Olivia's Litter

Pregnancy

18-23 July 2010
Olivia bred to Hubert (CH Newmiller's Handsome Hubert owned by Dr. Elaine Miller). Day 63 from first breeding is Monday 20 September.
28 August
Weight up 1 lb, noticible tummy bulge
2 September
Reduced daily walk distance by half
5 September
Weight 12.07 lbs
9 September
Weight 12.14 lbs
13 September
Weight 13.09 lbs
photo1 photo2 Olivia checks out her whelping box
16 September
Weight 13.90 lbs, x-rays show four puppies
18 September
Olivia refuses breakfast. Puppies will come in next 24-48 hours.
At 11 pm Olivia starts to have contractions.
photo3 photo4 Nesting between contractions

Week 1

19 September
At 1 am and no puppy I realize that there is a problem and we head to the Anne Arundel Veterinary Emergency Veterinary Clinic. While Olivia has strong contractions, one of the puppies is stuck (and breach). Olivia has four puppies by emergency C-section. In order of birth there are Green (male, 144 grams), Pink (female, 148 grams), Blue (female, 154 grams), and White (male, 158 grams). Green is the one that was stuck. Pink is the slowest to revive (and the one the surgeon is most worried about).
photo1 photo2 Home from the hospital
20 September
photo 3 Olivia is being a good mother. Note the shaved area on Olivia's right leg where she had an IV inserted during her C-section.
photo 4 photo 5 photo 6 The puppies first visit to the vet. In spite of the hot water bottle in the box used to transport the puppies, Olivia does not believe the puppies are warm enough or protected enough, so she climbs into the box, covering the puppies but careful not to step on the puppies.
photo 7 White crawls up on top of the water bottle. (You can just seen the blue water bottle.)
photo 8 Blue, Pink, and Green.
photo 9 Olivia watching over her puppies. The vet said that Pink's suck reflex was only half the strength of the others.
photo 10 Back home from the vet. White is behind Olivia's leg, trying to crawl in. Note the blood stain on the mat in the whelping box. Olivia will pass clots as she heals on the inside from her C-section. Dark clots are ok, bright red or white are bad. The amount of clots passed should decrease over time.
21 September
photo 11
22 September
photo 11 photo 12 photo 13 photo 14 photo 15
23 September
Norwich terriers are a dock-tailed breed. Tails came off today - for Green, Blue, and White. While Pink's weight is showing a slow but steady increase, it is not as much as the others and Pink now weights approximately 30 grams less than the others. So I decide not to stress Pink with cutting off her tail. I am not a big fan of tail-docking. This may be the last litter that I dock. While I could dock Pink's tail later, I do not plan to do so.
Many breeders also remove dew-claws. I do not remove front dew-claws as I believe they are part of the structure of a dog's front feet. Only Green had rear dew-claws (on both legs) which were removed. Rear dew-claws are known to catch on things and get torn, so it is better to remove them.
24 September
photo 16 While Olivia will lie down to let the puppies nurse, many times she sits up and the puppies crawl underneath to nurse - laying on their back while they suckle. Note that you can easily identify Pink by her tail.
photo 17 photo 18 Puppies sleeping.

Week 2

26 September
Green weighs 284 grams, Pink 243 grams, Blue 293 grams, and While 300 grams. Everyone - except Pink - has about doubled their birth weight. Pink continues to be a worry.
photo 1 photo 2 The puppies just eat and sleep.
photo 3 Two puppy butts!
photo 4 A very full Blue.
27 September
photo 5 Olivia laying down nursing a puppy.
photo 6 Blue is a porker!
photo 7 Olivia licking a puppy to stimulate the puppy to pee and poop. Olivia cleans up any puppy poop by eating it.
28 September
photo 8 photo 9 Second trip to the vet. She says that they are all beautiful healthy puppies, although Pink's slow weight gain is a concern.
30 September
photo 12 Everyone in a row. Note how much larger the puppies are.
I have to leave the puppies with my pet sitter because of a judging assignment 1-3 October. I take them over in the morning and get them settled in before heading to the airport. We cut the puppies nails. Blue opens her eyes for the first time and looks at me before I leave.

