Gwynie's due date is 11 November, plus or minus two days.
So I will try to let Gwynie have her puppies naturally. From experience, I know that this is much easier (and safer) for the mother than a c-section, although there is an increased risk for the puppies.
In case of something going wrong, I do not want to be a two-hour drive from my house to the NC State Veterinary Hospital. So I have made arrangements when the time comes to stay with a relative and be only 20 minutes from the hospital.
So now we wait until Gwynie lets me know that it is time. I will be looking for Gwynie to start nesting (furiously digging, followed by periods of rest). Another indication that Gwynie is in "stage one labor" is if Gwynie does not eat all of a meal. From experience, I know that stage one labor for my girls usually starts during the evening, and that approximately 18 to 24 hours later puppies come. So there should be time for me to take my other dogs to my petsitter, and get Gwynie settled where hopefully she will have her puppies.
When we got home I built Gwynie's whelping box next to my bed. "Whelping box" is a misnomer, as Gwynie will not be having her puppies here at home; a better name would be "puppy nursery". First, I put the "whelping nest" in a base. The whelping nest is electronically heated and will help keep the puppies warm. Next, I covered the whelping nest with a washable mat and built the whelping box on top.
I still have to stage my supplies that I will be bringing with me. I plan to do that tomorrow.
I had been advised to bring Gwynie to NC State to be checked if Gwynie had not had her puppies by today. I had a suspicion that today might be the day, so I packed everyone into my car. Since I did not know if the day would end with a free-whelp or a c-section or just returning home, I packed for everything.
My first stop was to drop off some of my dogs with my petstitter Ali. Then Gwynie and the rest of my dogs went to NC State. At NC State the repro team drew some blood to check Gwynie's progesterone value. Falling progesterone triggers whelping, and thus is a good indication as to whether the puppies are "ripe" enough (ready to be born, either naturally or by c-section).
While we waited for the progesterone result, I walked my dogs. After a while the progesterone machine spit out that Gwynie's progesterone value was 0.23 ng/mL. I was advised to take Gwynie to a quiet dark place to give Gwynie a chance to whelp naturally; but that if no puppies appeared by tomorrow, a c-section would be necessary.
After dropping off the remainder of my dogs with my petsitter Nancy, Gwynie and I want to the home of a good friend who had offered me a quiet bedroom in which Gwynie could have her puppies. Gwynie would only be a 20 minute drive from the NC State veterinary hospital; much better than the two hour drive from my house in case of an emergency.
I had a late lunch with my friend, then Gwynie and I took an afternoon nap punctuated by some potty walks. After a late dinner with my friend, I noticed that Gwynie was have strong contractions (stage 2 labor). Around 8 pm Gwynie whelped the first puppy, a red boy, weighing 173 grams. Around 8:40 pm Gwynie whelped a black-and-tan girl, weighing 188 grams. Finally around 9:20 pm, Gwynie free whelped another red boy, weighing 168 grams. All these are nice weights for newborn Norwich puppies. To tell the two red boys apart, I put a collar of red yarn on the first-born puppy, and blue yarn on the third-born puppy. Here are some pictures. The quality is not good as the room was dark, plus I was concentrating more on Gwynie and her puppies rather than taking pictures.
After letting the puppies nurse for a bit, I packed up and we drove home. The puppies rode in the crate with Gwynie and were mostly quiet during the ride home. Upon getting home I settled Gwynie and her puppies in the whelping box (nursery box) and fed Gwynie, before collapsing into my bed around midnight.
Time for formal introductions:
I just realized that I should put a white collar on Black, so that I can have Red, White, and Blue. I think I will do this.
I will be weighing the puppies twice a day - once in the morning and once in the evening - for the next three weeks. A drop in weight can be the first sign of a problem. But the puppies gained some weight last night and again today. White is the first to join the 200-gram club, and Blue overtook Red in the race to gain weight. Grow little puppies, grow!
Except for once around noon to go potty, Gwynie has not left the puppies. Later in the morning I finally saw Gwynie taking a nap. My main job at this point is to play butler to Gwynie. I bring Gwynie food and water so that she does not have to leave the puppies. And I worry, that is my other job. The puppies are so small and fragile ... and the world is a dangerous place.
Gwynie takes care of the puppies, and my job right now is to take care of Gwynie. While Gwynie is nursing she will get a heaping serving spoon of cottage cheese twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. It takes a lot of calcium to make milk for the puppies. Without a good external source of calcium, Gwynie would start drawing down her own calcium reserves. Hypocalcemia - when a nursing mother's calcium gets too low - can be fatal. If you take a nuring mother to the vet for anything, almost the first thing the vet will do is test the mother's calcium level.
Another thing that I will do daily as long as Gwynie is nursing is to check Gwynie for mastitis. This involves flipping Gwynie over and visually inspecting her nipples, making sure than none of Gwynie's nipples feel hard, and that none of her nipples feel abnormally hot or cold.
Starting today and for the next two days I will be worming Gwynie with fenbendazole. I had previously wormed Gwynie two weeks ago with fenbendzaole. And I will worm Gwynie again in another two weeks. Some parasites lie dormant until the process of giving birth, and then the parasites can be transmitted to the puppies via the mother's milk while the puppies nurse. Hopefully the fenbendazole will prevent this. I will also later be worming the puppies.
In addition to weighing the puppies, I also will be weighing Gwynie daily. And for the first week about giving birth, I will be taking Gwynie's temperature daily.
While the butler changed the bedding in the whelping box (done daily), I put the puppies on a nearby dog bed. Gwynie got on top of the puppies to keep the puppies warm.
Puppies tucked up underneath mom.
Another time I was watching the puppies who crawl over each other. Red fell off the pile of puppies and ended up on his back. You can see that Red's belly button (little white dot) has healed nicely. The larger button below is his penis and how we know he is a boy. (I just noticed from looking at this picture that Red has rear dew claws. I had to go physically check to confirm. I checked the other two puppies but they do not have rear dew claws.)
While mommy Gwynie was outside taking a potty break, the puppies were crawling around each other trying to find the most comfortable (and warmest) arrangement. This position did not work for them. Finally they settled on lying next to each other.
I brought my younger dogs home from petsitter Ali today. Gwynie sat in the whelping box and gave a low growl if anyone got too close to the whelping box.
Red and Blue both joined the 200-gram club today. Red took back his lead over his brother Blue. White remains in first place by a good 10 grams.
Morning picture - Today was a rainy day, so the dirty paw prints are from Gwynie. The puppies are starting to take advantage of the heated whelping nest.
Gwynie has started putting the puppies on a feeding schedule (known only to her). This allows Gwynie to come out of the whelping box to potty and socialize.. But Gwynie still spends most of her time in the whelping box guarding her puppies. And if anyone gets too close, Gwynie gives them the "evil eye" and a low growl. Like Gwynie is doing to this twelve-week old puppy who must be thinking "but that used to be MY home".
Puppies napping - White is using brother Blue's neck as a pillow.
Blue has again moved ahead of Red in the weigh race, and is not far behind White.
Evening picture - The puppies had been all lined up, but by the time I got my camera out, the puppies had moved around.
I am happy to see the puppies in the heated whelping nest when mommy Gwynie is not in the whelping box. Newborn puppies can not regulate their body temperature. A chilled puppy can not digest food. Plus are vulnerable to viruses when cold. A heated whelping nest is a great improvement over using a heating lamp or keeping the room temperature high.
Red has retaken the lead over brother Blue in their weight race. White had a big weight gain overnight, and actually lost a few grams today. Sometimes after a big gain, a puppy will lose a little weight. While I am concerned about any weight loss, I am not terribly worried yet about White.
