Boy, Halo is getting chubby!! She had kept her figure pretty well, but man, lately she is really starting to show! One of the things we’ve been doing is using a doppler to check heartbeats every night. We’ve been using a service called Whelpwise that has you monitor heartbeats and monitor for contractions. Halo comes from a long line of natural whelpers, but you can never be too sure! Especially since Halo has a small litter, we want to make sure we keep an eye on things.
Halo with her monitor around her belly, Karma along to provide some moral support!
Marc is a pro; guess that’s what an obstetrics rotation in medical school will do for you! Marc has delivered around 60 human babies, so Jenny is feeling pretty confident that things will go smoothly. Marc can find those heartbeats with no problem, and has been giving the reports every day, 3 heartbeats — strong and distinct!
Today, we did a fair amount of puppy prep. First up was their x-ray. This confirms the quantity and double checks that they are headed in the right direction. The veterinarian couldn’t stop commenting about how it looks like the puppies are all stretched out! They are definitely taking advantage of being part of a small litter! The x-ray confirmed 3 puppies, so no surprises on delivery day!
Can you tell how stretched out they are? The two yellow ones are headed the right way, the green arrow is breech.
Here is how we set up our whelping box, thanks to some flooring advice from breeder Rhoda Ezell (FAWA Vizslas.) First we laid down a sheet of vinyl. Then we added cushy padding squares from the “home gym” or “playroom” section of Home Depot. On top of that we assembled our friend Mary’s dura-whelp Box she lent us. On the bottom of the box is a layer of fleece topped with hospital pads. We also popped one of Halo’s favorite Orvis temperpedic beds in there to encourage her to start going in and napping.
Sheet of vinyl then the cushy playroom flooring on top, with parents 😉
Outside the box is a yoga mat to make things easier on knees. We are stocked up on towels, medical supplies, and have started taking her temperature. Tad delivered all the supplies from Mary and helped Marc build the box, so we were able to get a cute photo of the proud parents in the nursery ?. We are all so excited for the coming week!