A Great Dane mother has given birth to 16 puppies in Manchester, England.
The mother, two-year-old Macey, was in labor for a tiresome 20 hours. She is doing well after her long and intense delivery.
But, her owners were completely surprised that their pedigree blue Great Dane delivered so many puppies. They said that she had four within hours and the puppies just kept coming. Macey's vet told her owners that she would have four puppies because she only felt four during the examination. So it was a complete shock for their dog to deliver four times that amount.
Unfortunately, one of the puppies died a couple of days later. Macey's owners are now looking for good homes for 14 of the puppies after deciding to keep a male puppy for themselves. They say that the rest of the puppies are in good health.
There are seven boys and eight girls, and they have been bottle fed ever since their birth three weeks ago.
They say that they decided to have a litter because they wanted to have one of Macey's children because of her good temperament. The couple still have yet to name any of the puppies and say that it is quite a challenge to try to find room for all of the puppies to sleep and play in. Even though the house is a bit crazy amidst all of the puppies, they say that they enjoy seeing the puppies grow and play.
Macey's vet was even shocked at the number of puppies the Great Dane had. She said that normally bigger dogs tend to have larger litters, but this is still a lot. Also to have that many puppies survive is quite rare too.
The world record of the biggest litter is 24 puppies born to a Cambridgeshire dog in 2005.
The mother, two-year-old Macey, was in labor for a tiresome 20 hours. She is doing well after her long and intense delivery.
But, her owners were completely surprised that their pedigree blue Great Dane delivered so many puppies. They said that she had four within hours and the puppies just kept coming. Macey's vet told her owners that she would have four puppies because she only felt four during the examination. So it was a complete shock for their dog to deliver four times that amount.
Unfortunately, one of the puppies died a couple of days later. Macey's owners are now looking for good homes for 14 of the puppies after deciding to keep a male puppy for themselves. They say that the rest of the puppies are in good health.
There are seven boys and eight girls, and they have been bottle fed ever since their birth three weeks ago.
They say that they decided to have a litter because they wanted to have one of Macey's children because of her good temperament. The couple still have yet to name any of the puppies and say that it is quite a challenge to try to find room for all of the puppies to sleep and play in. Even though the house is a bit crazy amidst all of the puppies, they say that they enjoy seeing the puppies grow and play.
Macey's vet was even shocked at the number of puppies the Great Dane had. She said that normally bigger dogs tend to have larger litters, but this is still a lot. Also to have that many puppies survive is quite rare too.
The world record of the biggest litter is 24 puppies born to a Cambridgeshire dog in 2005.
Meet Phenomenon, The Male Tricolor Cat
He may look like a standard stray cat, but Phinny, short for Phenomenon, is quite different. Employees at the Escondido Humane Society say that he is a rare specimen and an "once in a lifetime" cat that they have never seen before.
Not until employees were about to spay Phinny did they realize that he needed to be neutered instead. That was when he got his name Phinny. What makes six-month-old Phinny so different? He is a male tortoiseshell, a tricolor cat. And this is quite rare. Because in the terms of genetics, Phinny is an anomaly.
"In my 15 years of working with animals, this is the first live male tortoiseshell that I've ever seen," said Staci Fitzgerald, the society's director of animal care. "He's absolutely striking, a real genetic anomaly.
A local veterinarian agreed and said that he has only seen one male tortoiseshell cat in his 23 years of practice.
Tortoiseshell cats, also called torties, have coats with a patchy color combination of black, orange and white. They are mostly always females.A tortie's coat is the result of a combination of two forms of one gene carried only on the X chromosome, one of two that determine sex. The coloration expresses itself when one X carrying one form of the gene and another carrying the second form combine. Two X chromosomes equal a female.
Since normal male cats are XY chromosome, a male tortie cat is impossible.
But, a few tortie cats are born with a genetic deformity. They have an extra sex chromosome, an X-X-Y combination. If both Xs carry the gene for tricolor, a male tortie will be produced. Experts say that about one in 3,000 tortoiseshells are males.
The extra chromosome, called Klinefelter's Syndrome, can also be associated with many deformities. Many cats with the extra chromosome do not have the coloration or develop abnormalities.
Also only one in about 10,000 male torties are fertile. The ones that are fertile cannot produce more male torties.
But, Phinny is reported to be healthy and is developing well. He is looking for a new home and is up for adoption at the Escondido Humane Society.
He may look like a standard stray cat, but Phinny, short for Phenomenon, is quite different. Employees at the Escondido Humane Society say that he is a rare specimen and an "once in a lifetime" cat that they have never seen before.Not until employees were about to spay Phinny did they realize that he needed to be neutered instead. That was when he got his name Phinny. What makes six-month-old Phinny so different? He is a male tortoiseshell, a tricolor cat. And this is quite rare. Because in the terms of genetics, Phinny is an anomaly.
"In my 15 years of working with animals, this is the first live male tortoiseshell that I've ever seen," said Staci Fitzgerald, the society's director of animal care. "He's absolutely striking, a real genetic anomaly.
A local veterinarian agreed and said that he has only seen one male tortoiseshell cat in his 23 years of practice.
Tortoiseshell cats, also called torties, have coats with a patchy color combination of black, orange and white. They are mostly always females.A tortie's coat is the result of a combination of two forms of one gene carried only on the X chromosome, one of two that determine sex. The coloration expresses itself when one X carrying one form of the gene and another carrying the second form combine. Two X chromosomes equal a female.
Since normal male cats are XY chromosome, a male tortie cat is impossible.
But, a few tortie cats are born with a genetic deformity. They have an extra sex chromosome, an X-X-Y combination. If both Xs carry the gene for tricolor, a male tortie will be produced. Experts say that about one in 3,000 tortoiseshells are males.
The extra chromosome, called Klinefelter's Syndrome, can also be associated with many deformities. Many cats with the extra chromosome do not have the coloration or develop abnormalities.
Also only one in about 10,000 male torties are fertile. The ones that are fertile cannot produce more male torties.
But, Phinny is reported to be healthy and is developing well. He is looking for a new home and is up for adoption at the Escondido Humane Society.
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