Mommy Gwynie was out of the room today while I did the daily change of the bedding in the whelping box. So I put the puppies up on the comforter on my bed while I changed the bedding. Note White's clear nails. The nails will darken up in a few days. Norwich almost always have dark nails.
Puppies sleeping lined up. All the puppies do at this point is eat (nurse) and sleep. Note that the puppies have nice healthy-looking bellies. The body color of Blue and Red will be red or possibly grizzle. White's body color is called "black and tan". At birth a black-and-tan puppy is coal black. You can just see some tan starting to appear on While's paw. Eventually White will only have a black "saddle".
Since the puppies can not walk yet, the puppies drag themselves in their search for mommy and her nipples. It is like watching a seal drag itself over ice. Several times today I have had to go into my bedroom to help a puppy who was crying because it had gotten separated from mommy or its siblings.
As I suspected, White has resumed gaining weight and today joined the 300-gram club. Red and Blue are exactly tied in the weight race.
Gwynie leaves the whelping box for meals and to come out to socialize. But if there is a squeak from the puppies or if one of my other dogs goes into my bedroom, Gwynie rushes back to check on her puppies. Mostly Gwynie stays in the whelping box and lets the puppies nurse.
With the puppies only lining up side-by-side, I wondered if that is all that they would do. But today I saw the puppies choreograph a new position. Maybe the puppies do have a future with the June Taylor Dancers!
One of the things that I look for and want to see when I watch the puppies in the whelping box is whether the puppies are "twitching". The puppies will be still but then all of a sudden jerk or twitch. It is thought that this movement is because of nerves growing.
Both Red and Blue joined the 300-gram club this evening, with Red pulling ahead in the weight race. White remains in the lead.
To my horror I found a flea on Gwynie this morning. I immediately gave Gwynie a bath with dishwasing liquid, lathering her up for a good five minutes in order to drown the fleas. Later today after Gwynie had nursed the puppies, I put the topical flea medication selamectin (Revolution) on Gwynie. I had to keep Gwynie crated for an hour so that the medication could be absorbed and not get on the puppies. Gwynie was not happy about being kept separated from her puppies. But I really do not want any fleas on the puppies. Dog fleas are nasty blood-sucking parasites.
Morning picture You can see that Gwynie is still damp from her bath.
The puppies are one-week old today, and weigh as follows:
The puppies have almost doubled their birth weight.
I noticed today that the collars on the puppies were getting tight, so I gave the puppies brand new collars.
Cousin Peggy - who is still a puppy herself at twelve weeks of age - keeps wanting to know if Gwynie's puppies can come out and play.
At the evening weighing Red has widened his lead over brother Blue and is trying to catch up with sister White.
Mommy Gwynie lying down so the puppies can more easily nurse:
White was underneath Red and Blue so I could not get a picture of her nursing. White was using the nipples closest to the ground; whereas Red and Blue were using the nipples further from the ground.
I had to chase cousin Peggy out of the whelping box several times today.
Blue has gained enough weight to overtake Red once again. White had a big gain today to maintain her lead over her brothers.
Mommy Gwynie has had to chase Peggy out of the whelping box several times today, each time being more forceful.
The lungs of puppies (and human babies) normally continue to develop after birth. When this development does not happen correctly, a newborn can not breathe and dies. In dogs, this is called Puppy Lung Development Disease. It is horrible to watch a puppy struggle to breathe and eventually die. I have had puppies in previous litters die from Puppy Lung Development Disease. Each time I have submitted the bodies for research on the disease.
So far I have not seen any difficulty breathing by any of Gwynie's puppies. While it is possible that Puppy Lung Development Disease can show up later, my experience is that the disease would have shown itself by now if it was going to happen. So hopefully Gwynie's puppies have dodged that bullet.
White joined the 400-gram club today. Blue pulled ahead of Red in their weight race.
Because mommy Gwynie has been losing weight, I have had to increase her kibble ration. Gwynie is now eating about double of her normal amount. I now can see a hint of Gwynie's normal waist. As the puppies make increasing demands on the "milk bar", I will need to increase even further the amount that I feed Gwynie.
Note that Blue is sleeping on his side. I am happy to see this. Puppy bones are very pliable. If a puppy spends too much time sleeping on its stomach, the chest bone can flatten. This can make it difficult for a puppy to learn to walk, and can lead to what is called a "swimmer puppy". I have seen all three puppies sleeping on their side; Blue is the first that I have caught on camera.
Right after I took Blue's picture, Blue did a big stretch followed by a big yawn, and then rolled over and went back to sleep. I know older puppies dream. I wonder if newborn puppies dream; and if so, what do they dream? Since newborn puppies have not opened their eyes yet, do puppies dream about smells? Perhaps I should be putting different smells in the whelping box for the puppies to experience. Another thing to look up and see if there is any scientific literature.
Blue and Red joined the 400-gram club today.
Red clearly has drunk his fill of mommy's milk. Later I saw mommy licking Red to get Red to pee and poop.
I often find uncle "JC" looking in the whelping box. JC is very interested in the puppies. JC does not try to get into the whelping box, probably because JC has weak rear legs due to a spinal lesion of unknown origin. JC is my special-needs boy.
Both White and Red sleeping on their side. Blue is dreaming of being "Underdog" - the super-hero in the animated television show in the 1960s. Underdog wore a cape and flew like Superman, which is why Blue's position reminds me of Underdog flying. Underdog often said the phrase "Never fear, Underdog is here!"
I trimmed the puppies' nails today. I used a human nail clipper and just took off the tips. Actually dogs do not have nails, dogs have claws (there is a nerve and vein that grows down the middle). However by tradition we call dog's claws "nails". If you do not trim the nails, they can get long and break off which can be painful. In the puppies' case, I was more worried about the puppies scratching mommy Gwynie when the puppies are nursing. When nursing, the puppies push with their paws against Gwynie's stomach to help the milk let down into Gwynie's nipples.
Blue opened his right eye today, but only his right one. Neither Red nor White have opened any eyes. The puppies' eyes will be something that I will be watching closely over the next few days.
Nursing No, mommy Gwynie is not possessed. The lens of her eyes are just reflecting the flash of my camera. I seem to get better pictures if I use the flash. Possibly this is because of the natural light (or lack thereof) at this time of year.
Blue sleeping on his side.
This morning Red had his right eye open, but just a slit; White had opened both eyes but just slits; and Blue's right eye was open but the left eye was open just a slip. By this evening all three puppies each had both eyes open. Now I want to see all eyes open tomorrow. Sometimes puppies will close their eyes again, which usually means a trip to the vet.
Both White and Blue joined the 500-gram club today; White continues her lead over her brothers.
Now that the puppies are two-weeks old, I will be weighing them on my big-dog scale rather than the postal scale that I was using previously. For the past several days when I put a puppy on my postal scale, the puppy would move around so much that it made getting a weight difficult. My big-dog scale has a feature that it averages the weight over five seconds. The disadvantage of my big-dog scale is that it only reports in increments of five grams. Also now I will only be weighing the puppies once a day, in the morning.
Note that Red has joined the 500-gram club and is tied with his brother Blue. Note also how plump the puppies appear with their legs splayed out from underneath them. Mommy Gwynie is certainly feeding her puppies well! I have again had to increase the amount of kibble I am feeding Gwynie as Gwynie's weight had again started to decrease.
