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!