Tue 20 Aug – Mon 26 Aug

Week 6

• During the last several weeks, your dog’s nutritional needs nearly double. Feed small meals several times a day.
• Increase water.
• Enlargement of mammary glands as nipples darken and enlarge.
• Your girl could start to be less comfortable, and could vomit on occasion.
• There may be some clear fluid discharge from the vulva. This is normal.
• Pigment develops as the pups keep growing.
• Eyes and lids have formed and remain closed till 2 weeks after birth.

Our girls are entering their 6th week of pregnancy. Amara is defiantly feeling it. She vomited a bit this morning and wants nothing to do with Muffin or the rest of the pack wanting to play. She wants a lot of cuddles and is doing a lot of resting. Reign is staying close to me a bit more than usual and Winter is her normal sweet self, but doing more resting. 😀 Once we start seeing discharge we will be more confident that they are in fact pregnant. But I really don’t have any doubts.

Tue 13 Aug – Mon 19 Aug

Week 5

• The doctor may be able to detect pregnancy (85% accuracy) by feeling the abdomen.
• Development of toes, whisker buds, and claws.
• The sex organs begin to develop.
• The puppies are now considered fully developed miniature dogs.
• Your girls belly can look more swollen.
• Serve smaller meals more often rather than big meals.

So the girls are entering their 5th week. Things move fast from here. Amara could not finish her dinner last night so we will be doing smaller meals throughout the day. I will be starting to clean, disinfect and set up puppy rooms. I will have to move all the crates out of the downstairs dog room and that will be Amara’s room. Winter will have the upstairs office room and Reign will be set up in my bedroom also upstairs.

I have finished rewatching Puppy Culture and I am excited to see if we can do more protocols and training this time around. Three litters is gonna be tough, but I will be taking the 8 weeks off work to be able to work with them all. 😀

Wed 31 Jul – Tue 6 Aug

• Embryos implants along uterus wall.
• During the next two weeks the important organs will develop.
• Her nipples begin to turn pink and enlarge.
• May loose appetite during this week.
• Morning sickness may occur
• Feeding small amounts of high protein supplements, such as eggs, lean muscle meats (not pork) or liver is a good practice.
• Your girl may begin to display breast development and mood swings.

We are approaching the third week of pregnancy for the girls. Since they are due within a week of each other we will just be doing one update for all three girls. They are doing well. Eating fine and no noticeable change in mood. They are taking prenatal vitamins and we are continuing to add fresh foods to their daily meals.

Please note: due dates are based on the first tie (breeding). The girls had 2-3 ties during their cycle and due dates can change depending on exactly when in their cycle they ovulated.

*Credit to Rodney Habib*

WANT TO KNOW WHY THE LOW-COST, NUTRIENT-PACKED “SARDINE” IS A MUST ADD TO YOUR PET’S DIET PLAN? THEN CHECK OUT THE “TOP 10” REASONS WHY!

If you’re like me, you’re always searching for an herb or whole food add that will help extend the life of your furry BFF. 
But if I told you one of these treasures was a small, salt-water, soft-boned, oil-rich, silvery fish that smells worse than most grandparents’ feet, would you still try it out?

Hailed as one of the richest sources of omega-3, vitamin D and vitamin B-12 (to name a few), this whole food addition (which got its name from the Italian island of Sardinia) is called the sardine!
I can hear the groaning now… “Sardines look and smell gross!” most of you are probably saying. 
True, but if you check out my top 10 reasons why you should ignore the smell and fall in love, you won’t regret it AND your pet will love you for it!

Check out these 10 awesome reasons as to why this is a must-add:

1.) PROTEIN PACKED
Your carnivorous dog and cat need protein for proper muscle and connective tissue development. Protein provides structure for skin, hair, joints, bones and nails to name a few! Sardines and fish, which are considered a high quality protein, are full of the essential amino acids your pets cannot produce and need from this type food.

2.) JOINT AND BONE SUPPORT
Sardines are not only one of the most concentrated sources of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA for joint health, but they are packed with a rich source of bone-building and bone strengthening vitamin D!

3.) HEART HEALTH
Sardines are an excellent source of vitamin B12, which promotes an overall cardiovascular well-being. Now tie in the DHA and EPA that are also found in the sardine and you have a cocktail of awesomeness aiding in heart health!

4.) BEATS UP ON CANCER
Studies have shown that omega-3s found in the sardine can inhibit the formation of tumours and prevent cancer from metastasizing. They do this by inducing a process in cancer cells called apoptosis. Today, science is also showing that an ample source of vitamin D, from the sardine, may turn out to play an important role in the prevention of certain types of cancer as well.