Also today I wormed the puppies with pyrantel. The puppies will get wormed with pyrantel every two weeks until they are older. And Mommy Gwynie started a three-day course of being wormed with fenbendazole.
With the puppies' eyes now opening, I am starting to put objects in the whelping box to give the puppies something to focus on. Here is White and Blue using brother Red as a pillow while the stuffed bear looks on.
After nursing, rather than immediately falling back to sleep, the puppies are now moving around for a bit. Right now the active period is only ten to fifteen seconds long, after which the puppies fall back to sleep. But as the puppies get older, they will stay awake for longer.
With the puppies' eyes opening without any problems, the next thing I look for is their ear canals to open so that the puppies can hear. This milestone has not happened yet.
Today Red and White seemed to react to Mandy's barking, but Blue - who was sleeping on his back - did not move. As scientific reports often say "More data is needed".
Blue is the first of these puppies that I have seen sleeping on his back.
Morning picture - The triangle sleeping formation.
Red has retaken his lead over brother Blue in the weight race. There is now only five grams separting a puppy from the next nearest puppy: White, then Red, then Blue. This litter is providing an exciting weight race!
The puppies have not yet seemed to notice the strange objects in the whelping box.
Morning picture - A loose triangle. This morning when I was changing the bedding in the whelping box, I spoted some yellow stains. Mommy Gwynie may already be having difficulty with the urine output of the puppies.
(The announcer in an excited voice) "And now Blue comes behind, passing Red, and has pulled ahead of White! What an exciting development ladies and gentlemen! Is this just a temporary surge by Blue or will he be able to maintain the lead?" Blue joined the 600-gram club today.
During one of my periodic checks on the puppies, I found Red sleeping not in the heated whelping nest but in the corner of the whelping box. Has Red started to thermoregulate (maintain his own body temperature)? I hope so. When I started to take a picture of Red in the corner, Red woke up and started moving.
White joined the 600-gram club today, but is still five grams behind Blue in the weight race.
All the puppies can raise their heads now. Especially if mommy's nipples are up high because Gwynie is standing while eating her morning cottage cheese.
White and Red sleeping in the cornor out of the heated whelping nest. According to the text books, puppies around day 18 can generate their own body heat. This I very much want to happen, as it means that the puppies' body heat can slow down viruses until their immune systems can fight off a virus. Breeders are most worrried about the canine herpes virus. Almost all dogs get the canine herpes virus at some time, which has little effect on older dogs. But the canine herpes virus is fatal for young puppies who can not generate their own body heat. Entire litters get wiped out because of this virus. (I have never lost a litter to herpes, but it is one of my many worries.) This is partly the reason why I put the puppies in the heated whelping nest. I used to keep the room warm - cooking both myself the mother - and use a heating lamp; the heated whelping nest is so much better.
(Race announcer) "And now Red has passed White and is tied with Blue! But White is only five grams behind. Will she be able to retake the lead? What an exciting race, ladies and gentlemen!" Red joined the 600-gram club today.
Blue is wondering what I am doing. Notice how the tan coloring is slowly spreading over White's body.
All three puppies out of the whelping nest. Notice that White is sleeping on her back.
Blue has pulled slightly ahead of Red in the weight race. White is five grams behind Red and in third place.
Puppy Peggy sitting on the old books - which Peggy has chewed - that act as steps into the whelping box. (Peggy is from my previous litter and at 14 weeks of age is still a puppy herself.) Mommy Gwynie is eating her morning bowl of cottage cheese. I have had to chase Peggy out of the whelping box several times today. Peggy badly wants to play with the puppies, and even brought the puppies the little white toy you can see in the photo.
Puppies napping in a star-formation .... although White is bit out of position.
Red was sleeping on his back, then mommy Gwynie got in the whelping box and started licking Red. I definitely saw a urine stain today on the mat in the whelping box.
All the puppies now can get up on their front legs. The puppies are just starting to try to walk. Although when the puppies push off with their hind legs, their hind legs slide out to the side and they get little forward propulsion. But it is a start!
Red using sister White as a pillow.
Whenever mommy Gwynie gets in the whelping box, there is a mad scrample to get to mommy. Usually Gwynie's goal is to clean the puppies; the puppies' goal is to get as much milk as they can whiile mommy is there.
The puppies are clearly trying to walk. I can see definite progress in their coordination over how the puppies were just yesterday.
The puppies are three-weeks old today and weigh as follows:
Red has moved from second to first place in the weight race, and White and Blue are now tied for second and third place.
At three weeks of age, my pessimism turns to cautious optimism that the puppies will survive. So now it is time to give the puppies proper names, rather than the just the color of their collars. I need two names for each puppy - a formal name which will go on their AKC registration (the "registered name") and a shorter informal name to call the puppy (the call name"). Call names can be changed on a whim, and many of my dogs end up with several call names. ("Sock stealer" is a call name that many of my dogs get.) An ideal call name should be two-syllables, begin with a hard consonant and end with a vowel.
My naming convention is to think about my most recent Shakespeare experience - a play, a film, a book, or a quote that I have recently seen or read - that is somehow related to the works of William Shakespeare. Recently I watched the teenage-comedy film "John Tucker Must Die" - which is loosely based upon Shakespeare's play "The Merry Wives of Windsor". So I have decided to name the puppies after some of the characters in the movie. Obviously one of the boys would be John Tucker. I have been going back and forth for the past couple of day between Red and Blue trying to decide which should be "John Tucker". And in the film John Tucker has a brother, Scott Tucker; so that gives me the name for the other boy. There are three ladies who want to destroy John Tucker, but one is an obvious choice for White.
So each puppy's registered name (and in parentheses call name) are:
Blue has always seemed a little more feisty to me than his brother. Every time I pick Blue up, he trills as if in anger at being disturbed. So Blue becomes "JT", and thus Red becomes "Scottie". Yes, calling a Norwich Terrier "Scottie" seems wrong, but it is also amusing.
I could not find any nickname for either "Heather" or "Montgomery" that I liked. Now the actor who plays "Heather Montgomery" in the film is the singer/actress "Ashanti". And one nickname for "Ashanti" is "Tashi". I have no idea how one gets "Tashi" from "Ashanti", but I saw "Tashi" on a list of nicknames for "Ashanti" and I liked the sound of "Tashi". So White becomes "Tashi".
From now on I will refer to the puppies by their call names.
The puppies continue to make daily improvement in their attempts to walk. The puppies now get their rear legs underneath them, push off, but do not yet have the idea of coordination of the front and rear legs ... and they often just fall over. But it is not going to be long for these puppies to learn to walk.
I have to say that this litter has been a joy to raise so far ... no drama ... everyone nicely gaining weight. I wish all my litters were like this.
Tashi and JT have jumped ahead of Scottie and now are tied for first place in the weight race.
The puppies are now noticing and interacting with the toys that appear in the whelping box.
Tashi and JT sleeping on their backs back-to-back to each other.
When I feed mommy Gwynie her bedtime cottage cheese and kibble the puppies take it as a time to get some milk.
JT has now taken the lead in the weight race, followed by Scottie. Tashi is now in third place.
Puppies nursing. The puppies are now large enough that they sometimes can nurse by lying on their backs.
Today I trimmed the puppies nails for the second time.
The puppies are almost walking. It is amazing how the puppies' coordination makes progress each day.
You can see the dried mucus around JT's nose. All the puppies seem to have drier noses this morning. I hope this is just some simple nasal virus and the puppies are able to fight it off.
Possibly it is just a growth spurt, but Scottie's head looks bigger than JT's head.
I have a judging assignment in Louisiana this weekend. So I put the puppies in a crate for the drive to my petsitter, Ali.
