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 and change any soiled areas. The whelping box is located in our bedroom, enabling me to take Tulip out for bathroom breaks overnight and hear if a puppy cries after becoming lost.

The pups are already beginning to walk and crawl around, and in just a few days, their eyes will open - an always-exciting milestone! Overall, the Tulip puppies continue to flourish.

Stay Tuned ...