Week 3

3 October
Green weighs 466 grams, Pink 389 grams, Blue 460 grams, and White 487 grams.
4 October
photo 1 Thank you Michaela for taking good care of the puppies while I was away judging!
5 October
photo 2 Green and White each have one eye crusted shut. We visit the vet who recommends warm compresses (a cotton ball soaked in warm water) and some eye-antibiotic ointment. The problem clears up in a couple of days.
6 October
photo 3 photo 4 photo 5 Nursing.
7 October
photo 6 On my bed while I change the padding in the whelping box.
photo 7 Olivia licks the puppies bellies to stimulate them to pee and poop.
photo 8 My oldest dog Kate (Olivia's aunt) wondering why she is not allowed in the bedroom. Olivia growls if Kate comes near the whelping box and the puppies. I have been sneaking Kate up onto my bed to sleep at night.
8 October
photo 9 Blue sleeping underneath the pig rails of the whelping box.
photo 10 photo 11 Nursing. Notice how much bigger the puppies are from two weeks ago.
9 October
photo 12 photo 13 photo 14 I temporarily moved the puppies out to the kitchen to catch some sun.

Week 4

10 October
Green weighs 622 grams, Pink 523 grams, Blue 638 grams, and White 636 grams.
Today is Montgomery Sunday - the day of the Montgomery Kennel Club's terrier-only conformation dog show - the largest gathering of terriers, and specifically Norwich terriers, in the world. Because Olivia is being such a good mom, I can leave her and the puppies for the day to go to the show near Philadelphia. I had my neighbor check on everyone in the middle of the day.
I returned in the evening and offered the puppies some food (ground up puppy kibble mixed with Esbilac milk). The puppies took a taste but made it clear that they still prefer their mother's milk.
Today the puppies are three weeks old. Unless something unusual happens, I can expect that all the puppies will survive. It has been a stressful and worrysome three weeks.
12 October
photo 1 Nursing.
photo 2 photo 3 photo 4 photo 5 photo 6 photo 7 photo 8 photo 9 photo 10 At the vet for a checkup and first worming. Since the puppies are still just crawling, I can put them down on a towel and catch them before they crawl onto the cold floor.
14 October
photo 11 Olivia eating and two puppies nursing at the same time.
photo 12 The puppies still only take a lick or two of some (human) baby food. Olivia eats all the leftovers.
15 October
photo 13 A pensive Green.
photo 14 photo 15 photo 16 I put down an empty shoe box to give the puppies a new surface (cardboard) to feel. They are trying to walk on all fours.
photo 17 photo 18 photo 19 photo 20 The puppies decide to see if they all can fit in the shoe box.
photo 21 photo 22 photo 23 Sleeping in the shoe box.
photo 24 Taking a taste.
16 October
photo 25 I am happy to see Pink eating. She is still smaller and lighter than her siblings. However she only takes several licks before wandering away.
photo 26 Blue is the first to climb over the barrier from the puppy play-pen to the rest of my kitchen.
photo 27 The puppies again sleeping in the shoe box.
photo 28 I put a puppy-size crate in the play-pen for the puppies to explore and use. Olivia surprises me by (just barely) fitting inside. Olivia may remember the crate from when she was a puppy.
photo 29 photo 30 Green and Blue decide that the crate is a nice place for a nap, while Pink and White sleep in the shoe box.
photo 31 All the puppies in the crate.

Week 5

17 October
Green weighs 824 grams, Pink 692 grams, Blue 824 grams, and White 821 grams.
photo 1 White, Pink, and Blue sleeping while Green tries to get some more food from Mom. Note that White is sleeping on his back.
photo 2 photo 3 photo 4 photo 5 The puppies first exposure to grass.
photo 6 Pink went off exploring on her own.
photo 7 photo 8 But Mom and her nipples are more interesting.
photo 9 photo 10 The puppies try to play bite Mom's ear.
photo 11 Pink play-biting Green's leg.
photo 12 I cut a hole in two ends of a shoe box to make a tunnel. Pink was the first who crawled through it.
photo 13 Olivia went into the puppy crate ... so all the puppies crawled in to join her.
photo 14 All the puppies asleep in their crate with Olivia resting outside.
18 October
photo 15 Blue stepping in Mom's food.
photo 16 Green investigating what Mom is eating.
photo 17 I ground up some kibble for the puppies, and Pink investigated it.
photo 18 photo 19 Asleep in the crate with Mom guarding.
photo 20 Mom's food is still the best.
19 October
photo 21 photo 22 Olivia sleeping near the entrance to the puppys' play pen.
20 October
photo 23 "Mom likes it when we step in her food."
photo 24 I let the puppies temporarily have the run of the kitchen. Blue investigating.
photo 25 White found the dog bed next to my table.
photo 26 Kate chastising a puppy.
photo 27 I gave the puppies some tripe, which they thought was delicious.
photo 28 Invstigating Mom's food dish.
21 October
photo 29 photo 30 photo 33 photo 32 The puppies in harnesses, attached to couplers, attached to the seat belt. Preparing for their first ride as "big dogs" in a car seat. On the way to Michaela's for another sleep-over while I am away judging.
photo 31 My older dogs in their car seats in the back - Bianca (Kate's daughter), Olivia, and Kate in the background. Kate had to give up her place in the front so that the puppies could ride in the front.

