cute! pretty sure she's mix
Princess Sparkle...
-
I asked Princess Sparkle if she would be offended if I posted a boudoir photo. She said she didn’t care as long as I gave her more cookies. Seems she’s hungry all the time now. Can a pregnant Basenji have pickles and ice cream? Anyway here’s my goddess…
-
Not sure about the pickles but ice cream, why not ? Mine love my home-made ones.
Main thing is, once the Princess has actually given birth, she is going to need help feeding them ! Which means, in my book, increasing her to 3 or even 4 meals a day, nothing too large at once but a supply of calories throughout the day. You don't want to start it too early, but once the litter is on the ground the last thing you need is for the Princess to go downhill. So up the number of meals, not the size of each one !
This is all so exciting ! -
Well... we got an X-ray yesterday and she's packed full o puppies! 5 for certain, possibly 6, and an outside chance of 7. Taking her temperature everyday now, whelping box is setup including heat lamp, scale and other tools are ready, towels a go go, and a ton of other stuff. I've read The Whelping and Rearing of Puppies by Muriel Lee several times. I even have cameras set up so my breeder can see what's happening real-time as they are being born, so she can guide me along. We've gone from 2 to 3 meals a day, but we're keeping the quantity the same for now. We've calculated the birth window and have nothing planned except to be here for her. I feel like I've done everything I can so far. Nothing left now except to pace and wait. That and contemplate if one cigar is enough, or if I have to have one for each pup. Always something to think about...
-
@jengosmonkey - I am guessing 5... but would not be surprised with 6. I have never found that taking temps ever gave me a clue... just looked for contractions.... my C-Me chased squirrels in the yard up to an hour from starting the whelp, temp never changed. But when she would come in the house to rest, I could see the contractions so I knew she was close.... her 6 babies were born within two hours... and not the middle of the night... she was great... all done by 8pm.
-
@JENGOSMonkey I'm so excited for you (and the Princess and proud Papa!) !!
-
@jengosmonkey One tool which Marvin always had at the ready (along with his Douglas Aircraft overalls whelping suit) was a pair of special scissors with very long blades and rounded ends so he could, at need, cut the cord. Basenji Moms are notorious - paw in stomach of neonate and rip. This can cause hernias.
-
@elbrant said in Princess Sparkle...:
@JENGOSMonkey I'm so excited for you (and the Princess and proud Papa!) !!
SO AM I! It's coming! Maybe by Sunday. Bet is for Monday which would be great!
@zande said in Princess Sparkle...:
@jengosmonkey One tool which Marvin always had at the ready (along with his Douglas Aircraft overalls whelping suit) was a pair of special scissors with very long blades and rounded ends so he could, at need, cut the cord. Basenji Moms are notorious - paw in stomach of neonate and rip. This can cause hernias.
I love the Douglas Aircraft suit! Too late to hit a surplus now. I've read so much. Probably too much. I have so many people giving me advice that I'm a bit overwhelmed.
I just hope I don't screw this up. Herniated umbilical cords frighten me. I'm going to be really careful with that. I don't want to cause that. Some say clamp it, cut it, release the clamp and see if it holds. Clamp it, tie it off with thread, then cut it, see if it holds. Clamp it, tie it off and pinch it off to constrict it, etc.
Diet, supplements, meal frequency, etc.
Heat lamps, heating pads. 90 degrees, 80 degrees, look for puppies bundled up or spread apart.
At this point I need one coach... my breeder. She'll see everything real-time as it happens. She's trusted me with her dogs, and I trust her. I see myself as an extension of her and her breeding program, but she's the boss. She's a great mentor, coach, and friend. She's never steered me wrong and in retrospect... she knew what I was going to experience with her two dogs well before I ever had a clue.
I just hope all the pups are good. Reading Muriel's book... there are things that can go wrong that I can't control like cleft palates and intestines not being inside the pup. That's the s*** that's feakin' me out. Or still borns. Or missing a placenta.
This is why I keep saying don't do this without a mentor, a coach and a friend. I'm excited, but to be honest... I'm nervous too. I'll feel better when all the pups have their paws on the ground.
I'm probably sharing more than I should, but this forum was so supportive when we lost Jengo. Not sure I'd be where I am today without that support. So, I'm including you in on the ride. Keep your fingers crossed and as always, thank you SO much for your support and guidance.
-
@jengosmonkey Marvin worked for Douglas Aircraft before he went to the Cape and subsequently to Washington DC with NASA. The overalls were genuine ! And he donned them for each whelping. Marvin was the senior midwife although if it got too far into the wee small hours, he'd retire and leave me to do it and then sleep in the kitchen on the floor. Our bitches always looked to him at whelping time !
Stella will be a wonderful coach/mentor/guide. But remember, Basenjis bitches have been doing this, unaided, for thousands of years. So honestly, you should relax and let her get on with it as much as you can. She will be a natural Mom but will sense your stress.
Its a perfect natural occurrence and one you will want to repeat no doubt - for the sheer excitement of holding a neonate in your hand. I always held them to the pulse in my neck so they could sense something living as early as possible.
