I have a 2 yr old Great Dane who would be 37 days pregnant today. Two weeks after she was bred she got a vaginal infection and was put on antibiotics. At her vet visit they did an ultrasound and the vet admitted that she's not "great" at looking for pups but thinks she saw 2-6 pups. At her recheck at 30 days they preformed another ultrasound however said they couldn't see any pups at that time but Raven was "extremely tense" when anyone touched her tummy. Over the last few days we have noticed her nipples getting much larger, rounder belly, sleepier, eats more, wants to cuddle ALL the time!! Could she be pregnant but just hid the puppies tensing up?

Yes, of course. They could have been tucked behind her bladder. We can't actually tell you if she is, but the usual signs you mention are there. Wanting to cuddle all the time, with a woman, is a good sign.

I would save the money you are spending and ultrasounds and wait until she is 45 days along and have her x-rayed, it's the only way you will know how many puppies to expect. By that time the skeletons are mineralized and you can see each puppy. Ultrasound is not the greatest tool to use when looking for puppies.
I think with the changes you are noting that she just may be, but certainly can't say for sure.
Was this a one time breeding or the standard 3 time breeding method, your chances are better with the every other day breeding 3 times.

She was at the breeders house for 6 days an during that time she allowed them to tie 4 times. She went there on her 10th day of bleeding.

I wish we could tell you one way or the other. Lady Sam knows her stuff, so I'd take her advice.

Of course, if she is, it goes without saying that we're going to want pictures. :)

I wish we could tell you one way or the other. Lady Sam knows her stuff, so I'd take her advice.

Of course, if she is, it goes without saying that we're going to want pictures. :)

I'm not sure how to add pictures on here yet :( I'll try to figure it out though. I wanted to put up picture of what she's looking like now to show everyone what I'm talking about.

I'm not sure how to add pictures on here yet :( I'll try to figure it out though. I wanted to put up picture of what she's looking like now to show everyone what I'm talking about.

If you're posting from a laptop or computer, not an iPhone or other mobile device, here are the instructions on how to post a picture. :)

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/how-post-picture-678901.html

If you're posting from a laptop or computer, not an iphone or other mobile device, here are the instructions on how to post a picture. :)

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/how-post-picture-678901.html

Okay I'll email them to myself to put them on my computer then. All I have them on is my iPhone and my iPad.

Okay I'll email them to myself to put them on my computer then. All I have them on is my iPhone and my iPad.

I think there's a way to add pictures from your iPhone or iPad, but if there is, I don't know how. :(

I really should ask so that a link can be made to show people how to add pictures from a mobile device. In fact, you've inspired me to do just that. :)

I think there's a way to add pictures from your iphone or ipad, but if there is, I don't know how. :(

I really should ask so that a link can be made to show people how to add pictures from a mobile device. In fact, you've inspired me to do just that. :)

Let me know and I'll add a few that I took earlier. And one that I took last week. She's def gotten bigger in just a weeks time. We are just hoping that her having the vaginal infection hasn't affected the puppies or caused her to have a spontaneous abortion. This is our first time breeding and so far it's been a nightmare. My husbands mother breeds Maltese and has never had an issue with any of her es.

Let me know and I'll add a few that I took earlier. And one that I took last week. She's def gotten bigger in just a weeks time. We are just hoping that her having the vaginal infection hasn't affected the puppies or caused her to have a spontaneous abortion. This is our first time breeding and so far it's been a nightmare. My husbands mother breeds Maltese and has never had an issue with any of her es.

I wish I could help with breeding, I'm a rescuer, not big on breeding. But, I'm not against legitimate breeders, and from what you posted, you're doing everything right.

My advice would be to get everything ready, plan for her to have a litter. Also follow Lady Sams advice on the x-ray.

Get the whelping box ready, the heat lamp too.

We do have a member whose mom bred Great Danes for many years. I'll PM her and ask her to weigh in. She's not as active on the site as she used to be, she doesn't have as much time, but I'm hoping she'll come and give you some valuable advice.

One thing I do know, Great Danes are a unique breed of dog, with very specific needs.

Please keep checking to see if there are new posts. I'll try to get the breeding experts to chime in. Breeding is not my expertise at all. :(

I messaged her. Sadly she's in Aussie land, so she's on a very different time than we are. Give it a bit, and hopefully she'll post.

Please don't give up. Help is on the way. Or at least a better opinion than I can offer.

I messaged her. Sadly she's in Aussie land, so she's on a very different time than we are. Give it a bit, and hopefully she'll post.


Please don't give up. Help is on the way. Or at least a better opinion than I can offer.

We have built her a whelping box, and have the extra "warming box" for during delivery to put the pups in while others are born. I have a ton of newspapers and towels, have the thermometer, scissors, iodine, gloves, clamps, note book, pen, and different colored ribbons all gathered up so far. So I think I'm at the halfway mark for supplies. Lol my mother in law just sits and lets her dogs do everything without her involvement but of course her breed has only 2-3 pups a litter.

image | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58375670@N03/10255892063/)
You can go to this link to see belly pics of my Great Dane.

image | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58375670@N03/10255893033/)
This is today's picture.

From the pictures she definitely looks pregnant, but a false pregnancy can produce those same results. :(

I'd really go with what Lady Sam suggested and get an x-ray at 45 days.

It sounds like you have everything ready and set for when these puppies come. :)

I did PM my friend, but she hasn't responded yet. Hopefully she'll be along soon. She really knows breeding, and Great Danes.

From the pictures she definitely looks pregnant, but a false pregnancy can produce those same results. :(

I'd really go with what Lady Sam suggested and get an xray at 45 days.

It sounds like you have everything ready and set for when these puppies come. :)

I did PM my friend, but she hasn't responded yet. Hopefully she'll be along soon. She really knows breeding, and Great Danes.

I'm going to guess that she had a false pregnancy with her last heat before we bred her. About 4 weeks after her heat she did produce milk but never gained weight or got fat. We wouldn't have even noticed it but she dripped something warm on my hand while I was rubbing her and that's when I was like Wha?! Ewww!! But that only lasted a couple of days. This time it's a complete 180. She has all the right symptoms but confusing US results. A new thing that we also have noticed over the last couple of days she becoming very protective of myself, my husband and our two children. She's also stealing food from the other dogs and begging for more food. I'm totally lost :( Feed her more for the sake of possible pups or don't feed her more to prevent her from getting fat? Oh my.

I've been rolling this around a little and I have to ask the question.
Were both dogs tested for Brucellosis and CHV before the breeding.
While there are other things that can cause reabsorption of the fetus, these are high on the list, one other being as simple as the mating pair doesn't "match up" genetically, there are many other factors.
So I'm wondering (I hope not) if reabsorption may be a factor here.
One or all puppies can be reabsorbed, in this case you would not see aborted puppies.
Given that your vet said that she wasn't great at ultrasound, could she have been seeing the reabsorbed pups. Did she actually detect heartbeats?
It may be worth speaking with your vet about, because she has access to the patient she would be the best judge.
Also was she ultrasounded standing or lying on her back? It can make a difference in what you can actually see on the moniter.
I surely don't know that this is what is going on, just thought I'd throw it out there.
I think I know who Alty is referring too, I hope she chimes in she should have much valuable insight.

I've been rolling this around a little and I have to ask the question.
Were both dogs tested for Brucellosis and CHV before the breeding.
While there are other things that can cause reabsorption of the fetus, these are high on the list, one other being as simple as the mating pair doesn't "match up" genetically, there are many other factors.
So I'm wondering (I hope not) if reabsorption may be a factor here.
One or all puppies can be reabsorbed, in this case you would not see aborted puppies.
Given that your vet said that she wasn't great at ultrasound, could she have been seeing the reabsorbed pups. Did she actually detect heartbeats?
It may be worth speaking with your vet about, because she has access to the patient she would be the best judge.
Also was she ultrasounded standing or lying on her back? It can make a difference in what you can actually see on the moniter.
I surely don't know that this is what is going on, just thought I'd throw it out there.
I think I know who Alty is referring too, I hope she chimes in she should have much valuable insight.

