They're here!

Spryte's due date was November 24. Knowing the

time was getting close, I  was taking her temperature twice a day for about the last week.  Typically a dog will start labour within 24 hours of a temperature drop below 99F, so it's a pretty sure sign that puppies are on their way soon.  Spryte's first two litters showed a temperature drop in the morning and then labour started before noon.  So when her temperature dropped to 98.6F at 5:00am on November 22, I was sure puppies would be born by lunch. Spryte had other ideas.

      Spryte spent the morning nesting in our closet, and was rather restless, but other than that she was pretty normal all day. She even ate breakfast and lunch.  It became clear in the early afternoon that Spryte was planning on breaking the cycle and making this one an all nighter.

 

I watched her closely all day, cuddled with her in the closet, read a book next to her and generally just waited impatiently for the moment to come.  It wasn't until 11pm that evening that Spryte finally started to go into labour.  She was panting heavily, nesting constantly, shaking, and contractions started to become visible.  At this point we put her in the whelping box hoping to keep the delivery contained to one area.  Spryte was not impressed by this move. She had picked out our bedroom closet weeks ago as her birthing location and she was determined to get her way. She refused to stay in the whelping box and would not settle down. Finally we gave in, put some blankets down in the closet, brought in the warming box and settled down on the floor with Spryte.

   Once we moved to the closet it was only maybe half an hour later before her water broke and the first puppy appeared.  Just as we finished cleaning up the first puppy, another was making it's way into this world. Spryte ended up having three puppies within about 20 minutes. Then she rested for around 45 minutes before the last two arrived. The grand total is 2 sable boys, 2 sable girls and 1 tri colour boy.  All the births were smooth and effortless. 

   Once the puppies were dry and warm, momma Spryte and her crew moved into the whelping box and settled in for the night. It was now 3:00am on November 23.  

  All the puppies are doing well and gaining weight. Spryte is an attentive mother and rarely leaves the whelping box. She is a wonderful mother who truly loves her pups.

  from L-R: sable girl, sable boy, sable girl, tri boy, sable boy
                   Syrah, Zin, Ries, Pinot, Merlot