Wooo hooo we've been confirmed!!!!

[BlackShadowCaneCorso]

Woo Hooo we got great news on the weekend!!! Our girl Danae is confirmed pregnant by Grand-Champion Firehorse’s Franklin. It is our first Cane Corso litter and our breeder has been great for mentoring us but thought I would also ask some of you with experience too as you can never have too much info.

So just some questions to other people who have produced litters, or for people that have rescued litters as well…

Are there or is there something that you believe is a must for having puppies? We have a list of whelping supplies and have started to accumulate all of it into the whelping area now but am thinking about the first time or 2 someone else had a litter and they forgot something or thought of something they were going to make sure they got for their whelping kit to always have on hand from then on out.

What about when you start getting the puppies out and about and introducing to new things…any suggestions on some items that you think are a must to get them experienced with before they go to their new homes?

Also added a poll as I am a serious planner (just ask anyone that knows me I plan months in advance usually just to take a weekend away lol) to see what people think about some ideas for themes for the litter or should we go with the old standby of the letter A. Or if you have any ideas for what a good theme would be let me know.

Pretty much any words of wisdom from the experienced ones. J

 

[moose]

:celebrate: I am so excited for you! I dont have any knowledge litter wise but I am sure others will chime in! You better keep us updated

 

[Cody]

Congrats on the confirmation.
The outcome should be very similar to the Gypsy x Oak litter.
Good luck.

 

[Kandie]

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Sabrina]

wow how exciting!!!! wish we had room....

 

[Little Monster]

Those pups are going to be awesome!! Congrats!

 

[Tailcreek]

Congratulations on your confirmed pregnancy!

Of the top of my head...some handy items to have available:
A way to identify each puppy - collar etc
microwavable heating disks to keep pups warm if needed
baby gas drops
electrolyte solution
milk replacer
tube feeding kit
lots of washable bedding/whelping pads/hand towels
Liquid calcuim
syringes & needles
dental floss
iodine/alcohol
digital thermometer
room thermometer
digital scale
reference books
LOTS of coffee - for you!

Some things to use for socialization before the pups even leave the whelping box - different flooring or items to place on the floor that puppies can walk on - throw rugs, lino, burlap, fleece, lambs wool, wood. A variety of different bowls/containers that puppies can eat out of, different types of toys (soft, hard, rough, different squeeky sounds), random safe items from around the home - cardboard box, water bottle, plastic tupperware container, cookie sheet, plastic clothes hangar. Music cd's that have a variety of different sounds - sirens, storms, birds chirping, dogs barking, car race etc. Get creative and have fun!

Jennifer
www.tailcreekmastiffs.com

 

[BlackShadowCaneCorso]

Thanks everyone we are VERY excited! I will probably be pacing after her waiting for the puppies to start and she will want me to go lie down somewhere

Thanks for the ideas Jennifer. Some of them are on my list already but will add the rest to it now. Can never be too prepared

 

[BlackShadowCaneCorso]

Have been cleaning up the whelping area and getting everything ready. Got the whelping boxs plans that I like and the bf is going to get started on that this weekend. I can't believe that we have a little under 3 weeks left!

On a side note Danae was enter in some CFC shows this weekend (judging like the FCI style in Europe) and got 3 Excellents and 3CACS cards and one VG despite having a little puppy paunch! She was a great ambassador and the comments we got on her were lovely to hear. The best was hearing how her temperament is outstanding and exactly what the judges believe a corso should be. We couldn't have been happier with her critiques and had a great weekend with some lovely friends and other corsi.

Now we are ready for our next adventure with her when it comes to this puppy experience. Will also stock on batteries for the camera lol!

PS I don't know how to make the poll results public but there are a bunch of other votes for the litter theme ideas, anyone want to post what their other ideas might be. If there are some good ones would like to know.

 

[northernmastiff]

Congrats on your expecting litter. Jennifer has a complete list but a few extra things we always had handy are:

Emergency Numbers (We had a book right at hand but we also posted them up on the wall in the whelping room so we didn't have to search through the book and trust me, no matter how well you know the number, it seems to disappear during an emergency.)
I used colored yarn/ribbon for the identifiers. I tried different colored nail polish once but it flakes off really quickly so you have to be vigilant with it. Paint two of the back nails if you use nail polish.
I had hemostats for the umbilical cords, which are much easier to use than the thread or dental floss, thankfully I only ever had to use them with one litter.
Flashlight (some females like to get up and go to the bathroom between puppies and can't settle to deliver the next pup unless they do this)
Surgical Gloves (personal preference)
Vaseline
KY Jelly
Scissors (I always keep several, one for the yarn, the rest sterilized in case I need to cut umbilical cords.)
Notebook to document everything and to keep track of the puppies.