A very impressionist photo of the puppies after Ali let the puppies out of their crate and the puppies began exploring Ali's floor.
THe puppies in more permenant quarter's at Ali's house. Mommy Gwynie is nearby.
In the evening, Ali texted me this picture of the puppies with my older puppy, Peggy. Peggy is about 15 weeks old, so note the size difference.
Ali reports that she fed the puppies some Royal Canin Puppy Starter (a canned food) this morning. The puppies would not lick the food off of Ali's finger, but Ali says that the puppies all swallowed the food once it was in their mouths.
Some pictures from Ali:
I flew home today, picked up the puppies and drove home.
Breakfast in the whelping box.
This morning I built the puppy playpen in my living room next to my computer desk. When I moved the puppies from the whelping box to the playpen, the puppies did some exploring ... with lots of spectators watching the puppies.
Later Scottie investigated the puppy water bowl, and you can just see his wet paw and snout in this picture. And Tashi checked out the toys.
The puppies had a good appetite for lunch (again Royal Canin Puppy Starter) but did not want any dinner. So mommy Gwynie ate it. What the puppies wanted was mommy's milk. That is cousin Peggy between the fence and the wall. Peggy, who is only 16 weeks old, does not understand why the puppies can not come out and play.
To make milk for the puppies, mommy Gywnie is now eating three times her normal amount, plus two helpings of cottage cheese. Gwynie is now back down to her normal weight. Now I have to make sure that Gwynie does not lose any more weight.
For now I will be feeding the puppies four times a day. After the puppies picked at their bedtime meal, I returned the puppies to the whelping box for the night.
Tashi joined the 900-gram club today. But Tashi remains in third place behind her brothers, John Tucker and Scottie.
The puppies had breakfast in the puppy playpen today. (No more breakfast in bed, you lazy bums!) The puppies had a good appetite for the Royal Canin Puppy Starter. Mommy Gwynie ate the leftovers, while the puppies took advantage of her presence to get some milk.
After breakfast Scottie was the first to go "over the wall" to explore. Scottie was quickly followed by Tashie. And what were they looking for you ask? Mommy and her wonderful milk. John Tucker stood on the the wooden log (the wall) for a while surveying what was going on outside the playpen. Eventually John Tucker joined his siblings to meet some of my older dogs and explore my living room.
You will notice that I have decided to change the call name of "JT" to the fuller "John Tucker". With "JC" (Jack Cade) and visitor "HP" (Henry Percy) in my house, having a "JT" just became too many initials to remember.
Puppies eating lunch.
During their afternoon explorations of my living room, the puppies discovered that there are big dog crates on the other side of my living room.
John Tucker is the first to join the 1-kilogram club.
The puppies ate a good breakfast. Mommy Gwynie was happy to eat the leftovers. And after breakfast it was play time!
Scottie walking between the playpen and the wall and past the mirror.
John Tucker napping on the dog bed underneath my desk.
The puppies prefer mommy's milk. Now that the chef is trying to feed the puppies, mommy Gwynie is starting to refuse to eat puppy poop and is leaving the puppies' poop for the butler to pick up.
With the days being so short at this time of year, I find it hard to get good pictures in the late afternoon and evening.
Scottie joined the 1-kilogram club today. John Tucker lost 10 grams but maintained his lead in the weight race. When the puppies were first born, a 10 gram drop in weight would have had me panicing. Now it is just a normal variation, depending on when a puppy last nursed or peed.
For breakfast, the chef experimented with the meal plan. The puppies got ground puppy kibble soaked in turkey broth (left over from Thanksgiving). The meal was a success and the chef was happy. But I had to warn the chef that the puppies might have liked the meal because it was a different taste. And that deviating from the meal plan might give the puppies diarrhea. Even with all that the puppies ate for breakfast, the puppies still wanted mommy's milk.
John Tucker was trying to bite brother Scottie's tail, while at the same time Scottie was biting cousin Peggy's tail.
For lunch the chef followed the meal plan and the puppies had ground puppy kibble soaked in Esbilac (a commercial puppy milk replacement). Again the puppies thought this meal was great. The chef was beaming ... and again I had to warn the chef that the puppies may only have been devouring the food because it was a new taste.
None of the puppies seemed to get diarrhea. As I predicted the puppies did not show much interest in dinner even though it was the same as lunch. The chef was heartbroken.
Note how the tan is spreading over Tashi's face, whereas previously her face was all black.
Tashi joined the 1-kilogram club today.
Since the puppies did not get diarrhea, the chef again offered the puppies ground puppy kibble soaked in turkey broth for breakfast. The puppies only picked at the meal. Mommy Gwynie was quite happy to eat the leftovers.
Scottie seems to be trying to get his explorer merit badge. Scottie checked out the big dogs' watering bowl, looked into my bathroom, and explored my bedroom as far as the whelping box. (I wonder if Scottie recognized the whelping box from the outside?) John Tucker meanwhile took another nap on the dog bed underneath my desk.
I was gone most of the afternoon today (taking cousin Peggy to her new home). I left the puppies in the playpen. Mommy Gwynie has demonstrated that she can jump the fence in and out of the playpen when she wants. (Gwynie is a good jumper.) Thus I was not worried if I got home late (as I did) because I knew that Gwynie would take care of the puppies.
Breakfast picture - The chef again tried ground puppy kibble with turkey broth, but this time with a side order of Royal Canin canned puppy food. The puppies only ate a bit because they were hungry, and not because the puppies particularly liked the meal.
The puppies hanging out on the "stoop" of their crate in the playpen. From left to right - Scottie, Tashi, and John Tucker. John Tucker started moving towards me once he saw the camera.
I crumpled up a paper wrapper and dropped it on the floor. The puppies had a great time with the wrapper, enjoying the new texture and the sounds that the wrapper made when the puppies stepped on the wrapper. Not have teeth yet, the puppies did not try to tear up the wrapper, but only moved the wrapper around.
For lunch the chef followed the planned menu and mixed the canned puppy food with ground puppy kibble. The puppies thought this was an improvement.
Tashi and John Tucker on a dog bed next to my desk. (Tashi is on the left.) Scottie prefered to nap in the crate in the playpen.
In the evening I decided it was time to start potty training the puppies. I had the butler carry the puppies outside to my fenced yard so that the puppies could do their potty business. This was more in the way of an introductory trip, as it will take me a bit to get back in the routine of taking the puppies outside on a regular basis. And as it was cold, the puppies could not stay outside very long.
Breakfast picture - The puppies were not impressed with the birthday meal of ground puppy kibble soaked in Esbilac (a commercial canine milk replacement). I always find it difficult to get puppies to eat on their own, as puppies prefer mommy's milk.
Puppies playing and napping:
Aunt Maggie is actually a half-sister to the puppies but gets the honorific "aunt" because of her age. Maggie is slightly over a year older than the puppies. Both Maggie and her litter-brother "JC" have taken a special interest in the puppies and often play with the puppies. I have to supervise as both Maggie and "JC" can sometime play a little too rough with the puppies. Maggie is in season right now, which makes Maggie even more interested in the puppies. (If you look closely at the picture of Maggie and Scottie above, you can see a little red spot in the bottom of the picture. This is menstrual blood - spotting - from Maggie and not from the puppies.) Maggie is too young to breed right now, being the human equivalent of a young teenager.
I now try to take the puppies outside as soon as one of the puppies wakes up from nap time. I do not always catch this magic moment, and a potty accident sometimes results. Sometimes a potty accident happens because I am carrying two of the puppies outside, and the one left behind can not hold it. Once outside the puppies play and (hopefully) potty, but almost always head towards Gwynie and her milk bar.
