Yoko's due date was Thursday 11/29/12, but on Tuesday afternoon she was doing some serious nesting, and by 10:00 pm, she was in Stage I labor despite having eaten all her dinner (dogs typical go off food prior to going into labor). However, Yoko did follow the rule that puppies usually come at night. She started having notable contractions by midnight and the first pup finally made an appearance at 1:25 am. English type Labrador retrievers often have difficult whelps, being prone to uterine inertia (weak uterine contractions) that necessitates a C-section. I am always more nervous whelping a Lab compared to a Golden, and especially a first time whelp. Yoko took her time, including a 2-hour break in the middle, but many of the births were very easy. The 7th pup (Pink/White girl) was limp and unresponsive at birth and required considerable resuscitation, but she finally gained strength and started to suckle on her own. The 8th pup (Black boy) got stuck, and I had to assist in his delivery. I was worried that he may have been too long without oxygen, but he came out kicking and screaming. Being a bit early and a large litter, these pups are smaller. In contrast to Juliette's most recent litter, this litter favored the girls, with 7 girls and 2 boys. Typically early breedings (a few days before conception) favor boys, as was the case with Juliette. Yoko's breeding dates were more optimally timed around the anticipated day of conception (when mature ova should be present). As expected, all the pups are black. Black collar boy has a white spot on his chest.
Collar Sex/color Time Birthweight
Blue M 1:25 am 15 oz
Pink F 2:05 am 14.2 oz
Purple F 2:40 am 13.6 oz
Orange F 3:12 am 14.2 oz
Green F 3:38 am 12.8 oz
Yellow F 6:15 am 13 oz
Pink/white F 6:25 am 12.8 oz
Black M 7:44 am 14.4 oz
Purple/white F 8:05 am 16.4 oz
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