AKC

Happy Meal

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Sparky LOVED the mush

I started Maxi’s pups on mush yesterday. Puppy kibble soaked in water, then mushed up and mixed with goat’s milk for a very creamy consistency…more milk right now than mush…warmed up to about 95 degrees F. Yummy!

Actually, so did Blaze

It is interesting to observe the logistics in all this. Of course the puppies have no clue what this bowl set in their midst might contain. I am sure they can detect the milk but it is not their mother’s milk nor is it our vet’s formula that some have been fed. With a gentle nudge of muzzles to mush they slowly get it. Why? Because it tastes good.

Still there are problems as there are with any new experience. They have to learn to keep their noses clear of the substance or they sneeze. They have to learn to balance themselves or their front end drops into the dish of mush. They have to learn to lap at the food instead of sucking it. And they have to learn to keep their feet clear of the mushy stuff because it feels funny. At least it did to some of them. A couple had no problem diving right in and remaining there.

It took Boomer a few minutes to get the program

And Georgie just wanted to play

Today Maxi’s pups got their second nail trim. This time I did front and back toes for a total of 64. It took a while. I also spent a few moments gently laying each puppy on my lap…on its back. This is a very strange sensation and one of complete submission which some pups (and adult dogs) have difficulty with. This exercise teaches them trust. It also teaches them to better handle stress.

In time they will have other exercises as well. The U.S. Military was actually instrumental in developing these “Early Neurological Stimulation” exercises to improve the dogs’ performance for military purposes. Of course, some puppies can handle this stress better than others and it is important to appreciate the difference so as to not “freak out” the puppy. With tiny, gentle stimulations they will become better adjusted pets…each at its own pace.

But ten minutes in…they were all interested and chowing down

Then there was the ceremonial cleansing of feet
And, here is Phoebe with her babies…all growing nicely

I’ll talk about the four other kinds of stimulation later.

So Many Puppies–So Little Time

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My days are filled with changing towels, changing newsprint (I use the clean newsprint that U-Haul sells as packing paper), feeding and bathing the grown-ups. I LOVE IT!

Daughter Jenny nursing one of our preemies

All the puppies are growing by leaps and bounds. I am still bottle feeding Maxi’s two little ones and Phoebe’s two smallest ones though they are not nearly the size of Maxi’s preemies. It just gives them an edge since they often lose out to the bigger pups at the teats.

Don’t you wonder what is going through his little mind?

Two of Maxi’s pups eyes have opened partially. They are the largest pup with the full white blaze and the littlest pup with the forked blaze. The rest should be open in the next day or so. Generally their ears open about the same time so the sensory input for these little guys is huge this week.

Maxi has pretty much got the hang of this part now.

Today was manicure day for Maxi’s pups. They are two weeks old now (can you believe it?) and by gently handling their paws and getting them used to the clip-clip-clip…this process will be much less traumatic for them as adults. I use a human baby nail scissors at this stage. Their nails are tiny and they are also very sharp so I know Maxi will be very grateful!

Just think. Next week I get to trim 64 paws! I better keep the whole morning open.

Phoebe’s pups at five days old…so much stronger than Maxi’s thanks to their later arrival.

How sweet are these babies?

Never Discount the First Week

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While the puppies seem very tiny and preoccupied with eating and sleeping, a lot more is going on with them. Even at this very early age they are already bonding with their siblings, their mother and their humans. It is very important that the breeder spend a few moments with each puppy individually, stroking it, cuddling it and speaking to it in a low voice. Right now their eyes are still closed, as are their ears, so they cannot hear or see. But they can feel both the gentle, loving caresses they get from their humans and their mother…maybe not so gentle from their siblings! And, they cannot hear your voice but if you hold them close they can sense the vibrations of your voice.

This is, indeed, a very important time in their development. One not to be taken lightly.

Pups are growing well. I put the three small ones back on three bottle supplements a day. Fortunately not at night! They are just not getting their fair share at Maxi’s nipples, even though I try to give them the best ones as often as I can. I had started them on a product called Esbilac, sold in most pet stores. My vet gave me another brand and it is amazing how much more they like that one! As long as it is warm, they really suck it down!

Since I don’t have any new photos of the pups, I thought I’d post a few of their daddy, Carson.

We’re Back!

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Back to the blog I started a few years back with an earlier litter. I had transplanted it to my website that I create with my iWeb program on my MacBook. Unfortunately Apple decided it didn’t want to be in the website hosting business anymore and the blog portion of my site won’t work. There are more than one ways to skin a cat, right?

Anyway, my Havanese dog, Maxi, whelped her first litter of puppies five days early on July 3. Ten boys! Four of the pups were premature. Oddly, dogs can conceive puppies on several different days during their heat cycle as long as their eggs are still viable. Once released, the eggs remain fertile for up to 48 hours. However, not all eggs are necessarily released at the same time. So puppies conceived with the first eggs could easily be several days older than the ones conceived with eggs released a few days later.

This was likely the case in Maxi’s breeding. Her puppies’ birth weights ranged from 80 grams to 180! Quite a disparity. Four were under 90 grams which is definitely on the preemie side of the coin and dangerously underweight. We lost two, sadly. But I consider the other two to be my miracle babies.

To complicate things further the first puppy was born totally lifeless. Maxi was not interested in removing the sack or cutting the cord so I did both then went to work trying to revive him. 45 minutes later after warming his very cool body and rubbing him as vigorously as I dared with a soft terrycloth towel, he let out two cries! I knew we were on our way! Meanwhile Maxi delivered three more puppies. We both had our hands full. I am happy to report that that first puppy is not only thriving but is the largest in the litter!