A watched pot never boils, just as a watched dam never whelps!

Lucy is stretching out, getting ready for the big day...

while, Bubbles' is anxiously awaiting...

Lucy normally lays like this.

But, Lucy is laying more stretched out starting today.
Probably so baby puppies can get in line for D-day.

Lucy will not, will not, will NOT eat anything that she doesn't crave. She has completely gone off her feed and will only eat fresh chicken, beef, Trippet and saltine crackers (probably because of the salty taste). She will only eat raw eggs and will refuse hard boiled eggs. I think it's a texture preference, because she will happily eat canned dog food.

So, I ground up her dry dog food in the blender and mashed it into some ground beef so she will still get the nutrients from her dog food.

Also, unflavored Pedialyte works wonders for food transitioning. If you ever have a sick dog, I swear by Pedialyte. It prevents dehydration, vomiting and diarrhea. It's like gatorade for dogs. The only downside is that it's not cheap....the off brand is $3.50 a bottle.

Tripett green beef tripe....try it, dog lovers...

Lucy is showing signs that she may go into labor in the next few days. She has lost her appetite and won't even eat her favorite foods.

So, I've doctored up her food so she can get some bites in. I mix in soft food with some Tripett, which is natural beef tripe and a raw egg.

Her lack of appetite is worrying me but I'm trying to feed her by the hour. She's gonna need the nutrients and energy.

By the way, Tripett is sold at Wabash feed store on Washington in the Heights. It's really good for any dog at any life stage. Tripe contains the partially digested grains and grasses that a cow has eaten. As carnivores, dogs can't convert vegetation into nutrients within their own stomach. However, when they eat tripe, they receive these nutrients that have been already processed naturally by the cow's stomach system.

Also, the cow's stomach lining contain natural gastric juices, amino acids and other digestive enzymes not found in pet foods. These nutrients aid in digestion to efficiently utilize food for maximum nutrition. Amino acids are necessary for muscular development and other gastric juices are excellent cleaners for teeth.

Try it. Definately worth it at $2.00 a can and your pet will thank you too. I normally put a couple tablespoons to Lucy's food, once a day.

Bubbles' favorite game

Picture of Lucy @ 7 weeks along.

Lucy is now 8 weeks along and will be ready anytime after day 56, which will be this weekend. Hopefully she won't deliver too early. Gonna go buy whelping supplies tonight.

Standing on the couch, probably because she thinks she's "small" enough to do that.

Thank goodness, I put the sheets over the couch cushions.

Monkey see, monkey do.

Lucy & Bubbles enjoying a nice Tuesday afternoon.

Swelly Belly

Lucy at 38 days.

Lucy at 43 days.

Just 5 days later.

And, yes. The room is very, very messy. Undergoing spring cleaning.

Lucy laying in her "whelping" bed while "mothering" her wonder woman toy.

Canidae VS. Eukanuba and other "less than" foods

When Lucy was a puppy, I started her off with an all raw diet which consisted of me driving to the local butcher twice a week to buy fresh chicken legs, turkey necks, beef portions, fish, liver, heart, you name it.
But then, when adolescence set in for Lucy and I couldn't keep up with feeding her and another dog I had at the time, I switched her to an easy to buy Eukanuba large breed formula. It was a huge bag for a reasonable price available at Petsmart, which is located at pretty much every corner in Houston. I thought to myself that this was just a temporary fix until I could find the "right" food.

I finally switched her over to Candiae all life stages. The first five ingredients are chicken, turkey, lamb, white/brown rice. Whereas, the first five ingredients in Eukanuba are chicken, corn meal, ground whole grain sorghum, chicken by-products and brewers rice.

Not only are the first five ingredients in Eukanuba craploaded with grain but if you read further along the ingredient list, you find that Eukanuba is inclusive of it's water content, meaning that once the water has been removed and absorbed, the content in the food weighs considerably less than what it actually says on the bag. So, less weight=not enough protein/calorie intake=more unnecessary feedings.

From personal experience, no dog should be fed grain and corn meal. This caused Lucy to develop skin allergies. When she ate Eukanuba, she ate up to 9 cups a day whereas she only eats 4 cups of Canidae a day. And, because Canidae is so rich in actual meat and has no fillers, she knows when her stomach feels "full" and overeating is not a problem. Overeating and "over-pooping" was always a problem with Eukanuba because she wasn't getting the neccessary protein and vitamins she needed.

In short, Lucy's skin allergies are gone, her weight is healthy and maintained, her coat is glossy, she doesn't have bad gas anymore and she eats slowly and happily because she isn't so "starved" of her nutrition.

Happy pets=happy owners.

Lucy's Henry

Finding the right stud for Lucy took quite some work. Before I even thought about breeding her, I researched her pedigree to make sure this was the route I wanted to go. I certainly knew how many breeders there were out there that don't produce high quality pets so I wasn't about to add on to that. I searched for months and months for the right Great Dane stud. I interviewed each owner and some didn't have the time of day to answer my list of questions. I would promptly cross them off my list and move on. Others rudely interrupted my flurry of questions and asked if I had the stud fee at hand. And, some were just too far of a drive from me.

