Jessica who ? Smudge scanned and what lurks under the dinner table ?

Jessica

Start tonight with a lovely capture of Jessica, who now  at two years old and is Toby's sister, is yet to have a bit about her on "The Girls" page. Her Grandfather on her sires side is the same as the Grand father on Smudge's Dams side, so Smudge is her half cousin and Millie is her half Auntie and I think you can see the family resembalance with them  with the very broken coated markings and like Millie and Smudge, Jessica loves hunting.
Just loaded photos on to computer to find this cute photo of her.  So asked who took the photo and turned out to be our oldest childs handy work, when he got out the shower last night and threw his towel off, it landed on Jessica, so he quickly got this photo.
Smudge was scanned today and is most certainly pregnant. The vet scanning her said, he was not confident enough to say eight, as the vet did when scanning Smudge with her first litter but she certainly is carrying at least six pups. It was this vets first time meeting Smudge and he commented on how good tempered and calm she was. I told him to remember this if she comes in for a c-section because with her last time and when her mum, Millie whelped the vets where concerned that they where maybe low on calcium because they where so layed back and run tests to check their calcium levels, as to much calcium can stop a dog contracting , not enough can stop them contracting as well, but both times tests confirmed Millie's and Smudge's calcium levels where okay.
We will play it by ear with Smudge and monitor closely as she approaches labour. Each stage needs to be noted and the time lapsing  between each stage to ensure the save arrival of her pups with the minimal stress for Smudge. We will give her every chance to birth naturally, as we know she can expel the pups easily enough if she can have strong enough contractions, as she birthed her first pup on her last litter but then she just stopped having strong enough contractions due to a very stretched uterus with another eight pups inside her, which is a very big litter for a Cavalier especially when all her pups where a good size.
With her looking so pregnant already I think we are in for a good size litter again or six very good sized pups, which will lessen the chance of all being born naturally as the uterus is stretched to accomadate so many pups, its a double edged sword. Smudge is obviously very fertile but her ability to conceive so many is deterimental to her uterus and causes inertia which is the uterus being stretched to an extent it is then hard for it to contract enough to expel pups. I think we are looking at Smudge's last litter and we will hope to keep one back from this litter. I was just hoping that she might of just been able to have had one more litter in a couple years time with Henry, they look very good together but if another c-section and a large litter I think Smudge will of done more than enough. Her daughter we hope to keep will then may be a girlfriend for Henry in the future.
I have sent out an email to everyone waiting on this litter and thanks for all the replies, now its just a waiting game and watching Smudge bloom.
Smudge is very well in herself and the photo's are taken of her today.

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Lastly a photo taken tonight at supper. As I pushed my chair back I noticed Treacle with her Dad, Reggie position under the table ready for any spillages and you might notice Henry staking out the corner of the dinner table. We where having lamb stew which did smell very nice and I know I'm biased because I cooked it but it did also taste very nice and six children with clean plates is either a miracle or it was good stew. Talking about stew reminds me about something my brother, Peter once said to our mum. Peter's wife had a dinner party and my Mum asked what they had eaten, Peter was struggling to remember the name of the main dish and try as he might he could not recall it and said, "It had a fancy name Mum but to you and me, Mum, it was beef stew."

Treacle, Reggie and Henry stake out the dinner table