Yes.. I had Raven health checked just before she came into heat and they did blood work, X-rays, ultrasound, and swabs. Quite a bit more expensive than I was expecting but worth it. She's our baby girl and we didn't originally buy her to breed her, in fact we signed a contract that we wouldn't. However the breeder we bought her from bought a new male (completely unrelated) and contacted us about breeding our Dane. I'm not sure how the ultrasounds were done because the vet left my husband and I in the exam room when they took her back. I do know that she said Raven was extremely tense whenever they got near her tummy.
(History on Raven... When she was just 5 months old we paid a Trainer $2000 to keep Raven for two weeks and obedience train her. When I went to pick her up and was watching him her tail never left her stomach and her ears stayed folded back and all she wanted was her momma. Once home we quickly realized that she had to of had a horrible experience there. She was horrified of everyone and would hide when people came to visit, started going potty in the house, getting into the trash, stealing food from the counters, even right off the stove. I've worked very hard to bring her out of this since and we are 90% of the way there.)
With that being said. I hope you can picture what I mean by extremely tense. She is fine when your petting her back or head but go for the tummy and she'll flex like a body builder. Lol She doesn't do that for my husband or I but I have no idea what I'm feeling for. I have noticed that her belly is huge but solid. 6 more days and she will be 45 days so if she's still growing in size and acting all cuddly I'm going to have an X-ray done. I'll add a picture of the male onto my flickr so you can see him as well.

Stud at 9 months old | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58375670@N03/10267530375/in/photostream)

Stud at 9 months old

Raven 1 1/2 yrs | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58375670@N03/10267941113/)

Raven a few months ago

Sorry I'm late to the party. I really can't add much to this thread, some fantastic advice here.

False pregnancy's unfortunately can show the same signs as a real pregnancy, right up to a b*tch going into labor in rare cases.
As LadySam suggested an x-ray is the best way to go to be 100% sure.
It sounds like you are doing everything possible to ensure a healthy litter for both mum and pups which is excellent, kudos!

As Alty said I'm not very active on here lately but I'll definitely be checking in on this thread, I have a real soft spot for Danes having grown up with them.

Yes.. I had Raven health checked just before she came into heat and they did blood work, X-rays, ultrasound, and swabs.

Wow, you really did your homework, way to go mom.
Keep us posted we love updates and pictures.

Love the coloring on the male, what a unique coat. He's a very handsome fellow.

Raven is gorgeous. What a pretty girl.

If they do have a litter I can't wait to see the coloring on the pups. :)

We can't either! If she's bit pregnant this time we are going to wait a year and try again. (Maybe.. I'm not very good at waiting for proof of pregnancy)

Also I just called my vet and it'll be $140 for X-rays... That includes the office visit. Going through all of this with Raven made me realize that I should have been a vet instead of a stay at home mom. ;)

Also I just called my vet and it'll be 0 for X-rays... That includes the office visit. Going through all of this with Raven made me realize that I should have been a vet instead of a stay at home mom. ;)

LOL! They do make good money.

Now that you've gone through all of this you realize why breeders charge so much for their puppies. All the testing and vet visits required can add up pretty darn fast. If she needs a c-section that can cost thousands. All the equipment, everything else, it's pricey. Breeders really do it for the love of the breed, since even at $2000 a pup, they rarely make back what they spent.

I just took Raven into the vet to get a new weight on her and she has gained 7.2 lbs in 2 1/2 weeks! I asked if the scale was broke and they promised me that it wasn't.

Raven has now decided on her own that we are NOT feeding her enough. Last night we were having tacos for dinner.. I made tacos for everyone and was serving them, I heard my kids scream, I took off running and Raven ate a pound and a half of hamburger right out of the skillet that was still on the stove. She was so proud of herself for finding her own food. She stood there tail wagging licking her face and when I asked her if she had been bad she looked at the stove, back to me and sat down and wanted me to shake her paw. She's so crazy, that's why we love her so much. She's our clown that can always make us laugh and make our day better.

Raven has now decided on her own that we are NOT feeding her enough. Last night we were having tacos for dinner.. I made tacos for everyone and was serving them, I heard my kids scream, I took off running and Raven ate a pound and a half of hamburger right out of the skillet that was still on the stove. She was so proud of herself for finding her own food. She stood there tail wagging licking her face and when I asked her if she had been bad she looked at the stove, back to me and sat down and wanted me to shake her paw. She's so crazy, that's why we love her so much. She's our clown that can always make us laugh and make our day better.

LOL! I can just see it "Mom, I hunted for my own food. Aren't you proud?"

It's was one of those moments that you wish you would have been recording it. She was so cute that I couldn't even be mad at her. I told her she needed to go lay on her blanket, she happily did. And I just cooked more food. She has a stack of blanket on the floor in my bedroom (my husbands idea "she needs something soft and comfy too") but the last 4 nights she has been standing by the bed, nudging my husband till he moves over pushing me against the wall just so that when he's over far enough she can climb in bed with us. He wakes up and she tries to sneak out of bed before he can say anything. Lol before she was bred we had to keep her in a kennel when we were gone because she would chew on shoes and kids toys. Since she's been back we haven't put her in the cage but she still will go lay in it on her own willingly. Usually we find her camped out in our bed though.

Yikes, a great dane in bed with you. I hope you have a king sized bed. ;)

Both our dogs sleep with us. What I find funny is that the border collie will lie at the foot of the bed. You barely even know he's there. The beagle will literally nudge me over until the only thing keeping me on the bed is putting my foot on the floor. Heaven forbid I should try to move him, he gets very mad. It's my bed!

If I get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom I'll come back to both dogs sleeping on my side, using my pillow. Seriously? I was only gone for a minute!

Also I just called my vet and it'll be 0 for X-rays... That includes the office visit. Going through all of this with Raven made me realize that I should have been a vet instead of a stay at home mom. ;)

Trust me, vet's are far from rich.

Sorry, sore spot.

Trust me, vet's are far from rich.

Sorry, sore spot.

I get that Sariss, but they're far from poor too. At least where I live. I used to babysit for our vet. Her husband didn't work at all, he was a stay at home dad before that became acceptable. They lived in a 4000 sq ft house, 5 bedrooms, 5 baths. It was huge. What I always found weird was that she had no pets. I asked her about it once. Her reply "I don't like having animals in my house". You're a vet!

She showed standard poodles. She had 4 of them. They were all kenneled and cared for by other people. She would show them, post pictures of her winning ribbon after ribbon in her office, but none of those dogs even lived with her. They didn't even have a fish!

Our poodle had constant ear infections. After years of constantly going to the vet, only to pay $100 just to walk in the door, and then pay more for the medication that never worked, we found a new vet. He charged us $20 for the medication, a different medication, and Silver never had another infection again. When Silver had back issues we went to him. After that we only took Silver to our old vet for his shots, only because the new vet we found was an hours drive away. Otherwise we would have gone to him for that too.

There are vets out there that will gouge you for every last penny. You really need to shop around. But there are also vets that really do it for the love of the animal, and I agree, those vets don't get rich, at least not with money. :)

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread with vet talk.

That is the exception, not the rule. Most of the vets I know (which is a lot) live very humble lives, and some live paycheque to paycheque. Clinic owners seem to be better off, but associates generally aren't - they often make about the same as a registered nurse here. And their lowly staff like myself scrape along making just above the poverty line.

