Bella & Hudson's Pups

Bella & Hudson's Pups - Week 2

Mr. Purple loves to snuggle

It’s remarkable how quickly Bella’s puppies have grown, with some of them tripling their birth weight. They are just beginning to maneuver themselves around with the assistance of their hind legs. Some stagger around like closing time at a speak easy - they take several wobbly steps on all fours before they collapse into a heap.

Bella is spending more time out of the whelping box, but her babies are always top of mind. Whenever she hears a squeak, she runs back to check on them. For reasons not apparent to us, Bella has been scouting out a new den for her babies. When she goes outside, she immediately runs to the corner of the house and begins digging. The hole is about 2 feet wide by 2 feet deep! Bella now has enlisted the aid of our younger dogs who think it’s great fun to dig!

As Bella’s pups grow larger, so do their appetites! Occasionally Bella will throw us a backward glance when she enters the whelping box as if to ask, “What? Didn’t I just do this?” The puppies’ appetites are only matched by Bella’s own as she devours most anything that’s offered to her.

But by far the biggest event this week is the opening of their eyes. They can finally see the world around them! We have a tie between Mr. Blue and Miss Yellow as the first, with Miss White a close third. While everyone’s eyes have opened, some are still too sleepy to oblige us at picture time.

The puppies’ days are still spent napping and nursing at the milk bar. Soon they will begin to hear and become more aware of their surroundings, but for now they just love to cuddle!

Another exciting week lies ahead, so stay tuned as they begin to explore more and more….

Comments

Ruly and Tulip Litter - Week 1

Ruly and Tulip Litter - 1 Week Old What a week it's been! The Tulip puppies continue to thrive, gaining weight steadily and remaining fairly quiet. Tulip dotes on her family, rarely straying far from the whelping box. As you can see on the 24/7 camera, she is starting to spend a bit more time outside the box, but she consistently checks on her babies. Tulip currently eats around 4 pounds of food per day, along with calcium and pre-probiotics supplements. As her pups grow, her daily food intake will be gradually increased, reaching 5 - 6 pounds per day by the time the pups are about 7 weeks old. This increased caloric intake is necessary to meet the energy demands of milk production and to maintain Tulip's own body condition. Tulip still believes an outdoor den would be best for her pups, so we are monitoring her closely when she ventures out. The whelping box is lined with padded bedding and clean, white bleached towels on the bottom. The white towels allow us to quickly spot a...

Ruly & Tulip Litter - Week 2

Many viewers of the 24/7 puppy camera have raised questions, such as what are the pipes running alongside the whelping box. These are called "pig rails" and they are designed to protect the puppies from their mother accidentally lying on them, ensuring the puppies' safety. Since the puppies are unable to regulate their own body temperature, we use a heat lamp over the whelping box to keep them warm when Tulip is outside the box. However, we turn the heat lamp off when she is nursing the puppies. By 3 to 4 weeks of age, the puppies can regulate their temperature, which should then be in the normal range of 100.5°F to 102.5°F (38°C to 39.3°C). The most significant event this week is that the puppies' eyes have opened. Mr. Devil's eyes (the one with the red collar) were the first to open. Each puppy followed and within 48 hours they had all opened. The puppies are now weighing almost 3 lbs, and Tulip provides them nourishment at least every 2 hours, often throughou...

Ruly and Tulip Litter - 7 Weeks Old

Tulip’s Puppies Celebrate Their 7-Week Milestone! Another week has flown by, and it's hard to believe these puppies are already 7 weeks old. For the most part, they've been a very quiet litter. Don't get me wrong, they have their moments of boundless energy, running around in circles like little tornadoes. But compared to some of my more "vocal" litters at this age, these pups have been relatively calm. They love attention and cuddles, which is a delight for us humans. The big adventure this week was the trip to the vet for their health checkups. I'm happy to report they received a clean bill of health and were a big hit at the clinic. However, I'm always on guard at the veterinary hospital, as that's where sick dogs go. So we quickly wheeled the crates into the exam room on a trolley, making sure to keep all other dogs and people clear of my pups. This time of year, the threats of kennel cough and parvo are ever-present. The puppies weren't sure a...

Regalgoldens Golden Retrievers

Search This Blog