At 8 weeks

Here is Ry's belly photo at day 55. 

She is already making milk for the babies and will still get bigger her last week.  She is starting to get a little antsy and prefers to lay on her side now.  I haven't been lucky enough to catch any movement inside her belly yet but I keep waiting, hoping for a little "bump."

Her xrays were taken yesterday at the reproduction vet and they counted 5 puppies.  Can you see them?

Growing Rylee

Rylee is definitely getting bigger now and loves the belly rubs.  She is eating about 6 cups a day now and not exactly excited about all the food.  At some meals, she walks up to the bowl, sniffs and looks at us like ... again? I am adding all kinds of goodies to her food trying to encourage her but I may have to start cooking for her soon because her appetite seems to be dwindling.  Of course she never had a crazy appetite to begin with so all this food is a bit daunting for her :)

The whelping box arrived this week and has been assembled but Ry seems to prefer the box it came in.

Belly rubs please

Stretching out sure does feel nice

Gazing out the window

My beautiful babies

Usual belly picture will be coming soon :)

End of 7 weeks

As you can see miss ry is starting to pick up the weight gain.  Only two weeks left.  We will have an x-ray the last week in May in order to get an accurate pup count.  Basically everything is ready for whelping, I just need a good heating lamp/pad and puppy scale, to make sure everyone is gaining weight nicely.  Rylee is eating about 5 cups of puppy food a day and is finally starting to act hungry, which is a new thing for her.  We are also giving her snacks of carrots, green peppers, cottage cheese, cooked chicken (breastless), and more yummy snacks.  I am going to increase Rylee's food in the next two weeks even more to ensure that she has enough to provide for herself and the puppies. 

A study in eating

This is how Rylee always eats and since she is getting more food now, including lunch, she is even slower.  Dexter is shown as a comparison (more normal for a ridgeback).  We are now in week seven.  Belly picture to come. 

6 weeks

Well Rylee is nearing the end of her 6 weeks.  At this point, the puppies have developed skin pigment, their heartbeats could be heard with a stethoscope, and they are about 2 inches long

Rylee is going to kill me for posting that first picture of her .... but it shows how she is developing.  She definitely has lost her tuck up and is becoming larger along the milk line.  She is also getting a little wider but you can still see a trace of her waist so she hasn't completely lost her figure yet.

And development continues

Today is day 36 so Rylee just finished her 5th week and is on to week number 6 in her pregnancy. 

During the remainder of week 5, the toes, whisker buds, and claws developed.  Fetuses look like dogs and gender can be determined!
Eyes that were previously open now close (When eyes are developing in the uterus, the eyes are developed in an open position and then they close and remain closed until about 10 days old or so.)
Fetuses have grown from 1/2 inch to over an inch. 

Courtesy of National Geographic ... this shows approximately what the puppies may look like now. 
Rylee is starting to get a little bigger but not too much yet.  I will put another picture of her up this week so we can start comparisons. 

 

Rylee in profile

Here is Miss Rylee at day 33.  She is just starting to lose a little of her tuck up.  She is gazing adoringly up at her dad who happens to be holding a tasty biscuit :)

Moving along

Today is day 32 for Rylee.  At this time, to protect the fetuses the uterus fills with fluid.
Facial features and spines are starting to develop in the pups.
I am going to start posting pictures of Rylee to show any changes.  She is starting to look just a touch fuller, but hardly noticeable.  I will include a picture of her later on this evening.  We definitely haven't seen an increase in appetite but as mentioned previously, Rylee has always been a different sort of ridgeback, including being a finicky eater.  She is the slowest eating dog I have ever seen.  It probably takes her a good 10 minutes to finish her bowl of food, especially now that we are starting to switch her over to puppy kibble and are adding a little more.  She actually chews each bite.  It's quite funny.  Dexter inhales, like most dogs.  But Rylee is a lady, through and through.  She even crosses her paws when she lies down.  She is my regal beagle :)