A registered nurse here where I live makes $32-46 an hour! If I made that kind of $$$ an hour I'd be in heaven! The first Vet that I took my dog to here in town charged me $35 to walk in $25 for Vet exam charge $42 for antibiotics $82 for a swab of her vaginal discharge just to tell me she would be dead in a week and how horrible of a person I was (in front of my 8 year old daughter) second vet was a $10 emergency walk in fee $15 Vet exam charge free antibiotics $15 emergency US $8 swab of her discharge $13 blood work. HUGE difference.

For her recheck at the second clinic she had the US, swab, nail trim on a Saturday 6:30 pm and it was $25 total! This place may be an hour and a half from where we live but we will totally be taking all of our pets there from now on. Other than my dane I also have a 10 yr old spayed female pit a 8 yr old neutered male chocolate lab a bearded dragon and a neutered male cat (with 27 toes) so our vet bills are pretty expensive anyway.

Vets also enter the working field with 8 years of education and often $100,000 of debts, and they make half what their human-medicine equivalents make.
There is a lot of upkeep to a hospital. There is rent, insurance, educated staff to pay, hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment that is required to run a practice...

Im just saying. There are Crappy vets, just like there is with mechanics, etc. But most vets hate those cruddy ones more than anyone else, because they perpetuate the false idea that all vets are in it for the money and love to gouge.
It's unfortunately a sore spot for me, as I am told on a regular basis that if we cared for pets we would do things for free. Hello? Would you ask a grocer to give you free food? I mean, does he not want to see your family STARVE?
If I wanted to make money, I would be a freakin nurse. It's basically the same education and at least twice as much pay.

Also, being a great Dane owner myself - big dogs generally = bigger bills. I prepared myself for that before getting one.

Apologies for a hijack, I just wanted to get my voice out..

For her recheck at the second clinic she had the US, swab, nail trim on a Saturday 6:30 pm and it was total! This place may be an hour and a half from where we live but we will totally be taking all of our pets there from now on. Other than my dane I also have a 10 yr old spayed female pit a 8 yr old neutered male chocolate lab a bearded dragon and a neutered male cat (with 27 toes) so our vet bills are pretty expensive anyway.

I completely understand. Like everything else, it pays to shop around. A friend of mine has an 18 year old cat. We live in Canada, last weekend was our Thanksgiving weekend. His cat had stopped eating, and on Thanksgiving she couldn't even stand up. He took her to an emergency vet (his only option because of the holiday). A thousand dollars later, after many tests, they told him they had no idea what was wrong, gave him medication, and sent him home with his still very sick cat.

The next day he went to a vet recommended by a friend of his. It was an hour drive, but well worth it. They ran all the same tests the emergency vet clinic did, found out what the issue was, told him to throw away the pills that the emergency vet gave him, kept his cat overnight on intravenous. The total charge, $150, with new medication, and all the same test the other clinic did.

As of today, not even a week later, his cat is up and about, and doing well.

I have a small zoo as well. Vet care isn't cheap. Who can afford to spend a months pay on one vet visit? I know I can't. But does that mean only the super rich should have pets? That makes no sense either, since there are so many in the shelters in need of a home.

Maybe we should start a new thread about this, discussing vet care, options, prices, etc. I really don't want to turn your thread into a discussion about vets and how much they charge, and how the average person really can't afford it.

I'm willing to start the thread and post a link here if that's okay. Let me know. I really don't want to take away from your thread, and I feel a discussion about vets would do that. I'm sorry for my part in it. :(

Lol that's fine. I'll follow your thread also.

Lol that's fine. I'll follow your thread also.

It took me a while to write it, and I have to say, I may have let my emotions get the best of me when I wrote it. So take it with a grain of salt. :)

Here's the link:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/vet-care-only-rich-771805.html

A registered nurse here where I live makes -46 an hour! If I made that kind of $$$ an hour I'd be in heaven! The first Vet that I took my dog to here in town charged me to walk in for Vet exam charge for antibiotics for a swab of her vaginal discharge just to tell me she would be dead in a week and how horrible of a person I was (in front of my 8 year old daughter) second vet was a emergency walk in fee Vet exam charge free antibiotics emergency US swab of her discharge blood work. HUGE difference.

I won't address how unprofessional those statements to you were, but I do want to ask this.
Did she think your dog has a pyometra? Is this the one that did the US?

And I will agree that $82 for a vaginal swab is quite pricey, IF it was done in-house, send out is a different charge always, because of what the lab charges the clinic.

Yes he thought it was Pyo just from the swab that he did and he looked at it under a microscope right there in the room with me. It didn't go ANYWHERE. He told us because it was Friday when I took her to him it would be an emergency surgery and would cost me $3500. I asked him if antibiotic would slow it down enough for her to make it through the weekend ( as she was eating, drinking, playing) he didn't want to give them to be but did. We left I came home crying my eyes out told my husband who dropped to the floor in tears hugging his baby girl. We got up super early and started making calls asking other vets how much they would charge for the surgery and the Rascal Unit told us $600 on a weekend or after hours and $250 during the week. We took her up the same day and they did the swab, blood work, US and said that we were told wrong and that it was just a vaginal infection and would be cleared up with antibiotics.

Only the second clinic did an US on her. The first on that told us it was Pyo told us that just from the swab alone. No other tests were done.

Sometimes pyo can be detected from blood work and/or a swab. If he thought it was pyo due to a swab, than he may have seen an abundance of white blood cells and/or bacteria. Pyo is not that hard to diagnose.

As for charging you $3500 for an emergency spay... good lord! Go somewhere else.. Pyo surgery is a spay with more complications.. shouldn't cost more than $600.

Some vets like to charge a lot of money for their time. I will admitt that it is very hard to find a vet you like that works with your budget. But once you find that vet, keep them!

As for your emergency problem.. if she is drianing, than I would take the time (but not too long) to find a good vet with reasonable choices.

I love my dog, but I wouldn't pay $3500 for an emergency spay.. that's the same cost as fixing an ACL!

She doesn't have Pyo though. She had a vaginal infection and was pregnant I the first US 2-6 pups. That was at day 23 and at day 30 a differ t. Vet did the US (same place Rascal Unit) and claimed should didn't/couldn't see anything because Raven was extremely tense and flexed her tummy too tight. They said IF she gains weight, gets mammary tissue, gets a bloated looking belly to bring her back at day 45 for an X-ray to be 100% sure either way. Either a false pregnancy or a real one. I've gathered up all the supplies just in case and I've been doing as much research as I can since this will be my first litter completely alone. I think I'll be more frightened than Raven will. I took her to the vet office a few days ago and at that point she had gained 7.2 lbs in just two and a half weeks. I'm sure that she's gained more than that now. I'm lost and so is the lady that's joint breeding with me she's never had this with any of her danes or staffies.

Ultrasound is rarely an effective way to count puppies unless the ultrasound machine is super high tech. But there are just too many puppies in those long uterine horns for the ultrasound to find correctly.

I'm glad your dog doesn't have pyo.. but still, pyo surgery shouldn't cost you an arm and a leg. If you like and trust this vet, than stay with them.. but they are ungodly expensive. I'd find a different vet that isn't going to charge you a down payment for a house just to get your dog fixed.

X-ray is really the only way to go. The closer to her due date, the more visible they will be and the vet will be able to measure their heads to see if they can go through the birth canal easily. That will prepare you for either a c-section or watch for signs of distress.

Big dogs rarely have issues birthing. I'm sure your doggie will do just fine. Her wanting to nest and be close and "calming down" are a lot of signs of pregnancy.

