Topa's Puppy Count!

Thinking it would be difficult to lift her, I backed up to a hill and she walked right in.

Not too stressed after all of the handling on the x-ray table.

Heads are marked with a green marker. There are Seven!

Topa is only about a week away from delivery and now was the time for a puppy count to make sure we know to wait for all of them before heading to bed. 

I wasn't sure I could safely lift her in the back of the truck so I backed up to a hill at the bottom of the driveway and she stepped right in. When we arrived at the vet, I was shocked to discover that she had gained 15lbs in less than a month! The receptionist and I did some quick figures; 5lbs for "stuff" and 1lb per puppy. Yikes! 10 puppies!?  I sure hoped not. Dr. Jackie from the Westonka Animal Hospital came to retrieve Topa for her x-ray. I opted to stay out of the room, thinking that my stress may transfer on to Topa. I was concerned about how concerned she might be about the whole thing. Turns out, not at all!

After several different views, the best shots and the alternate view to confirm were ready. Seven puppies! That's a manageable amount, considering I feared ten.

Now we just wait. I've done a baseline temperature; 100.4. Her temp will drop about 12-24 hours before she is ready to give birth so if I stay on top of things, I'll be able to pin point it within a day.

Be prepared for a barrage of puppy pictures over the next several weeks!