Poppy has only 1 week until she is due to give birth to her expected litter of 11 or 12 eagerly awaited puppies. She conceived the litter on St Patrick’s Day (17th March) with her beloved mate, Angus. She has been well, with a healthy appetite, throughout her pregnancy. She has continually grown and gained weight, as expected, over the past weeks, especially over the last 2 weeks. She is calm and gentle, requiring constant reassurance and encouragement that everything is well and, she is truly loved. She has shown interest in the whelping box and hopped in there several times, digging up the bedding, in preparation for her puppies’ arrival. She seems to understand what’s going on and, as a highly intelligent Ridgeback, she will hopefully manage the birth of her litter with minimal intervention, using her natural instincts.
Angus has remained her constant companion although, he’s a bit confused that she’s not chasing him and playing roughly these days! Her stomach volume is less now so, she is eating several small meals a day of dry biscuits mixed with meat and rice, to maintain her increased metabolic requirements and, ensuring she does not become constipated. She is more fussy about food and more thirsty these days.
