We are so cute! Especially since Erin has been getting sleep ; )
Playing some, but still sleeping the most during the day. Sleeping promotes growing, evidently.

Have a Great Friday!

When I got home from school yesterday, poor Mr. Blue had broken out in hives again......but ALL OVER! He was shivering and out of it. Rush to the vet. The shot from Saturday had worn off and his poor baby body was still reacting to his insect bite from Friday. A shot of a longer acting steroid and antibiotics to prevent "puppy strangles" and a ride home with puppy still in misery. He was crying and itching and when I put my hand in the crate to soothe him, he pushed at my hand and nibbled on it like he just wanted relief. By the time we got home he was passed out and continued to sleep for 3 hours. His hives went away and guess what??????????????????????????????????????????????????

HE SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!! ONLY WAKING ONCE TO EAT AT 2:00 AM WITH HIS SIBLINGS!!!!

I fed the puppies a mix of puppy food, baby rice cereal and goat's milk..........mmmmmmhmmmm. Nutritious and Delicious.

Here is Mr. Blue finally comfortable............poor guy.

Another sleepless night......better than Sunday night, but still not enough.....I can't stop yawning! I feel mean.....I've been taking little Mr. Blue's name in vain due to his barking and screaming at all hours of the night. What kind of a person am I? He had a steroid shot on Saturday!!! He thinks he's starving or is dying of thirst! I will hold him a few extra times today to make up for it.

It's all worth it. Look at this face! Miss Lavender.

A friend sent me a text about another RR breeder's 5 week old litter.........7 pounders.
I hurried and grabbed Mr. Light Green, put his tub of lard on the scale....6 pounds 13 ounces!
OMG.
I respond with a text saying "Poor Starving Puppies" hahahaha
It is rumored that Geddie is producing Whale or Seal milk......possibly.

Miss Rose....aka Wide Load. Her ridge isn't short, it's all smashed with fat rolls at the top.

Since she seems hesitant to feed on their every squeal, I chose to start the weaning process. I have to feed the puppies their gruel while Geddie is outside. Not because she will eat it, but because she is TOTALLY OFFENDED!!! When she comes in, she sniffs them, licks here and there, cleans up their bodily messes and then plops down to nurse them. Really? I just see her like a normal mother.........No one else can feed my babies! But the rest of the time she goes over to the box, whines at the crying puppies and walks away........what a bitch.
Yesterday I told her to get on the dog bed, she did.........I put the smaller puppies on her.......oh the heaven of a soft bed and your puppies.......what a princess.

Last night I suspect Geddie woke the puppies up every two hours.....JUST TO PISS ME OFF!!! She then wouldn't feed them, so, led by Mr. Blue, they would scream for 20 minutes. So, at 1:30 AM I go out to the front room for the SECOND time and let Geddie outside because she was walking around on the hardwood floors PURPOSELY tapping her toenails! An hour later the puppies are screaming and Geddie is whining. WTF? I am tired, angry and about to blow. I go to the box and find Mr. Blue sitting over in the corner screaming while the rest are sleeping. I grab him, throw him on top of the puppy pile and like lightning Geddie is in the box ready to nurse. Huh? Oh, don't hurt my puppies I was just about to nurse them. PULEEZ.
At 3:30 when the same scenario presents itself........I go out and tell Geddie "YOU WOKE THEM UP, YOU FEED YOUR PUPPIES!" She jumps in immediately.
I don't know what this game is, other than she wants to sleep on my bed AND be with the puppies.........get over it or "YOU'RE FIRED"
Maybe a nap this afternoon? As if.

