PUPPIES WEEK 4

TRICK OR TREAT

PUPPY VIDEO

EYES ARE OPENING

The puppies are hitting another milestone as their eyes are starting to open.  It takes a few days and then they will have a purplish color until their pigment settles in.  All are growing and are at least one pound.  They are very cute, trying to stand and walk.  Mostly their balance doesn't allow that yet and they quickly fall over.  But they are able to scoot around the whelping box pretty fast, especially if Pieta is there to feed them.  And they have their distinctive puppy breath now.

I'm not planning to do the individual pictures today as I don't want the flash so close to their new eyes.  I will take a video of them this weekend so you can see the big changes they are making.

ONE WEEK OLD!!

In the same order as the first photos:  Counting the top or first picture as puppy 1, boys are 1,3,5,8,10 and girls are 2,4,6,7,9.

SLEEPING PUPPIES DAY 5

ONE POUND!

Today the first puppy reached one pound on the scale.  They are all gaining steadily and certainly within the expectations for pups at their age.  But it is pretty exciting to see one reach this milestone.  Not to worry, there are a few right behind him.

GROWING

Things are going smoothly.  Pieta is a great mother - she is very conscientious of where her pupsters are in the whelping box and is careful to step around them when coming and going.  Pieta has a lot of milk and spends most of the day feeding or cleaning the babies.  She is now eating about 6 meals a day, most recently a big pot of chicken and rice.  Somehow she just doesn't want the dry dog food.  Whatever will keep the mild flowing works for me.

The pups drag themselves around the box.  They often spend time on the heating pad but yesterday started sleeping off the pad during part of the day.  The are growing steadily.  They exhibit Portuguese characteristics - they have their own opinions.  For example if I try to place one near a specific milking station, they will often refuse it until left alone to get it themselves.  The pups have  many different noises -small happy chirps, the cry for mom to clean them, the frustration cry if they get separated from the group and want to find the others and several other sounds.  They seem to like to be held and settle right into a hand.  It's fun to watch as they grow.

INTRODUCING..............

Here they are on day 3:

PUPPIES

They are here - October 2, 2010.  Starting at 2:45 AM, we have 10 puppies - 5 boys and 5 girls.  Some wavy and some curly.  All are black with some white marking on their chest and most have it on their neck as well.  Some have white chins.  No Zorro or Pieta image clones.
Nature had her way with this litter.  There were 17 puppies and those who did not make it did not have a chance as they were stillborn.  Despite my resuscitation efforts, it was not to be.  There is speculation from the vets that she did not have room for large enough placentas or room for the oxygen they needed.  17 is a huge number of pups and explains Pieta's size and discomfort.   So we are feeling very blessed with the ones we have and are putting all our efforts into helping them get a good start.