5.) BRAIN HEALTH
Studies in people show that supplementing with DHA (found in sardines), is beneficial in supporting cognitive health in aging brains. A study on beagle puppies found DHA improved cognitive learning and motor skills during the developmental stages. Therefore, sardines help sharpen your pet’s learning abilities, memory, eye function and psychomotor skills.

6.) HELPS RELIEVE ALLERGIES
Research suggests that supplementing with fatty acids found in sardines, is useful in preventing atopy (allergies to inhaled substances such as pollens and molds) from developing in young animals. Also, because of the incredible anti-inflammatory properties that the sardines carry, they are a great add to help reduce the chronic redness and inflamed skin some pets experience from these allergies.

7.) CAN HELP YOUR PET LOSE WEIGHT
The rich source of omega-3s found in the sardine can activate a type of protein that turns on fat-burning genes in your pet’s body! Used correctly, they can help slim down pudgy pets.

8.) POSITIVE EFFECTS AGAINST SEIZING PETS
Research shows that the omega, packed in the sardine, contains potent anti-inflammatory properties that fight the inflammation mediators in epileptic patients while increasing seizure thresholds, in other words, helping to suppress attacks.

9.) KIDNEY SUPPORT
A study on dogs found that while omega 6 supplementation accelerated the decline in kidney function of early stages of kidney disease, supplementing with omega-3 had protective effects. In human studies, it was found that people with long-term use of fish oil, like the oil found in sardines, slowed the loss of kidney function!

10.) MOOD IMPROVER AND ANTI-DEPRESSANT
EPA and DHA found in sardines, according to research, can also improve mood. EPA from marine sources like sardines can decrease cytokines associated with depression.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF TOXINS FOUND IN TODAY’S FISH SUPPLY? AREN’T SARDINES POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS?

You see, sardines are a short lived fish. Therefore they don’t have a lot of time to accumulate a ton of toxins from the water. They are at the bottom of the aquatic food chain as well, meaning they only feast on plankton. So they don’t concentrate heavy metals, such as mercury, and contaminants as do other fish.

OK, NOW FOR THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION: HOW MUCH SARDINE SHOULD YOU FEED TO YOUR PET?

Let’s go to expert and pet food formulator, Steve Brown, for this one shall we?
“The best canned sardines for dogs (and cats) are those in water with no salt added. Avoid sardines packed in soy, corn, sunflower, safflower, or other omega-6 rich oils. 
Use the entire can of sardines within two days after opening it, and refrigerate the open can, so that the fragile fats do not go rancid.
Don’t overdo it! EPA and DHA, like most nutrients, provide wonderful health benefits in small amounts, and are detrimental in excess amounts or without sufficient antioxidant protection.

Here are my sardine recommendations for adult dogs.

Feed twice this much to puppies and pregnant or lactating females.

Dog’s Weight 3.75-oz can sardines
5 lbs 1/4 can per week
15 lbs 1/2 can per week
25 lbs 5/8 can per week
50 lbs 1 can per week
100 lbs 1 3/4 cans per week

A 3.75-ounce can of sardines has about 200 calories, so reduce the amount of dry food given on “sardine days” accordingly. Rule of thumb: One can of sardines in water has about the same number of calories as ½ cup of most dog foods.

For cats, no more than a 1/4 to maximum 1/2 a week.
Remember to always check with your veterinarian for specific doses, and always practice variation, moderation and balance when introducing new foods to your pets.

So go grab a clothes pin, plug your nose, and add some aquatic love to your pet’s bowls. Most will love you for it!
Rodney Habib

Amara and Ghost have tied/bred. I am taking reserve deposits for this litter. If you are on the “penciled” waiting list for the first 3 reserve spots please contact me. Estimated Due date is Sept 17th. Actual date of birth may differ if ovulation is on a different day

*Pups (ckc) $850
*Holding fee (deposit) is $300 and are non refundable (but transferable). Balance due at pick up.
*All puppies come with age appropriate vaccinations and parasite prevention.
*Puppies see the our vet before leaving. They receive a check up, fecal test and core combination vaccination. Proof is provided to you.
*Puppies stay with their mother and siblings for 8 weeks.
*Puppies undergo Early Neurological Stimulation as well as age appropriate socialization and enrichment activities. 
*Our puppies are raised with Puppy Culture. This is different than typical socialization. This program has specific protocols that are age and developmentally specific. 
*Video and Photo updates posted several times a week, if not daily.
*Video Chat to view your puppy one on one in real time is available.
*Puppies are introduced to potty training, crate conditioning and clicker training.
*Puppies leave with a puppy pack that often includes, food, toys, blanket with mom and siblings scent, a variety of samples from different canine companies, medical records, 30 day free pet insurance, NuVet Samples, puppy info packets, etc
*Puppy also leave with a contract that includes, spay/neuter contract (no breeding), return clause, health guarantee and genetic guarantee.