Interesting day.
Went to bed last night thinking that since the puppies were all settled in their new digs in the front room, I would get some sleep..........whatever. A mother's ears plague me; I hear everything. 3 benedryl, 4 ibuprophen and 2 glasses of wine could not save me. (I had a migraine)
So, the morning starts the same as every other. Mastiff starts in at 6:15, then Geddie starts pacing, puppies start whining ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT! I'LL GET UP!!!! GEEEEEEEEZ! Everyone is fed and pottied, so Zero and I head to bed for 2 more hours THANK YOU BABY JESUS.
Mr. Blue puppy popped up with a perfect halo of hives on the top of his head yesterday; they were still there this morning with some of his wrinkles swelling or are they just fat rolls? Either way, I decide to call the vet and he says, better come in. Suck.
Pack up the pup and his brother for company. Dr. Edmunds finds the culprit in 5 seconds. A lesion inside his upper lip.....an insect bite. Poor baby. Nothing 2mg of Dexamethazone won't cure and we are off..........

Here's the new digs:

And here is a trick......one of these is not like the others:

Oh, so the reason for today's title.....the puppies had their first FOOD tonight!!!! Baby Rice Cereal and goat's milk.......mmmmm tastey.............they had no trouble licking the pan clean. Ridgebacks and Food, like a Hotdog on a Stick (or cheese on a stick) and Lemonade. Look at the picture above, it was taken after the puppies had their first meal topped off by mom....I see a smile on Mr. Blue's face. Cute.

TEETH..........UH, OH...........

Today may have marked the beginning of the end for Geddie. She actually SAT UP and nursed the puppies this morning. She has been having a bit of trouble wrapping her simple little brain around the fact that the puppies move now and panics when they rush to her. It is quite entertaining, really. They whine and cry, she runs to check on them, she steps one foot into the box....then out......then in.........then out........then she gets all the way in the box, shuffles around looking for a place to plop down without crushing puppies. How she does it, I don't know, but never even a smooshed HAIR on a puppy in 3 weeks! Last night I pried open a few mouths (to verify NO overbites, hooray) and SHAZAAAAAM.....TEETH! Just front teeth so far, but I am sure a full set will be in by the end of the weekend.
Stay tuned for pictures of the First Meal Mess.........when it happens.

I took some crappy cell phone pictures last night, enjoy:

First, Mr. Light Green praying to the Snowboarding God, Shaun White (see yesterday's Blog about the newspaper)

Miss Pink stretching out with brother Dark Green

And Mr. Yellow Fellow snuggles up to Momma Geddie

Looking for a new hobby? Try reading old newspapers! ; )
Last night I found myself reading the newspaper as I was putting it down in the puppy box. But who wouldn't, right? Come on, it's pretty cool to read about the Olympics 2 months after they are over. I feel a bit guilty knowing that the puppies will be pissing all over our fantastic athletes and today I will flip-flop this saying: It's better to be pissed off than pissed on! I think it should say, It's better to be pissed ON by an Aegis puppy than pissed off!

On the subject of puppies and their weights: I very quickly threw the puppies on the scale last night..............drum roll.............clear my throat.....................Mr. Light Green weighed 4 pounds 14 ounces! Geez Freakin' Louise! The light weight of the bunch, Mr. Yellow Fellow was a normal sized 3 pounds 8 ounces.

They will be 3 weeks old tomorrow. I spoke with my friend Nancy last night. She had puppies sired by our boy Leroy 5 years ago, she says the boys were 8 pounds at 4 weeks. oh. eeek.

I will try the puppies on some mush this weekend......I am sure they won't have any troubles.

Sometimes you really have to grin and bare it! (Shup up, you do to)

Lovely, perfect, wonderful Miss Merritt had been sitting on 8 points (one major) for 10 months. She has been hitting a ton of shows since November 1 and FINALLY broke the mark and sits now at 11 points! I can't blame it on anything. It is what it is.

Beautiful, tall, silly Miss Leeloo struggled a bit in Canada but pulled out two good wins this weekend to come away Champion Invictus The Fifth Element!!! Never underestimate a good BITCH........hehehehe    I love that word BITCH BITCH BITCH and then BITCH some more.

Handsome, dorky, spoiled Sir Lincoln has held the reserve spot a bit, but now sits at 7 points with a major at 15 months.

