already acting pregnant

Tuesday is Week Three

amazing how fast this goes

for each week doggies are pregnant is like a month in human months of pregnancy

basically she's three months pregnant