While the puppies continue to only sleep, eat, sleep, poop, eat, pee, sleep..... they also get cuter by the minute! They are round little rollie pollies. Yesterday met two puppies reaching or passing the 2 pound mark. Mr. Light Green at 2.1 lbs. and Miss Lavender at 2.0 lbs. Both weighed in at 14 oz. at birth a week ago........wow.

Here is Mr. Purple enjoying a snuggle in my neice Lily's crisscross applesauce lap.

And my "not puppy related" report from Kansas.........MERRITT TAKES RESERVE TO THE MAJOR................ for only the 901st time..........grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
London came into heat 3 months early. Not sure what that's all about, but Zero is excited. This means that Merritt will soon be in heat at well and she will get to have a try at motherhood. She will be 4 years old next month.

Happy Saturday!

Well, I am feeling a bit more like a human than an Ogre today. I am sure my students are appreciative. I have chewed a few heads off at school this week.

The puppies can go a few extra hours without eating now (about 3), so I don't feel as bad leaving Geddie crated until I have a break to run home. Luckily, I only teach 6 miles from my house. I will head there in a minute to let puppies nurse, feed Geddie (again), and then play puppy doctor. I put diaper rash ointment on their little behinds and Otomax on their dew claw sites. My vet had me use that, instead of Neosporin, because Otomax has an anti-inflamatory agent in it. The puppies don't care either way.

I have been worried about their ability to stay warm, but not too warm, while I am away. My friend Betty lent me a heat disk. You heat it up in the microwave for about 4-5 minutes and it stays warm for many hours. It comes with fluffy cover, but I put it inside a pillowcase too. The puppies then get heat from below and above! Pretty cool.

Off to play Puppy Nanny.

I will take picture later..........most of the puppies will be at 2 pounds today........that means they GAINED A POUND IN A WEEK!!!! Talk about chubby.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Poor Geddie just can't seem to get the puppies clean enough! Sadly, they are suffering for it. She obsesses over them so compulsively that they now have RAW behinds and I have to treat where their dew claws were removed with Neosporin. Also, I had to take her away from the puppies when I am not there to stop the licking. My sanity is wavering. While I did get a bit more sleep last night, I finally put Geddie in her crate to stop hearing the licking and to let the puppies rest. She bugs them the whole time they are nursing and this lively bunch complains about it the whole time.

The last time I had such a noisy bunch of puppies was my litter 6 years ago out of Mokey x Annie and they are talkers to this day! Bing's dam is Annie's sister and Geddie's dam is Mokey's 3/4 sister. OH NO!!!!

So, here is my disclaimer. Your Bing x Geddie puppy will be a smart mouth! They will talk back when reprimanded and talk jibber jabber when happy.

I took some funny video Monday night, but am not sure I can upload it to the blog. Check my facebook later tonight.

Really? Really?
Went to bed Friday night and all was well. Woke up Saturday morning in HELL! I rode the storm for many hours until finally I pulled my head out of the sand and said "Enough!" Something was wrong with Steady Geddie. She was agitated, uncomfortable, panting too much and really annoyed by the puppies and wanting to mouth them. So, I sent my vet. a text "My bitch is having a meltdown. It is either cramping or Eclampsia. Her temp. is 102" he responded (I have the BEST vet. by the way) "Is she trembling?" and I responded "No, just acts like her RR head is going to explode and she wants to pick up sleeping puppies." Of course the clinic was closed on a Saturday afternoon, so one of his fabulous techs. went to the clinic, picked up 3 cc's of Calcium Glutamate and met me at her house! AMEN and Hallelujiah!
Oh, but it gets better.............
My minivan starts to overheat on the way home, so I pull into the Maverick Store and proceed to LOCK MY KEYS IN MY VAN! Yes, Geddie was inside and it was 40 degrees outside.(so glad I left the puppies home in the warmth) Had to call a locksmith, blah, blah, blah. Limp the minivan until is dies completely, get a ride home, blah, blah, blah.
The evening ends well with Geddie resting and puppies nursing.
4 A.M. MELTDOWN!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO, PLEASE, NOOOOOO!
Needless to say, Easter Sunday sucked.

Today, Monday, is better. Geddie calmed down, took puppies in for dew claw removal. Geddie's blood calcium levels are normal and the vet. removed, 32 toes.....That's 9 sets of fronts and 7 sets of rears..........wait THEY MISSED SOME! Poor Mr. Yellow has to go back for his rears off. Later Gater, gotta take my minivan in to the shop first.

Next time you want to be a breeder.......hahahahaha

Erin
p.s. the puppies are great! Fat and Sassy! Their mother and their breeder may have lost their minds........but the milk is good ; )

So, the excitement started at 4:17 April 1, 2010! April Fool's Day! No foolin'!
8 puppies pumped out by 9:35 A.M. Then we sat there, and sat there, then called the vet and planned to head out at 1:30. Betty came over to save me from my stink (nothing like placenta under the finger nails to start the day) and WAALAAA, puppy #9 at 1:38. She always saves me!
(A quick story about Betty saving me. 6 years ago, Kinley was whelping puppies and I had to go to work, so Betty came over. I was beside myself because she had popped out 4 ridgeless in A ROW!!! I told Betty she was not allowed to deliver anymore ridgeless while I was gone. Well, 5 more PERFECTLY RIDGED puppies came ; ) Betty to the Rescue!!! Woohoo!)
So, we both feel confident that there is a 10th puppy inside and it is 4:20, so we head to the vet before they close. Ultrasound shows a ton of fluid and the placentas she hadn't passed yet, but no more puppies. So, a shot of calcium and oxytocin and home we go. Thank doG there wasn't another puppy in there because she never had another contraction. She passed the placentas and slept the night away.
We have some gassy belly's, otherwise their weights are holding and anything soft and fleshy gets nursed on (that includes momma's private area!). The ridges are slowly morphing into fluff (the coat stands out for the next few weeks hiding the ridge a bit), so we will re-evaluate later. For now, Geddie is protective and attentive and I am tired and bitchy. London wants to come lay on the bed and Tailor has diarrhea. Mandy, the Mastiff, just wants a little love. The kids are trying to master hand stands and pissing me off.