We are not going to go to that Vet any longer. Here are the reasons...
1. The Vet diagnosed her wrong
2. Refused to do any other testing to back up what he thought
3. Made me feel like a horrible person I front of my child
4. Praises are ridiculous
5. Some of the staff also gave me crap about not doing the surgery right then while I was checking out

The new Vet clinic we found
1. Vet kind and helpful
2. Staff makes a point to greet your animal and make then feel comfortable
3. Do multiple tests to diagnose
4. Doesn't charge an arm and a leg for treatment
5. While explaining things they make sure that you understand everything completely before they leave you.

We are not going to go to that Vet any longer. Here are the reasons...
1. The Vet diagnosed her wrong
2. Refused to do any other testing to back up what he thought
3. Made me feel like a horrible person I front of my child
4. Praises are ridiculous
5. Some of the staff also gave me crap about not doing the surgery right then while I was checking out

The new Vet clinic we found
1. Vet kind and helpful
2. Staff makes a point to greet your animal and make then feel comfortable
3. Do multiple tests to diagnose
4. Doesn't charge an arm and a leg for treatment
5. While explaining things they make sure that you understand everything completely before they leave you.

You're very lucky to have found this new vet. :)

So last night we noticed that Raven has colostrum developing in at least 4 of her nipples. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not since she still would have 18 days left to go. This dog will be the death of me! :(

Also... On a funny note... In live in Ohio and it got seriously cold here last night (37 degrees)... Well last night Raven was making ALL kinds of noises and thumping around. I woke up looked over the bed and here Raven had pushed all her blankets up against my bed and had threw herself around enough that she got one of the blankets over her back to cover her up. She saw me looking for her and she put her head down till just her muzzle was showing. What gave her location away was her huge tail thumping on the floor. Lol she's great.
Today when my husband left for work (I was doing the doggie rotation of morning potty breaks) Raven got REALLY upset that her daddy left without her. She cried as her walked to the truck, whined even louder when her got in it, then growled at him as he was pulling out of the driveway. I looked at her and said "really Raven?" She looked at me, sneezed turned and faced me and then barked at me like she was yelling at me. Poor girl. Now she snuggling in my bed with my daughter who's attempting to put her arm around Ravens tummy.

Also... On a funny note... In live in Ohio and it got seriously cold here last night (37 degrees)... Well last night Raven was making ALL kinds of noises and thumping around. I woke up looked over the bed and here Raven had pushed all her blankets up against my bed and had threw herself around enough that she got one of the blankets over her back to cover her up. She saw me looking for her and she put her head down till just her muzzle was showing. What gave her location away was her huge tail thumping on the floor. Lol she's great.
Today when my husband left for work (I was doing the doggie rotation of morning potty breaks) Raven got REALLY upset that her daddy left without her. She cried as her walked to the truck, whined even louder when her got in it, then growled at him as he was pulling out of the driveway. I looked at her and said "really Raven?" She looked at me, sneezed turned and faced me and then barked at me like she was yelling at me. Poor girl. Now she snuggling in my bed with my daughter who's attempting to put her arm around Ravens tummy.

You really should start writing all your Raven stories down, make a book out of it. I usually hate reading long posts, even though I'm known for them, but yours I read. They make me smile. I can picture everything you're talking about as if I were there. Of course it helps that I also have dogs, and some of the things they've done, that's a book in and of itself as well.

Our dog Indy (RIP) once at a leather work glove. We rushed him to the vet, vet said nothing was lodged, it will pass when it's ready. It did, one finger of the glove at a time, all filled with... well, you can guess.

He also at my sons super huge rainbow colored plastic bouncy ball that my parents bought him. That bowel movement was in my parents yard. It looked like Easter, all the pretty colors, mixed with... well, you can guess.

Dogs, they make our lives interesting.

The colostrum, to me, would be a sign that this is not a false pregnancy, but again, a dog going through a false pregnancy will show all the signs of a real one, so I'd still get the x-ray.

Oh my goodness! Lol I prob would have peed my pants watching a dog poo out a glove. Lol
And the Easter egg, oh my, the jokes I would have played on my kids! "Hey kids Easter came early this year!! First one to pick up the egg gets to keep it!!!" Lol When I read that I giggled and my husband said "an iPad can't be funny, why are you laughing?" I told him that I was reading a post and he shook his head and said " you have a sad life, maybe you spend to much time with the dogs. Your easily amused" lol sad, but true. That was almost the highlight of my day.
The highlight was... My daughter and I stayed in bed and cuddled Raven till around 11 and we opened my door to go to the back door to start letting dogs out and there was a bird flying in my house! My pit could have cared less, Raven was scared to death, and the Lab was trying to catch it out of the air! It took me 20 minutes just to shoo the bird out the door!

Please tell me the bird lived. I have two birds. My border collie would definitely eat them if he was ever given the chance. The beagle, he ignores them. He also ignores the rabbits (I have 4) which is odd. He's a beagle, they're bred to hunt rabbits.

Your husband should join the site, trust me, he'll get a laugh or two. He'll also have a moment or two when he'll want to bang his head on a wall while saying "There's no way anyone could be this ignorant". We get a lot of posts that make you want to cry. Thankfully, yours isn't one of them. :)

Your entire family, and I include the dogs, because they're family, all fur babies are, are very lucky to have such a wonderful mom. You truly are an inspiration, and I don't say that lightly. Too many people have posted on this site about breeding their dogs, with absolutely no idea what they're in for, with no regard for the dogs, only for money, and I really wish I could reach through my monitor and slap them.

You truly are a breath of fresh air, and I really hope that there are puppies, and that we get tons and tons of pictures when they're born.

I know I could never breed, I would never be able to give up the pups. I'd keep each and every one. Heck, there was a spider in our house last week. I named it. After that, it became ours. It died. I actually cried. It was a spider!

Yes, I mad sure that the bird lived. It was a red headed wood pecker and at times I thought he was going to kill me! Good thing I'm only 5 foot tall. (Shah don't tell anyone) My husband plays something called Playstation Home on the ps3. It's like Sims but every avi is a real person. I'm to ADD for it. I get bored quickly.
Thank you very much for your kind words. That really meant a lot to me. I posted the same question on another site and the only responses I'm getting are very rude. I may only be 30 but I've been through so much with animals. I've even been dumb enough to stick my whole arm in the back end of a really big cow just to straighten a calves leg out properly so it could be born. (That was awkward lol)
I'm so glad that you decided to add a response to my post. It's been a pleasure chatting with you. ;)

Oh and by the way... When I decided I had enough info on breeding Raven the first words that came from my husband was " really? You think you can handle 2 big dogs and 2 REALLY big dogs? I know you'll end up keeping one, I'm not dumb " lol

Oh and by the way... When I decided I had enough info on breeding Raven the first words that came from my husband was " really? You think you can handle 2 big dogs and 2 REALLY big dogs? I know you'll end up keeping one, I'm not dumb " lol

LOL! So you do plan to keep one? I would! Heck, I'd keep all of them. That's why I don't breed.

I'm planning on breeding my birds. It's actually not something I really want to do, even though I was raised knowing everything I possibly can about birds, and breeding them(my Opa was a bird breeder). I'm breeding them to save my female. She's actually the reason I got my male, who I also fell in love with.

See she keeps laying eggs, 6 or more a month. Eventually all this egg laying will kill her. If she has a batch, she'll likely only have one a year. Much better than laying a batch of duds every month. Also, there aren't many cockatiels available where I am, so there is a demand for them. Still, when I made this decision, my husband started to look for cheap cages, because the first words out of his mouth were "Great, so we went from one bird, to two, and now possibly dozens?" He knows me too well.

