Skip to main content

Bella and Hudson’s Litter – Week Three


“The Lion Tamer”

Mr. Gingerbread and Miss Snowflake


This week Bella and her puppies made the big move from the bedroom to their own private sanctuary in the library. At the same time, the extension was added to the whelping box providing Bella with a little lounge to curl up in or give some of her little ones private feedings. The room also has other amenities like a sofa that Bella uses for naptime and that we can use for visits and a place to pamper the puppies with the seemingly endless series of pedicures. Since the days are short and nights are long, in the winters we outfit the whelping box with full spectrum lighting to ensure that the puppies have a source of vitamin D before they are able to go outside.

The library is off the main foyer - the hub of the house - sort of a Grand Central Station. From her vantage point on the sofa overlooking the whelping box, Bella likes to lie there watching over her little flock, keeping an eye on the goings on in the foyer. With a puppy gate blocking its entrance, the rest of the pack occasionally lines up to peek inside the library to see what the fuss is all about and Bella has been a good sport in accommodating the spectators.

Now that the puppies have greater clarity of vision, they are increasingly curious about the world around them and about each other. They are also more mobile which they demonstrate as they stagger to and fro in their little arena. A new pastime has emerged as they engage in numerous sessions of head bumping and nibbling away at each other. One of the more interesting encounters occurred when Miss Snowflake was in the middle of a great big yawn and Mr. Icicle tried to put his head inside her mouth, not too unlike the lion tamer at a circus.

The puppies have voracious appetites and Bella continues to satisfy their needs – her reservoirs topped up and at the ready. The results are apparent when the puppies lay on their backs baring their rotund bellies as they snore gently. Bella will soon get a bit of a break when the puppies transition to solid food, but that’s a story for next time.

That’s it for now, but be sure to join us next week for another tantalizing installment in the continuing saga of “Puppy Tales”.


Click to play this Smilebox slideshow
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

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...
2 comments
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more