Pippin
Ch Prairielight
Living Daylights CDX WCX MH
Hips: Excellent
Elbows: OFA Normal
Patellas: Normal
Eyes: Clear
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DOB: February 11, 2007
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Pure for black
Cricket
GCh Kistryl Toffee CD RE
Hips: Good
Elbows: OFA Normal
Patellas: Normal
Eyes: Clear (gonioscopy
mildly affected)
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DOB: April 14, 2018​
Liver, carries yellow
At 1:07 am on April 27th, Cricket whelped a single female puppy.​ She is a lively 'little' thing, who was actually a pretty big girl weighing in at 471g. The whelping was smooth and uneventful, and Cricket has settled into motherhood once again.
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I was able to speak to our reproductive vet tech about some paperwork and she was surprised to hear Cricket had a singleton. She looked over Cricket's file and was able to confirm there were at least 4 puppies on the day of her ultrasound. We're not sure why she would have reabsorbed all but one of her litter, but are so thankful for the sweet puppy who is here.
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Liz warned me not to spoil her, but I'm sure that will be one of the bigger challenges for our family as we raise a singleton.
Weekly Portraits
Week 1
The week has gone by quickly and with ease. The puppy has been gaining well, but not too much. Earlier this week, I spent time reading about how to raising singletons, since they are missing the stimulation that comes from littermates.
Often times there are problems with either over-mothering or under-mothering, but Cricket is doing a perfect job.
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Unlike Cricket's last litter where we had to make sure everyone was gaining well, we're now weighing twice a day to make sure she's not gaining too quickly :)
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She's a strong puppy and is quite skilled at moving around the whelping box already. Any time Cricket steps into the whelping box, I'm amazed at how quickly the puppy finds her to nurse.
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The puppy has had her nails cut a couple of times, but I can't say she cares much for it.
Week 2
We've nicknamed the puppy Spice, because she's a spicy little thing. She's growing well and is strong. She climbed out of the whelping box towards the end of the week when she was trying to get to Cricket. She has spent the bulk of the week growing, sleeping, and nursing. This week she has begun to vocalize a bit, and can make little growls, yips, and tiny barks.
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She's had her nails trimmed a few more times, and makes sure to let me know how much she dislikes having it done.
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At the 2 week mark, little Spice has already tripled her birth weight. She's starting to get around by walking on all 4's, and her eyes opened towards the end of the week!
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This week Cricket has spent time digging a new den that she feels will be a more appropriate place to raise her puppy in. She's been working hard on it :)
Weeks 3 & 4
My weekly updates are already beginning to get away from me. Sorry this one is so late.
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Spicy's eyes were open by the 2 week point, and her ears began to open not too long after that. Once she could hear, she began frequent vocalizing of all sorts.
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Spicy finished up her time in the whelping room and got to move into a pen in our living room. She now gets to experience the busyness of our household.
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Towards the end of week 4, Spicy got to venture outside for the very first time. I'm sure it was a bit of an overwhelming experience for her, but she quickly began to enjoy the breeze, the sunshine, and a pile of new smells. I even took her down for a quick introduction to the chickens.