6/8/2016 The end of week 2week 2 is coming to an end. I wasn't pleased with weights yesterday. Lilac did not gain. She stayed the same. Everyone else did gain a little. Our vet appt is for tomorrow at 3:30. I will be taking Bella the weight sheets and lilac with me. At 2 weeks we start the de worming meds and do this once a week for 3 weeks. This is done as a precaution because momma can pass parasites through milk to pups. Its very common. So de worming eliminates the parasites and worms from forming in the tummy. As tiny as lilac is I want the vet to admin the meds to her. One topic I wanted to discuss today is food. I feed a high quality food. This is what I've been told. Although most dogs love grocery store food it would be like you eating at mc D's everyday. It has fillers and not do healthy things in it. I currently feed Merrick. I have feed natural balance and nature's variety in the past. All 3 are excellent choices. When my girls are pregnant they refuse hard food. So I turn to canned. Usually once pups deliver they are so hungry all the time that they will go back to hard. However Bella has decided that she is not. She is still eating her special food. Its a high calorie soft food made for helping tiny pups and small mothers get more calories. But Bella weights 50lbs. Its more for toy breeds. She is consuming 30 oz a day of this stuff. So I will discuss with vet options of food and to make sure its fine that she is eating so much of this. She just refuses her hard food. My point is food is very important. And sometimes asking a vet is the best solution to make sure what you are doing is healthy. Which leads me to treats. Good quality treats are expensive. You can drop over $100 at the pet store and only have a couple bags of treats. And its so easy to stop at grocery store and cheaper to buy those but again they are filled with bad stuff. I've started making my own treats. I still buy some like Greenie's or milk bones. But I dehydrate sweet potatoes a lot as treats. They are healthy and less expensive. You can do this in your oven too. I also feed raw or boiled liver. You can by a pound of beef liver for $1.99. I give this twice a week. I boil and cut into pieces as treats for 2 or 3 days. The other time I leave raw and give in 2 helpings. Curly does not like raw so that's why I boil. It does smell up the house. But if you are creative you can make all kinds of healthy treats for a fraction of pet store bought ones. Just remember what ever you start as habits you have to continue. So if you give a treat everytime they go put to potty you will be giving lots of treats. Try breaking treats into bite size bits. Habits are hard to break when you decide you don't want to continue something.
6/7/2016 Updategood morning all. I'm pleased with weights from yesterday. The pups are really getting mobile. They are standing to walk. I will post a video on Facebook today. I can't post videos here. In the past I have handled pups very little the first week. Other than moving to change pads I normally leave them alone. This litter has been different because of lilac and the size of the litter. I noticed Sunday lilac had a crusty eye. I immediately got a warm washcloth and massaged it. I continued all day yesterday. I did not peel the eye open. You can if its necessary but I was worried someone would scratch her eye. I'm happy to report today its gone. I believe it was from me handling them. Sometimes you have to take the better of the options available. I'm just glad it cleared up so fast.
6/6/2016 Monday morning updateweights from yesterday are OK. Most gained. Little lilac gained an entire ounce. But I did have one loose a little. Still monitoring every feeding. I get in the whelping box and make sure everyone gets fed. I'm not concerned as this is a very small weight drop. I will keep everyone posted.
6/5/2016 Not a puppy update instead a lessoni just read another post on FB. At least one a week like this. And it makes my blood boil. People become breeders for all types of reasons. But the reason is not as important as the end result. Produce healthy happy puppies that live a long life in their forever homes. I do everything possible to ensure I'm producing the best pups possible and I set my families up to succeed. The post on Facebook is always the same... I got a pup from a breeder and had no idea it was only 6 weeks old... Now puppy is peeing everywhere, biting, showing aggression, ect. There is a law in most states. 8 weeks before pups can leave mom. Now, these people are not getting pups on Craigslist or newspapers. They are paying top dollar to breeders and waiting on lists and then get a pup that's only 6 weeks old. So, it makes me angry that breeders are doing this. It wasn't an oops my dog got bred. This is breeders not caring for the best interests of the puppy, family, and the breed. My point of sharing this is to educate. As a buyer, ask questions. Know when the pups were born. Ask to see vet health certificate if not provided. Ask to see genetics testing on the parents. Visit the pups before purchasing or do a video or Facetime call. Know the breeder, if you don't ask for referrals. My point, selecting a pup is no different than having a child. Do your homework and set your self up for success. Unfortunately not all breeders are ethical. Know, by choosing me as your breeder I will do everything I can to help you have a healthy and happy puppy that lives a long life. I also will continue to support you long after you have picked up your puppy. I am here to answer all questions you have and if I can't help you point you in the direction to someone that can.
6/5/2016 Weekend postwe are all still doing great. Gaining weight perfectly. I can start to see the corners of eyes opening. No one is actually peeking yet but it's close. Only a couple days to go. I will be reviewing weights with the vet this week. I want to make sure with such a large litter that we are doing everything possible to keep everyone healthy and happy. And Bella will have a post exam to ensure she is back to a good weight. I won't take the pups in unless needed. I don't like transporting them this little. And Bella will only be away from them for under an hour. I will keep everyone posted.
6/4/2016 Making soundsthe pups are really getting mobile. They can crawl from one side of the box to the other pretty fast. Once they smell momma they take off. Its like a race. And they all cry and grunt to get first access to the food source. With that said, if one rolls off the pile and can't feel the others they scream. The warmth from siblings still is very important. Weight from yesterday are good. A little shocked that lilac didn't gain any at all. The rest are approaching or have reached a pound. I started back with trying to bottle feed her but she hates the bottle. Momma is doing very well. Spending more time out of the box. She is eating very well. She has polished off 30 cans of her special food this week. Its a high calorie food for lactating mothers.
6/3/2016 Waiting listok the news everyone has been waiting for. I do have 2 spots that have opened up on the waiting list. Jeannie Whitley has first dibs on one spot if she wants it. The other spot is still open. It will most likely be for a female. Please contact me if you are interested because I just shot out emails to everyone that has contacted me about puppies so I don't expect the opening to be for long.
6/3/2016 Beginning of week 2everyone is doing great. This is when the work really starts. They are pottying more than momma can keep up with so lots of changing pads and blankets. This is when I'm usually hesitant about pictures of the box. But it is what it is. Puppies potty a lot. I've decided not to filter my photos this litter. I think so many people see all the cute photos and never realize the reality of raising pups. So please excuse the messy pictures. I'm pleased with weight gains at the end of week 1. I'm also pleased with Bella's physical condition. She is thin but bouncing back quickly.
6/2/2016 Week 1 updateswe are to the end of week 1. Everyone is still gaining weight. All though I've never lost a puppy, I am releaved we have made it to the end of week one with all 12. I know if I had not stepped in the last week we would not have been able to say this. In nature the strongest survive. There is no one to help the ones that need help. I know we are not out of the woods yet, but I'm pleased at the progress the little one is making. I've attached a weight update. On another note, you can all laugh at my progress on the puppy gym. I get to work on it about 10 mins at a time before I hear someone crying, or mom is hungry or needs to be let out to potty. I have high hopes that today is the day I can get it finished.
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