SparkyTansy

Wow congratulations piper!!! makes me realise now how small mine were... my biggest boy was 370g! Granted, at 9 days he now weighs over a kilo so I am not too worried!! That's very exciting I hope that she speeds up for you!! do you thik she has any left? Jazz Babies!!

how exciting Meganmm - what breed?

Welcome Bromaco - look forward to seeing pics. becoming a breeder is a long process of research and learning and getting it right from the beginning. Probably best place to start would be the breeder whos waiting list you are on. Tell them that you are interested in breeding so that they can give you advice on the right way to go about it. Being a registered breeder is more than getting shire approval. You have to get the right bitch, and then find the right dog. You have to be sure the bitch you have is good enough to breed from, and meets the breed standard. The bitch you have should be registered and on main register papers, otherwise you are not able to register the puppies produced (and usually a puppy on limit means not for showing or breeding purposes). You need to be a member of DogsWEst, you need to take the breeders exam and get a prefix so that you can register your puppies... you'll need to do the applicable health tests for your bitch (i think hip and elbow scoring? is there any others? PRA?). If she passes those, then you need to go about finding the right stud dog, and that means researching lines, different kennels, and studying conformation of several dogs to ensure that the pairing suits the bitch, and will produce sound, healthy puppies that look like labradors and meet the standard. Then of course there is the mating, the care of the bitch while pregnant, then the whelping itself, which can be difficult if you do not know what you are doing, so research there with many many books and web searches is the way to go. Raising the litter is tiring but fun... but you also have to be prepared for the heartbreak of losing them, because it can and does happen... and then of course there is the challenge of finding the right homes for the puppies so that they don't end up being breeding machines in someones backyard, because they think it'll make them a quick buck. breeding is a very rewarding, but tough, tiring and stressful - oh, and Expensive.. And how do I know this? I have just bred my first litter after countless years of research and proving myself in the showring and to breeders. They are 9 days old today and are the most amazing little creatures to watch. I have had several mentors throughout the whole process, and am lucky enough to have assisted whelpings in order to learn what needs to be done from an experienced breeder. Sorry that turned out longer than it meant to!!

Good luck!!! exciting!!!! What is her approximate due date?

Mas i think that sedation they are usually awake, just floppy and sleepy. There are different levels of sedation though.

I LOVE Steve! I can see where you are coming from Ptolomy - he's not a touchy-feely, hearts and flowers, gushy type of guy but he is seriously one of the most genuinely interested (and knowledgeable!)vets when it comes to his patients, he is straight-forward & to the point but is extremely caring and has a huge amount of heart. I've been using Applecross since 1994 and whilst all the guys there are terrific, Steve is the only one I'll see if I have something more than a run-of-the-mill matter. Buzzy LOVES his Uncle Steve - Steve will sit on the floor and Buzz jumps straight in his lap We sent one of our boarding customers to him last week - 12 month old Rotti girl with intermittent lameness, getting progressively worse. Unfortunately the outcome for this little girl wasn't good - her elbows were destroyed with arthritis and so the tough decision was made Her owner rang to let us know a day or so ago, and to thank us for putting him onto Steve - he said he was the best vet he'd ever dealt with... even though the outcome wasn't favourable, Steve explained everything clearly, gave him some options and treated him with the utmost kindness, respect & compassion the whole way through. I honestly can't sing his praises high enough He's always made himself accessible to me, I can ring just to ask his opinion or advice on something and I never get the impression he's too busy to talk to me, or not interested. I really enjoy talking to him, he is a wealth of knowledge. Good luck RS, everything crossed for some answers for you & Ruby! Totally agree with you both. With James, who was diagnosed really young with HD, he was incredibly clear and explained everything well. Even though at the time, i was very very upset, his manner and matter-of-factness really helped me understand more than someone who would have been pussyfooting around the issue, and really just helped me see the bigger picture.

Good luck Piper!!! Sounds like it's all go. Best of luck I'm sure you and Jazz will do great!!

