Puppy News
at Kennel Benfro
Before whelping - First week - Second week - Third Week - Fourth Week - Sixth Week - Happy Ending
To everybody who is afraid of calling me over and over again to ask about Hedda and the litter, I'll try to keep you informed.
Litter expected on May 19th.
May 13th.: Hedda is large, about the size of Vicky when she delivered 5 big pups and she still have at least five days to go. I doubt she will wait until the 19th.
Just now I am wondering why all my bitches picks the worst days to deliver. Days when it is next to impossible to get hold of a Vet.
With our Independence Day coming up on May 17th in mind, we are off to the Vet tomorrow to take an X-ray to check out if it is three big ones or more normal sized ones and find out whom to call if needed.
May 14th.: Not much wiser than before the X-Ray was taken, for once it was hard to count both sculls and spines, the pups were in a bundle. So all we can say - at least four, maybe five, maybe...
The only thing we can see is active pups moving when Hedda is laying on the floor or in her basket. Just time will tell.
May 15th:. Hedda prefers being indoors not moving much around but has eaten a bit better being tempted by a chunk of overcooked meat and it's juice mixed into the dry puppy kibbles - so maybe she will delay delivering until after the Independence Day after all. Tomorrow I'll have to organize a Vet to call if needed on the 17th. Luckily there are two or three available.
May 16th.: No news are good news they say and for the moment it seems that we will get through May 17th. as well. Temperature is normal, she just refuses to leave the puppy room where the two of us sleeps now. She has eaten today as well, but just meat. Will tempt her with a bit of salmon tonight. Emergency vet for tomorrow is arranged.
May 17th.: No Independence Day puppies - only missing an hour or so to enter May 18th. She was starving this morning, but at dinner she was picky again. Hand fed salmon is all she will eat for the moment. So we are still waiting.
May 18th.: Still waiting, and Hedda is eating like a hog, slice of bread, sossages, minced meat and half a chicken. I had expected something to happen today as she was breathing rather heavily around 0300 last night, but it just lasted for an hour and she went back to sleep.
May20th.: Still waiting. The only happy one is Hedda being pampered and eating like a hog. Unless something happens before tomorrow morning - it's off to the Vet.
Before whelping - First week - Second week - Third Week - Fourth Week - Sixth Week
May 21th.: An un restful night as Hedda has started to make her nest in the puppy box. Appointment at the Vet at 1100. Hedda was checked, no opening what so ever, so on it had to be a C-section. Five fully grown pups, two dogs and three bitches.
Both mother and babies are fine, I am not as Hedda has got absolutely no milk. Three injections so far, the forth will follow soon as we are crossing fingers and toes for natural feeding in the days to come.
As well as having no milk, she consider the pups to be mice and would rather chase them than care for them.
Been there, done that - have hand fed a singleton pup from day one, so I know what the work is like and I am not looking forward to the next three weeks, but will of course fight for them.
May 23rd.: All the pups have gained weight today and are now weighing more than when they were born. But it is still early and much can happen. Still it is a good start. Hedda has no milk, but has started to show interest in the pups, so hopefully she'll take over licking their bums. A tiny bit of liver patê on the pups seemed to work wonders.
May 24th.: The pups are still gaining weight and we are working with Hedda and the liver patê.
She seems to take more interest in them now. With the increase in weight, the dew claws were removed between meals, and they were eating just as well at the next meal.
The "Teddy" hot water bottle seems to please them all and they are moving it around the puppy box all the time.
May 25th.: Hedda is still curious and a bit frightened by the pups, in her own way she is bonding to them. By today we have given up all hope that she will get any milk at all - no matter what we have tried and done, she is drying up.
Weight Scale in grams for the first five days:
| Birth Weight | May 22nd. | May 23rd. | May 24th. | May 25th. | |
| Dog 1 | 255 | 260 | 305 | 325 | 365 |
| Dog 2 | 235 | 230 | 245 | 280 | 295 |
| Bitch 1 | 275 | 270 | 280 | 295 | 325 |
| Bitch 2 | 270 | 270 | 280 | 295 | 325 |
| Bitch 3 | 265 | 265 | 275 | 305 | 320 |
See Pedigree for L-litter
May 27th.: The pups are putting on weight in a speed I have not seen since my G-litter - and they were not handfed.