Be vigilant and be there at need, but in the main, let her get on with it unless you (and Stella) feel there is a need for some kind of intervention.
Our maternity ward was always in an alcove beside the Aga in our large farmhouse kitchen. We would often be getting on with a meal and looking occasionally to see how the birthing was progressing. Trouble popped them so quietly after screaming like a banshee for the first one, that it was often just a case of counting heads and seeing who else had arrived.
You'll all be fine !
-
Ok! So Princess Sparkle decided today was the day. WOW! That was fun! Not as messy as I’d imagined. She let me take each pup to get it out of the sack, get it breathing, make it cry, cut the cord, clean it up, weigh it, then get it back to her. What a sweetheart. The first one was a little nerve racking, but Stella was watching and we had her on speaker. Drum roll… 6! Two males and four females if I read their anatomy correctly. One tri and five red and whites. I was hoping for one last tri female, but looks like 6 it is. It’s been almost three hours since the last was delivered. So… HOORAY! 6 puppies in a big ol’ puppy pile! I have 8 Basenjis right now. I am the Basenji king!! But, I think we all know who the hero was today...
-
Congratulations to you all !
-
Congratulations!!! 🥳
-
Congratulations !
Beautiful momma and babies! 
️ -
What does Dad think?!
-
@jkent said in Princess Sparkle...:
What does Dad think?!
He’s really curious, but Sparkle doesn’t want him close right now. She growled the one time I let him get somewhat near. So her feelings are clear. No daddy right now. I did pick him up to give him an aerial view and she was fine with that. He just trembled. I’ve been told it’ll be a few weeks till she’ll relax a bit.
-
@jengosmonkey Once the pups are up on their feet and able to stagger around (mostly backwards to start with, Greg) Sparkle will be more than happy for Logan to take them on and teach them life skills. Three weeks or so - Then she will be fine.
-
Yay!!! If I didn't live 4 thousand+ miles away, I'd want to come over and play with the little ones (with Princess Sparkle's permission, of course)!
I like the little birthing pod, too. Did you create that, or purchase it? Kinda looks like you could turn it into a puppy pool afterwards... -
@elbrant said in Princess Sparkle...:
Yay!!! If I didn't live 4 thousand+ miles away, I'd want to come over and play with the little ones (with Princess Sparkle's permission, of course)!
EXACTLY! I call puppies Micro Dogs. Can't wait till they'll stumbling around and crawling all over me. GROW DAMNIT!
I like the little birthing pod, too. Did you create that, or purchase it? Kinda looks like you could turn it into a puppy pool afterwards...
So , that is THE coolest whelping box I have ever seen curtesy of and on loan from my breeder. I hate to sound like a commercial, but she really does know her s***. It's plastic so it's super simple to keep clean; really light weight making it easy to reposition; breaks down, so it's easy to transport and store. Go to www.thewhelpingbox.com.
I was going to make one myself, but she offered this up as a loan. This is way better than anything I could have built. Oh, I could have built something really nice, but it would have weighed a ton compared to this one.
-
@zande said in Princess Sparkle...:
@jengosmonkey Marvin worked for Douglas Aircraft before he went to the Cape and subsequently to Washington DC with NASA. The overalls were genuine ! And he donned them for each whelping. Marvin was the senior midwife although if it got too far into the wee small hours, he'd retire and leave me to do it and then sleep in the kitchen on the floor. Our bitches always looked to him at whelping time !
I think I would have really liked Marvin. He's sounds like a man of eclectic interests, self-confident and secure. Yeah... I would have liked him a lot. I slept on a cot next to the whelping box last night so I could keep a tired eye on everything. Sparkle and I worked in shifts throughout the night.
-
@jengosmonkey - I have to laugh at your "grow" comment.... trust me when they are 5/6 weeks instead of have 6 you will think they have multiplied to 66! Of course you will have no trouble sighting the one boy being the only Tri. Congrats on an easy birth, as Sally said earlier, Basenjis are for the majority easy whelpers... they know what to do! Quiet puppies are happy puppies.. having full bellies! They don't do much until their eyes open in about 2wks. For my litters the boys were the last to open eyes.
-
@tanza said in Princess Sparkle...:
@jengosmonkey - I have to laugh at your "grow" comment.... trust me when they are 5/6 weeks instead of have 6 you will think they have multiplied to 66! Of course you will have no trouble sighting the one boy being the only Tri. Congrats on an easy birth, as Sally said earlier, Basenjis are for the majority easy whelpers... they know what to do! Quiet puppies are happy puppies.. having full bellies! They don't do much until their eyes open in about 2wks. For my litters the boys were the last to open eyes.
Ya know... she was fantastic! She made the whole experience MUCH easier than I ever imagined it would be... No screaming at all, a mid day birth instead of the middle of the night, she never fought me for a puppy while I got it cleaned up and weighed. She's got great parental instincts from what I can tell. One female that was a bit smaller than the others, but she already looks bigger this morning. We've been making sure she gets her turn at the tap room. I'll weigh them all at about 2:00ish (24 hours later). Hopefully everyone is gaining weight.
I have to tell ya... this is one of the coolest things I've gotten to experience!
