We took Galena for her ultrasound on Wednesday, January 2 to confirm her pregnancy and get a rough puppy count. Guardians Martin and Carole said they were sure she must be pregnant as she has been a very VERY picky eater the last few weeks. I hope she starts eating better soon as she does indeed have a bunch of pups who will soon be starting to grow very fast as they finish developing and put on muscle, fat and fur in preparation for birth!
The
ultrasound showed 6 healthy foetuses on the way! The vet said it looked like
there had likely been 7 but one was resorbed – not an uncommon occurrence with
dogs, it seems. No one really knows why, but it’s possible the foetus wasn’t
developing properly so the body just shut it down and didn’t let it continue.
The
six remaining are all a good size (about 1.25cm or ½“ at 33 days gestation). They
had strong heartbeats and you could see the beginnings of leg buds. According
to our puppy development chart, they have eyes already and eyelids too, and the
nervous system is fully developed. In the four weeks between now and the expected
whelping date, they will grow about 14cm (5½“), gain a whole lot of weight (up
to say 200g or 8oz).
As
for the guess the puppy contest, here is the final tally of those who submitted
guesses before the deadline:
|
Name
|
# of puppies
|
date/time
|
|
Roma
Q
|
8
puppies
|
31
Jan, 14:45
|
|
David
Q
|
8
puppies
|
1
Feb, 15:30
|
|
Niloufar
S.
|
8
puppies
|
1
Feb, 18:00
|
|
Mathom
Q
|
7
puppies
|
31
Jan, 13:00
|
|
Tristan
Q
|
7
puppies
|
1
Feb, 03:00
|
|
Monica
S
|
6
puppies
|
31
Jan, 21:00
|
|
Mary
Q
|
6
puppies
|
1
Feb, 17:00
|
|
Martin
L
|
6
puppies
|
2
Feb, 16:30
|
|
Carole
M
|
6
puppies
|
3
Feb, 06:00
|
|
Linda
A
|
5
puppies
|
30
Jan, 03:00
|
|
Adrienne
tC
|
5
puppies
|
2
Feb, 16:19
|
|
Denise
C
|
5
puppies
|
3
Feb, 11:15
|
|
James
B
|
4
puppies
|
31
Jan, 01:15
|
|
Beth
D
|
4
puppies
|
1
Feb, 09:00
|
So
the prime contenders are Monica, Mary, Martin & Carole. It remains to be
seen when the first pup makes its appearance to decide the final winner. Though
we do also need to have them all born, because there is the possibility that
there was one hiding that the vet missed, or that another is resorbed and we
end up with just five.
Stay
tuned for a birth announcement in about four weeks!