I actually was looking into buying a cockatiel for my daughter, but here they cost $175-200 depending on color. And all the ones we have seen in pet stores almost look sick. So that was a no go. My aunt has a bunch of the large birds. Amazons, African Grey, Parrot... All biters! They mean business too! But they are very good talkers. She also has a pair of love birds that have eggs all the time but they never hatch. Her house is too loud for me. Lol

I actually was looking into buying a cockatiel for my daughter, but here they cost 5-200 depending on color. And all the ones we have seen in pet stores almost look sick. So that was a no go. My aunt has a bunch of the large birds. Amazons, African Grey, Parrot... All biters! They mean business too! But they are very good talkers. She also has a pair of love birds that have eggs all the time but they never hatch. Her house is too loud for me. Lol

Cockatiels are loud. One of the things I love about Marty (my female) is that she's not a squawker. Bo (the male) only squawks when the microwave beeps. Other than that, he's a singer. But he's not at all tame. He's terrified of humans.

Both were rescues of a sort. Marty was hand raised, is very very very tame. She's a love. A guy my husband works with paid a small fortune for her, for his son, only to find out that his son is allergic. So he asked if we'd take her. Of course I said yes. Bo (the male) was a breeding male, then his mate died. He went into deep depression. So the guy that owned him gave him to a lady from his church who had two cockatiels. She didn't separate them, just threw Bo into the cage with a bonded pair. Bad idea! They almost killed him.

At this time I was looking for a male for Marty, because of the constant egg laying. Our pet stores don't even carry cockatiels, so I went to the humane society, told them what I was looking for and why. They rarely get cockatiels, but when they do, they don't let anyone that's thinking of breeding, adopt. So that was a dead end. I posted an ad on Kijiji that I was looking for a male cockatiel. Within a day I got a response, went to meet Bo, fell in love, and brought him home.

That was many many many, in winter, months ago. I have yet to put them in the same cage. I'm afraid. They whistle to each other, they kiss each other through the bars on their cages (they're side by side), the sleep as close as they can get to each other. But I'm afraid that as soon as I put them in the same cage, it will all go bad. I want them to have a companion. I also want to save Marty. In the same token, it's really a bit scary to think about raising baby cockatiels. If one of them dies, I'd be heartbroken. This is why I don't breed. But in this case, I don't have much of a choice, and I know I'll be able to find them good homes.

Marty is all yellow, a very rare color. Bo is a normal grey. From what I've researched, all the females they have should be Marty's coloring. I plan to hand raise after 4 months (before that is too stressful on the babies).

I'd be totally willing to give you one, no cost at all. The only problem for me would be getting the birdy baby to you. I'm in Canada. I would never ship a bird. If you could make it to my place, you have the pick of the crop, you can even take two. That is if I ever get them together. :)

I'll look into getting a passport ;)
I'm def going to keep a pup from Raven, not sure yet if it'll be a male or a female. I've been reading mixed things. And also I have to see what would be best for my 10 years old female pit. She's usually not into liking female dogs but deals with Raven. However they do have their "lovers fights" as I call them. We aren't sure how much longer our pit will be around. She has had arthritis for 3 yrs now watching her in the colder months makes me cry for her. Poor girl, she's been the best dog we have ever had. Drives me nuts when people talk bad about the pit breed. It's not all of them just a select few. Since I have been volunteering at our local Humane Society and the Dog Shelter the "vicious"

I'll look into getting a passport ;)
I'm def going to keep a pup from Raven, not sure yet if it'll be a male or a female. I've been reading mixed things. And also I have to see what would be best for my 10 years old female pit. She's usually not into liking female dogs but deals with Raven. However they do have their "lovers fights" as I call them. We aren't sure how much longer our pit will be around. She has had arthritis for 3 yrs now watching her in the colder months makes me cry for her. Poor girl, she's been the best dog we have ever had. Drives me nuts when people talk bad about the pit breed. It's not all of them just a select few. Since I have been volunteering at our local Humane Society and the Dog Shelter the "vicious"

I love all breeds. I can say that I would likely never get a pit, not because of the hype, it's just not a breed I'd want. Mainly because we have a small house, and a small backyard, and they're really big dogs. I'd never get a dane either, for the same reason. Love the breeds, just don't fit with my lifestyle right now.

Our neighbor has a pit. We recently had a neighborhood party, we live in a cul-de-sac. She brought her pit out. He's gorgeous. He's all grey, and his head, wow, it's huge! He's massive! He's such a lovey.

I'm more a medium breed type person, mainly because I feel guilty having a large breed in our tiny space. :(

Great Danes are actually well suited for small spaces. As long as they are properly exercised they are mostly couch potatoes. The only downfall (minus the size of their poo) is that when they do bark it's so deep that you can feel it in your chest. Lol Ravens a little over 2 and she still makes me jump every time she barks.

Great Danes are actually well suited for small spaces. As long as they are properly exercised they are mostly couch potatoes. The only downfall (minus the size of their poo) is that when they do bark it's so deep that you can feel it in your chest. Lol Ravens a little over 2 and she still makes me jump every time she barks.

Ah, the bark. You haven't heard an annoying bark until you've had a beagle.

Trust me on this.

The beagle bark, it makes people insane.

This isn't my beagle, and this beagle isn't near as barky or howly as mine, but this will give you a very little idea on how they are.

2 beagles howling at a bumble bee - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_Te-rLDhNM)

All day, every day! Just saying. ;)

Oh my! Raven went crazy because of that! LOL it was too funny! She jumped up out of a sound sleep, ran to me and tried to sniff my iPad, then when she wasn't getting anything from that she took her large head and knocked it right out of my hand then stood on it! Hahaha She better like puppy cries :(

Oh my! Raven went crazy because of that! LOL it was too funny! She jumped up out of a sound sleep, ran to me and tried to sniff my iPad, then when she wasn't getting anything from that she took her large head and knocked it right out of my hand then stood on it! Hahaha She better like puppy cries :(

LOL! Puppies won't bother her at all. Beagles are unique in their barking. They can actually make 3 different vocal sounds, the only breed that can. All three make you want to pull your hair out. ;)

They have a unique vocal chamber. The beagle bay is the most popular. Your neighbors will love it. I know mine do (sarcasm).

Iol My neighbors have a herd of coon hounds down the lane at the old farm house. They use them to track down the coyotes.
Btw! I THINK that I just MIGHT have felt a puppy! I was rubbing her belly in a circular motion and stopped my hand on one of her "bumps" and felt a little "flutter"!

So Raven has been moaning a lot the past couple of days, getting up, laying down.. I laugh and my husband is the one that sticks up for her "don't laugh you gained 86 lbs with your last baby and were like a stuck turtle if you laid on your back" lol I still find it funny. She has slept most of the day away today but is eating and drinking as much as an elephant. Btw... There's 6 puppies!

So Raven has been moaning a lot the past couple of days, getting up, laying down.. I laugh and my husband is the one that sticks up for her "don't laugh you gained 86 lbs with your last baby and were like a stuck turtle if you laid on your back" lol I still find it funny. She has slept most of the day away today but is eating and drinking as much as an elephant. Btw... There's 6 puppies!

OMG! That's such great news! Six puppies! That's wonderful. I can't wait to see them.

The next time your husband jokes about when you were pregnant, remind him that your pregnancy was 9 months. Ravens is a lot shorter. :)

I told him that me getting pregnant wasn't my fault, I was sleeping.

15 more VERY long days to wait to see my grand-fur babies! I'm completely excited! I'll prob have to take a Benadryl just to go to sleep. Now it's crunch time for me to learn even more than I already do to help this go smoothly. I have a ton a questions that I'm getting conflicting answers for though so it discouraging me. :(

Ask them here. There are a ton of dog experts on this site, and Shazzy is one of them. Her mother has been a breeder for decades. Bella is another expert in that area. If they don't have the answers they'll tell you, or they'll find the answer for you. I can be of help in that area as well.