Week 6

24 October
Green weighs 954 grams, Pink 818 grams, Blue 932 grams, and White 948 grams.
25 October
photo 1 The puppies are all now walking.
photo 2 Pink discovers the tippy board.
photo 3 My foot evidently makes a great pillow.
photo 4 Eating.
photo 5 Olivia and three puppies asleep on a dog bed.
26 October
photo 6 photo 7 Playing on the tippy board.
photo 8 Four puppies asleep on a dog bed.
Between six to eight weeks of age, puppies look the most like they will when they grow up. After eight weeks different parts of their bodies grow at different rates - like human teenagers - and they look all funny until they get to be about six months old. Here are stacked and head shots. Thanks Rachael for taking them.
photo 9 photo 10 photo 11 Green
photo 12 photo 13 photo 14 Pink
photo 15 photo 16 photo 17 Blue
photo 18 photo 19 White
Green is the first to break the kilogram weight barrier today.
Some pictures a friend took can be found here.
27 October
photo 20 Green asleep on a green dog bed.
White joins the "over a kilogram" club today.
28 October
Blue joins the "over a kilogram" club today.
photo 21 The puppies have a good appetite.
photo 22 photo 23 On the way to the petsitter again while I go off judging again.

Week 7

30 October
Green weighs 1123 grams, Pink 978 grams, Blue 1060 grams, and White 1089 grams. The puppies are now little dogs who can run (they are fast), have sharp puppy teeth ("ankle biters"), and are into everything they can reach. Olivia to my surprise is still allowing the puppies to nurse.
1 November
photo 1 photo 2 photo 3 photo 4 photo 5 photo 6 photo 7 I gave the puppies a raw chicken wing tip. (Raw bones are ok, it is cooked bones that can splinter which should never be given to dogs.) A rugby match ensued with the chicken wing as the ball and every puppy on their own team. The puppies do not yet have the jaw strength to eat the wing, but trying to and trying to hold onto the wing from the other puppies tires everyone out.
2 November
photo 8 photo 9 All puppies sleeping on a dog bed.
photo 10 Puppy sleeping next to Mom.
photo 11 photo 12 At the vets again. The vet tech had to rescue the garbage can.
photo 13 photo 14 Exploring the base of the veterinary table.
photo 15 Untying my shoe laces.
photo 16 photo 17 First thermometor.
photo 18 photo 19 photo 20 First shot.
3 November
photo 21 Blue on the pig rails in the whelping box. I hope this means she will be a good agility dog!
photo 22 After the puppies eat, I let Olivia in to clean up. The puppies always want to help.
When I came home for lunch and to take the puppies outside to potty, I found only two puppies in the play pen. Blue and White had escaped! They had climbed over the barrier that was keeping puppies inside but letting Mom enter and leave at will. I had a frantic moment going through the house calling "Puppy, puppy, puppy" until I finally found them both back in the bedroom. As I was carrying them back to the play pen, I found Green climbing out ... perhaps to show me that he could ... or perhaps he had climbed out but then climbed back in again. I tried making the entrance barrier taller, while still allowing Mom to get in and out, but when I came home after work that afternoon, again Blue and White were out, on a dog bed in the kitchen. So unfortunately no more access for Mom to the puppies while I am away.
photo 23 photo 24 Puppies always seem to like to stick their head through this toy and wear it as a hat. I remember Olivia doing it when she was a puppy.
photo 25 All puppies asleep again.
4 Nov
At about 2 am I got up to use the bathroom and to take the puppies outside to potty. When we came back inside, all the puppies were wide awake and were not happy about being back in the whelping box next to my bed. Green was especially unhappy, and kept trying to jump up the side of the whelping box to get to me. I finally picked him up and put him next to me on the bed. He settled right down. I thought I had put him back in the whelping box, but the next thing I knew it was morning and a puppy was nuzzling my shoulder. Green had slept part of the night with me! He was a perfect gentleman and had not messed in my bed. But the puppies are now trying to dismantel the whelping box (with their puppy teeth), so next week they will start sleeping in a crate. I predict that they will not think this is an improvement!
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Week 8

8 Nov
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9 Nov
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10 Nov
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11 Nov
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Contact: shakspernorwich@gmail.com