The Puppy Milk from Mera Dog is very rich and seems to fit Corgis perfect. No trouble with bowel motions - they sleep and eat and that is that. They still love their Teddy hot water bottle and it's a fight whom can be on top of him.
Before whelping - First week - Second week - Third Week - Fourth Week - Sixth Week -
May 28th.: So the pups do what they do best at that age - sleep and eat.
Dog 1 tipped a pound when being weighed tonight and the others are nor far behind.
Jacko was allowed a glimpse tonight as well, he loves pups and have wanted to get into that room from day one.
May 31st.: Nothing wrong, pups are growing, it's just that their human mother is going around half awake and half asleep most of the time. It helps though, seeing them putting on weight like this, I allowed myself six hours sleep in the middle of the night. That helped and the pups don't seem to mind.
Apart from that, the Teddy hot water bottle was the favorite of them all, so we bought it a mouse for company. Even just eleven days old, they sniffed it out properly and found out that it could be used. So the Mouse has been the favorite today. Here is bitch two and three enjoying their new mate.
| May 26th | May 27th. | May 28th. | May 29th. | May 30th | May 31st. | |
| Dog 1 | 420 | 455 | 480 | 535 | 580 | 615 |
| Dog 2 | 325 | 345 | 375 | 410 | 440 | 490 |
| Bitch 1 | 355 | 380 | 420 | 450 | 490 | 530 |
| Bitch 2 | 365 | 410 | 440 | 470 | 515 | 555 |
| Bitch 3 | 345 | 390 | 410 | 460 | 515 | 555 |
June 1st.: So far it been pictures of the pups, the proud father, but none of mum. She is in the whelping box yes, she oversees every feeding, sitting beside me watching one by one and licking a bit. She is alone with the pups, no problem, but the moment anybody enters the room, she is up and about. Late last night when I entered the room she stayed put - even let me pick up the camera, so here is Hedda with her pups.
Apart from that, dog 1, bitch 1 and bitch 2 have opened their eyes.
June 3rd.: Puppies are still putting on weight, apart from being hand fed, they behave just like any other litter. Dog 2, being fed on the picture and bitch 3 opened their eyes yesterday. There will not be many photos the coming days, I am totally against using flash light at this age - if I can catch them all alseep that's a different story.
Before whelping - First week - Second week - Third Week - Fourth Week - Sixth Week
June 7th.:Not much new, they eat and sleep - and we started them on raw meat on the 5th and it has worked out well. Fills up their stomachs a bit. Apart from that, I think Bitch 3 is the one who will be staying on here. I noticed her already when they were wet, and she has some of the qualities I look for when they are that age. We'll just see. Hopefully my visitors from England will not pick her. I'll just have to wait and see when they arrive to look at the pups in two weeks time.
June 10th: The heatwave is killing both for humans and dogs and we have to take extra care when boiling bottles and everything else needed to handfeed the pups. Dog one vommited milk twice today, but seems to have picked up again tonight. The last meal stayed down and he has only lost 5 grams.
Before whelping - First week - Second week - Third Week - Fourth Week - Sixth Week
June 11th: So the pups have survived the first three critical weeks and I dare to look forward and even start speculating on what to name them. As they will have names startiing with an L, I could go for the King Arthur theme again, but think I'll go wild like with the three last litters. I'll might put up a poll later on to see what names you out there in cyberspace prefers.
Even the pups seem to feel the heat. I put a smaller pet bed in the box today and they used the opertunety to crawl under it and lay on the cooler newspapers instead. On the picture, two of them is hiding under it. Promise you all some close ups of them later this week.
June 13th: From the left bitch 3, bitch 1 on the Teddy, bitch 2 in the corner, dog 1 in front and dog 2 at the back.