Here's Leeloo

Now, on to the FATTIES!!
I am afraid to weigh the puppies tonight. If they gain any more weight.....I may be suspect of the female Mastiff that lives here.....perhaps she is a she-male?

KIDDING!!

I will be moving the crew from my bedroom out to the living room/kitchen area soon. Geddie is happy to spend time away from them now and I would like to sleep without all the noises. Lick, lick, lick (Geddie cleaning up) suck, suck, suck, moan, moan, squeek, squeek and now the occasionaly BARK! That's right, a couple of the puppies are testing their barking skills. Every now and again I'll hear a growl........now THAT is too cute! They don't have teeth yet, I changed their collars for the THIRD TIME yesterday and they actually move off of the blanket to potty on the paper. Such good puppies.

Geddie just came down to the basement to visit me....she says "I would like you to clean the box"

Tootles to All!

We have made it 2 weeks!

Day 1 weights......11 to 15 ounces

Day 14 weights.....2 lbs 11 ounces to 3 lbs 5 ounces

Oh MY.

Geddie deserves a spread in National Geographic.

Before I post about the GIGANTOR puppies, I have to take a moment to write a quick memorial to "Sydney" Ch. Aegis Going For Gold, JC, HIC.

The year was 2000. On April 18th, I gave birth to my first child. Just weeks later, with baby and poodles in tow, we (Rob and I) drove Kinley to Sacramento, CA. for a meet up with "Deion" Ch. Kimani's Walk On The Wildside. The resulting pregnancy and birth of puppies was a fantastic experience and the 10 years since have been the most memorable. This entire litter far exceeded our expectations in everyway, leading Kinley to an easy R.O.M., but most noteworthy.....TEMPERAMENTS! Wow, you take good and you make GREAT! This litter was Sydney, Aspen, Arete, Annie, Kaz, Aziwah and (of course) Leroy! Tell me you EVER, EVER, EVEN ONCE met one of these greats and weren't immediately enamored with the pure joy for life, kids, food, and love and I will tell you straight up.......You are an effing idiot!

Sydney burrowed her way into the hearts and bed of Jillyn and Don in Portland and stayed there, physically, until yesterday. She was taken by a disease I hate only second to Alzheimer's......Degenerative Myleopathy. A degeneration of the nerve sheath that causes paralysis in the hind end. It hits a beautiful, healthy, powerful, athletic dog like a train and drags it down the tracks. Sydney fought it every step of the way. Joining her brother, Leroy, in the field of dreams, we hated to see them go, but with Dignity, they rest.

Luckily, there is now a genetic marker test for this aweful disease and hopefully it can easily be erradicated from Ridgebacks. Unfortunately for my father, his mother and perhaps, me......Alzheimer's is still winning.

Suck it up............read on.

Mr. Light Green hit 3 pounds last night. Amazing. Geddie is eating 10 cups of PUPPY food a day. She craps 100 times a day and farts 3000 times an hour........but damn, the milk must be rich because these puppies are growing like wildfire!

Speaking of temperaments.........Geddie was stellar for her visitors yesterday. Greeting them at the door, showing them her prizes, yet keeping a watchful eye. A true testament to the Aegis pack. Zero held the couch down, basking in the sun (which is far more important than visitors), London had to be put outside....see, she forgot to read the "aloof with strangers" part of the RR standard and can get annoying like a Retriever. Silly Ridgebacks.

Last night's weigh in proved ALL puppies over 2 pounds now. It is becoming difficult to pick them up with one hand (woman's hand). I hate to say it, but I can't wait for them to get bigger! I love interacting with the puppies and watching their skills develope. Right now they just lay around sleeping with their tongues hanging out or eating. It's cute, just not exciting.

If I can find my computer attachment today, I will take individual pictures and post them.

Lastly, we have a few rescues available in Utah. 2 older females with great temperaments and ridges and one ridgeless female 3 years old that needs a firm owner and a stable pack to learn doggie etiquette. Let me know if you'd like me to refer you to the people with their info. Check our Rescues page for more info and pictures.

