Day 14 - Puppies eyes are starting to open and they can toddle more with their bellies off the ground. At the beginning of the second week, they still rely more on smell than sight to direct their movement.
This week we start making a designated "bed" area surrounded by pee pads. The puppies will move off the bed but won't waddle far before they stop and pee. Mom is still cleaning up the poop. Puppies all got their first de-worming treatment today.
Day 15 - Mom is spending more time away from the puppy pen, coming back a few times an hour for cleanup and about every 4 hours to feed them. She's also taking a more active role with playing with the other dogs while outside. She seems to be balancing "independent dog" with the mother role well.
Day 16 - We start putting in puppy-friendly objects for the pups to encounter now. A soft foam ball, a rolled up towel, a shallow bowl of formula - something different every day to stimulate their senses. They're not quite at the milk-lapping stage but it will only be a matter of a few more days before some of them are ready.
Day 17 - Some puppies took their first clumsy laps at the drink dish today - what a mess! I didn't think they were ready so I didn't take a photo but I'll be sure to have my camera ready tomorrow.
Today there were signs of littermate awareness, with some showing intermittent playfulness, pawing, and licking of their siblings.
Day 18 - LeeLo has developed signs of mastitis and is reluctant to nurse. The mass is about as big as my hand and developed almost overnight. It's culminating in some weight loss in some of the pups. Back to feeding the pups by hand while continuing to offer their formula in a dish. Breeding isn't for the faint of heart!
Day 19 - LeeLo started on a course of antibiotics and carprofen today and I've found that the Thermacare Back Pain XL heat wraps (for humans) are an excellent way to provide self-contained heat therapy - they have a velcro wrap-around that fits perfectly around the body of a standard poodle. She's on the mend!
Day 20 - LeeLo's mastitis is greatly improved and pups are back to nursing but more importantly, they've taken to eating out of the feeding dish! I'm collectively offering them about 250ml's of formula from the feeding dish - which they VERY messily finish - before turning them over to mom for nursing.
Day 21 - We're about to get the pups on a regular feeding schedule starting at 5:30am and around every 6 hours thereafter. Todays milestones:
We'll start introducing soaked and mashed puppy kibble into their formula, and we'll gradually increase the amount of kibble added over the next week.
Puppies will have their first outdoor visit in a small 4'x4' puppy pen. This is the start of their new adventures!