Wednesday, May 27, 2026,

Didn't sleep much last night. The puppies were still making some little noises. Xanthy is doing well. She stayed nicely in the whelping box so the puppies could drink whenever they wanted.

She is eating and drinking very well again too. She also lost some placentas while walking.

The puppies are doing well, even the puppy that had a difficult start.

Tuesday, May 26, 2026, Day 60

In the early hours of the night, Xanthy was restless. She sat down everywhere and then got up again to lie or sit somewhere else. Eventually, she found her spot. The rest of the night passed peacefully.

At 6:30 AM, we went outside and she peed and pooped a little. She hasn't been drinking since yesterday, and yet she keeps needing to pee. It is truly amazing.

Xanthy wasn't really walking, but was really just shuffling along, like a pregnant dog might do. While walking, she also had to vomit some bile. Once back inside, I tried to give her some food, but she didn't want it. I also put out fresh drinking water for her again, but she didn't want that either.

She is panting a lot, and sometimes she is withdrawn into herself for a moment. I wonder how long it will take before she gets contractions and the first one can be born.

At 3:00 PM, we called our daughter-in-law Leanne. She really wanted to help with the delivery. We told her she could come, because Xanthy was already having her final contractions before she could start pushing.

At 3:45 PM, she started getting very restless. She started digging in the whelping box and outside of it as well. She was whimpering a bit, and then she started barking at me. Just as if she wanted to say, "Help me out!"

Next, she started pushing hard. At 4:13 PM, the first female was born; she weighed 524 grams, so she had cleared the way well. Next, the second one was born, and this one was born paws first. This was a male.

After that came a female, but she was very green. She did drink well immediately, though. Suddenly, things went very fast, and 3 were born in 45 minutes. After that, Xanthy had a rest break. I went for a walk with her. By now back in the whelping room, she started digging vigorously again and couldn't rest. The contractions weren't really strong anymore. She also started barking at me again.

Finally, we decided to administer some Oxycotine. An hour and a quarter later, a female puppy was born. We were just having a bite to eat. Then we thought we were done; she had no more contractions, and I went to take her for a walk. She passed another placenta. Once inside, I showered her backside. Leanne was already cleaning everything until Xanthy sat down behind a chair.

Afterwards, it was black with the fluid she had squeezed out. Leanne moved the chair aside and called out: "Pup!" There is a puppy.

I immediately grabbed a towel. The female puppy was still in the membrane. I lost it, but she was lifeless. Everything that was supposed to be pink was white.

I immediately started rubbing, and Leanne started suctioning. At one point, I felt her belly, and she moved her tongue. She also made a small sound. We started rubbing again, gave her artificial respiration, and used a respiratory spray. We also suctioned her out. She was moving, but was still a bit weak. She was also still gasping for breath. Xanthy also stimulated her by licking her clean. She is a strong puppy now; she is doing very well.

Now let's just hope they all do well.

Monday, May 25, 2026, Day 59

Since Saturday night, I have gone downstairs with Xanthy and slept there as well.

As of today, she doesn't really want to eat anymore, especially not kibble. She isn't drinking either.

At night, she is very restless at first; she walks around a lot and tries to crawl behind everything. She also has nesting instincts every now and then. Her temperature did drop this morning and has since risen again. She isn't bothered by the heat, because it is cool here.

Otherwise, she is quite calm today; she sleeps a lot but has to go outside frequently to pee. She is also very shivery from time to time. I do think she is already having expulsion contractions. This can sometimes take a very long time. Her vulva feels nice and soft and is being cleaned out, as she keeps losing mucus.

We have to wait and see. Observation is the only thing you can do right now.

Friday, May 22, 2026, Day 56

Xanthy is still quite calm. She does try to crawl behind everything, but otherwise she is doing very well. She does seek out peace and quiet more often and then goes to lie down somewhere by herself.

We also started taking her temperature today, but that is still good too. Her nipples were also carefully cleaned; she was quite dirty. I had already shaved her belly before the X-ray.

Yesterday the whelping room was completely cleaned; the cupboards were even pushed aside. Everything is fresh again. After that, we set up the whelping box and hung up and placed the heating plate, heat lamp, and pads. The thermometer is hanging in the whelping box again. Furthermore, the hot water bottles have been prepared.

Everything related to the delivery is on the grooming table, from a scale to mucus aspirators and disposable gloves. This is all ready.

She is already losing mucus and her eating is slowing down. She is eating, but not very willingly. We will wait and see how things develop.