After lunch and a trip outside, I noticed that the puppies all chose separate dog beds for their after-lunch nap - Tashi in the foreground, then Scottie in the bed next to my desk, and in the background John Tucker in the bed underneath my desk. After the puppies woke up, they had a trip outside, more play, and then more milk. I found it interesting that when the puppies settled down for their late-afternoon nap, the puppies all chose the same dog beds.
Trying to coordinate the meals prepared by the chef and mommy Gwynie's schedule for when she thinks the puppies should get some milk is difficult. If the puppies nurse right before meal time, the puppies will not want to eat a full meal. This happened this evening; Gwynie let the puppies nurse right before the before-bed meal. So I had the chef just prepare a light meal of canned puppy starter plus a bit of cottage cheese. Scottie and John Tucker thought this was interesting, but Tashi (on the far left) did not.
Morning picture. The puppies only ate some of the ground kibble soaked in Esbilac. Mommy Gwynie was only too happy to clean up. Gwynie's weight has been going up and down. With Gwynie eating the puppies' leftovers, I have a hard time judging the appropriate amount to feed Gwynie.
Puppies outside being supervised by aunt Maggie.
Adult Norwich are not diggers, unless they are trying to get to a critter. Puppies, on the other hand, like to dig. Previous litters of puppies have dug holes around my porch. These holes can make if difficult for new puppies to climb out of a hole onto the porch (as Tashi found out)... even though there is higher ground nearby for puppies' rear legs. The holes work in the other direction, when a puppy wants to get off the porch and into the yard. I often see a puppy on the porch trying to judge the distance to the ground before leaping off the porch. These are all great learning opportunities for the puppies, and I do not interfere unless a puppy is in obvious trouble or getting too frustrated.
Scottie was watching the big dogs go back into my house via my doggy door. Scottie was obviously trying to figure out the trick of the doggy door. Uncle "JC" was watching Scottie.
John Tucker investigating a mat that used to be attached to the white plank in the picture.
Puppies napping. Tashi returned to her usual spot, but this time both boys were in the dog bed underneath my desk.
While mommy Gwynie was busy cleaning John Tucker's rear end (because John Tucker was pooping), Scottie and Tashi took the opportunity to get some milk.
Tashi getting a drink of water a the communal watering hole.
Later I found all three puppies napping in their self-assigned dog beds.
Puppies nursing. A mommy's job is never done.
It was warm today so I wore sandles. I learned the hard way that the puppies' baby teeth are erupting. One of the puppies bit my big toe ... and it hurt!
Hungry puppies in the puppy playpen, telling the chef to hurry up! When breakfast finally arrived the puppies ate everything and cleaned their breakfast pan. But there is always room for mommy's milk.
This morning all my big dogs were coming from outside to inside through my doggy door. John Tucker watched, saw how the older dogs pushed the doggy door open, followed right behind them, and came inside.
Later I saw Tashi come inside via the doggy door.
Tashi this morning somehow figured how to go outside using the doggy door. Now I have to be careful not to leave the gate open that would lead from my fenced yard to the great outdoors.
All three puppies napping on the dog bed underneath my desk.
The puppies were not much interested in lunch, but ate a goodly amount for dinner. The puppies then chased mommy Gwynie for some milk when Gwynie came into the playpen to eat any food left by the puppies.
The puppies are like piranhas chasing Gwynie when the puppies want some milk. When Gwynie does not want the puppies to nurse, Gwynie makes a low growl and the puppies back off. The puppies then go to see if any of the other adults have some milk. But Gwynie is the only one with milk.
The puppies previously have used their awake time for exploration. Now I am starting to see the puppies wrestling with each other.
The puppies are teething. Here is Scottie biting on the bar of the playpen to relieve his teething pain, and thus showing his baby canines.
I am now in full puppy potty training mode. I take all the puppies outside after they eat, and as soon as I see any one puppy wake up from a nap. At night when I get up to use the bathroom, I carry the puppies outside to a small pen and repeat my potty command ("Do your business"). Then I carry the puppies back inside to their whelping box, where the puppies fall back asleep. Now myself being fully awake, I work to get back to sleep.
Puppies waiting on breakfast
Tashi joined the 1100-gram club today, and John Tucker joined the 1200-gram club. The weight order continues to be John Tucker, then Scottie, with Tashi bringing up the rear.
Breakfast picture. To celebrate the puppies contributing to science, the chef prepared a breakfast of puppy kibble with canned puppy food, with a taste of canned big dog food, all with a drizzle of turkey broth. The puppies seemed to like this combination.
As research is exhausting, after breakfast the puppies took a long nap. The two brothers stayed in the crate in the playpen. Tashi preferred to sleep with a Martian.
Pictures of Tashi always seem so washed out to me, as all I usually see is a black figure without any details. Tashi is only the second "black-and-tan" Norwich that I have bred. I hope Tashi's tan coloring spreads soon so that she looks better in pictures.
Note that Tashi's ears are starting to come up, while the ears of John Tucker and Scottie are still down. Just as with humans, girls mature sooner than boys. Sometimes ears will go up, then go down, before going back up and staying up. I am not worried about the ears of the brothers; their ears will come up eventually.
Puppies napping in their favorite spots. Note that Tashi and Scottie has switched beds. I guess Tashi wants to be near her Martian boyfriend.
Tashi getting a drink of water. The water is slightly green because of a water additive called "Healthy Mouth". (I had not realized that the baseboard near the water dishes was so dirty until I looked at this picture.) After getting a drink, Tashi tried to drag the water dishes but Tashi does not have enough strength (yet) to spill the water. But Tashi really tried!
Instead of trying to move water bowls, the brothers preferred to wrestle.
At least twice today Tashi used my doggy door to go outside without my noticing. One time I had left my fence gate open and Tashi went completely outside. Fortunately I was already looking for Tashi before she could get far. And at this age, most likely Tashi would stay nearby. But it was a reminder that I need to keep my fence gate closed unless I am standing right there. So add to my duties letting my older dogs in and out when they want to leave or return from playing in the nearby field and woods.
I cut the puppies' nails (really claws) today with a human nail clipper. I also thought that the puppies' yarn collars were getting too tight, so each puppy got a new looser collar.
The puppies are at the peak age for "puppy breath" - a yeasty amazing small. If only someone could bottle the smell! Now that the puppies are starting to eat solid food and not just mommy's milk, harmful bacteria will get in a puppy's mouth and slowly ruin the smell.
Morning nap The puppies showing off their new collars.
Tashi going outside through my doggy door. One of her bothers is with Tashi. Tashi now uses my doggy door to both go outside and come back inside as she wishes. Tashi's brothers still have difficulty with the whole doggy door concept; to them the doggy door is still magic. Sometimes the door opens; other times the door does not open.
After five days of no sighting of a flea, sadly today I spoted a flea on John Tucker. As it was bitterly cold today, I took pity on John Tucker and did not take him out to my cold barn for a bath in the barn tub. Instead I gave John Tucker a bath in my kitchen sink. The puppies are too young for any medicated flea shampoo, so all I could use was dishwashing soap. I lathered John Tucker up for five minutes to drown any fleas, then rinsed and towel-dried John Tucker. Then I discovered a flea on Scottie, so Scottie got the same treatment. Even theough John Tucker and Scottie where in a warm room, they both shivered for some time afterwards. With their fur damp, their fur did not have its usual ability to keep them warm. I felt so bad for not being able to protect them from the evil fleas. I have redoubled my efforts in the war againt the fleas.
