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| Miss Kahlua says "You pulled me off a nipple for this?" |
“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”
They were perplexed. Everything they needed to get their sustenance was
exactly at this location, but all of the fountains necessary to draw down mom’s
sweet nectar were missing. What the puppies didn’t realize was that Sierra
inexplicably decided to sleep on her back in the whelping box so the milk bar
wasn’t where it was supposed to be. As if life isn’t hard enough being a tiny
little sightless puppy coming up on one week of age when mom throws a challenge
of her own into the mix. It took a while, but the little ones, led by Mr.
Screwdriver were eventually able to navigate their way to the out-of-place
plumbing.
Puppies are born without sight or hearing and their eyes don’t open
until sometime during the second week, so for now their senses of smell and
touch are what guide them to their mom. They use their tiny forelimbs, coupled
with tremendous resolve, to propel themselves around as they seek out their
sustenance and warmth. Since their body temperatures will not have been
regulated until after week three, the little gang relies on mom and each other
for warmth.
Thanks to Sierra’s attentiveness as a mom, the puppies are nursing
virtually around the clock and have all more than doubled their birth weights. We
weigh them at least twice daily for the first couple of weeks in order to
carefully monitor their progress. Mom’s milk contains antibodies vital for the
first several weeks of their lives. Of course it’s important for Sierra to keep
herself well-nourished as well, but that’s certainly not a problem. Sierra
managed to eat before her pregnancy, during labour and immediately following
the delivery. In fact, she hasn’t stopped eating! Since Sierra’s offspring need
to do the rock climbing for some of their meals, it’s only fitting that we get
Sierra a gym membership.
To Sierra’s credit, she has been getting a bit of exercise. She’s been
prowling around outside during her breaks and even spent some time inside a dog
house in the run, just to evaluate the viability of the space to accommodate
her pack. We’re just not sure that she’s taken into account how cold it gets at
night so it’s just as well that she stays put!
That’s it for now, but be sure to join us next week for
another beguiling installment of “Puppy Tales”.
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