Wednesday, May 20, Day 54

Xanthy has gained weight well again. She wants to be alone a lot so she can lie down nice and quietly.

This morning she didn't feel like walking much. She really just shuffled along.

Afterwards, she vomited some bile. Fortunately, she did want to eat and was hungry. She is also a bit more restless. She tries to crawl behind everything and wants to lie down there.

Tomorrow I am going to clean the whelping room and the whelping box will be set up, along with all the things needed for the delivery. The heat lamp and the heating pad will also be checked to see if they are working.

At 4:30 we went to the vet to have an X-ray taken to see how many puppies she is carrying. The vet counted 7 puppies.

We are very happy with this number. We have sent messages to the future owners and, of course, to Sjaak and Nelleke Meijer. The delivery is getting closer and closer.

Sunday, May 17, 2026, Day 51

Xanthy slept peacefully. She didn't feel much like going for a walk this morning. She just waddled along. I have already shaved her belly a bit, making the nipples clearly visible. She has enormous nipples. I think she is developing enough milk again. I will clean the nipples on day 56.

You can feel Xanthy's spinal cord quite a bit, so I increased the amount of kibble this morning. She is really a bit too thin.

She also wanted to lie down comfortably by herself. Not with the other dogs, whereas normally Xanthy always wants to be in the company of others. That way she has peace.

She doesn't like lying on her side. She prefers lying flat on her belly.

She did lie on her side for a moment, so I could immediately take advantage of the moment to feel the puppies moving again.

Saturday, May 16, 2026, Day 50

We arrived home at 7:00 PM. The dogs were happy to see Richard and me again. Xanthy was so happy too. I think her belly has increased significantly in size. She is indeed a lot calmer.

She waddles quite a bit when she is out walking. She has set her pace to a shuffle. She is eating well and is still hungry.

In the evening, I sat down with her for a moment, and as I placed my hand on her belly, I immediately felt life. Little kicks were palpable. Isn't it wonderful to come home and immediately feel new life in your girl?

Friday, May 15, 2026, Day 49

Joey and Leanne have been with Xanthy for almost a week now, because we are on vacation for a week. She is doing very well.

She doesn't mind that we aren't there. She has found a replacement for me in Leanne. She is getting more kibble again.

Xanthy seeks out Joey and Leanne a lot. She likes being near them. At times she seeks her peace and lies down at a distance, but still close to Joey and Leanne. She sometimes walks a bit slower. Occasionally she seems to want to play with the others, but this is very short-lived and they regularly "hold her back" to maintain her peace. Otherwise, she lies down a lot.

Thursday, May 7, 2026. Day 41

Xanthy is doing well. She is gaining weight nicely. She is still hungry, but the kibble has been increased again. She is now also being fed 4 times a day. She needs a little time to get used to that.

Otherwise, she is very affectionate and she can look at you with those sweet, soft eyes. During walks, she walks slower, but very relaxed.

She finds playing with the others too hectic and comes back inside very quickly. She also takes her rests much more.

Richard and I are going on vacation for a week on Friday night. We are taking 3 dogs with us so that she gets more rest; Joey and Leanne will take good care of her. In any case, they have a list that will help them.

It will be fine. They will certainly keep me well informed.

Saturday, May 2, 2026, Day 36

Xanthy is growing well. She has already gained some weight. She is also receiving more food and is on puppy food. She eats the kibble very quickly. She is really hungry. She now also gets a portion of kibble three times a day.

Furthermore, she is really taking her rest. She withdraws when the others are playing wildly with each other. She then goes inside or lies down out of their way. Very occasionally she pees in the house. The pups are probably pressing on her bladder. She is also being taken out much more often now.

She also seeks me out a lot and looks at me with her sweet, loyal little eyes. She radiates pure softness.

Friday, April 24, 2026

Today is the day. At 10:30 AM we have the appointment for the ultrasound. At home, I first shaved her belly a bit myself. She has already gained some weight. After that, Mike and I left for Dieren.

Xanthy climbed onto the examination table herself at the vet's, and we saw right away that she was pregnant. The vet wanted to try to count them, but Xanthy didn't really stay still. This made it a bit more difficult for the vet. She counted 7 very carefully.

We have already made an appointment for an X-ray on her 55th day.

Once on the bus, I quickly sent Richard a text message to let him know Xanthy is pregnant and then called Nelleke. Fortunately, they were happy too.

Afterwards, we bought a cake and celebrated together. I immediately ordered puppy kibble for her so that she gets a diet richer in protein.