i didn't get a chance to post this morning, so here are the weights from today. Everyone is doing great. I will share some cute little stories. When ever one gets away from the pack they scream. I have to redirect them back to the group. They love to snuggle in a pile. Its so cute. And when I try to rotate feeding and I'm trying to get them on the teat they will start sucking my fingers.

we are four days old today. They are growing so fast. The bigger ones have gained as much as two ounces. But all have gained. Except for lilac. She is back to birth weight. Feedings are going well. I'm rotating to make sure everyone gets a turn. Bella still is not leaving the box. Only to potty maybe 4 times a day. I hand deliver plates of food to her every 4-5 hours. And hold the water dish in so she can drink. She is looking good and adjusting to the new box. Curly is helping. If you know the back story it's pretty funny. Curly gets in box with Bella and pups and she cleans there rear ends to help them potty. It's a mother thing. Curly would not let Bella in her box. She growled at her. Bella couldn't even look at the pups till they were walking. Well guess what, Curly is right back in Bella's box and Bella doesn't growl at her. She is fine with it. Curly is an over protective mother. But right now she is a big help to Bella with this litter being so big. I've attached a couple photos from yesterday and weights.

yesturday went well. Everyone eating. Taking turns. Last night I slept beside the box and got up every 2 hours to help the little girl nurse. I kept everyone's collars the same color but hers. She went from light yellow to Lilac. For now I don't have a collar on her. She is just too tiny. This morning she seems more resilient. She seems more filled out. Yesterday morning she was frail and I could feel her ribs. Dont worry, I'm giving them all attention. Not just her. The rest are thriving. Eating very very well. You start to see patterns. Red girl loves to wiggle to side of box and scream because she is lost. Green bulldozes everyone over to eat first. Blue boy cries for no reason. I move him a little and he stops fussing. White girl loves to eat the most. She knows when its feeding time. And pink girl has the cutest posses. Reminds me of grey boy Cooper from Curlys litter. They seem to like the new whelping box. I'm not sure momma does. The top is open and she would much rather they were hidden and covered. But she is hot and panting. So the open top box helps a little. I have the air cranked down to 67. And the heating pad on for pups. But she is still very very hot. I just ordered a different whelping mat. Summer litters are hard. You should have a traction surface for pups. They need to grip. Helps with hip problems as adults. But the rubber mat is hot for Bella. Going to try to do a mixed surface outside something cooler center grip mat for them. They need to use feet to feed. When you see pups feet and they are on belly and knees feeding its hard on hips. There have been lots of new data on hip issues. Very little of it is now considered genetic. So we are taking a different approach with this litter and will be educating families on do's and dont's. I will add tips like this to many posts to help educate new families.

Thursday night at 5pm Bella delivered her first pup. She finished up the 12th pup at 2:05 am Friday morning. All 12 pups are doing well. 6 girls and 6 boys. Today I moved her from her birthing box into a bigger whelping box. I will continue to update the litter 4 page on Facebook with updates and pictures. Message me if you can't find the page. And I will blog as often as possible with updates. We are very busy right now helping Bella with such a large litter. All pups are thriving and doing well with the exception of one little girl. She needs some extra care right now because she is so small. So we have been busy helping her eat often. Check back often for updates and pictures.

as many times as we do this, it's still always a guess. Just like humans. You can't predict a due date. They come when they are ready. Typical range in dogs is 59-63 days. They can go as early as 57 and as late as 69. Outside that range is dangerous. Bella was bred of the course of 6 days. So you can see the range of days it could be. I identified may 30th as she typically goes 61 days. And I felt her second breeding was the closest to high range of progesterone when she was most fertile. As of today I do not think she will make it to may 30th. I think she is much closer to giving birth than that. I can already feel them moving and actually see it through the skin. She is acting as if we are close. She is pacing. Her appetite is off. Only eating a little at a time. I will keep everyone posted as soon as something changes. I've been taking temp. We had a slight dip yesterday. But I don't think it was a true dip. She is a hard one to do this with because she has a lower temp anyway. No worries, I won't be leaving her side for the next 8 weeks. So when ever she goes into labor I will be here. Oh, and if she took the very first time, we are at 59 days. So well into the safe range.

we are counting down the days. About 9 days to go. Just like any pregnancy, you never know. It's a rough guess. It really could be as soon as Thursday. That would be early. My guess is Monday. I don't think it will be any later than that. The vet check up on Friday went very well. She and babies seem good. Her total weight gain has been 15lbs.

Exciting news. We will now be sending each pup home with 30 days of free pet insurance. We have partnered with Trupanion to bring you this service. Each pup will leave our home with this. Once you register the pup you have 30 days of free health insurance. I have found this company to be one of the best with coverage and rates.

Bella is pregnant. We are expecting puppies around may 30th. More info to follow.