The well-being of animals often lies at the heart of human emotion, with so many people actively setting out to ensure the so-called lesser creatures are safe, secure and healthy. But very often mother nature herself has a way of inserting itself into the equation.
This was the case with Wellington residents Kobus and Esmari Conradie’s “golden girls”, as they so lovingly call their mother-and-daughter golden-retriever pair, as they experienced a baby boom.
The date 7 May saw the birth of a whopping 13 puppies to grandma Lila (5), mommy Emma (3) and daddy Max (3) of Luselle Kennel in Wellington. The arrival is testimony to a rare parenting team effort the Conradies simply had to share with Paarl Post.
“Lila and Emma were on heat at the same time,” Kobus explained. “Lila had a litter last year and we wanted to skip her ‘heat’ and did not want her to mate. After the birth grandma Lila kept pacing up and down around the puppy pen, and I think around five days later she climbed into the puppy pen, lay down and the pups started drinking on her. We then tested and realised that she was producing milk.
“Grandma to the rescue! We then gave her puppy food and extra meals to help enhance milk production.”
This followed a challenging delivery owing to the sheer volume borne. The gestation period is normally between 58 and 63 days, and Emma’s kin were born at around 60 days.
This, after her humans did a scan at 30 days to get an idea of the size of the litter.
“We counted 12 pups,” Kobus related. “We then knew we and Emma had a great task ahead. We delivered seven of the puppies, Emma’s first litter, at home. It normally takes about 15-20 minutes between pups. When number eight did not arrive, we knew from experience that something was wrong and immediately took her to the vet.”
An emergency C-section was performed on Emma, and to the Conradies’ surprise the vet said there were six more pups.
“This was really something special! Labour started the morning at 04:00 and seven pups were out by 08:15,” Kobus recalled. “The last six were taken out between 09:15 and 10:15.”
The average litter size the Conradies are used to is normally between six and nine puppies.
Although Emma’s litter was 13 in the end, nine boys and four girls, “sadly, the smallest puppy, Tinkerbell, only survived until day 4. We are still very thankful all 12 survived, since in nature only about half of the puppies would have survived without human intervention, such as dropper feeding, heat lamps, warm and safe environment for mom and babies.”
As for grandma Lila, she has so far had one litter of nine and another of six. She had her first litter when she was 2 years old.
“We bought her in 2018 from a breeder in Stellenbosch,” said Kobus. “Esmari had a dream since she was young to have a golden retriever one day. Initially, we got Lila just as a pet. However, I grew up in a breeding family and Esmari’s grandma Babie bred multiple times with dachshunds (Worsies).”
They breed under the brand Liliko Golden Retrievers, coined by Esmari.
“She decided to name our kennel after her two favourite people, me (Kobus) and Lila (grandma retriever).”
What makes this breed so special to breeders? Says Kobus: “The intro to our puppy questionnaire that we send out to potential buyers will answer this question: Our two golden girls bring us much joy! We are passionate breeders with the ultimate goal to put love and laughter in other homes. Our goldens have literally changed our lives for the good!
“We are registered and breed responsibly according to KUSA standards to protect the golden-retriever breed and have done extensive tests to exclude genetic diseases within our control.”
Kobus believes goldens are not just pets, but “children in the home, and we want to be sure that we find suitable loving homes for all our pups.”
As breeders he and Esmari are asked about practices or diets that they incorporate when the goldie mother is on heat to make for a healthy conception. “Contrary to popular belief, cow’s milk should not be part of their diet. It upsets their digestive system. Another interesting fact is that although retrievers are large-breed dogs it is recommended to give the adults medium-breed puppy food during pregnancy and lactation.”
He explained medium-breed puppy food is more nutritious, rich in calcium, and enhances the production of milk in the bitch (female). “We also add Royal Canin puppy mousse and treats to their diet with lots of water in between.”
Those harbouring a hope of any of these “ridiculously cute” retrievers being up for grabs Kobus can only disappoint. “No, all the puppies have found loving homes. One is in Stellenbosch, two in Paarl, two in Somerset West, two in Durbanville, one in Tokai, one in Pinelands, one in Hout Bay, one in Noordhoek and one in Fish Hoek.
