The Home Stretch

Entering the ninth week of Piper’s pregnancy is both exciting and nerve-wracking. She appears wider every time I look at her! I tell her she’s “glowing” but in truth, I can tell she’s ready for this phase to end. Her perpetually good-natured attitude is being challenged by the discomfort of the final days of carrying growing pups.

We visited the vet this week for an abdominal x-ray to find out how many puppies to expect. This is important because it’s essential to know if all of the puppies make it out, or if emergency care is required for a stuck pup. Given the jumble of pups in the image, it’s not a guarantee of the final number, but it’s the best tool we have to generate a good estimate.

Counting skulls and spines in the image, our vet could find at least eight pups! I’ve been playing with the image contrast and might be able to pick out a ninth… it’s really hard to tell which skull goes with which spine and what might be hidden behind the others. Above all else, it’s a startling reminder of just how much is going on inside there!

The pups have definitely been very active in the past few days. I can feel them kicking and squirming - and so can Piper. Every once in a while she will twitch or jump when they really start moving around. A highlight for me was seeing a lump protruding from her side, giving it a little pet, and feeling it wiggle in response. Truly an amazing experience.

Logistically speaking, everything here is ready to go for the big day. The whelping box is all set up in her favorite corner of the living room. I’ve put together a kit of supplies with the help of experienced friends and mentors. Everything is queued up…and now we wait!