Yesterday they tried kibble for the first time - made like a soup and dog 2, bitch 2 and 3 dug in while the other two behaved like I was trying to poison them.
If you look at the photo taken May 24th, you can see how they have grown these three weeks - the Teddy is still of same size, the pups not. You can also notice that the puppy grey color is slowly turning red. On the small picture dog 2 and bitch 2 sound asleep. Dog 1 has passed 1 kg now, he is going to be a big boy like his dad and bitch 2 and 3 follow close behind. Dog 2 was the smallest when born, and he still has a long way to catch up with his brother. But he has not got the same length of body, so he is putting on enough weight as well.
June 17th: The pups are trying to play with each other, moving unsteadely around and cries for attention the moment one enters the room. Translated - Pick Me Up! Dog 2 howls, the other whimpers. Their personalety is starting to show, bitch 1 and 2 are a lot softer than birch 3 who is a little bully. Where things happen in the whelping box, she and dog 2 are both present. Dog 1 whom I suspect to be a fluffy, is only interested in food - meat and milk.
Dog 1 - Food - Me first! | Dog 2 and Bitch 2 Corgi Pose | Bitch 2, Bitch 1 and Dog 1 | Bitch 2 - First bisquit |
Before whelping - First week - Second week - Third Week - Fourt Week - Sixth Week
July 5th: What should have been a puppy diary has got a large gap - sorry, but here they are again. The afterwork of NWCK's Show kept me busy and then we got visitors from UK. Loll Boulton, Kennel Jonloran came to see if she wanted to have one of the girls, so bitch one, now named Benfro's Light My Fire aka Chloe is going to England. She was joined by Carole Saxton, Kennel Perrymist, who actually would have liked to bring Freddie along, loving his front and shoulders, but doubted that her old dog Matthew would have apriciated that.
From The left: Chloe, Lotte, Bitch 3 and Dog 2 playing in the Puppy Run.
Bitch two, now named Benfro's Love, Love Me Do aka Lotte will move to Sørumsand when she is old enough. She is an adorable little thing just sitting longing to be picked up and cudled to bits. To the left; Loll with Lotte. Lotte is the most adorable bitch one can think of, excellent bone, lovely head - but suddenly one morning the Cardigan innherritance hit us, she got a blue eye, so she is not for showing.
So we will keep bitch 2, still not named, but some names keep spinning in my head, Dog 1, the Ffuffy is my little Leprechaun, Dog 2 could be Life is for Living and the bitch 2 might be Live The Dream. She and Dog 2 has the typical boisterous Corgi temperament. To the left; Carole with Dog 2.
They love to be outside, but the rain the last weeks has limited that. They do get their playtime though, running wild in the kitchen, hall and the livingroom. They eat and they grow. So far they have chewed their way through 2 kg of chicken breasts, about the same amount of salmon, dry kibble, puppy milk, scrambled eggs, semulina porrige, rice puddings, tinned puppy food, plus a lot more. Apart from that, Loll's little girl Chloe managed to chew Loll's slippers as well. So they are totally normal pups for their age.
To the left: Loll feeding the pups Yorkshire pudding while Hedda and Freddie are watching with envy.
The puppymilk got a bit too rich for them, so they now drink Biola instead which seems to agree a lot better with their stomachs.
My little - big fluffy boy - the Leprechaun.
Happy Ending
Nine weeks old the first two left for new homes. One of the new owners, a friend as well, accompanied me to the Vet for shots and chipping, and when we came back home, the next was waiting in the Garden.
Robin was the next to go, also to a home where there have been Corgis before. Chloe is still here waiting to go to England, she is already registred and have got her new registry number there, but will wait until March before leaving. The last bitch I had planned to keep for myself, but as much as Hedda loved Chloe, she could not stand the other. And that one let it all out on Chloe when they were in the puppy pen. So when a friend and a Corgi breeder came along and fell for her - I let her go.
Theodor, my fluffy boy came back to stay with us for a forthnight when his family went on holliday and it was great to see him again as happy and gentle as he had been here. For latest pictures of the pups in their new home, look here.
© Kennel Benfro.