Our lovely Molly has had a special walk at Wembury point today.

Here is a picture of the birthday girl with her boys!

Stanley, Molly and Melvin! Happy Birthday MUM!

Here is a picture of the gang:

Charlie, Molly, Melvin, Stanley, Archie

Molly is now 46 days pregnant – just over 6 weeks!!! Which means…..more importantly…. we now have less than three weeks to go!!!!  I am now weaning Molly on to Puppy food so that she has a higher value nutrition food.  Molly’s nutritional needs are obviously greater but she doesnt have room for all the extra food she would need if I kept her on the “adult” dog food.

This stage of her pregnancy is where the puppies develop quite dramatically.  IF we were to xray Molly’s abdomen we would be able to see the spines quite easily as the calcification of the bones are now taking place!

Between weeks 5 and 6 the puppies will have developed their eyelids and also the little ear flaps will now be present.  The ear flaps remain closed until after they are born (opening up between 13-17 days old).  The ears look like little buds!   The eyes also remain closed until after birth, opening up gradually at the age of 10 to 15 days.  (One of my favourite stages of development in a puppy is seeing those gorgeous eyes peeping back at you!).

Now at 6 weeks of development the puppies digits will have formed (digits meaning toes!).   The sex of the puppy can now be determined.  The puppies have almost doubled in size in the space of a week as they are now approximately 6cm in length!

As you can see in the photo below Molly’s tummy does seem to be enormous!  She still has some growing to do (when I then start getting anxious she might “pop”)!

Molly is doing very well.  Getting lots of attention!

Here are some photos of her growing tummy!

Molly at almost 6 weeks pregnant

Molly almost 6 weeks

Molly is now 39 days pregnant and doing amazingly well.  She is getting a little extra hungry now so I have upped her food a little bit.  It is important to not increase quantities too quickly.  Otherwise we will just end up with a fat dog who needs to lose weight after she has her puppies.  It is about getting the balance right and knowing your dog!

At 39 days pregnant, the tummy, if a reasonable size litter should be at this time showing signs of getting bigger!  (Molly’s tummy has been getting noticeably bigger since 27 days).  The teats will also be “pointy”

We are almost at the stage where we can anticipate rapid developement of the foetuses.

I have been comparing photos from previous litters and she looks like she is 6 weeks pregnant already (based on the litter with 8 puppies)!  So this hopefully is a good sign of a reasonable size litter.

Our lovely Molly is doing really well and enjoying lots of cuddles!  She is so affectionate at the moment that she is doing the classic “Molly tilt” so much, that she is falling over very easily (we are catching her I hasten to add…but she is most definitely relying on us to ensure her head is cradled in our arms!).

It is hard to see in the picture but her tummy is really starting to fill out and her ribcage is broader.  We are so used to her having a waistline that it is strange to see it slowly disappearing.

I will be posting an update on the unborn puppies development in a day or so.

Over the last few weeks, the development of the unborn puppies have gone through some amazing stages.

In the first three weeks the cells are developing, dividing and the placenta starts to form.  The placenta plays such a vital role in the life support system of the developing unborn pup.

It takes up to three weeks before the “cells” can be classed as embryos.    Between weeks three and four the spine has started to form.  The shape of the embryo takes on the classic shape of being curled up.  All the organs are forming (the body, limbs, head, eyes and face).

At 28 days – the embryo is approximately one inch in diameter.  Between 29-30 days, the sex of the puppy can be determined.

Molly is now 31 days pregnant so we can think of her little puppies as little oval shaped embryos secure in her tummy.  Keep safe little ones! x

Molly is in fine form, still enjoying walks, which she will continue to enjoy right up until when she has puppies.  however we do slow her down towards the end (otherwise she generally maintains the same level of fitness!)  Being fit during pregnancy is very important as it will enable her to have a better labour.  (that is the theory).

Molly is such a slim girl, it is hard to see she is infact pregnant.  Here is a photo which does show a little bit of a tummy!  Her ribs have also broadened as her body prepares for the ever growing tummy!

Molly showing off her tummy!

Im very excited to confirm that Molly is in Pup.  Please keep dipping into the diary for updates to see Molly developing and obviously news of the pups!  Click on the RSS feed (on the right…scroll down!) this will alert you of any updates to the diary!

Molly's Ultrasound Scan at 27 days pregnant

Molly - 25 days pregnant!

Molly is a very slim girl but she has a little “podge” developing.  I will be posting regular photos to see how Molly’s tummy grows.

Im not great at being patient…. so I have booked the scan for Tuesday 5th February!

I will update as soon as I know.  Fignerscrossed.

With the icy cold weather conditions and most of the uk covered in snow (not plymouth mind you!!)  Please be aware of the potential risk in your animal ingesting anti-freeze (which tastes sweet) and also the risk of salt on your dog or cats paws from the salt on the roads and footpaths.

You will need to rinse your dogs paws after a walk to ensure they do not lick the salt off their paws and ingest it.

Please read this link Antifreeze

As much as the dogs love the snow it can bring about hazards that people do not give any thought to!  Take care and have fun in the snow (and think of those of us that live in Plymouth and havent had a chance for any snowy pictures of their dogs!).