Later Tashi was wrestling with John Tucker, and I was able to get a photo of John Tucker's sharp puppy teeth which are scoming in. If you look closely and count, you can see that John Tucker has six upper incisors, just as he should. (The incisors are the small teeth in the front of the mouth between the two large canine teeth.) Sometimes a dog only have five incisors or even four, but six is considered the proper number. Usually the number of adult teeth is the same as the number of puppy teeth, so it is a good bet that John Tucker will have six upper incisors when his adult teeth come in (in a few months).
Even later I was taking the puppies outside to potty. I had gotten Scottie and Tashi outside and headed back inside to get John Tucker. I opened the door, but before I could scoop John Tucker up to carry him, John Tucker marched across my patio to the yard, squatted and peed. (Male dogs do not start lifting their legs until puberty. In fact leg-lifting is a sign of puberty.) I was so proud of John Tucker! While I am sure that there are many more potty accidents ahead, clearly my efforts at potty training are having some effect.
John Tucker joined the 1300-gram club today.
Aunt Maggie sometimes jumps in the playpen to comfort the puppies and commiserate with them that the chef is slow in preparing breakfast.
The puppies had a good appetite this morning, eating all their breakfast.
As it was again a chilly morning, John Tucker snuggled underneath some toys for his after-breakfast nap. Scottie and Tashi chose to nap in the plush bed underneath my desk. (The usual dog bed underneath my desk was in the washer.) I wondered if changing the dog bed underneath my desk would change any of the sleeping arrangements. Evidently not. I guess the spot underneath my desk is considered a safe spot.
Later I found Tashi curled up next to one of the communal water bowls.
During one of our outdoor outings today, John Tucker explored along the fence-line all the way to a near corner of my fenced yard.
When I have to leave the puppies - to go to the store, or to take my older dogs for their daily walk - I leave my CD of city sounds playing. I live in a rural country and it is generally peaceful and quiet here. Thus the puppies need to experience different sounds that the puppies are likely to hear when the puppies go to new homes.
One sound that the puppies are exposed to right now are dogs barking. It is deer hunting season here now, and my rural county allows hunting with dogs. The hunters all have several foxhound-type dogs to chase the deer. When my dogs hear these hunting dogs, my adult dogs bark furiously to warn the hunting dogs away.
Breakfast picture When mommy comes in for clean-up duty, the puppies really attack Gwynie in their desire for milk. Later John Tucker took advantage of some private milk time.
The puppies back in their favorate dog beds, but the puppies have switched beds.
Today when outside the puppies explored further, making it all the way to the far corner of my fenced yard.
John Tucker playing ostrich - sticking his head in a tight spot in the belief that if he can not see you, then you can not see him.
According to breeder folklore, puppies around six weeks of age look like they will as adults. The next time this happens is supposedly around six months of age. In between these time, different body parts grow at different rates (think gangly teenagers). Other than his ears still being down, this is a nice side view of Scottie.
For Christmas Eve dinner, the chef prepared puppy kibble soaked in sardine water. (My adult dogs got the sardines as a topping on their kibble.) But the puppies would not even taste this dinner. The chef was so mad that he only gave the puppies dry kibble for their bedtime meal. The puppies only picked at this meal. All the puppies wanted was mommy's milk. Mommy told the puppies that she was saving the milk for Santa, and that bad little puppies would not get any presents. The puppies did not seem to believe this threat.
Breakfast picture, but afterwards a mad scramble for mommy's milk.
For Christmas dinner, the chef prepared puppy kibble with a crushed hard-boiled egg. The puppies liked this new meal.
Tashi napping with "JC", my special-needs boy.
The boys this morning discovered the Christmas present that Santa left yesterday. (Psst - The butler brought it in from the barn.) I call it a "tippy board" but really it is a human exercise balance board. There is a ball underneath the center, so the board will tip in any direction. I am always curious as to which puppy of a litter will figure out how to stand on the tippy board with all four feet. Scottie spent the most time investigating this new toy; but mostly Scottie tried to bite the board to stop it from moving. John Tucker instead crawled into a tall dog bed and took a nap.
I had to get out the Bitter Apple spray today, as Tashi started pulling the yarn out of my bathroom rug. Bitter Apple spray supposedly tastes bitter. You spray Bitter Apple on things that you want a puppy to leave alone. Sometimes it works to discourage a puppy ... and sometimes not.
For dinner, the chef added just a taste of cooked chicken liver to the puppy's kibble. (My older dogs got a larger portion on their kibble.) Now I will need to watch if any puppies have loose stool tomorrow.
I noticed today that the puppies are starting to have "puppy hickups". "Puppy hickups" are just like human hickups, except that one can see and feel a puppy's entire diaphram move when a puppy hickups.
Morning naps:
Scottie and Tashi nursing. Uncle "JC" is looking on.
I believe all three puppies are now using my doggy door to both go outside and come back inside. Certainly Tashi and John Tucker. Scottie seems to be lazy and wants the butler to open the door for him. But I have taken Scottie outside and later found him back inside, so I am fairly confident that Scottie knows how to use the doggy door.
Breakfast picture and post-breakfast picture. If it seems that the puppies just eat and sleep, that is not true. The puppies are up and about a lot ... but they do like two naps in the morning, two in the afternoon, and one after dinner.
This morning I saw Tashi up on the baby dogwalk on my porch. Tashi climbed the baby dogwalk and place a rock on the top that she had carried in her mouth ... I guess to mark her accomplishment. Tashi then fell off the dogwalk. As it is a baby dogwalk, Tashi did not fall far.
Sometimes the more interesting photos of the puppies that I get are not
the ones that I am trying to take. For example I was trying to take
a photo of John Tucker
s face (Note the piece of grass on John Tucker's nose.) The photo
I originally got was
this picture of John Tucker.
John Tucker believes in walking softly, but
carry a big stick.
Tashi on patrol.
Breakfast picture The puppies
are leaving less and less for mommy Gwynie to clean up. But the
puppies
still want mommy's milk.
Post-breakfast nap on dog
beds usually used by my older dogs. Scottie and Tashi are in
the foreground; John Tucker is in the bed in the back.
Since John Tucker yesterday was showing interest
in a stick, today I brought the puppies some
sticks and pine cones from the nearby forest.
Puppies like to chew on
sticks. Probably this chewing helps with the pain of
the babby teeth coming in.
John Tucker is the first puppy that I observed mastering my tippy
board. John Tucker got on the tippy board with all four feet
and balanced himself for just a moment before getting off.
The puppies in the whelping
box in the evening. Notice how big the puppies
are now. The puppies do not know it, but their time
sleeping in the whelping box at night is coming to an end.
Scottie joined the 1500-gram club today, and Tashi joined the 1400-gram club.
The puppies have been investigating the baby agility equipment on my porch. I know that they have tipped my baby teeter, and gone up and down my two baby dog walks. Today I finally got a picture of Scottie sitting on the top of the newer (blue) baby dog walk. Previous puppies have torn off the rubber matting on the up and down ramps of my older (pink) baby dog walk. With no matting, the puppies slip when they try to go up the older dog walk, and slid back down before reaching the stop. Being smart puppies, the puppies then go up the newer dog walk, then jump over to the top of the older dog walk.
I caught this picture of Tashi napping in the milk carton reserved for storing toys.
While doing some work on my computer today, I came to a stopping point and realized that it was time to take the puppies outside to potty. Just then I noticed John Tucker heading towards my doggy door. John Tucker went out the doggy door, crossed my porch, and went onto the grass to potty. I was so proud of him!
