Meet Dixie
Dixie is my sister, Katy's 2 1/2 year old Great Dane.
Great Dane's are the world's largest dog.
The tallest dog living is ‘Zeus’ a Great Dane measuring 44 inches tall. He is owned by Denise Doorlag and her family, of Otsego, Michigan, USA.
OTSEGO, Mich.
A Great Dane from Michigan is doggone tall.
The Guinness World Records 2013 book published Thursday recognizes Zeus of Otsego, Mich., as the world's Tallest Dog.
The 3-year-old measures 44 inches from foot to shoulder.
Standing on his hind legs, Zeus stretches to 7-foot-4 and towers over his owner, Denise Doorlag. Zeus is just an inch taller than the previous record-holder, Giant George.
Zeus weighs 155 pounds and eats a 30-pound bag of food every two weeks.
Doorlag says she had to get a van to be able to transport Zeus.
Dixie is not one of the largest but she has got to be one of the sweetest!
She is what they call "mural" in color.
Because of her color, she is only a pet and used for breeding.
As of now, murals are unshowable, however, AKC (American Kennel Club) is trying to change that.
Today is a very special day because Dixie is having babies and Auntie Katy invited us all out to be a part of the action!!
Gabby is especially happy because she is already starting her education in the veterinary field.
Katy takes very special care to document weight, color, sex, time of birth and placenta delivery for a few reasons.
First, if a placenta is left undelivered, it can cause lots of complications for mama dog and usually requires a trip to the vet.
Second, these puppies are up for sale!!
At least the ones she will not keep or the ones Phil will let us take with us! ;)
Katy also makes special little collars to put on each puppy for identification purposes.
It is so amazing how God was so detailed even when creating His animals.
The pregnancy of a dog is 59-66 days.
Before labor, the dog's temperature will drop from about 101.2 to about 98 degrees...I believe this is to help with bleeding, but am not quite sure. When this happens, labor will usually begin within 24 hours.
During this time, the instinct of the mom causes her to drag clothing and fabric to where she plans to have her babies.
They will contract and push much like a human when delivering...even getting the shivers. ;)
This was the second one born. The first was DOA (dead on arrival) and Katy thinks this is because her water broke too soon.
This happens every once in awhile.
Gabrielle got to act as Katy's veterinary assistant.
Cutting cords, weighing and taking down the information.
There was also a complication with #7, he was breech and they couldn't get the bleeding from his umbilical cord to stop so Gabrielle tied off his cord. Her first minor surgery! ;)
Needless to say, she is in heaven!
They will usually pass each placenta after each pup and some will allow the mom to eat them however, Katy does not because it also causes vomiting and diarrhea.
Another very interesting thing we learned...and a little gross, is that Dixie will clean her puppies about 3 times a day. This will stimulate them to pee and poo.
Dixie cleans up their mess by eating it...ugh.
She is a pro now because this is her second litter.
Sometimes a first time mama will not know what to do and will need much more assistance.
We are still waiting for the final count...you see, a dog can labor quite some time as well.
24 hours is not abnormal!!
There is a little video below this post!!
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