Jazz and Bailey Litter

Jazz and Bailey Litter – Week One

Happy One Week Birthday!

“Hide and Go Seek”

Bailey has always been one to come late to the party. We had her pegged to deliver her puppies on Friday, then Saturday, then Sunday and when that didn’t happen we knew it was time to consider a C-section. It was then we welcomed the seven puppies we were expecting plus one! Bailey’s girls are Miss Saffron, Miss Chile, Miss Pepper and Miss Garlic and the boys are Mr. Basil, Mr. Salt, Mr. Curry and Mr. Nutmeg. Normally a mom is a somewhat perplexed by the sudden appearance of the puppies that she thought she was going to deliver so there can be a bit of a disconnect. However Bailey stepped up to the task like an old pro and allowed the little ones to nurse right away. Another of mom’s jobs is to stimulate the puppies to eliminate by licking them. That took just a while longer to become part of Bailey repertoire. Nevertheless, Bailey’s maternal instincts are in full force as she is a very doting and loving mother. She even needed to be coaxed out of the whelping box to go out for her bathroom breaks.

While the whelping box is a very clean and secure environment, that didn’t deter Bailey from investigating other prospective habitats for her puppies including the wooden doghouse and a partially excavated hole in the snow. When will they learn? As the week wore on and once Bailey was satisfied that her pups were safe and sound, she spent some time on our bed demanding cuddles as usual and even joined Sierra in the yard to make snow angels together. Sierra with her new litter of five is Bailey’s roommate. Since Sierra had plumbing to spare, we outsourced some of Bailey’s pups for Sierra to nurse.

The puppies are all doing well and gaining weight to the extent that they have doubled their birth weight. We weigh them at least twice daily for the first couple of weeks to carefully monitor their progress. Newborn puppies are unable to regulate their own body temperature and for the first three weeks. Their temperature climbs one degree until it reaches the normal range. When mom is on her break, we use a heat lamp to keep everyone warm and cozy, but when mom’s around, they’ll either snuggle up with her or lay intertwined with their siblings. Mr. Nutmeg has found other ways to keep warm by burrowing underneath layers of towel in the whelping box. One time we discovered we’d rolled him up as we were changing out the towels and almost put him in the laundry basket! Let the games begin!

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

Comments

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

Search This Blog