Maddie and Jazz’s Litter – Week Two
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| Miss Lilac - Two Weeks Old! |
The
primary objective of a puppy is to eat as much as possible and then fall over
in a heap to sleep it off until the next mealtime rolls around. It takes a lot
of fuel to keep nine puppies satisfied. Fortunately Maddie’s appetite hasn’t
waned so she’s getting a minimum of three nutrient-enriched meals a day
supplemented with some dry food and a quantity of contraband Tostito chips that
she helped herself to in the kitchen the other day.
Much
of the puppies’ time is occupied by sleep. And there are many variations of it
as they lie there twitching and stretching. Since their body temperature will
not have been regulated until after week three, they rely on mom and each other
for warmth. When they sleep, they typically do so in clusters or groups, often
one on top of the other. Periodically we muse about how they’ve unknowingly
organized themselves, one time forming the spokes of a wagon wheel, another
time like perfect dominoes. Sometimes we half expect to see patterns resembling
crop circles.
The
big event this week is that all of the puppies have opened their eyes. Mr. Blue
was the first to oblige, followed soon thereafter by the rest of the group. The
puppies can initially only differentiate between light and dark through a kind
of haze, but this will clear up very quickly over the next week or so as they
experience normal sight.
Whenever
mom presents herself in the whelping box, the race begins, much like workers to
a catering truck at lunchtime. The puppies are now able to stagger around on
all fours as they propel themselves toward their mark. Maddie spends a little
bit less time in the box throughout the day, but is always on call when the
need arises to ensure her little crew is well-fed. And well-fed they are. Many
of the puppies have tripled their birth weight and have doubled in size. As
always, the boys are a little bit bigger, but the girls more than make up for
the difference with attitude.
That’s it for now, but be sure to join us next week for another
riveting installment in the continuing saga of “Puppy Tales”.
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