Flute and pups--day 3

Things continue to go well for Flute and pups.

You can see how fat, glossy and content the pups look.

Flute excels at doing her job, which includes keeping sharp eye on me (well, the camera) to be sure no potential threat exists for her precious brood.

Flute is a great natural mom. Nurturing and protective, just what one wants to see in a standard schnauzer mama. Lucky pups.

First puppy exams and more tomorrow

Pups go to their vet, Dr. Marty Greer, tomorrow for their first exams. They will also have their dew claws removed and their tails docked. Exams, dews and docking for schnauzers are usually done in the first 3-5 days after birth to minimize the stress on the pups.

I am always more than a bit sad when tail docking day comes around. As anyone who knows me can attest, I love schnauzer tails, especially puppy schnauzer tails.

I always take lots of puppy tail photos. I hope you enjoy some of the ones I've taken for Flute's pups in the posts below. There are more and video as well, but I am still quite sick and these were all I could manage to post for today. I will get some others up over the weekend.

Tails, glorious tails!

Day 3--a nursing scene

Enjoy a nursing scene featuring Flute's gorgeous pepper & salt daughter.

She is an enthusiastic and assertive nurser.

As soon as she was born, she immediately clambered over siblings and pushed them out of the way for a nipple.

Gotta love a girl who knows what she wants!

You can see that she feels that using Mama Flute's cheek/neck for leverage to enhance her ability to milk out better nursing is a great strategy.

This pup will be one food-motivated and and problem-solving girl. Just like Flute!

I say trouble on the horizon, but in the best way :-).

Flute says she is already proud.

Flute is pleased with her pups

Flute has been a great mom. She clearly enjoys having her pups and seems be proud and happy in the first shot.

You can also see that she is a cleaning whiz! No surprise she's a blur of pup cleaning action in the second shot.

Flute's Pups Arrive!

After a long night, Flute's puppies all arrived.

Flute's pre-labor began earlier in the day and active labor started late evening. The first pup (a pepper & salt male) was born at 11:15pm. The last pup (a black male) was born at 4:35am. This is a relatively short time for whelping that many pups and Flute, pups and I are thankful for that!

Flute is proud to announce that she has 7 pups, as our reproductive vet predicted from the xray (see earlier post for xray image):

1 pepper & salt boy
2 black boys
2 pepper & salt girls
2 black girls

Flute and pups are doing incredibly well. Flute has really taken to motherhood, is very attentive, loving and protective of her pups.

The pups are all vibrant, nursing and sleeping well.

Wish I could say the same of myself, with a raging case of the flu (great timing, mother nature!), and after an all-nighter mid-wife-ing Flute through her first litter!

I've taken lots of photos today, but am exhausted, so will post in the future as I am able.

I have to say that I am soo impressed with first-time mom's Flute's natural and easy mothering sense. Considering she was whelping on the tail end of a major snow and freezing ice storm that would have made reaching the vet nearly impossible, I am beyond grateful that she was able to deliver all those pups naturally.

Thank you, Flute!!

"I'm having puppies soon!,"

says Flute.

Flute also says that she is so beautiful, no one would know she's expecting.

... until one looks at the shots below!

Almost Due--Flute enjoys a walk

Standard Schnauzer, Flute, is pregnant and due any day. You can see she still really enjoyed a walk yesterday. Hard to imagine how she is so cheerful and has such a spring in her step. She is carrying 7 pups and is nearly 15 lbs heavier than pre-pregnancy.

It has been snowing all day, so this will probably be her final walk before she has her pups.

How many pups for Flute?

The Xray tells the tale (to the expert eye!).

During the ultrasound, Dr. Greer saw 5 pups for sure, but felt there may be 6 pups.

Dr. Greer was about to go into surgery but stopped to examine the Xray and give me the great news: Flute has "a bonus pup" and is expecting 7 pups!!

After that, the great reproductive vet techs showed me the skulls and corresponding spines for the 7 pups on the xray.

See if you can find all 7 skulls and spines in this reduced image.

