9:30 PM: 2 lovely boys and 1 beautiful girl so far! Momma Tori is doing well, and all puppies are nursing machines :-). Picture is of Tori and her first puppy.

 

Tori is in early labor

Day 63

Tori is in early labor today. Her temperature has dropped to 97.5 degrees, she is nesting in the dog crates, and panting. Puppies should arrive in the next 24 hours. Hurray!

 

Day 60

It is very easy to hear the puppies' heartbeats with a stethoscope now. This morning, while I was rubbing Tori's belly, I felt a definite puppy KICK! It's not uncommon to see Tori's abdomen bulge out unexpectedly for a moment as a puppy turns over or kicks out.

How many can you see?

Tori's x-ray

Tori had her pre-whelp x-ray today, and the results were.......
inconclusive. The vet saw at least 5 skulls, but there could be as many as two more hidden in there. So, according to Dr. Weaver, Tori will have between 5 and 7 puppies.

I had my dear husband (the radiologist) look at the x-ray and he thinks there are a minimum of 6 puppies, and as many as 9! So, between the vet and my husband, we now think Tori will have between 5 and 9 puppies.

We will have to wait and see :-) !!!

Dad and Mom

Tabasco and Tori

8 Weeks pregnant

Day 57

Tori has gained another 1.5 lbs since Sunday! She is also going into all the dogs' crates to "dig up" the bedding (nesting behavior).

7 Weeks pregnant

Day 54

It is now possible to hear the puppies' heartbeats with a stethoscope! Tori is eating well, and weighed in at nearly 60 pounds yesterday. We are getting excited about the upcoming litter and are taking guesses as to the number and sex of the puppies :-).

Day 47

Today, Tori is a little over 6 weeks pregnant. She is definitely gaining weight and is eating more. The whelping box has been set up and Tori is starting to spend some more time in it.