I havent had any terrible enquiries, but did have one who wanted a Weimaraner in a "mushroom" colour as they prefer this to the grey.... Hmmmmmmm

Mas xrays are different - they need to be completely still otherwise the bone placement is not always correct and its harder to dianose/measure. Only the calmest of dogs work with xrays with sedation only. In saying that, besides the cost, they really are no worse for it, and as Ptolomy says, they leave not long after. I think I dropped Ari off in the morning and they called me at 11am to come get her!!

RS definitely if you can, get an appointment with Steve he is the lab specialist. if you are in a hurry though you'll find most of the vets there very competent in xrays as they do so many for breeders. Oh ness that sux so awful when they can not seem to come up with a diagnosis

yes I believe it is possible.I read to put the weaker/smaller pups on the end nipples that are smaller. My bitch had two small pups who couldn't really handle the bigger teats for a while. and why aren't you in the May litters thread?! ;)

I too have had more good enquiries than bad... I'm lucky.

RS, it's likely ruby will have to go under, but it depends how calm she'd be i guess... it shouldn't be so much about the cost and more about making sure the xray is done correctly to ensure a correct diagnosis... Applecross Veterinary clinic do a lot of hip and elbow xrays. I can't remember how much it cost though. it's more about the cost of the sedation/anaesthetic than anything else. If you know her weight, call around and ask how much an xray would cost for a dog and tell them her weight. You would also be able to ask if they sedate or definitely put them right under. I'm not really sure on any others except Baldivis Vet rings a bell as a good one. Given your vet knows of her issues, why not have them do the xray? hope all goes ok for Kenz Ness. Good luck for your interview CC!!

Could his teeth/teething be affecting his ear set? perhaps there is something more going on in his mouth... has he been vet checked? Interesting to see replies on this topic - i'm planning to introduce bones early but not sure exactly when.

Poor jazz what a bellyfull!!

Hi all I don't have time to catch up on all the goss but I hope all is going well. Sorry it's taken so long for me to upload a puppy pic!! i can only upload one from work cos it's big and takes too long... but here it is! if you want to see more my website has them all here Unfortunately, we lost a girl over the weekend... so we now have 6 - 5 boys 1 girl... all doing well and putting on masses of weight!!

Hey all Sorry it's taken so long for me to upload a puppy pic!! i can only upload one from work cos it's big and takes too long... but here it is! if you want to see more my website has them all here Unfortunately, we lost a girl over the weekend... so we now have 6 - 5 boys 1 girl... all doing well and putting on masses of weight!!

Cassie I am so very sorry to hear about the little one that didn't make it. BB it was the 10th May Weiz - I am enjoying them immensely... so much so that I have neglected everything else, including putting up photos! Truth be told I don't have a cord for my camera, but I have been taking photos!!

yes she was very kind and had her first puppy at 8am!! although it meant an early wake up call for poor Faolmor!!

yep the ultrasound said 5 piper... ari had a few up in those ribs

Hey all sorry I haven't read all the updates from the thread - thought i'd let you all know we have 7 pups, 5 boys 2 girls . all doing well pics later

Hey all thought I'd give you a quick update with piccies to come... Ari is doing great we had 8 puppies 6 boys 2 girls but one little boy didn't make it Ari is a great mum taking it all in her stride. piccies to come.

I haven't read all the replies but happy mothers day to all the mums!! and great news Emery regarding Zeus - stay positive Ari is being such a bitch this morning - poor spartan nearly had his head taken off because he dared sit on Ari's bed!!

YAY jazz and her belly!!! Well Ari is giving me a few mixed signals... temp drops, goes back up, panting starts, then she goes to sleep... this morning, though, her temp was 37.0 and stayed that way from 12am to this morning... who knows.... she is biting the other dogs heads off this morning... pretty sure she is very over it!!

Oh new format is weird!! It's my sisters birthday tomorrow, and mothers day and I am there to celebrate either !! It's ok though it's my dads birthday on the 10th. May is a busy one for us too. Darcie, my neice, also has her birthday on the 29th. All quiet on the Ari front!