{"id":3171,"date":"2012-02-08T20:54:40","date_gmt":"2012-02-09T04:54:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bluefairyotterhound.com\/?p=3171"},"modified":"2015-11-08T22:10:48","modified_gmt":"2015-11-09T06:10:48","slug":"upcoming-litter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluefairyotterhounds.com\/?p=3171","title":{"rendered":"Puppy Love 2012"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Meet the Parents<\/span><\/strong><\/a>
\nIntroduction<\/span><\/strong><\/a>
\nWelcome to the Pack<\/span><\/strong><\/a>
\nWeek 1 – Getting Started<\/span><\/strong><\/a>
\nWeek 2 – Look Who’s Walking<\/span><\/strong><\/a>
\nWeek 3 – Eyes Wide Open<\/span><\/strong><\/a>
\nWeek 4 – Got Teeth?<\/span><\/strong><\/a>
\nWeek 5 – The Great Outdoors<\/span><\/strong><\/a>
\nWeek 6 – Ready to Rumble<\/span><\/strong><\/a>
\nWeek 7 – Growing Up Otterhound<\/span><\/strong><\/a>
\nWeek 8 – It’s the Beach!<\/span><\/strong><\/a>
\nWeek 9 – Brave New World<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n


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Meet the Parents<\/h3>\n

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Dam:\u00a0 <\/a><\/span>CH Blue Fairy\u2019s Fifth Element, RN, CGC, VO<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

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Sire:\u00a0 GCH White River’s News Flash<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

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Introduction<\/h3>\n
\nWe started planning the next Blue Fairy Litter in Spring 2011. Our girls were approaching their 4th Birthday, healthy and in perfect physical condition. Mamba was a great Mom to her 2010 litter and it was Leeloo\u2019s turn to show her maternal side. After all, she has been the best playmate to puppy Ozzy for quite some time.
\n<\/a><\/span> Leeloo<\/a><\/span> is a great breed ambassador, even-tempered with strong hunting instincts. A true hound.<\/p>\n

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Sire selection was easy this time. We met Flash<\/a><\/span> (GCH Whiter River’s News Flash) at the Otterhound Specialty in Alaquippa, PA in 2010. He was a young, spunky male with lots of potential: great \u201clook & feel\u201d and championship pedigree. At 1 year old, he won Puppy Sweepstakes. We saw Flash again last year at 2011 Otterhound Specialty in Eugene, OR and we were not disappointed. He grew up to be an impressive male: excellent lines, head, ears and coat. Easy going happy attitude is a bonus. Exactly what we were looking for in a Sire for our next Blue Fairy litter. <\/p>\n

Flash received his AKC Grand Championship title at 2011 Specialty. He was one of the top 5 Otterhound males in the country in 2011 All Breed and Best of Breed rankings. Impressive for a 2 \u00bd year old dog \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

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Happy Holidays \ud83d\ude42<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>December was pretty busy in our household. Not only because of the usual holiday fever, but also because Mamba and Leeloo were in heat. Ozzy\u2019s male hormones kicked in and we were forced to use crates and rotate dogs. When Ozzy was out, the girls were in and the other way around. Our goal was to be fair and split crate time evenly. I\u2019m not sure we succeeded, but everyone got lots of treats and chewies just in case. All that was left to do was worry about the Christmas tree, gifts and the turkey.. oh.. and progesterone testing with Leeloo! On New Year\u2019s Day, our vet told us she was ready to be bred. It was challenging to make all the arrangements around the holiday weekend but we got it done. The Artificial Insemination procedure took place on Jan 3rd. Then, we had to wait another 30 days for the Ultrasound. It felt like time stood still. Finally, we got the word: Leeloo is pregnant with multiple puppies present. On the Ultrasound picture they looked like little bubbles! The next milestone: X-ray was taken on day 57 of the pregnancy, just one week before the estimated delivery date. It showed five puppies.. Maybe six if we get lucky. We’ll know soon enough \ud83d\ude42 <\/p>\n

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Welcome to the Pack<\/h3>\n
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\"\"<\/a>With each passing day we were getting more excited about the puppies. Even Ozzy and Mamba knew something was about to happen. <\/p>\n

Based on Leeloo\u2019s temperature readings, we’ve been expecting our puppies to arrive ahead of our estimated March 6th schedule. She started to be restless on Friday night so we knew we were getting close. Saturday day was uneventful \u2013 Leeloo was resting most of the day, but refused her meals. It was the second sign she was getting ready. Saturday night was very active, lots of nesting, panting and pacing around the house and yard. \"\"<\/a>On Sunday morning, there was a short moment of lounging in the yard with Mamba and Ozzy. Contractions started on Sunday afternoon and her water broke at 6 pm. Leeloo was working hard for several hours but the first puppy would not come. We contacted our vet. We knew she might be in trouble and made a decision to take her to emergency vet hospital. As we were getting ready to leave the house, Leeloo made a big push and the first puppy was born. Black & Tan boy. Unfortunately, he was still-born. We tried to revive him.. just could not bring him to life \ud83d\ude41 Not a happy beginning. <\/p>\n

