Here at ELM Farms we have two purebred Weimaraners, both blue and both full of spunk. Earlier this spring we mated them for the first time. Belle, our female was due June 12th, but went into labor a few days early. As the due date approached everyone here at the farm was excited and nervous for our first time mother-to-be. We were as prepared as we could be with emergency items and lots of towels. Two weeks prior to the due date we took Belle for an x-ray at the vet to give us an idea of how many pups to expect.
At the vet Belle was on edge about getting her x-ray taken, but after a short ten minutes the doctor took a decent image of the life inside Belle. By this point in her pregnancy we could feel the pups moving inside of her, especially when she was lying down. It was quite an amazing thing to feel little bodies inside our dog, but it was an entirely different experience to see seven small skulls and spines resting inside Belle. The vet explained to us as we looked at the computer screen showing small oval shaped skulls.
And so for the next week we watched as Belle's abdomen grew larger and larger. At times we could see small areas moving as she lay on her side. Our once energetic Weim was now constantly sleeping on any cool surface she could find.
During a family graduation party Belle retired to a bedroom before the sun even went down. Very unusual for her considering there was so much food everywhere. When everyone at the house was getting ready for bed around 2 a.m. Belle was sprawled on her back in her usual sleeping spot passed out. Everyone was pretty sure puppies were on their way.
And sure enough around 4:30 a.m. Belle delivered her first pup, a blue female. The pup was cleaned and dried off by Belle before the second puppy came. Between the fourth and fifth puppies Belle took an hour break letting the first four puppies nurse. Then she was back to work delivering another three puppies. For a total of seven pups Belle took care of each one, ensuring they were cleaned off in a prompt manner. All we had to do was sit back, observe and offer water. The first time mother handled everything on her own.
Belle delivered three blue females, one silver female, two blue males, and one silver male between 4:30 and 9:00 in the morning. We marked each pup with a loose ribbon for us to keep track of their order in the birth. Then we left the new family to eat and rest, checking up on them frequently.
We are grateful all the emergency items we had on had were not taken off the shelf!
There are pictures of the new family on our Puppy Page.
During a family graduation party Belle retired to a bedroom before the sun even went down. Very unusual for her considering there was so much food everywhere. When everyone at the house was getting ready for bed around 2 a.m. Belle was sprawled on her back in her usual sleeping spot passed out. Everyone was pretty sure puppies were on their way.
And sure enough around 4:30 a.m. Belle delivered her first pup, a blue female. The pup was cleaned and dried off by Belle before the second puppy came. Between the fourth and fifth puppies Belle took an hour break letting the first four puppies nurse. Then she was back to work delivering another three puppies. For a total of seven pups Belle took care of each one, ensuring they were cleaned off in a prompt manner. All we had to do was sit back, observe and offer water. The first time mother handled everything on her own.
Belle delivered three blue females, one silver female, two blue males, and one silver male between 4:30 and 9:00 in the morning. We marked each pup with a loose ribbon for us to keep track of their order in the birth. Then we left the new family to eat and rest, checking up on them frequently.
We are grateful all the emergency items we had on had were not taken off the shelf!
There are pictures of the new family on our Puppy Page.