Since this is her first ( and only) litter should I let her do it alone and sit in the distance and watch? Or stay close and give her love?
Should I cut the cords? Or let her?
Should I let her eat all the placentas? Or just a couple?
Should I put her whelping box in our mud room in the basement so no one will bother her? Her keep her upstairs in a spare bedroom?
Should I not let my other two dogs around her after the pups are born? Like no short socializing time without the pups?

I'm getting mixed things. The joint breeder helps get the pups out, cleans them cuts the cords then gives the pups to mom. My mother in law lets her dogs do everything on their own, she claims it makes them better mothers. And different sites I have read say that they mother eating the placentas will just give the mothers sticky, runny black poop. The other say its helps contractions and milk production.

Also the vet said its nothing to worry about, but Raven has been getting kind of jumpy when you touch her back end if she's not looking at you and even a few times when she is. It's kind of like she's startled and has a muscle twitch at the same time. A few of the pups are in her ribs and that why they prob didn't show up on the second US. However as of right now they look good in the X-ray.

I suggest you let her do most of it herself; you watch from the sidelines. Would not worry about the placenta. Having her in the spare bedroom is a good idea, would not let the other dogs near the whelping box after birth; she will not appreciate this and only worry. She will know you love her, even from a distance.

What I meant about letting her socialize with the other dogs is... When I go to let her outside or just give her some time away from the pups should I kennel my other dogs up first before getting Raven out? I won't be letting the pups around the other dogs till they are at least 6 weeks old. My pit has very strong mothers instints and would prob try to steal a pup for herself. She's been spayed before she even had her first heat but she has helped me foster puppies and kittens from the Humane Society. And my lab isn't the brightest bulb and would prob hurt a pup by accident.
I do have knowledge of what I should do and shouldn't do, I guess I'm looking for reassurance.

What I meant about letting her socialize with the other dogs is... When I go to let her outside or just give her some time away from the pups should I kennel my other dogs up first before getting Raven out? I won't be letting the pups around the other dogs till they are at least 6 weeks old. My pit has very strong mothers instints and would prob try to steal a pup for herself. She's been spayed before she even had her first heat but she has helped me foster puppies and kittens from the Humane Society. And my lab isn't the brightest bulb and would prob hurt a pup by accident.
I do have knowledge of what I should do and shouldn't do, I guess I'm looking for reassurance.

Yes, you sound pretty savvy, I would say kennel the other dogs when you let mom out, but I guess you know she will be holding her pee for a long time, not wanting to leave the babies!

I'm with Tickle. I'd let her do most of it herself, but be on the sidelines ready to step in in case something goes wrong, or in case she doesn't know what to do. You could also contact your vet and ask if she'd be willing to do a house call when Raven goes into labor. Many vets will do this for their patients, much easier than bringing a great dane in while she's laboring. Or talk to another breeder who's been through this, and ask if they'd be willing to come help while Raven is birthing.

She's going to be protective of her pups, and she won't want to leave them too often. So I'd say it's best to let her potty alone. The other dogs may be too curious, knowing something is going on, or just wanting to play. She'll want to go out, do her thing, and come back in to her pups.

I think all of the main questions you had, things you were getting mixed reviews on, are all things that are the breeders choice. Go with your gut, you have great instincts, you've done all the research, you have everything ready. Don't doubt yourself. But, also don't feel you can't reach out for help when you need it. :)

How the heck did we get from Pregnancy to what vets cost? Give it a break or start a new thread.

I'm so excited. My husband wants a whole litter of males. But I want a mixture. And we are hoping for some great colors. I also can't wait to see what they weight! That's also another mixed thing that I have read. Some said 1-1 1/2 and others say 2 lbs. I bought some KY for her today just in case one is a little big I can help her out a little. I'll have all kinds of pics of the babies. I'm going to enjoy this since it'll be my only time doing it. They will be spoiled brats when they go to their forever homes :) Also just to add, I will be having them all micro chipped so that if they are lost or taken to the pound I'll be able to rescue them.

How the heck did we get from Pregnancy to what vets cost? Give it a break or start a new thread.

I did start a new thread, you should have seen the link to that. But I'm guessing you stopped reading after that and didn't realize that the discussion is back on track, and has been for quite a while now. This is why it's important to read the whole thread. :)


I'm so excited. My husband wants a whole litter of males. But I want a mixture. And we are hoping for some great colors. I also can't wait to see what they weight! That's also another mixed thing that I have read. Some said 1-1 1/2 and others say 2 lbs. I bought some KY for her today just in case one is a little big I can help her out a little. I'll have all kinds of pics of the babies. I'm going to enjoy this since it'll be my only time doing it. They will be spoiled brats when they go to their forever homes :) Also just to add, I will be having them all micro chipped so that if they are lost or taken to the pound I'll be able to rescue them.

You might want to talk to the vet about microchipping. I don't remember who posted it, but I do know one of the dog experts posted that she couldn't get her dog microchipped until he was at least 6 months old. I do know we had Jasper, our rescue (RIP) microchipped when we got him, and he was 4 months of age. But I do think they have to be a certain age (what that age is, I don't know, I'd have to research) before they can be chipped. I can research that for you if you'd like. One less thing for you to do. :)

I'm so excited for you. I wish I could be there, since I never have, and never will breed my dogs. I just know I'm not cut out for it. Heck, I'm having trouble with my birds.

I can't wait to see the pictures. Hubby could video tape, or would that be a bit much?

I'll prob video a couple of them coming out. But my fear is I'll have to tape a puke bag to my face while she's eating the yucky stuff. Lol we got Raven at 11 weeks and she already had a micro chip. And I know at the Humane Society we micro all the pups as early as 8 weeks before they go to new homes. (Btw that is a horrible thing to do to a poor puppy, the first time I did I cried)

I'll prob video a couple of them coming out. But my fear is I'll have to tape a puke bag to my face while she's eating the yucky stuff. Lol we got Raven at 11 weeks and she already had a micro chip. And I know at the Humane Society we micro all the pups as early as 8 weeks before they go to new homes. (Btw that is a horrible thing to do to a poor puppy, the first time I did I cried)

The first time I did I wasn't in the room, thankfully, otherwise I probably would have said no. Then I worked for a microchip company for a few months, and actually had to see it being done. It is horrible. I have to turn away when my dogs get their yearly vaccines. I'll hold them, but I can't watch the needle going in.

I'm with you on the puking thing. I don't know if I could watch a dog delivering. I saw a horse deliver a calf once, I passed out. Of course I was 4 at the time, but every time since then, if I even see a video of a horse giving birth, I get light headed, and feel like I'm going to pass out.

I have two children, my youngest is my daughter. My cousin was in the room and videotaped the birth. That I have no problem watching. In fact, I love to watch it, it's my daughter being born. I wish I had a video of my son being born too, but we didn't have a video camera then.

But horses, no, and cats. Saw that once too, and it ended badly.

I saw a horse deliver a calf once, I passed out.
I would too. Horses deliver foals. ;)

I wasn't able to see either of my children born due to having c-sections. But my son used to get nose bleeds if you looked at him funny and I would gag every time. I don't do puke or blood. That's why I'm not a nurses aid :) I watched maybe 10 videos of Great Danes whelping and all I can say is WOW! It's nothing like a Maltese or a cat!

I would too. Horses deliver foals.

Oops. I'm blaming that typo on the cold meds. :)

Yes, it was a foal. A very bloody, looked like the horses guts were falling out of her body, foal. We had just come to Canada, my parents were working as janitors at an office building because that's the only work they could find until my dad upgraded his education. The office was right beside a horse ranch. It was boring, so I went outside, and saw the horse give birth. My parents found me passed out by the fence. The second time was at a trailer show, I was a teen then. There was a booth about horses, dude ranches, and they showed a video of a horse giving birth. I remember feeling light headed, and suddenly I'm sitting down, with my head between my knees being told to breathe.