We arrived at the emergency clinic around 11pm. Leeloo was taken for an exam and the vet decided to administer oxytocin to induce contractions. At midnight, the second puppy was born: brown boy with white markings on his head. He was big (1.48lb) and healthy. The doctor recommended continuing with natural delivery. We were given one of the offices to setup whelping area. Leeloo was brought-in from the back room. She was happy to see us and quickly settled on her new bed. We were told that she did not want to have anything to do with the new puppy after he was born, but when we showed him to her she immediately accepted him and let him nurse without hesitation. The puppy did not need much invitation: he was HUNRGY and very vocal about it. <\/p>\n

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At 1am we had another puppy – a beautiful black & tan female. She was a bit smaller (1.35lbs) but equally hungry. After just a few moments, she was nursing right next to her brother, making those puppy noises we enjoy so much \ud83d\ude42 Leeloo was exhausted, decided to take a nap and contractions stopped again. Another oxytocin shot couple of hours later and one more puppy arrived at 2:30am: black and tan boy, a touch smaller than his sister (1.23lbs) but strong and healthy. We knew we had at least one more puppy on the way and were hoping he\/she would join his\/her siblings shortly. Leeloo took another well-deserved nap and all three puppies were enjoying all-you-can-eat buffet. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>After ~2 more hours, the vet took an X-ray to verify how many puppies were left. We found out that there was indeed one more normal size puppy present. We had another decision to make: surgery or no surgery. Based on manual exam, the vet recommended continuing with natural delivery. She could feel the puppy in its sack in the birth canal. Now we needed help from Leeloo and Mother Nature. For the next 3 hours, they were working hard. We experienced the most amazing vet skills in action. The doctor was determined to make sure we go home with another healthy puppy born without surgery. At 7am she made it happen. Another black & tan female was born. At 1.18lbs, she was very vocal from the start: I guess she was not too happy about being taken out of the \u2018oven\u2019 but we were just ecstatic to meet her. After a long night and an early heart-break we were coming home with four, new healthy members of the Blue Fairy Pack. Leeloo was tired but happy and proud of her puppies. We could see love in her eyes \ud83d\ude42 It was all worth it at the end.<\/p>\n

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Week 1 – Getting Started<\/h3>\n
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\"\"<\/a>The first week was full of new experiences for all of us. After a long night at the emergency vet hospital, Leeloo needed time to rest and recover. She was also ready to take on her new duties as a Mother. Nursing came naturally, but I must admit that it took her another day to catch up with the cleanup. The bond with her puppies was growing stronger every day. In the first few days, she was reluctant to leave the box for any reason, including food. Guarding and caring for puppies was her priority. Great Mom from the very beginning \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Puppies continue to grow. Their daily activities are pretty simple: eating, napping and eating some more. They have healthy appetites and have been consistently gaining weight throughout the week. They are also getting stronger: they have no problem moving around the box as long as it leads to their Mom\u2019s milk. Their voices get amazingly loud when hungry. We also noticed that these puppies are very content hanging around their Mom. It will be fun to see if things change as they grow up. Mamba\u2019s puppies were ready to explore the world on their very first night. <\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>On Thursday, Leeloo & the puppies had another vet visit. We knew it was not going to be fun for the puppies. It was time to remove their dewclaws. In the past, the vet would simply take the puppies and perform the procedure in the back, however our new vet invited us to observe the process. It was educational but tough to watch! There was some bleeding and lots of puppy cries! I actually left after seeing a single dewclaw removed and joined Leeloo outside. Mike stayed for the whole thing. As traumatic as the experience seemed to be, the puppies recovered very quickly and the bleeding stopped before we got to the truck. All they wanted to feel better was a little milky snack from their Mommy. \"\"<\/a>
\nLeeloo got a thorough exam and received a clean bill of health. Good news! <\/p>\n

Friday was another big day. Leeloo decided to leave the box and join the pack for the afternoon run at the beach. Puppy sitting was more challenging than I expected. They were hungry and I had nothing to offer. Warm cuddles did the trick and settled the puppies until their Mom returned. Puppy breath was an appropriate reward for my hard work!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Mamba and Ozzy are fascinated with the new editions to our Pack. Mamba wishes the puppies were hers. She desperately wants to get close to them and seems not to understand why Leeloo is not letting her do it. She\u2019s whining for them at times, especially when she sees us pick one of the pups up from the box. I think she is ready for her own puppies again. She has a strategic spot on the couch to watch the box from a distance and make sure that her sister Leeloo does her job well \ud83d\ude09 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Ozzy is a great uncle. He respects Leeloo\u2019s warning growls and the boundaries she set around the whelping box. He checks on Leeloo and the puppies several times a day wagging his tail with excitement. Just can’t hide his curiosity. I caught him one day right next to the box, looking the other way and pretending he was not there. Leeloo let him know his technique didn\u2019t work with a soft growl, but she did not seem to be too concerned. Since that day, she allows him to get really close to her and the puppies \u2013 within a reason of course \ud83d\ude42
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Week 1 Puppy Videos<\/strong><\/p>\n