Keeping puppies warm.

We have lost a puppy on day 2.
 It is very difficult to say why but Jilly has lost 1 every litter she has had. You soon see there is one just failing. I have tried to put it onto the best teats, expressed milk and even given it lactol but nothing works. That puppy just cannot thrive. I have asked my vets advice he says it is "non thriving puppy syndrome". I feel that Jilly has just one bud that allows the egg to be fertilised and the puppy to grow whilst in her but once it is born it just fades. It's core temperature drops and eventually she pushes it out as she knows there is some thing wrong.

The rest are just gorgeous and thriving very well.

Jilly has unlimited food at the moment but lets face it she can have as much as she likes as she has all those hungry mouthes to feed.

We have our oil heating on 24 hours at the moment + Jilly has an oil filled radiator right by her.
The litter is on vet bed which is fantastic for keeping the puppies dry and warm.

Here they are.

Safely arrived and now resting. The whelping process can be very long as each puppy is delivered separately. There is limited time once the puppy is delivered for mum to clear the nose to enable it to breath. Here you can see mum and pups all doing very well and looking healthy.

Snow!! What fun!!

How they love the snow. It is the first time for Poppy, Toffee, Bella and Lulu. None of them understood how to apply their braked. Lulu looked like a white dog as she rolled in it.
The older dogs love it too. Gemma (our old girl) pops her tail between her hind legs and sets the charge and everyone runs after her. She can run like the wind even at her age.




Jilly, despite the weather has had her puppies today. She started around 12 noon and has just delivered the last on (we think). She has had a meal which is a usual sign that she has finished whelping. They all look great. One Golden boy and the rest are chocolate. The other dogs would love to visit the new borns but Jilly would object. She has no problem with us handling them though and my partner has done a couple of head counts as Mum can squash existing puppies whilst delivering the next.

Out for breakfast

One of my sons called me to our window this morning as there were a couple of pheasants on the roof of our dog pen. They looked lovely with the ice covering it too. We turned our attention to our lawn where there were 20 +.
What a beautiful winters scene.
We tried to take a photo but it didn't look great.
We threw some cornflakes (well is was breakfast time) but they all flew off. Lets hope they call again.

The horses find it hard to walk when the ground is so rutted and then frozen. Many leg injuries happen at this time of the year.

Out for breakfast

One of my sons called me to our window this morning as there were a couple of pheasants on the roof of our dog pen. They looked lovely with the ice covering it too. We turned our attention to our lawn where there were 20 +.
What a beautiful winters scene.
We tried to take a photo but it didn't look great.
We threw some cornflakes (well is was breakfast time) but they all flew off. Lets hope they call again.

The horses find it hard to walk when the ground is so rutted and then frozen. Many leg injuries happen at this time of the year.

Winter is here!

I love days like today. Clear sky and cold, crisp air.
I rode my lovely horse and he, despite his objections worked very well. We both sweated a bit !.
The hose has frozen so I had to barrow water to them all. My horses live out so have hard feed and limitless hay. We have clipped them and then wrapped them in rugs. This enables us to ride them, stops them sweating too much and  allows them to dry off much quicker before we turn them out again.

The dogs are all well. Jilly now heavily pregnant is in the porch. She has a heater on all the time just in case we have new arrivals. Puppies need the air temperature to be 18 degrees not to suffer from hyporthermia. Her due date is Monday (Gestation is 9 weeks).

All the dogs have extra rations and warm bedding. I gave the young dogs a new bed and by the time I can back onto the yard having ridden they had removed all the stuffing!!! What a waste that was.

Puppies on their way.

Please let me play!!

Jilly is looking very round. She is due her litter in a week but she would love to play ball. In fact she would play to the minute they are born if she had her way. Needless to say she is a very fit girl she loves nothing more than to play fetch. We are looking forward to the arrival of the pups as she is a good mum and has produced some lovely pups. Oscar the Dad is very laid back about the whole affair as his work is clearly done and he plays no further part other than to play with them when they get to an interesting stage.

