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| Stunning Paige enjoying motherhood. |
“The Transplant”
The delivery of Paige’s pups was pretty much textbook. It was an easy labour completed in just under four hours. As the time wore on and Paige kept producing girl after girl, we were relieved that with the final “deposit”, they did end up with a baby brother. The six precious girls and one robust boy include: Miss Tomato (red), Miss Garlic (grey), Miss Chickpea (brown), Miss Bell Pepper (orange), Miss Olive (black), Miss Kale (green) and Mr. Blue Cheese (blue).
Despite being a rookie, Paige is as devoted as any mom we’ve had and does a great job looking after her mini pack. There were however a few incidents where Paige was over-zealous to make her way outside for a break and at least in one instance, exited the whelping box with Miss Tomato still attached to her nipple who she transplanted onto the bedroom carpet.
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| Paige is such a devoted mom. |
It never ceases to amaze us how the little ones know exactly what to do from the first minute onward and how they instinctively suckle. Apart from nourishment, a mom’s milk contains antibodies vital to the puppies’ survival for the first several weeks of their lives. We weigh the puppies at least twice daily for the first week to ensure that everyone is getting equal access to the milk bar. Paige watches us very closely as each puppy makes a trip to the scale, just to be sure they’re returned safely. At the one-week mark, everyone’s weight has pretty much doubled which is clearly a testament to her abilities as a mom.
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 target. They use their tiny forelimbs, coupled with great tenacity, 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 their mother and each other for warmth. Of course, we have a heat lamp at the ready to use whenever mom’s on her break.
That’s it for now, but be sure to join us next week for another beguiling installment of “Puppy Tales”
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