Doris' pregnancy diary 2021
24 June 2021
Doris' season has started, 10 days earlier than I expected. I'll be getting her 1st progesterone test done on Sat 3 July and should then get an indication of the timing for mating.
Doris' season has started, 10 days earlier than I expected. I'll be getting her 1st progesterone test done on Sat 3 July and should then get an indication of the timing for mating.
03 July 2021
Doris has caught me out yet again.I expected the progesterone test results to indicate a further test was needed in a couple of days time, but instead she and I will be travelling down to visit Pitch on Monday.
06 July 2021
The deed is done! Two matings, one on Monday evening and the other this morning. I've got Doris booked in at the vets for her first herpes vaccination on Thursday, the second one will be given between 14 and 7 days before her due date, which is around 6 September.
08 July 2021
Doris has had her first herpes vaccination today. It's something I now have done, as a matter of course, with each pregnancy I plan. The Herpes virus is thought to be present in between one third and half of the dog population. If a bitch has a flare-up it can cause her to re-absorb the litter or for the litter to die soon after birth. The vaccine has to be given with each pregnancy, the first injection early on and can be given even before mating, the second one between 1-2 weeks before the due date.
The next date in the diary will be for Doris' ultrasound scan, which will be in another month's time. This will hopefully confirm the pregnancy and possibly give an approximate number of how many puppies she's carrying.
18 July 2021
Doris' ultrasound scan is booked for Thursday 5 August. Hopefully there will be signs she's carrying puppies before then though.
05 Aug 2021
Doris has her her ultrasound scan and it showed there are lots of puppies on the way, far more than can be seen in the image below.
Doris has her her ultrasound scan and it showed there are lots of puppies on the way, far more than can be seen in the image below.
23 Aug 2021
Doris has had her 2nd herpes vaccination today. Her waistline is expanding rapidly and she now needs to toilet during the night, as the growing puppies press on her bladder.
30 Aug 2021
Eight days early, the first of Doris' puppies arrived at 2.45pm yesterday. Unfortunately, although she had another 4 puppies it became obvious she wasn't going to whelp the rest of them unaided. She hadn't eaten and was very weak so the only option was a c-section. A bumper bundle of 13 puppies, no wonder she was the size of a beached whale.
Eight days early, the first of Doris' puppies arrived at 2.45pm yesterday. Unfortunately, although she had another 4 puppies it became obvious she wasn't going to whelp the rest of them unaided. She hadn't eaten and was very weak so the only option was a c-section. A bumper bundle of 13 puppies, no wonder she was the size of a beached whale.
To follow the progress of the puppies from now until they leave for their new homes click HERE
