Cypress and Tonka's Valentine litter is only a week away from arrival!! We are so excited for these little love bugs to join us and we are soooo ready to share their adventure with you.
Preparations are in full swing for their arrival. Of course for the past 2 months Cypress has been treated like a queen and protected from outside influences that could be harmful to her health or the growth and development of the puppies. These two parents are both so loving, playful, beautiful and smart we are going to have gorgeous pups and we have done everything in our power to make them perfect!!
Hoekema Homestead Goldens Tonka did his job at Christmas so he gets to just lounge now but Cypress's puppy bump is growing by the minute. We can feel the puppies moving when she is lying still and even see them kicking! It's an incredible journey to spend with our sweet girl and we have many special moments. Makes up for the lack of opportunity to attend training classes, long walks and outside play dates with her favorite friends.
In preparation for the puppies arrival we have been busy getting the whelping room ready. First step is to clean, clean, clean!!! The room was completely dismantled and we totally disinfected everything! I feel like I am constantly cleaning when we have puppies and I am! It is so important to keep their area free of outside germs, parasites, etc. I know it's so hard for the new families that are bringing home a new puppy (and my own family) to not be able to come in the whelping room but it has to be! We just can't risk any exposure to disease, at least until they are full of Mom's good antibodies from her yummy milk to give them some protection. Their vaccinations also need to be administered along with multiple deworming meds before they are ready for the outside world. After all that cleaning we put the room back to together creating a warm, safe and cozy space for Cypress to give birth and feed her babes. Of course there is a comfy spot for me to watch them as well as a camera connected to my phone when I can't physically be in the room. Eventually, this same space will transition to contain toys, crates, and potty trays.
The workstation is set up so we can easily, weigh, administer meds, do nail trims, etc.
Constant monitoring will take place with documentation of everything including each puppies response to gentle handling performed during early neurological stimulation, smells exposed to for early scent stimulation, daily weights and any and all changes that occur. We also closely monitor Mom taking her temp daily, she is not a fan but it is important info while watching out for any signs of mastitis. We keep a close eye on the health of her nipples (applying bag balm and gentle application of apple cider vinegar). Without a healthy Momma our job gets a lot harder so we take special care of Cypress!
Cypress has been receiving Diamond Naturals lamb meal and rice kibble but in this last trimester it is 1/2 puppy food and 1/2 adult for the extra calories and to help transition the food to all puppy food once she is nursing. The kibble is supplemented with meat balls containing flax seed, turmeric, lions mane mushrooms, eggs, carrots, oats and supplements from NuVet. All this ensures she is getting all the proper nutrition to do her best job! I always add a veggie and a fruit to her food as well.
And yes, I bake them cookies! These are made with pumpkin, peanut butter, eggs and almond flour. The pumpkin with help Cypress combat the loose stools that come from stimulating the puppies excrement.....an unfortunate side effect!
We NEVER pass up an opportunity to train and enforce the calm behavior we all appreciate from our canine companions! Video below is Cypress with Auntie Magnolia. They are constant companions and such good friends.
Stay tuned everyone! We will be sending more consistent blogs for the next few months so you can all follow our journey!
The litter will be named Valentine. Puppy names we have so far: Love, Teddy, Candy, Sweetie, Arrow, Heart, Cupid, Rose, Bemine......any other ideas let us know!
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