If human babies are born without original sin, what about puppies? Ridgeback puppies?

NOT!

Bold statement? mmmmhmmmm. Read on.

On Saturday afternoon, my son asks if he can hold Mr. Purple. I allow him to, if he sits on the dog bed with his legs crossed. Geddie joins he and the puppy on the dog bed. She knows I am busy and wants to keep a watchful eye. Well, yes, I am busy and forget about the child, dog and puppy. A bit later, I go to check on the situation. I find, only, Geddie and puppy on the dog bed, the rest of the brood is asleep in the whelping box. Mr. Purple has HIT THE MOTHERLODE! What I see can only be described as Gluttony. A 9 day old puppy that has had MORE than his fill at the milk bar and resembles a Blood Engorged Tick about to fall off its host.

Doesn't nature tell the puppy to stop drinking when full?

Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, I ask you this, "Have you EVER encountered a Rhodesian Ridgeback that stops eating when they are full?" I say that is about as rare as the sightings of the Loc Ness Monster.

Mr. Purple stands accused of the act of Gluttony and is found GUILTY by the scale.
On Friday he weighed in an average 1 lb. 14 oz. Saturday.......2 POUNDS 6 OUNCES!!!
I think I just heard him quote Montey Python "Somebody get me a Bucket!

On Sunday, he had stayed the same weight. The rest are catching up. All but two puppies have exceeded the 2 pound mark. Everyone showed a glimmer of eyeball and Miss Lavender's opened completely, overnight.

They seem to be able to regulate their own body temperatures much better now and no longer scramble to spend all day under the heat lamp.

I am off to stuff as much food in my face as possible before my next class...........oh, I wonder where that comes from?

While the puppies continue to only sleep, eat, sleep, poop, eat, pee, sleep..... they also get cuter by the minute! They are round little rollie pollies. Yesterday met two puppies reaching or passing the 2 pound mark. Mr. Light Green at 2.1 lbs. and Miss Lavender at 2.0 lbs. Both weighed in at 14 oz. at birth a week ago........wow.

Here is Mr. Purple enjoying a snuggle in my neice Lily's crisscross applesauce lap.

And my "not puppy related" report from Kansas.........MERRITT TAKES RESERVE TO THE MAJOR................ for only the 901st time..........grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
London came into heat 3 months early. Not sure what that's all about, but Zero is excited. This means that Merritt will soon be in heat at well and she will get to have a try at motherhood. She will be 4 years old next month.

Happy Saturday!

Well, I am feeling a bit more like a human than an Ogre today. I am sure my students are appreciative. I have chewed a few heads off at school this week.

The puppies can go a few extra hours without eating now (about 3), so I don't feel as bad leaving Geddie crated until I have a break to run home. Luckily, I only teach 6 miles from my house. I will head there in a minute to let puppies nurse, feed Geddie (again), and then play puppy doctor. I put diaper rash ointment on their little behinds and Otomax on their dew claw sites. My vet had me use that, instead of Neosporin, because Otomax has an anti-inflamatory agent in it. The puppies don't care either way.

I have been worried about their ability to stay warm, but not too warm, while I am away. My friend Betty lent me a heat disk. You heat it up in the microwave for about 4-5 minutes and it stays warm for many hours. It comes with fluffy cover, but I put it inside a pillowcase too. The puppies then get heat from below and above! Pretty cool.

Off to play Puppy Nanny.

I will take picture later..........most of the puppies will be at 2 pounds today........that means they GAINED A POUND IN A WEEK!!!! Talk about chubby.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Poor Geddie just can't seem to get the puppies clean enough! Sadly, they are suffering for it. She obsesses over them so compulsively that they now have RAW behinds and I have to treat where their dew claws were removed with Neosporin. Also, I had to take her away from the puppies when I am not there to stop the licking. My sanity is wavering. While I did get a bit more sleep last night, I finally put Geddie in her crate to stop hearing the licking and to let the puppies rest. She bugs them the whole time they are nursing and this lively bunch complains about it the whole time.

