Whitney and Storm’s Litter

Whitney and Storm’s Litter – Week Two

Everyone pile on the milk train!

Change of Address

She just wouldn’t take our word for it. Since our Sierra was expecting her litter this week, we moved Whitney and her pups out of the bedroom and into another whelping box that we’d set up in the library. Everything was identical to the previous setup in the bedroom and her puppies were already settled in their new surroundings, but Whitney wasn’t convinced. She kept coming back to the bedroom to perform numerous inspections to make sure we hadn’t left anyone behind. After a little coaxing and several treats, Whitney was satisfied with the new arrangement. After all, this room featured a sofa that she could use to lounge on when she was on her breaks. In time, Whitney relished our regular cuddle sessions with her on the sofa as well. In fact, Whitney seems to enjoy it there so much that she has abandoned any notion she ever had about relocating her brood to a spot under the spruce tree in the backyard.

One of the most exciting events for us is when the puppies’ eyes open. Many of the puppies’ critical organs including their brain are not fully formed and they will spend several weeks developing rapidly. The same is true of the eyes. Puppies are born with their eyelids tightly shut because the eye itself is still developing and is extremely fragile. The closed eyelids serve as a barrier to protect the eyes from potential damage. Now that their eyes are open, it will take a few weeks before their eyes mature and their eyesight begins to approach normal. The ear canals begin to open at around the same time, but the ears are much more fully formed than the eyes and their hearing will be quite acute within a week or so.

The puppies have all grown very nicely and Whitney has been stellar as a mom. In fact, she has even been outsourced to cross-foster Bailey’s pups. While Bailey was sleeping off the effects of the anesthetic from her C-section, both Whitney and Sierra helped to nurse Bailey’s pups. The other day, when Whitney was laying just outside the whelping box on one of her breaks, Mr. Cinnamon Twist went in search of his mom. He managed to scale the barrier into the library and make his way to his target. We have to give the little fella top marks for determination.

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

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