The cat was a neighbors, I was 7. We were watching the cat for her while she went away. She didn't know the cat was pregnant. My friend and I were playing with the cat, and suddenly I noticed something coming out of her bum (I was 7!) I ran in to tell my parents I thought she was dying.

She had 8 kittens. I got one of them, a little grey and white cat I named Whiskers which I got for a pair of used boots and skates (they had a daughter a few years younger than me). I have tons of pictures, and video (I'd have to find a way to get it on the computer since it was the old style video, no sound, on a spool) of whiskers, and his brother that was given to another neighbor.


I wasn't able to see either of my children born due to having c-sections. But my son used to get nose bleeds if you looked at him funny and I would gag every time. I don't do puke or blood. That's why I'm not a nurses aid :) I watched maybe 10 videos of Great Danes whelping and all I can say is WOW! It's nothing like a Maltese or a cat!

Blood I can handle. Puke, only if it's my kids, anyone else, and they better move over because I'm joining them. Just hearing someone puke makes me puke. Heck, just talking about it is making me want to puke. ;)

Here's the funny thing. I can't watch a needle go in, not in my kids, or my pets, or even myself, but I can give a shot no problem. If I'm the one holding the needle, it's all good. I had to give my dad vitamin K shots for a week, and it didn't bother me at all. But watching someone get a shot, can't do it.

My daughter gets nose bleeds too. Severe ones. Looks like a murder scene afterwards. She's 11 and still gets them. :(

My son had his nose cauterized and now he rarely gets them and if he does it hardly anything at all. Another thing that helps is having them sip cold milk threw a straw. The blood clots faster.
I'm the same as you with all the other stuff. I can do micros on animals, give them vaccinations, gave my grandmother vitamin K shots... But someone pulls a needle out on me they better be able to run faster than I can.
And my puking "fear" that's exactly why I don't drink or hang out with drunk people. Lol
I now an repeating in my head, " you will make it through this, you will make it through this" I have to put on a poker face for Raven. My daughter gets pneumonia very easily and Raven is always the one that has told us that her breathing was off by constantly putting her nose to Anna's nose. She also won't leave Anna sleep more than 10 minutes without checking on her and freaks is the door is closed and she can't get to her. So I can't let her know that I'm not enjoying it or feeling well.
When I had knee surgery Raven was just 3 months old and wouldn't leave my side. She would sit next to my bed with her head on my lap and just stare at me. Come to find out that the doctor left a bone fragment in there and my knee was filling with fluids. She's very in tune to our body's and someone always knows when something's wrong with one of us.
That's why she's our baby. She always will be. I just hope that her own puppies won't change how she reacts to us.

OMG! I'm beginning to think we were separated at birth, or at least our dogs were.

My lab (RIP) Indy, was 3 when we had our son Jared. Jared's room was around 8 feet from ours. Indy would sleep under the crib. Whenever Jared so much as made a peep, Indy would come running to our room to wake me. Who needs a baby monitor when you have a lab like Indy?

Jared learned to walk pulling up on Indy. Most times he got more fur than anything. Indy never so much as growled. I did see him flinch once, and stopped Jared at that time, but Indy would go to Jared, knowing what Jared would do. It's like he wanted to help. He wanted to teach the hairless dog to walk. :)

The neighbor kids used to come by all the time to play with Indy. Two of our neighbors got dogs just because of Indy. They wanted one just like him. He was a once in a lifetime dog.

When I was pregnant, and not feeling so well, he would lie down with me in bed. I actually have a picture of Indy and me. I'm completed knocked out, he's awake, but won't move because I'm using him as a pillow. My husband came home to that picture and took it. He wondered why Indy hadn't greeted him at the door.

After my dad died, and my mom, who also had cancer and was dying as well, moved in with us, Indy treated her with special care. He normally jumped on everyone to stay hi. With her he would gently climb up on her bed, or put his head on her lap. My mom often commented on it. He knew. Same with the kids, only healthy adults got the Indy hug.

Raven sounds like a natural mother. Having a litter won't change her, I'd bet on it. She'll mother her own, and likely accept you mothering them too. From what you've written, I don't think you'll have any problems with her personality, she's one in a million, like Indy.

Raven has officially turned into a beached whale...

Welcome to Flickr! (http://m.flickr.com/lightbox?id=10590978025)

Raven has officially turned into a beached whale...

Welcome to Flickr! (http://m.flickr.com/lightbox?id=10590978025)

:( I must be doing something wrong. I don't get a picture, I just get a black screen. :(

I'll try again

Raven has officially turned into a beached whale...

Welcome to Flickr! (http://m.flickr.com/lightbox?id=10590978025)

I don't know why Alty saw a blank screen. The picture came up for me (yesterday and today.)

She is a beautiful animal. Though I wouldn't say beached whale. Smokey Mountains, maybe. :)

I don't know why Alty saw a blank screen. The picture came up for me (yesterday and today.)

She is a beautiful animal. Though I wouldn't say beached whale. Smokey Mountains, maybe. :)

Oh I'm fairly certain it's all me. I click on the link, and then what? Is that all I'm supposed to do? If so, I'm just getting a black screen with flickr on the the left hand corner, and other stuff, but no picture.

You knew me and computers, we're not compatible. ;)

Oh I'm fairly certain it's all me. I click on the link, and then what? Is that all I'm supposed to do? If so, I'm just getting a black screen with flickr on the the left hand corner, and other stuff, but no picture.

You knew me and computers, we're not compatible. ;)



http://www.flickr.com/photos/58375670@N03/10590978025/in/photostream

image | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://flic.kr/p/h8TwMp)
Okay maybe this time? Lol this isn't working out well on my iPad. It's being difficult.

image | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://flic.kr/p/h8TwMp)
Okay maybe this time? Lol this isn't working out well on my iPad. It's being difficult.

Yay, it worked!

You can definitely tell she's pregnant. :)

She's looking great. How much longer now?

She can safely deliver as early as in two days but if she goes to 63 days she still has 1 week left. Poor girl. At her weigh in today she's gained 18.3 lbs in just a little over a month.

She can safely deliver as early as in two days but if she goes to 63 days she still has 1 week left. Poor girl. At her weigh in today she's gained 18.3 lbs in just a little over a month.

Awww, poor girl. It will all be over soon, then she'll have little fur balls to take care of. :)

I'm getting nervous. I'm hoping everything goes well. I talked to the breeder that also has her mother and asked about the females in Ravens line, and they have all been able to free whelp 2-3 litters each. So that's good news, I hope.

I'm getting nervous. I'm hoping everything goes well. I talked to the breeder that also has her mother and asked about the females in Ravens line, and they have all been able to free whelp 2-3 litters each. So that's good news, I hope.

I'm sure she'll be just fine. Can't wait to see pictures of the little fur balls. I bet you're just as excited as you are nervous. :)

Congrats! I haven't kept up, but I think I read 6 pups?

Yep 6 puppies! I've gotten her whelping box set and ready to go. Today she's acting a little off. She wants me right next to her at all times, she's looking miserable, she's digging in the whelping box, had some clear discharge, keeps wanting outside but doesn't go potty, her tummy does from squishy to semi hard.

Goes from squishy to semi hard. Sorry, iPad has autocorrect on it and sometimes switches words on me if I go to fast.

