Puppies, Finally!

Kate has been making the most of being able to drive me crazy and lose sleep. Her last due date was the 4th, but she decided to hold out until the 6th before doing anything, and until the 7th before having them. I had checked her at 1 in the morning(as I had been for several days) and though she was panting, there was nothing else going out. I went out again at 6 to check on her, and the smell of birthing fluids hit me the minute I opened the door. She had two puppies, a boy and a girl. Now, I can hear you asking, what happened to the 5 that you saw on ultrasound in November? You know, I can't answer that! Either we weren't actually seeing early puppy embryos(most likely) or she reabsorbed them after we saw them on the scan. Either way, she had two and that's all. 

Not only did she make me feel crazy by holding off for so long and then only having two, they are red! I was certain they'd be either black and white or black tri, but no-they are red. I was just told that Kate's great-grandmother was red, so that must be where she carries it. I don't know anything about the parents of the sire. I believe red is like red hair in humans-both parents have to carry it, but it can skip several generations before showing up again. Genetics are interesting things, and the more I learn about them, the more my head spins and the more I realize I have yet to learn. But then, the online chat site where I learn about genetics told me that if I bred a Sundgau goat to a Black goat, no kids have the possibility of being Cou Clair or Cou Blanc. Then out popped Minx, a beautiful Cou Clair-they couldn't explain that one to me. But I digress-back to the puppies. 

The male has double dewclaws on the back like Kate used to, and the female has singles. I planned on removing rear dewclaws, but the doubles are almost joined to the rest of the toes like a polydactyly cat, and I determined that the removal of them was beyond my scope of surgery. Someday I hope to ask the vet to show me how, but I can't do it right now. 

 

 

Zephyrine who already shows a bit of individual personality in that she loves to shove her nose down into any little crevice and go right to sleep. 

Loki, who seems to think faster than his sister, but makes more noise while doing it.