Skip to main content

Heidi and Hudson’s Litter – Week One


Miss Ivory and Mr. Ebony all snuggled together!

As the first week draws to a close, we reflect on the journey that has brought us to this happy point in time. Heidi has become the stellar mom we always knew she would be, although it didn’t quite start out that way. For the weeks leading up to the birth, a mother-to-be knows she’s going to have a litter. When puppies are delivered via C-section, it’s a bit perplexing for her because somehow the babies have magically appeared when she awakens from her anesthesia. It takes mom a while to realize that these are her babies! In Heidi’s case, she immediately allowed the puppies to nurse, but kept a wary eye on these tiny creatures as they moved around in the whelping box. Part of mom’s job description is to stimulate her newborn pups to encourage them to eliminate by licking them. For the day or so that it took for her to fully embrace the notion that these were her puppies, we had to perform the task by rubbing each puppy with a towel. Fortunately, Heidi’s maternal instincts kicked in and she relieved us of this duty. She’s now a fully connected, very attentive and loving mother, attending to the needs of her little family with every whimper, never straying very far from them or for very long.


The puppies have all gained well with some of them almost doubling their birth weight. We weigh them twice daily for the first couple of weeks in order to monitor their progress very carefully. Ever the concerned mom, Heidi accompanies each and every puppy the few short steps to the weigh scale and back to the whelping box to ensure their safe passage.



Puppies are born without sight or hearing and it will be a while before their eyes open, so for now their senses of smell and touch are what guide them to their mom. At this stage, puppies spend virtually all of their time eating and sleeping and this group is no exception. It’s interesting to note that while most Goldens have ten teats, Heidi has only eight. This is why we conduct feeding rotations to make certain that everyone gets their fair share at the milk bar. The results are evident as the puppies all have plump bellies that expand and contact like little accordions when they sleep.



Heidi has recovered very nicely from her C-section to the point where she’s able to jump up on the bed to get a quick little cuddle herself before returning to look after her babies. Despite having such a cozy spot indoors, Heidi still seems intent on finding or building an igloo in the back yard to move her little ones to.



That’s it for now, but be sure to join us next week for another beguiling installment 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 & 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

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...
Post a Comment
Read more