1/12/11

  Well it has been a long week and it is only Wednesday.  Didn't get to go on my preserve hunt Sunday I was a little under the weather over the weekend and didn't think I needed to fight the cold.
  Went to work as normal Monday but while I was getting ready to go I noticed Gem was having problems breathing again.  We had noticed that he was filling with fluid again and was becoming very distended.  I called the Vet and go him in at 9:45 so I left work early and went home and picked him up and off to the Vet I went.  Gem was such a trooper he stood for and hour and half while they drained his body cavity.  They took 7 1/2 cups of fluid out of him and he looked so much better he had that bird dog figure back.  He lost 6 1/2 pounds in an hour and a half.  He was pretty sore the rest of the day but when I got home from work Tuesday he was hopping around and brought me his toy and we played fetch again.  It is so nice when he is like this it is just like the good ole days.
  When I got home from the Vet it was too late to go back to work so I just did a few things around the kennels.  I had ordered 2 new heated whelping mats from Ebay and they came in the mail so I went to the whelping house and put them in.  They are nice they keep the dog warm but better yet they will keep the puppies warm when they are born next week.  I also hooked up 2 heated buckets so the girls will have water all day long.  I am still carrying water to the rest of the dogs daily.  Getting power to all the kennels with recepticles is on my to do list this spring or after my retirement.
  I went ahead and moved Morgan to the whelping house she is due Jan 19 I will move Missy over the weekend she is due about 5 days after Morgan.  Both mommas are doing great it looks like my 2nd attempt at AI was succesful.  Missy is definitely pregnant and is beginning to blossom nicely looks like she will have 4 to 6 puppies.  Morgan is huge she may 8 to 10 puppies.  If any of you know me and puppies the more the merrier.
  Katie also came in heat over the weekend she will be bred by a dog from outside my kennel, I want to freshen my gene pool and outcrossing with an excellent dog is a good way to do this.  I have looked at the sires pedigree and it is a good one.  I will post his pedigree and pictures as soon as I get copies.  I will probably post them on my website and when I do I will post a link here so you can all check them out. 
  As many of you know and for those who don't politically I am an ultra-conservative and a dues paying member of the Tea Party.  In the near future I am going to post some quotes from Thomas Jefferson.  He is my favorite of our founding fathers and a very sharp man with a distinct insight into the future.  Look for this in the next day or 2
God Bless you all and God Bless America
Jim