Jazz and Bailey Litter – Week Two

 

 

“Take the Long Way Home”

It was unusually warm out for a winter’s day and the sun made what seemed to have been a guest appearance as of late. Most of us are motivated on cheery, sunny days to just get up and go and that’s exactly what she did. Whether it was the mood that this kind of a day inspires or perhaps just a wrong turn, Miss Garlic launched herself over a slat that serves as a barrier in the whelping box to embark upon her first solo adventure. Long before an amber alert was considered, the little girl was discovered on the bedroom carpet across the room safe and sound. She was promptly escorted back to the warmth and safety of the whelping box to join her siblings for yet another nap time.

One of the most exciting events for us is when the puppies’ eyes open. Many of the puppies’ critical organs including their brains are not fully formed and they will spend several weeks developing rapidly. Since the gestation period in dogs is short (63 days), the tradeoff is that puppies are quite helpless at birth. Biologists refer to species that produce immature dependent offspring as altricial, which means “to nurse, to rear or to nourish”. It pertains to the need for the young of these species to be fed and taken care of for a long period of time. 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 approaches normal. The puppies are also born functionally deaf since their ear canals are closed. While their ear canals begin to open at around the same time, the ears are much more fully formed than the eyes and their hearing will be quite acute within a week or so.

At first glance, it may appear that the puppies spend all of their time sleeping since some are in or around the three pound range. This is largely true, but they also spend a good deal of time exercising. This may not be readily apparent but as they lay there asleep, they are constantly twitching. These involuntary actions, referred to as “activated sleep”, help strengthen their leg muscles and begin to build muscle mass. This allows them to plod around on all fours when they’re in search of their mom for a snack. Fortunately both Bailey and Sierra are good sports who keep their milk bars open twenty-four hours a day.

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