Then, towards the end of February, Lucy started her period. I knew that in about a week, she would be full on ovulating and I still had not found a mate for her. I called every Great Dane breeder in Houston, Dallas, Austin and surrounding areas but none of them could accommodate my expectations and breeding agreements.

I finally found Henry the Great Dane 2 days before Lucy began to ovulate. I sure felt lucky. But, I wanted to make sure that I wasn't being hasty just because she was ready to go. Fortunately, Henry's owner loved Henry like I loved my Lucy. His well being was number one, just as Lucy's was mine. He came from a line of champions and was sired by 'Luizador Nostradamus', AKC Russian Import. And, to top it off, Henry was less than 10 miles away from me. I still held my breath, just in case he wasn't the right one when I saw him in person.

And then, I saw Henry and he was magnificent. His head was broad and square, his hips were excellent, his coat color was divine, his paws were thunderous yet he trotted with silent, elegance and when he got to your feet, like a true gentle giant, he rolled over on his back for a belly rub session. He was perfect.

Now, I'm anxiously wondering what they will look like, what colors they will be and wondering how many there will be.

I'm crossing my fingers for healthy, beautiful babies.

6th week. 3 more weeks to go!

It has been exactly 39 days since Lucy and Henry the Harlequin Great Dane made whoopi. They rendezvoused every other day for the remainder of the week, early in March and now she is 3 weeks away from her anticipated due date. As she gets bigger and lazier, I get more excited for the new arrival of the puppies!

Week 1, I didn't notice any change, except for the fact that she was technically still in heat. I fed her normally, which consisted of two and a half cups of Canidae Premium dog food, twice daily. I began a special work out regiman for her so she could be in tip top shape by the time her puppies were born. I stopped all flea and heartworm treatment at this point.

Week 2, I still didn't notice any signs of pregnancy. I fed her two and a half cups of Canidae drizzled with chicken broth and a tablespoon of plain yogurt twice a day. Every other day, I feed her the Canidae Lamb formula to switch up her protein level and spice up her taste buds.

Week 3, I notice that Lucy seems disinterested in her food and assume it is the morning sickness. Her teats have dropped by this time and even the inverted ones are peeking out. I feed her two and a half cups of Canidae with plain yogurt and chicken broth, twice a day. She eats very slowly and even walks away from her food, which is a first. I have to sweet talk her into finishing her food, which she finally does. I let her drink unflavored Pedialyte this week to help hydrate her and relieve her morning sickness. By this week, I stop letting her sleep in her favorite spot under my bed because it is a tight squeeze and I don't want to put any of the embryos at risk. She has a hard time grasping the idea of sleeping in the living room, but I make her anyways.

Week 4, Lucy still has slight morning sickness and is still eating very slowly. Her food regiman is the same and the chicken broth and yogurt seems to help convince her to finish her food. I give her a raw egg treat every other day, which she willingly eats with her food. She has gained a noticeable amount of weight from week 3 and her teats are even more swollen and is a very pink color. She is finally sleeping fine in the living room and when she thinks she can get away with it, she naps on my white couch. The hair on her underbelly is starting to shed and unfortunately, I know this because there are traces of it all over my white couch. I am very careful with her excercise regiman this week because week 4 is the most crucial week for the developing embryos. They are not yet fully resistant to harm and damage because the protective fluid has not yet formed inside Lucy. The embryos are walnut sized and she is eligible for palpation from the Vet to confirm pregnancy, but I decide not to palpate her since pregnancy is a sure thing by this point.

Week 5, I notice considerable weight gain around her stomach. Her teats are very swollen and is now a reddish, pink color. I increase her food ration to 2 and a half cups in the morning and 3 cups for dinner. I add in cottage cheese, pureed carrots, peas and apples to her food. I feed her a raw egg every other day. She is eating normally now and the morning sickness has passed. The puppy foetuses are much more resistant to harm at this point, so I bathe her with natural oatmeal shampoo. She is sleeping throughout the day now but still loves her excercise regiman. Her walks are shorter, but more frequent throughout the day because she gets tired easily now.

By week 6, Lucy is bigger and is still sleeping throughout the day. She eats 3 cups for breakfast and dinner with pureed veggies, natural beef broth and a hard boiled egg. By now, I feed her an extra cup of Canidae for lunch. She is eating enthusiastically and even looks like she wants more. I feed with caution so she doesn't overeat and more importantly so she doesn't get too many vitamins which could create problems for the developing puppies. I want to wait until next week to feed her more vitamin and protein packed foods. I buy her a kiddie pool to sleep in, in hopes that she will whelp in it when she is ready. However, I have to come up with clever ways for her to get the concept of sleeping in it by laying in it myself. I figure that if I look like I enjoy it, she will try to use it herself. But, she just gives me a weird look and lays dangerously close to the couch, which I am certian she will lay on the moment I turn my back. I am just crossing my fingers that she doesn't give birth on my white couch. Please, Lucy have mercy!