The chef says that his wonderful meals are the reason for the puppies increased appetite. The chef has been trying different toppings on the puppies kibble to entice the puppies to eat more. The chef's use of cooked chicken liver gave the puppies loose stool, so I said no to that until the puppies are older. But two toppings have proven favorites. One is crumble hard boiled egg, but I have noticed that the puppies have figured out to just eat the egg and leave the kibble. The other is some dabs of cottage cheese on top of a meal of kibble. This one has become a bed-time meal favorite. I hate telling the chef that the puppies increased appetite is less likely to his cooking and more likely due to the puppies getting bigger and needing more calories.
Tashi and Scottie taking a morning nap together. John Tucker chose to nap between the wall and the playpen.
As I do frequently, I check on the puppies to make sure I know where they all are. Often I can easily find two puppies, but then have to spend several minutes finding the third. This often requires repeated searches to find the third missing puppy. For example, I must have looked at the pile of toys several times before I spotted Tashi.
The puppies spend a lot of time wrestling, especially the two boys. Here is Scottie on top of John Tucker. A few moments later Tashi was on top of Scottie. Often Aunt Freema is the "puppy police" and will stop the wrestling, but then I often have to stop Freema as she can get (what I think) is too rough with the puppies.
Scottie with a dirty nose.
The puppies working on digging a hole to China.
This evening before I went to bed I found Aunt Maggie in the whelping box with the puppies. Maggie was just sitting there, watching the puppies as the puppies slept. Maggies is actually an older half-sister to the puppies.
Now that the puppies are eating their bed-time meal of kibble, I must make sure that the puppies have access to water during the night. (Kibble is salty.) I carry the puppies outside to potty several times during the night. (Now that the puppies are larger, this often requires two trips to get the puppies outside as I now no longer can safely carry three puppies.) I stop on the way back from these potty trips to let the puppies have a drink of water at the communal water dish. I then put the puppies back into the whelping box until the next potty trip.
After breakfast pictures:
Because I have to leave for a judging assignment, today I took Gwynie and the puppies to the home of my petsitter, Ali and her husband Mike (and their three children). The temporary new environment will be great socialization for the puppies. Here are the puppies as they tumbled out of their travel crate at Mike's feet. On the left is a Sheltie investigating mommy Gwynie in her crate.
As Ali sends me puppy pictures, I will post them as time permits.
Now that the puppies are eight weeks old, there are some changes for the puppies. I will now no longer weight the puppies daily, but only once a week. Another change is that the puppies now will only get three meals a day, instead of four. No more pre-bedtime meal. But the biggest change is that instead of sleeping in the whelping box at night, the puppies will now sleep in individual crates. I had already picked up the whelping box before I left on my trip, but now I had to assemble the crates and build the "puppy condo". The condo is in my bedroom where the whelping box used to be. When inside the crates, the puppies can see me in bed ... and I can see the puppies. It will be interesting to see how the puppies react to the new sleeping arrangements.
I fed the puppies dinner one last time together in the puppy playpen. After which the puppy playpen got picked up and put away. Another change for the puppies.
The butler left a bedtime treat for each puppy in their crate. The puppies fussed a bit when I put them to bed. But because of all the excitement of the day, the puppies quickly fell asleep.
Now that the puppies are sleeping in crates, I have an even greater responsibility to take the puppies out to potty several times during the night. I do not want the puppies to learn to potty in their crates. The puppies will naturally try to keep their sleeping area clean.
Breakfast picture - Scottie is in the leftmost crate, Tashi is in the middle crate, and John Tucker is in the rightmost crate, corresponding to their birth order. Note the empty bowls in the crates. The puppies each had 30 mL of kibble this morning.
Nursing. While the playpen may be gone, for a few days I will leave a pad out. If the puppies do not go outside, hopefully instead of peeing on my floor the puppies will pee on the pad. Puppies like to pee on soft absorbant things, rather than have any urine splash on them.
The big adventure today for the puppies was a trip to my local vet, so that the puppies could be examined and get their first vaccines (puppy shots). Here are the puppies in the waiting room. The puppies are in the top row in the blue crates. Aunt Mandy, aunt Izzy, and mommy Gwynie are below and came along for their annual wellness exams and annual vaccines.
When we were called into an exam room, everyone got weighted, their temperature taken, and a fecal sample taken. My hands were full holding everyone and assuring each of them that the indignity of a rectal thermometer and a fecal collection stick would soon be over. So I did not get any pictures of this part.
Then the vet came in and examined each puppy and gave them their vaccines. Tashi went first.
Being examined:
And then Tashi got her DHPP combination vaccine (first puppy shot). DHPP stands for distemer, hepatitis, parvo, and parainfluenza. The diseases of distemper and parvo have high fatality rates. Thus it is important that the puppies be vaccinated for distemper and parvo.In addition to the DHPP shot, each puppy also got a dose of an oral vaccine for bordetella, a bacterial disease commonly called "kennel cough".
Scottie went next. Scottie being examined:
and then Scottie got his first puppy shot and bordetella vaccine.
John Tucker was the last puppy to be examined:
and then John Tucker got his DHPP vaccination shot and bordetella vaccine.
The vet said that all the puppies were healthy. The puppies fecal samples were all clear (no intestinal parasites). The vet remarked that she could even feel both testicles of both boys. The testies descend from inside a male puppy as a puppy grows. Unfortunately sometimes a testical stops descending and is pulled back inside a puppy as a puppy gets bigger. So while it is a good sign that the vet was able to feel both testicles, we will need to wait until the puppies are older (around six months of age) before we can stop worrying about a retained testicle. A retained testicle has to be surgically removed, otherwise the testicle can become cancerous.
It what has become a tradition wheneven I bring puppies to my vet, after their exam the puppies were all comforted by the receptionists.
I kept an eye on the puppies when we got home, but no one showed any reaction to their vaccines. The puppies went back to playing, wrestling, and napping as if nothing had happened.
The puppies playing outside after breakfast. Note the exercise pen in the foreground inside my fenced yard. When I take the puppies outside at night to potty, I do not want the puppies loose in the fenced yard where I might have trouble finding them in the dark. Instead I put the puppies in the small pen to potty.
The weather has turned bitterly cold. The puppies (and my other dogs) enjoy my radiant floor heating:
I feed the puppies their meals in their crates. At first the puppies resisted and complained about going in their crates. Now the puppies are slowly getting the idea that going in their crates means food or treats.
At night I leave each puppy with a bully stick to chew. At this point the puppies do not have enough jaw strength to actually eat a bully stick, but I suspect the puppies enjoy biting on a bully stick as the puppies are teething. I prefer bully sticks over rawhide chews. Bully sticks are made from the pizzle of a bull, which is a muscle tissue that's high in protein and fully digestible. Rawhide is made from the hide of an animal that hasn't been tanned, and it's often treated with chemicals to achieve a smooth texture.
It snowed last night. The puppies first saw the snow when I took them out to potty during the night. Here are the puppies with uncle "JC" on the snow in the morning.
Puppies nursing after breakfast. Note that there is only room for two puppies to easily nurse.
Nursing after lunch. Gwynie only lets them have a little milk before walking away. If Gwynie does not want the puppies to nurse, Gwynie growls at the puppies and the puppies back away.
The puppies at "Fort Donut", each puppy keeping lookout in a different direction.
Scottie on the snow. Scottie's prospective owners tell me that they plan to call him "Fred". To get used to his new call name, I will also start calling him "Fred".
