1 5/20/2002 -exactly 3:00pm! The first pup is born!
2 Pup #1 is all the way out! Xena works on gobbling up the placenta.
3 Puppy #2 is out! Xena works on cleaning him up!
4 See the tiny feet? Puppy #3 is on his way!
5 There he is! Puppy #3 is almost clear!
6 Contractions... I am holding the pups in my hands to keep them warm while Xena gathers her forces to expel more pups!
7 New boys....... Xena inspects her new boys with wonder - what ARE these things?
8 Protective momma...... Xena huddles over her new pups while gathering the energy to birth the rest of her litter.
9 Watch the hind end here...... A contraction is building...
10 Its growing! The area under Xena's tail is getting full - there is a pup in the birth canal.
11 Ta dah! A pup #4 is born!
12 Xena with her litter. One pup was breathing poorly so we put her down. Another pup - the one that is just under her hind leg with all the black - also was doing very poorly and was put down. The remaining 7 are all healthy and strong!
13 Good job, Xena! Xena wants to accept the petting but is concerned for her pups, so she does her best to cover them with her body. Her protective instincts just went into major overdrive!
14 Nervous new Mommy...... Xena is nervous about the attention paid to her pups. This is a big, new experience for her - but already she is a super mom!
15 The deluxe nest..... This is Xena's home for the next three weeks. The nest has a cardboard hood that forms a pocket of heat, along with a 4" foam pad base and padded sides. Notice the materials in the forground - notepad for jotting down birth weights and times and my old standby - the book "The whelping and rearing of puppies" by Muriel P. Lee - I never whelp a litter without it!
16 Xena shows the way..... Xena rolls a healthy pup over with her nose; he rights himself and seeks her warmth, and has the strength to nurse.
17 Mother knows best... Xena rolls the unthrifty pup and she responds by sitting and crying - she does not have the strength to seek warmth or nurse. Xena kept the dark colored pup on the left out of the nest, and barked a hysterical bark at the pup until we removed her and gently put her to sleep. Not all pups are meant to survive, and the ones you lose generally happen within the first 36 hours.
18 Mother and daughter Xena's first born daughter climbs atop Mount Xena!
19 Weighing time! Time to weigh the 24 hour old pups! All pups showed a gain from their birth weights.
20 5/21/01 One day old pups doing what pups do - sleep 90% of the time and nurse the rest!
21 Awww! 24 hour pup snoozing. Pups jerk and twitch like crazy when asleep - you can almost SEE their tiny nervous systems developing!
22 Dinner time! For Xena that is! Xena will only take her food if its brought close. If she has to reach for it - and draw away from her pups - she refuses it.
23 Doesn't she look happy? Xena pants to dissipate heat, but is sure looks like she is smiling!
24 Awww! The first born boy 24 hours old. His coloring is 'red sable' and his face already looks lighter from yesterday. As he matures the black will recede until he has only 'eye liner and lipstick' leaving the red coloring to dominate.
25 New momma on guard. Xena is not quite as nervous as yesterday, but she is still very alert and protective of her pups.
26 24 hour old pup...... Taking a good stretch!
27 Look at the action..... The pups squirm vigorously to get a nipple, or to flee from their momma's ticklish tongue. Its puppy excercise!
28 48 hours..... Time to change the bedding! The pups are piled one by one on some fleece on the bed to lure Xena out of the nest so we can change the bedding.
29 It worked! Xena cuddles with the pups in their temporary new location while the bedding is changed.
30 All settled in again. Look how she cuddles this pup in the crook of her leg. "This picture is ..." View Comments...