I know you have been doing your research but I love this site.
The information is straightforward and to the point, I think you'll find it an enjoyable read.
Giving Birth to Puppies (http://www.marvistavet.com/html/giving_birth_to_puppies.html)

Thanks for the page to read.. I'm just sitting next to. Raven right now keeping her comfortable and enjoying the pups wiggling around. She's sleeping on and off for right now. I ran to the store and bought her some vanilla ice cream to give her between pups. She's not panting very hard when she does.. She is breathing heavy though. Her temp is 100.8 right now. My concern is that she is 57 days pregnant today. She can't be popping out pups.. For one, I'm not mentally ready and for two, they would be early. She's switching positions every 20-25 minutes. Can't seem to find a comfy way to lay. She has ate today but only half of what she has been eating. Idk hopefully she's just uncomfortable and is playing a mind game with me.

Dogs will typically stop eating a day or so before giving birth.

Why are you feeding her ice cream? I've never heard of that.. sounds strange. Would you like to eat ice cream while giving birth? Probably not. Have water available.. and that's really it. Be present but don't be sticking your hands up there unless absolutely needed.

I'm not a big fan of intervention unless it is needed.. in fact, some females will become aggressive to owners when they meddle too much.. And don't say that your dog never will, because she is a dog and now has things to worry about. So just be careful and use good judgement.

A few Great Dane breeders that I have talked to said that they offer ice cream to give the mother extra calcium and glucose between the pups. She may or may not want it. But I figure what the heck, I'll give it a try. We added a mount on the side of the whelping box so that we can add a pail of water when she's whelping that can't be knocked over. She slept in this morning and I finally had to wake her up to take her outside. She came in took a big drink of water and has been cuddling in bed with me since. When I stop rubbing her she will look up at me then moan and groan till I rub her again. Completely dramatic. Her temp this morning was back up to 101.5. Tonight is trick or treat for our town and I'm still trying to decide if I should just stay home with her or leave her here for a few hours. She did eat half of her breakfast that I gave her after she went potty, it's almost time for her to go back out and I'll see if she will eat more after that. (Her breakfast is roughly 2 1/3 cups) Her tummy is even bigger today, poor girl could be popped with a needle. The pups are kicking like crazy today, we can even see them moving through her skin now. They are constantly moving and with your hand on her tummy you would swear there's more than 6 pups. I'll keep updating. 5 more days... Yikes!

I feel like I'm giving birth. This waiting is killing me. :)

Can't wait for the update that the pups are here, and get pictures. Take lots of pictures, we're going to be bugging you for them daily. :)

I've already bought a larger icloud storage that can hold 8000 photos. I figure if I run out of room on there I'll just have to upload them all to the computer and continue from there :)

I've already bought a larger icloud storage that can hold 8000 photos. I figure if I run out of room on there I'll just have to upload them all to the computer and continue from there :)

LMAO! You sound like me.

So, have you chosen names for the puppies, or are you going to leave them nameless? I know that if I name something, it's mine. Actually, even if I don't name something, if I spend more than a few minutes with it, and it needs a home, or is in my care, I fall in love and it's mine. This is why I don't go to the shelter that often. We go when we're looking for a new fur baby. If we go just to visit we end up coming home with something, or I end up miserable for the next few months. I fall in love with all of them. :(

The last few times we've gone were to adopt a rabbit (I have 4 of them, 3 are rescues). I wanted to go to the dog area, just to look. My husband panicked. At that time we had 3 dogs, the legal limit in our area (actually the legal limit is 2, but if your neighbors don't complain you can have 3). He looked at me and said "Why would you do that to yourself? You know that every single dog in there will come to the bars, wag their tail, and you'll fall in love. Then you'll be miserable, even though we're bringing home a new fur bunny baby. Don't put yourself through that. Don't put me through that, because you know I'll give in!"

Okay, now that I've told my little story, back to my question, did you pick out names? ;)

We haven't named them yet, but soon after they are born I know they will all get names. My husband also keeps saying that we are not to name them, but my kids really want to, AND we can just call them puppies the whole time they are with us ;) There was 11 puppies born in the litter Raven came from and the breeder gave them all "R" names, we kept Raven because she's black with a "N" shaped white patch on her chest. I want to wait until I see the color of the pups and their little personalities before I give them their first names.

I'll also have a folder on my Facebook page with pics for friends and family to see. Some already think I'm completely obsessed with Raven being pregnant and can't wait for her to have pups so I can quit posting about her. Lol.

I'll also have a folder on my Facebook page with pics for friends and family to see. Some already think I'm completely obsessed with Raven being pregnant and can't wait for her to have pups so I can quit posting about her. Lol.

Hey, those same people probably post tons of pictures of their kids, or pets, so you're allowed! You're going to be a grandma (that doesn't make you old at all since it's a doggie grandma) so of course you should be obsessed, like any grandparent would be.

All I know is that I expect tons of pictures here. I'd even ask to be added to your Facebook so I can see the pics you already posted of Raven, but I realize you don't know me and that may be a bit weird.

Post as much as you want on this site. Every time you post I think "I wonder if it's happening. I wonder how it's going. I can't wait". Seriously, I'm totally living vicariously through you with this one. Heck, I'd love to have one of the pups, but my husband would likely divorce me. ;)

Oh my... On a side note, ravens puppies are crazy active right now and I put my cell phone on her tummy so they puppies would move it, someone sent me a text and the light flashed and the pups went NUTS and they rocked my phone so hard it flew off her tummy! I was laughing so hard and had my 8 yr old daughter convinced that there were aliens in Ravens tummy. Lol. (I put my cell phone on there so my husband could see how much they are moving now because he refuses to touch her tummy thinking that he will hurt the puppies)

LOL! Aliens in Ravens tummy, I could totally see my daughter falling for that, she's 11. My son would just glare at me and tell me I'm silly, he's 15, that's what 15 year olds do with everything you tell them. ;)

Your husband sounds a lot like mine. When I was pregnant with both kids he didn't want to feel them kick. He thought that he'd hurt them, that they could break a leg or something. Men, they're silly.

Thread opened. Don't know why it was closed.

Thanks J.

Raven (the female) is in labor as we speak. The OP doesn't have time to post but I'm skyping with her. So far 5 puppies, 3 girls, 2 boys. OP thinks she feels at least 2 more. Promises pictures very soon. :)

I for one am thrilled to be a part of this. Got to see video of nursing puppies, and saw the bulge of number 3 coming out, before Raven Rayne had to go. So exciting. :)

Hope this works. Raven Rayne (the OP) will likely update with more pics, but for now, here they are. Not all of them are born yet though, at least one more to go, but feels like 2 more.

Here are some pics.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/v/1441539_213533132161899_79221465_n.jpg?oh=af466e32 5bb6c6b8b9b38d233dcf93f1&oe=52816C19&__gda__=1384227739_652524d635e2fa778a434f970c492ca 7

That's puppy one, a girl.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/v/1002006_213533202161892_1819795183_n.jpg?oh=8646fb 8b867effda4b7bf4ccb5b430c5&oe=5280DBEE&__gda__=1384203228_42022aa9e66da40d3b79e7e63805aaa 5

One and two, girl and boy, the black one is the boy.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/v/1457467_213533285495217_1599695999_n.jpg?oh=823409 b6dbde82a90f296162b6930e7f&oe=5280FEED&__gda__=1384224505_2c3b740da5e4eff45fcd1980cbbcb93 1

Puppy three is in the middle a girl.

Pic of 4 puppies, puppy 4 is white grey and black another girl..

Right now there are 5 puppies, another black male, and waiting for 6 to be born, and possibly 7.

That's the update. :)

End total, 8 puppies. The x-ray showed 6, so there were two hiding. Momma and puppies doing well. Raven Rayne, the OP, she's exhausted, I'm sure momma dane is feeling the same way. I hope they get some rest today. :)