2 weeks old

Bernard and her kittens are coming along in leaps and bounds, 2 weeks old and they are starting to become aware of their surroundings.

Spirit and Tiffany

Today is my 16th wedding anniversary, we marked the occasion by spending most of the day going to and from the vets. My usual surgery is having major building works carried out so we had to go to a branch surgery which is about a 40 minute drive away. This morning we took Mrs Miggins boys for their 2nd vaccination, health check and microchip, as expected all was well with them and they all purred continuously through the examination,  vaccination and even when they were skewered with the huge microchip needle!

Then Spirit and Tiffany were brought in so they could be weighed and have their pre meds, it was quite interesting to note their weights as neither of them have needed veterinary treatment since they were pups so I had always guestimated their weights, Tiffany is a very petit 17kg, Spirit is a bigger girl and weighed just over 20kg. I would class both of them as a good weight for their size, yet if I were to go by the charts in the vets waiting area it tells me that a standard poodle bitch should weigh 29kg!!!

I had decided to spay Spirit and Tiffany as Spirit is now 8 years old and will not be having any more pups, Tiffany has never had puppies which in many ways is a real shame. I took her Mum to Germany to be mated and was so pleased to keep Tiffany, her pedigree is unusual due to the German influence and she is a beautiful shape and a stunning colour, which at approaching 7 years of age has remained strong and vibrant, but she is an anxious girl when she feels under any sort of pressure. Although many people advised me I should breed her as it may help her, I couldn't justify the possibility of producing a litter of puppies that also suffered anxiety (this is not to say she is a nervous dog, she is a great girl who is very affectionate and in fact a bit of a tom boy out on walks) going on to be pets in a family who may not understand their sensitivities.

We left the girls in the capable hands of the vet nurse and took the rest of the dogs for a lovely riverside walk. The girls surgeries went smoothly but it was noted that Tiffanys uterus was quite puffy and filled with a clear serum. I cannot say what caused this, maybe she was thinking about developing a pyometra (potentially life threatening infection of the womb) , but I am of the opinion that it was better out than in, and I am left wondering if the fact that she has never had pups contributed to whatever was going on there as a bitch is designed to have puppies following a season and it is thought to significantly increase the chance of a pyometra when they have a number of seasons without following mother natures plans. Anyhow, both girls are home now, Spirit is feeling very sorry for herself, Tiffany is more relaxed, both are resting quietly.

Just a couple of pics of Bernards babies

The kittens are ae scabby on their heads where they have been arguing over the best position at the milk bar, but their nails have now been trimmed so this will resolve itself in the next few days. 

Bernards babies

Bernard had her kittens yesterday, I'm pleased to report that she has 6 healthy kittens and she is doing really well, but it didn't go quite to plan. She was in 1st stage of labour yesterday morning, very vocal and clingy but no contractions. I had to do the school run and take Polly's kittens to the vets for their 2nd vaccinations and microchips in readiness for them flying the nest next week. As I was leaving the surgery the vet said goodbye and see you soon, which as I work there is a perfectly reasonable thing to say, neither of us expected it to be that afternoon!

I got home at about 9:45 and the dogs had to forgo their walk as Bernards labour was progressing and I needed to be there for her. At around 1pm she started pushing. Normally you would expect to see the 1st kitten within about an hour, maybe 2, but at 3:30pm she had made no progress. Back to the vets, an examination confirmed that she was ready to go, but there was no kitten on the way, so the decision was taken to unzip her and use the emergency exit for the kittens.

The kittens came out fast, myself and the staff at the vets were then kept busy for the next hour or so reviving the kittens, all of which had lovely strong heartbeats but were slow to get going with breathing.

Once home Bernard met her kittens and despite being pretty spacey from the drugs she had had, her maternal instincts kicked in and she was only to pleased to start to look after them. The kittens, although they were nice and strong, were still sleepy and at 10pm they still hadn't fed, so at that point a friend popped round to help tube feed them. Of course, as soon as she arrived the kittens decided that they were in fact quite peckish and went for the self service option :) They haven't looked back since. This is the last litter we have planned for this year, so please complete an application form if you are interested in having a kitten from this litter.  They have been named after the staff that assisted with the c section, so I am pleased to introduce to the world, Eddy -a tabby boy, Bex - a blue boy, Al- a red boy, Tracy - a black girl, India - a torti/white girl and lastly Erica - a tabby/white girl. Better photos will follow soon.

It is interesting to note the similarities to her GGG Grandmothers litter 6 years ago.

The older kittens start to leave home this week, they have been a real joy and I think their new owners have got some little crackers. I do however have to say it will be nice to go up and down the stairs without lightening fast trip hazards!

A little trick training

Today Florin and I were invited to be part of a trick dog demo. We may not be perfect, but considering we only started a few months ago and this was our 1st time doing anything in front of an audience I couldn't be more proud of my girl. I also have to apologise to Graham who came to support me and video us, when I looked at the video on his phone we both thought he had filmed the grass, and for this I ribbed him mercilessly, turns out his phone was zoomed in too far and he actually did a pretty good job

Whoopi also came along just for the day out, these are just a couple of snapshots of her 

Unfortunately it appears I have been let down on one of the kittens, please contact me if you would like further information on her.