And I think that is about it along with everything Jennifer said. I'm not sure if there is anything specific for a Cane Corso but good luck with the litter and I hope it goes along smoothly. Of course, the rule of thumb is that a litter is whelped in the middle of the night. I used to put a baby monitor into the whelping room so I could listen to the puppies when I couldn't be in the room with them but that was after whelping. I had one female who wouldn't deliver the first puppy until I was out of the room. It was horrible but once that first puppy came, she was more than happy to have me back in for the rest so the baby monitor came in really handy as I stood outside the door waiting for her to start. She just couldn't settle down for that first puppy if I was hovering.

Some breeders keep a shot of oxytocin or pitocin to give the dog after the last pup has been whelped to help expel any remaining puppies or placenta. I haven't ever used this but I know of a few breeders who use it with every litter. Ask your vet first.

Sorry for the long post and again, congratulations and good luck.

 

[BlackShadowCaneCorso]

ahhh the baby monitor...I have been checking out some digital ones so I can watch what is going on too when I am not there. The bf just looks at me when I showed him I wanted the coloured LCD monitor one

 

[dogman#1]

Congrats on your confirmation... As far as names go, if you plan on having more than one litter I would go with all the pups having the letter a in there somewhere and I also like names that match the kennel, ie. if you have a roman type kennel name ie, roman corso's or whatever then go with roman names with the letter A in them...this will help later to help you identify which pups came from certain litters... All the suggestions are good ones...I have some nutrical handy in case of a weak pup. I also give my bitch some tums (CAlcium) for about 4 days before the the due date as it helps with keeping the contractions strong (a tip from another breeder) and it seems to work well. I like the babycam monitor as you can be sleeping and if she lays on a pup you will hear it, look at the monitor count and go back to sleep if everything is fine if not run over to her and make sure she is not on a pup.
Dont go crazy, mom will do most of the work but if I see she is having a hard time cutting those umbilical cords I do it as she may cause them to have umbilical hernias...Looks like we will be having pups around the same time...Fila Brasileiros for me though. Good Luck!

 

[BlackShadowCaneCorso]

Thanks and same to you. I am not concerned about keep tracking of litters...I am a nut for organizing and keeping track of data but am still undecided if I want a theme litter or a letter litter.

I am not too stressed out more excited about the whole thing, and I certainly expect her to do most of the work I am just the support system. Thanks for the nutrical tip...checked my tube I have at home tonight and it is pretty much toast so will pick up a new one this week.

Good luck to you too and I can't wait to see pics. I am going to try to take pics through all phases, before, during and after.

 

[Molosserlvr]

I'm just now seeing this and wanted to say congrats! I like Oak a lot

 

[BlackShadowCaneCorso]

Thanks. He is a great dog and we are happy with pairing.

 

[ElJayBee]

awesome! congrats!

as far as names go, i seem to have inadvertently gone with dance types, lol. i have one dog named Twister, one named Disco, and i was telling my husband last night without thinking about it that I'd like to name my next dog Tango... that's when i realized it, lol. so i guess i like dance move names? haha

 

[BlackShadowCaneCorso]

We are coming close! Only a couple more days until D Day and I am so excited. Mama is not a happy girl with all the extra belly she has to find room for but she is doing well and starting to get herself ready!

Awww Puppy breath is soooo close!

 

[Kandie]

We are coming close! Only a couple more days until D Day and I am so excited. Mama is not a happy girl with all the extra belly she has to find room for but she is doing well and starting to get herself ready!

Awww Puppy breath is soooo close!

I am so excited for you!! I cant wait until the "she's in labor" thread!! Good luck to both you and mama!!

 

[BlackShadowCaneCorso]

LOL! You and me both but it seems like she is going to make me practice my patience

 

[Towers]

That makes 3 of us lol I've had my eye on this one! (Not just this thread, but the litter in particular) Cant wait to see how the pups from this pairing turn out! Should be top notch all around!

Good luck, Mary & Danae! Hopes everything goes well

Chris