Puppies are growing so nicely. They are in my bedroom right now and I love to hear their little squeaks and squiggles!  They are one week old today. I can’t believe it has flown by so fast. Still, there is not much new to report so I thought I’d just fill in on what development has taken place at one week.

Typically they double their weight the first 8 to 11 days. For about the first two weeks their eyes and ears are closed. They sense light, though, and they find Phoebe by scent. Sometimes they look for her and she is sleeping outside the whelping box which brings on a series of woeful pleading cries to which she responds immediately. She is such a good mother.

As for Phoebe, I am letting her free feed from 6:30 am until 6:30 pm. She is eating about four times what she normally eats! I watch her closely for signs of mastitis…swollen or hardened teats.

Really, at this stage puppies are a very easy proposition. Phoebe does everything from feeding to rounding them up to cleaning their little poops and pees. She constantly licks the puppies’ tummies to stimulate their bowels and bladders and, believe it or not, she benefits nutritionally from what she ingests.