It has been an exciting week in the Paterson household – our Labrador dog, Bramble, is expecting puppies.
Bramble is a black Labrador and is now nearly 3 ½ years old. We got her as an 8 week old puppy from a breeder in Kendal and she has grown into the most fantastic, loyal companion. Labradors can be heavy built and thick set which is deemed desirable in the show ring. Bramble is of lighter build and is a more traditional working type. She is a very clever dog and she is happy to fit in with our busy household routine and is always happy to welcome me home after a long day at work.
In fact, the only criticism we have with our dog is that she is very choosy when it comes to finding “a husband”.
Unusually, Bramble comes into season every 4 months and for the last 18 months, we have tried to interest her in a male suitor at the appropriate time. Bramble has always shown a distinct lack of interest in any potential male company until a few weeks ago when she was introduced to Riley, a handsome black Labrador. Romance has flourished ever since.
We thought, looking at Bramble that her shape had changed slightly so we had a family trip to the surgery this weekend. I clipped a little patch of hair on her tummy, applied some gel and then placed the ultrasound scanning probe on her skin. Little black pockets confirmed fluid pouches within her womb and the tiny white structures on the ultrasound screen were the tiny developing puppies within the fluid sacks.
At least 4 puppies could be seen but often multiple pregnancies can hide from the scan and so it is difficult to accurately predict numbers.
Bramble continues to keep excellent health (no sign of morning sickness) though her appetite has been a little hit and miss over the last few days.
Dogs are pregnant for 63 days so we are expecting her to whelp around 4 December so I will keep you posted as time goes on.
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