No matter where I am in the kitchen or dining room, I see this face staring at me, sending me thought waves. "Feed me, feed me", I'm sure she is saying. Poor Nena has an insatiable appetite right now. Thank goodness she is not a drooler like her dad Argus or my floor would be an inch deep in slime! Her family kept Nena in very good condition, and her weight is just right. We don't want the girls to get too heavy as it can increase the chance of whelping problems.
The pen is ready for Nena, and the box will go in place tonight. She probably won't be thrilled about moving to the basement, but it's the only place I have where she can have some privacy (no, I don't do pups in my bedroom). This two story home doesn't have a really good place for a whelping area, but the semi-finished basement has worked fine for many years. I set up a pen, put the whelping box in the pen, put a thick later of papers on the floor, and use a whelping box liner and blankets in the whelping box.
There's a table next to the pen that has all my supplies. Thermometer, Tums for extra calcium during whelping, lots of towels, heavy thread for tying off any cords that bleed, notebook and pen for recording details. Of course my cell phone will be added to that too! This evening I will start taking Nena's temperature so she's used to the process. Most bitches will show a significant drop in temperature before whelping begins. I'll also check with the Vet we use for reproductive services to find out who will be on call this weekend, just in case we need help or advice. Fortunately Ron is home during the day, so unless the pups come this weekend, he'll keep an eye on things during the week.
We're getting close! Sunday would be good, but we just have to wait and see.
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