Life is good ; )

So, I probably missed the drop in temp.
Did you know a dog's temperature can drop 3 or more degrees? Cool, huh? When this happens, labor is eminent within 12 to 24 hours. Geddie's was 98.9 at 1:00 today. Since I rushed out without taking it this morning, I don't know if that was on the way down or on the way up. Either way doesn't matter, Geddie is getting ready. She is not yet in Stage 1 Labor (unless her's does not include panting). She is only interested in staying in her whelping box and resting. Have you seen your dog get "THAT" look? 3rd eyelid showing, sighs and moans? This would be Geddie. But, the jingle of food hitting the bowl? She could do a triathlon in the Olympics ; ) Every book you can read says that your bitch will go off her food. PULLEEEZ! They haven't owned a Ridgeback! I haven't EVER had a Ridgeback bitch go off of her food for puppies. In fact, they are happy to eat inbetween each whelp! This is good, though, because you can get them to keep eating calcium rich foods to keep labor progressing. I bought a big container of cottage cheese today (my personal favorite).

I am sure tomorrow's update will include how many and what kind, so keep watch....but not too early. I am predicting a 2 A.M. start time with a Noon finish. Wanna put some money on it? All I care is that she waits until AFTER American Idol ; )

Wanna know my Labor cheer? (Old Cheerleaders never die)
"Push 'em back, Push 'em back, Waaaaay back!"

We are close, oh so close. Geddie was restless last night with a bit of nesting (first for her). I remember the last weeks of pregnancy.....Huge, uncomfortable, grumpy and THE SNORING! Lucky for me, Geddie has skipped the snoring ; ) She is having a hard time getting comfortable and really she just wants to eat and know where I am every second. This IS the sweetest dog ever and I suspect she will be a kind, gentle momma dog with lots of patience.

Friday's X-ray revealed, easily seen, 8 puppies, with a shadow of a possible 9th. Geddie is very short coupled so the puppies are all jammed in a smaller area than you would expect for a female her size. She is 27+ inches and was 81 pounds pre-puppy. She weighed 99 pounds last Friday and I am sure she has packed 2 more puppy pounds on since. She is very lean, so this is ALL puppy weight. On Friday she had some Adema in her rear teets, but it is gone now, whew! I can't get her to lay with her feet propped up ; )

I was feeling sorry for Geddie yesterday, until I went for a visit with friend Roxanne (to pick up Lincoln). See, this wonderful person is pregnant......WITH TWINS!!! Identical BOYS! And is scheduled for a c-section on April 13th. Both babies already weigh close to 6 pounds, EACH. She actually looks fantastic, but her small frame is wavering.

Enjoy these, potentially, last pregnant pics of Geddie. My Flip Video batteries died last night. I wanted to video the Aliens jumping around inside her.....so trippy.

Here we go! The final countdown to puppies!
Geddie came to stay, last night. She is HUGE!! OMG, totally boob-a-licious.
Grace and I enjoyed feeling puppies move around her loin, while Geddie stretched out and relaxed on my bed. No milk yet, but I swear any minute it will be here ; )
Today we have an appointment for an X-ray, to see how many to expect. We didn't have an ultra-sound done, so an x-ray is a must! I don't want to think she is done having puppies at 6 out, only to find out there are 4 more in there and she needs a c-section to save them.
Here are pictures of Geddies progress:

31 days

43 days

56 days

Two things that I JUST CAN'T HELP:
1. My mouth and my expressing disdain for losing at dog shows.
2. Taking pictures and video of London.

It's no secret that I am not wealthy, so sending out Zero as a Special has to be calculated and specific. I am not an idiot (I don't think); I know I probably won't beat the "Big Guns with the Big Money and Big Advertising," but when you go AOM behind them time after time with your young KICK ASS dog and hear that they are retiring.............
Whatever, I am pissed.
The damn dog can't stay home at a show with 20 effing RR entered.
Did you see Tonya Harding's ex-husband hiding in the crowd?
I love my handler Juliet and know she will make him look spectacular, when I can't be there, and not show him like a "Dope on a Rope" and laugh all the way to the bank.

Now, on to happier "Issues."

London, damn I love this dog. Born and raised in my house with Kinley on both sides of her pedigree.........she is simply perfect! My children just call her "Puppy" which I love.
Here she is today, begging for a gummy fruit snack.

Enjoy!!!!

So, I head over to drop off the blankey and backpack of Miss Shumba to her grandfamily. She was to head, Sunday, down to the other side of the family for a bit of "country living" in St. George, but the fear of iminent "heat" changed those plans. An executive decision, on behalf of "The Safety Council for Aegis Ridgebacks," was made and Shumba came home with ME, the mothership ; ) She will stay until Geddie whelps, then go back to the grandfamily for a minute, then back to Aegis until her owner returns from the wilds of Alaska!

Why am I such a crazy breeder lady? Well, why would I go to all the work of bringing these unbelievable animals into the world only to say "You're on your own, baby?" I am available, I like dogs, I am used to a steady stream of RR, etc... in my house (along with 4 children) and I AM A RESPONSIBLE RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK BREEDER!  HELLLLLLOOOOOOOOO!

Welcome back Shumba! We love your goofiness.......and it runs in the family!