A day off

Monday 15th November.
What a day to take off.
We headed up to the Peak District. Based ourselves at the George Inn at Alstonfields.
We walk 6.5 miles alone the river Dove, up gypsy bank and along Wolfcote dale. The weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky but a slight frost had fallen overnight so the air was very crisp and clear.
It makes you feel good to be alive.
The views were stunning and the vivid autumnal colours were radiant.
We called into Alstonfields Manor and sampled their hospitality. Jo was, as always very welcoming, gave us a tour of the manor and a lovely cup of tea. We could easily have stayed as the rooms are beautiful, fire cosy and the views stunning but we had a lunch to enjoy at the George Inn Alstonfields.
It was a lovely day and we would highly recommend all elements of our day, just can't guarantee the weather.

The farrier.

This is Mark Brewster our farrier, based in Derby. He is never late and never lets us down. A "cast" shoe is not a problem and he calls as soon as he canto put it back on.

The farrier is the person who puts the steel shoes on our horses. This is done every 6 ish weeks and costs far too much money. The reason people started to shoe horses was during the war the heavy horses stood in small compounds and their own urine rotted their feet so shoes were put on to elevate them and we have done it ever since. they do have some practical benefits but the reality is if we never started a horses woof would adapt to the terrane.

My horse who was shod very recently has cast a shoe. (pulled one off) This is very common at this time of year as they get stuck in the mud. The farrier will re heat the shoe balance it and reattach it with new clenches.

Wet and cold!

Well what a nasty day.

We have no pictures as the animals are all taking cover and I don't blame them. At this time of year the horses are having hay and those who work hard, a hard feed. My objective is to put bulk on them ahead of winter as when it is very cold and they have no stable it is hard to keep them warm. They are rugged up already and do have access to our field shelter.

The dogs all have shelter but Bella especially chooses to stand our and get very wet. Not sure that she feels the rain under her lovely coat but it does mean I have to change their bedding as she makes it very wet when she does go in.

The cats in the cattery are more than happy as they have their heat pads on and never have to go outside if they choose not to. Not a bad life.

The chase is on!

What fun they all have. We have just had our annual inspection  by the local council. The dogs were all very well bahaved of course.
Then it's out for their mid morning run. They all love to play ball. Bea has it and is not very good at letting it go. Jilly is the best at bringing it back to us. The dogs love to play and what a great way to get the dogs exersised and the puppies socialised.

I did stop my car and look a while this morning to whatch a large flock of starling in flight. How they synchronize. It is stunning at they make a wave across the sky

Bring it back!

Poppy has settled very well. She has put some much needed weight on now she is having puppy food. She has a very gentle, demure nature, is very pretty and is also very obediant. 
Here she is with Oscar (Our very handsome stud dog).
She is actually running off with the cleaning fluid for the dog pens. Perhaps she is going to do it for me.






I had to smile yesturday when my partner asked me to keep an eye out for the shrew our cat kindly brought into the house, still alive. It went under the freezer!!.  It's because he loves you I reasured him. No consolation when he deposited another live mouse in his bedroom just last week.
Whatever happened to flowers?

Cleaning day!!!

All is a little quieter at the moment as holiday season finally comes to an end in the cattery. We just have a few guests.
Small pets, there are a couple in as their owners house move went slightly wrong.
Hope they get sorted very soon.

                  All those wagging tails!
Our young dogs are settling into the routines on the farm. The older dogs have accepted them and the pack plays quite happily together.
They all love to run across our fields, the puppies follow the adults. I just pray that the puppies have instinctive respect for the horses and don't learn the hard way!. They cover far more ground than I ever do, chasing one another.
 Labradoodles are incredibly agile and cover the ground with such speed and grace.
I have de-flead everyone over the weekend.



Today I clean and clear all the cat and small pet pens ready for Christmas. It is a challange to get all the cat hairs off the bedding ahead of putting it in the washing machine. (The cats and dogs have their own machine). I know some catteries use paper bedding but i'm sure the cats prefer soft quilts it just leads to a little more work.
I have a builder comming to alter the roof and carry out maintenance.  It's ongoing to keep it in good state of repair.