The last time I had such a noisy bunch of puppies was my litter 6 years ago out of Mokey x Annie and they are talkers to this day! Bing's dam is Annie's sister and Geddie's dam is Mokey's 3/4 sister. OH NO!!!!

So, here is my disclaimer. Your Bing x Geddie puppy will be a smart mouth! They will talk back when reprimanded and talk jibber jabber when happy.

I took some funny video Monday night, but am not sure I can upload it to the blog. Check my facebook later tonight.

Really? Really?
Went to bed Friday night and all was well. Woke up Saturday morning in HELL! I rode the storm for many hours until finally I pulled my head out of the sand and said "Enough!" Something was wrong with Steady Geddie. She was agitated, uncomfortable, panting too much and really annoyed by the puppies and wanting to mouth them. So, I sent my vet. a text "My bitch is having a meltdown. It is either cramping or Eclampsia. Her temp. is 102" he responded (I have the BEST vet. by the way) "Is she trembling?" and I responded "No, just acts like her RR head is going to explode and she wants to pick up sleeping puppies." Of course the clinic was closed on a Saturday afternoon, so one of his fabulous techs. went to the clinic, picked up 3 cc's of Calcium Glutamate and met me at her house! AMEN and Hallelujiah!
Oh, but it gets better.............
My minivan starts to overheat on the way home, so I pull into the Maverick Store and proceed to LOCK MY KEYS IN MY VAN! Yes, Geddie was inside and it was 40 degrees outside.(so glad I left the puppies home in the warmth) Had to call a locksmith, blah, blah, blah. Limp the minivan until is dies completely, get a ride home, blah, blah, blah.
The evening ends well with Geddie resting and puppies nursing.
4 A.M. MELTDOWN!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO, PLEASE, NOOOOOO!
Needless to say, Easter Sunday sucked.

Today, Monday, is better. Geddie calmed down, took puppies in for dew claw removal. Geddie's blood calcium levels are normal and the vet. removed, 32 toes.....That's 9 sets of fronts and 7 sets of rears..........wait THEY MISSED SOME! Poor Mr. Yellow has to go back for his rears off. Later Gater, gotta take my minivan in to the shop first.

Next time you want to be a breeder.......hahahahaha

Erin
p.s. the puppies are great! Fat and Sassy! Their mother and their breeder may have lost their minds........but the milk is good ; )

So, the excitement started at 4:17 April 1, 2010! April Fool's Day! No foolin'!
8 puppies pumped out by 9:35 A.M. Then we sat there, and sat there, then called the vet and planned to head out at 1:30. Betty came over to save me from my stink (nothing like placenta under the finger nails to start the day) and WAALAAA, puppy #9 at 1:38. She always saves me!
(A quick story about Betty saving me. 6 years ago, Kinley was whelping puppies and I had to go to work, so Betty came over. I was beside myself because she had popped out 4 ridgeless in A ROW!!! I told Betty she was not allowed to deliver anymore ridgeless while I was gone. Well, 5 more PERFECTLY RIDGED puppies came ; ) Betty to the Rescue!!! Woohoo!)
So, we both feel confident that there is a 10th puppy inside and it is 4:20, so we head to the vet before they close. Ultrasound shows a ton of fluid and the placentas she hadn't passed yet, but no more puppies. So, a shot of calcium and oxytocin and home we go. Thank doG there wasn't another puppy in there because she never had another contraction. She passed the placentas and slept the night away.
We have some gassy belly's, otherwise their weights are holding and anything soft and fleshy gets nursed on (that includes momma's private area!). The ridges are slowly morphing into fluff (the coat stands out for the next few weeks hiding the ridge a bit), so we will re-evaluate later. For now, Geddie is protective and attentive and I am tired and bitchy. London wants to come lay on the bed and Tailor has diarrhea. Mandy, the Mastiff, just wants a little love. The kids are trying to master hand stands and pissing me off.

Life is good ; )