Actually she has been littering since about 3:00 Thursday afternoon. She just pushed out her tenth pup about 11:30 PM. I knew she was huge but had no idea she would deliver that many. Unfortunately one small pup, the runt of the litter was stillborn. I never saw it move. It also seemed underdeveloped compared to the others, a couple of which are huge. And it seems as if it never blew blood out of it's nose or mouth, as if it had some obstruction there. I tried using a straw to force respiration when it became apparent it would not breath of its own, but it never took and it quickly grew cold and figured. It just doesn't seem as if it was very healthy to begin with.
I'll bury him in the morning next to his uncle, who he favored.
They range from between appearing like a typically golden colored Great Dane to appearing like a black Great Dane, similar to my bitch. It's too early to tell if any will favor their sire, my Great Bernard, although a few seem to have his body type, if not his coloring and hair length.
Most appear short haired, but they are just littered and it's very hard to tell at this stage whether they will be truly long-haired or short.
We're gonna keep one of the black pups, of which there are three now, because I promised my girls that if any favored the black Great Bernard I had who died of snakebite, that we would keep him and name him after his uncle. Saint George. Since I also named the stillborn George in honor of his uncle, the one we keep will be Saint George the 3rd. Though we'll just call him George of course.
I did a lot of nutritional experimentation with my bitch while she was pregnant, giving her massive doses of supplements, vitamins, nutrients, amino acids, and so forth (as I did with their sire) to increase the health, intelligence, strength, and longevity of her pups. Apparently it worked, but it also seems to have worked like a sort of natural fertility treatment. She's been delivering all day, but with the tenth I hope that now she is finally finished.
I know she is glad to have it over. She was a trooper though, seems to have had an easy enough go of it, never whimpered or complained, though three were breech birth, and I had to pull two of them out of the vagina myself when they seem to have become momentarily stuck in transit.
But so far she seems an excellent mother. Extremely attentive, devoted, and protective. I'm very proud of her.
I'll post pictures here as I get the chance.We're gonna sell them for $200.00 a pup once they are matured and properly weaned.
The Great Bernard/Saint Dane breeds will make a great dog for whoever gets them.
Because they are each my special animal projects and because I've so much invested in their mother and father I intend to make sure each goes to a very good home. They will also be massive, strong, and very smart dogs I suspect, like their parents.
Their sire was nearly as excited as my bitch, but she wouldn't let him come anywhere near them at first. That's natural enough of course, but he really wanted to see them so as I rotated them on and off teats to feed and sleep I took him four of them and let him sniff and get used to them. He seems incredibly excited, and also a little bit spooked. I guess I can't blame him, this is his first litter and his bitch pushes out ten mostly big brutes her first time out. He's got to be both extremely proud and just a bit overwhelmed.
Well, I'm going to bed.
Pics will come later.
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