It is so fun and exciting to examine puppy Xrays and try to trace where the pups are and how many pups are there. I have a friend who is so good at it that she has found pups that vets have missed, but Dr. Greer has never been wrong, so this time, I'd say that the count looks--and should be--right on.

A vet visit for Flute (and pups)

As you can see here, Flute hopes that if she just hides under the chair, she will not be noticed nor compelled to endure the hideous tortures ;-D that surely await her at our Reproductive Veterinarian, Dr. Marty Greer's, clinic.

Yes, horrible to be coo-ed over for her cuteness, admired for how beautifully she is handling her pregnancy and how fit she is (esp. considering how BIG she is), gently lifted up by 2 highly sensitive and skilled veterinary technicians for an xray, and rewarded with ginger snap cookies for her bravery.

Of course, let's not remind Flute of the temperature taking part of her visit... ;-D.

Not sure there are not enough cookies in the world for that!

Flute--One Week to Go!

As you can see, Flute is huge (but still quite beautiful!).

She is very round and Flute is so short-backed that she looks like a balloon or a beach ball.

I hope you enjoy some photos taken of Flute on a walk this past weekend. It is important to keep pregnant girls active and fit until pups are whelped. Flute loves walks, but is clearly feeling the strain of pups and her size. I let Flute set the pace and watch for signs that she is tired and ready to head back. Her walks are, not surprisingly, becoming much shorter as she gets closer.

It is hard to believe that pups are almost here.

Flute loves puppies

Here she is hanging with her nearly 6 mth old cousin, Bea.

You can see lots of Flute enjoying pups as she tried to take over for Iska for our 2010 litter.

I am sure Flute is going to be a super mother. Lucky pups!

"What? That's MY crate ..."

Flute seems a bit put out by Bea's occupation of Flute's crate.

Bea has a kong stuffed with peanut butter and Flute has clearly decided to stake her claim to the territory as best she can.

Perhaps this blog entry should be titled, "My crate. MY kong."

You can see from Bea's face and distance from the kong that Flute's presence has intimidated her into not licking the kong. This was no doubt Flute's plan.

Before pregnancy, Flute was known for her super power of levitation.

I have no idea, however, how Flute (with her current very large girth) managed to hop on top of the crate, but when food is involved, Flute is always both determined and inventive.

It's easy to see how big Flute is getting in this shot. She's like a balloon. I call her my little luftballoon.

Perhaps she simply floated up to the top of the crate.

Compare Flute now to Flute before!

For fun, compare Flute now, becoming fuller and fuller with growing pups, and Flute in September, at peak, dog show "fighting" trim and muscle in the photo on the bottom of the blog.

Quite a difference!

Both beautiful.

Both splendid for what they are doing at each time.

Flute clearly excels as both a show dog and a mama dog.

Beautiful and bigger Flute

Flute has gained 4 inches on her waist over the past week!

That sure seems like a lot to me, but especially to Flute, who is being so careful and clearly is not feeling as agile and confident as she usually feels.

Plus, Flute is sleeping a lot. Her pups must need much of Flute's energy to grow right now.

Each schnauzer female experiences pregnancy differently. Flute feels hungry, sleepy, cautious about her body, and very, very sweet and cuddly.

Have I mentioned how much I love Flute?? Pregnant Flute is even cuter and more cuddly than normal Flute. How fun!

Here is a shot from today. It was snowing and grey, so the light could be better, but I think Flute looks lovely.

Big Snow

Flute found yesterday's adventure in big snow very interesting.

Most of the snow was above Flute's back. Here it has been trampled down by dog play, so Flute can stand comfortably.

"Come on and play, Flute!"

Ash seems to say.

Flute may be saying, "Hey, Buddy, take care. I'm pregnant!"

The photo of Ash racing and leaping in the air makes me laugh. He'll try anything to entice Flute to play. Clearly, Flute is unimpressed.

Ash is a playful boy and Flute usually does like to play with him. Not these days, though. Flute is being pretty careful with herself and her pups.