Mango and Steele’s Litter

Mango and Steele’s Litter – Week Two

Miss Rose - Two Weeks Old!

Mango still doesn’t realize what a plush space she’s got for herself and her seven little pups. Periodically, when she’s in the yard on one of her breaks, she insists on perfecting the hole she created under a large tree. Sadly, we don’t think she’ll strike oil in that spot, but at the rate she’s going, we’ll need a backhoe to fill it in when she’s done. The puppies are a happy and content bunch spending most of their time eating, sleeping and staggering around the whelping box on their rubbery limbs. Many have achieved three times their birth weight and don’t look like they could possibly have popped out of their mom such a short while ago. We weigh the puppies at least once a day for the first three weeks; one of the highlights of our day.

On the weekend, we thought that Mr. Tangerine might like a little private time with his mom, but it turned out that Mango’s milk supply had been depleted. We were about to mix up some formula when it occurred to us that we had another milk truck, named Maddie, parked just down the hall so we decided to take him out for some “fast food”. We had Maddie lie down and latched Mr. Tangerine onto one of her nipples along with one or two of Maddie’s own puppies. She gave him a good sniffing and looked him over very carefully, but decided to let him stay. Not only did the little guy nurse for a solid twenty minutes, but he actually drained three of Maddie’s reservoirs. What a good sport she was and what a big boy he’s becoming.

The puppies have no reservations about letting themselves be heard. They achieve this with a cacophony of sounds ranging from squeaky plush toys to seagulls to a family of pigeons as they coo very gently to express their contentment. The puppies’ hearing is perfect soon after their ears have opened, but their eyes don’t actually open until the second week and their vision is somewhat blurred until week three. The first in this group to open her eyes was Miss Blueberry and the rest obliged soon thereafter. It’s interesting to watch them gaze in wonderment at the world unveiling itself around them.

That’s it for now, but be sure to join us next week for another fur-raising installment of “Puppy Tales”.

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...

Bronson and Tulip Litter – 7 weeks

We're 7 weeks old today! It has been an adventure-filled week! It was the puppies' first-time riding in a car! Introducing them to new experiences begins at this age. Rides in cars, sounds, meeting new people, etc. Our puppies are often taken to Home Depot, Winners, Homesense, Petsmart, and other pet-friendly stores after they receive their next set of vaccinations. While they still ride in the shopping cart, their horizons are broadening. We’ve expanded the puppies play area which is either in our kitchen, outside in the yard or on our porch depending on the weather. They enjoy playing together and are becoming more and more confident. Their play area includes toys an activity center, a crate, and tunnel. Jolly Pets' Jolly Ball was a huge hit today. The puppies seemed to take turns carrying it! All of them weigh between 13 and 15 pounds. Their appetites are good, and momma Tulip occasionally stops by with a vanilla milkshake. Beef, turkey and chicken are among the protein...

Regalgoldens Golden Retrievers

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