The puppies playing "king of the hill" on my baby dog walks. It has been so cold that I have not had a chance to watch the puppies play much with the baby agility equipment on my porch. But today I saw the puppies chase each other through my baby tunnel, although I was not able to get a picture.
Puppies nursing. The puppies pushed Gwynie over in their scramble to get to the milk bar.
The puppies out for an early morning walk on the snow. Some of the snow melted yesterday, but there is still plenty of snow around.
The big adventure for the puppies today was visitors!
The puppies got a lot of cuddles!
Yesterday I stripped (pulled off the dark guard hairs) on the back of Fred's ears. This is an experiment to see if stripped ears stand up faster than unstripped ears. John Tucker is the control of this experiment. (I did not strip John Tucker's ears.) I will say that Fred's stripped ears makes it easier to distinguish between Fred and John Tucker when I can not see their collars.
After breakfast, the puppies wondering why they can not go outside my fenced yard with my adult dogs.
All the puppies have acquired a new nickname name - "ankle biters". When the puppies have a lot of energy - usually after a meal - the puppies like to bite my slippers and the bottom of my pant legs. Sometimes the puppies miss and get my ankles, which is painful. The puppies try to hold on, as I walk across the room. I use gentle kicks to dissuade the puppies from this (sometimes painful) activity.
Tahsi and John Tucker getting some milk. Uncle "JC" is in the background. Fred realized that he was not getting any milk, so Fred rushed over to try to get his share.
The big adventure for the puppies today was meeting Mr. Dremel. The puppies' round claws will no longer fit in my human nail clipper. So today I introduced the puppies to a dremel, which is how I trim my dogs' nails. The boys, being young gentlemen, let Tashi go first. Note the tube of Nutri-Cal. This is a nutritional gel whose primary ingredient is glucose (sugar). I call it "puppy crack" as puppies love Nutri-Cal.
To introduce a puppy to a dremel, I let the puppy lick a generous amount of Nutri-Cal, then I smear the Nutri-Cal around the mouth and muzzle. While the puppy is busy licking his or her face, I gently grab a paw and quickly dremel the nails on the paw. My goal for this session is just to blunt each nail. Later sessions will work more on trimming the nail. Then I apply more Nutri-Cal in the mouth and on the face, and I dremel the next paw. I repeat until all four paws have been done. Since this is a two-handed operation, I am not able to get any pictures. Basically I use the thumb of one hand to gently squeeze so that a claw is extended, then I use the dremel heavily on the underside of the claw, then the two sides with less pressure, and finally gently on the top of the claw to smooth things out. Because of experience, I am able to quickly do a paw, which make the contact with the dremel less scary for a puppy.
All my older dogs like to lick the face of a puppy after the puppy's first introduction to Mr. Dremel, as Tashi learned after I put her down on the floor.
Fred got the same treatment after I did his nails:
John Tucker went last, and demonstrated that Nutri-Cal tastes good:
John Tucker was also popular when I finished doing his nails and put him on the floor:
Tashi and John Tucker getting some afternoon milk.
The puppies watching the adult dogs in the nearby field.
Being hungry, Fred led the charge to get some milk from mommy Gwynie before breakfast.
Fred napping in the milk carton that is my printer stand.
I have not said much about the personalities of the puppies, mostly because the differences are so slight. Tashi seems the most human friendly, possibly because girls mature earlier than boys. While Tashi does her share of wrestling with her brothers, Fred and John Tucker seem like they are always wresting. John Tucker seems a bit more mellow than his brother; Fred more independent and vocal. If I can only see Tashi and one of the boys, it is usually because Fred is somewhere else. I want to emphasize that these only only very slight differences ... and only subjective impressions. I am happy with the temperament of each of these puppies.
I put the puppies to bed in their crates around the usual time of 8 pm. Then my adult dogs and I got into my bed while I did some reading. Usually before I turn off the lights I take the puppies outside to potty. Being tired last night, I just turned out the lights. The puppies have been good about letting me know if they have to go outside, with Fred usually being the spokesperson for the group. Fred got me up at midnight, and I took everyone out to potty, then back to bed. Then again at 4 pm. So perhaps a better figure is that a puppy can "hold it" for double the time that they can "hold it" during the day.
The other part of this story is that the puppies all wanted to get up at 6 am. Knowing that everyone was likely empty, I just let the puppies out of their crates and I went back to bed. (Hey, it was still dark outside.) I heard the puppies try to climb up the ramp to my bed that my dogs use. I also heard warning growls from my adult dogs at these "intruders". But one of the puppies made it up onto my bed, and crawled up next to the back of my neck, snuggled down, and went to sleep. (Later I learned it was Tashi.) The two boys evidently did not know the secret password and did not make it past the adult guarding the top of the ramp. I did hear the two boys chewing on the ramp. I must have fallen back to sleep, as the next thing I knew it was 7 am, the sun was up, and it was time to start the day.
Morning milk since breakfast was late.
Outside:
Fred and John Tucker wrestling. Fred is on top; John Tucker is on his back.
A line of puppies in dog beds - (from nearest to farthest) John Tucker, Tashi, and Fred. Uncle "JC" is in the other dog bed.
Later I found Tashi sharing the dog bed underneath my desk with great-aunt Mandy.
As I was writing this I heard screaming from a puppy. I figured someone was playing too rough. When I turned around to look, I found that Fred had one of his rear dewclaws hooked in the yarn of one of the plush doggy beds. Fred's rear dewclaws grow slowly and I had never trimmed them. I cut the yarn to free Fred, and then used my human clippers to trim Fred's rear dew claws.
Lunch time. The puppies willing go into their crates for meals and at bedtime (probably because there is a bedtime treat inside the crate). These puppies also quickly eat all their kibble and do no spill their bowls. The butler appreciates not having to clean up after the puppies.
Afternoon milk with mommy by Tashi and Fred. John Tucker was outside and missed the opportunity.
I gave the puppies a box to play with (and chew up). John Tucker is in the box and Fred is helping from the outside.
I was asked today about puppy vaccinations. When the puppies were first born, I made sure that the puppies nursed in the first 12 to 24 hours of the puppies' lives. (Gwynie knew exactly what to do. All I did was check off that this first nursing had been done.) That first milk, call "colostrum", is rich with maternal antibodies. During the first 12 to 24 hours of a puppy's life, the GI track of the puppy will absorb antibodies, which are large molecules. After that time, the puppy GI system will only absorb small molecules. These maternal antibodies protect a puppy from disease, while the puppy's own immune system matures. As time goes on, these maternal antibodies degenerate and are no longer effective.
The purpose of puppy vaccinations is to teach a puppy's immune system about diseases that we know about. Vaccination does this by showing a puppy's immune system a bit of the disease, but not enough to hurt the puppy. This allows a puppy's immune system to start generating antibodies to these diseases, so that when a puppy encounters a known disease the puppy already has antibodies to fight off the disease.
A problem is when to give a puppy a vaccination. If given too early, the maternal antibodies fight off the bit of disease, and the puppy's immune system does not learn to make antibodies for the disease. If given too late, then a puppy could be exposed to a disease without any protection. Veterinarians traditionally give three puppy vaccinations - spaced apart - in the hope of hitting the time when the maternal antibodies have decayed, but while not leaving the puppy unprotected for long. When these three shots are given is left up to the experience of the vet (basically it is a guess as to the best times).
Instead of guessing, another way is to test the amount of antibodies carried by the mother. Before Gwynie's puppies were born, I had some of Gwynie's blood drawn and spun down in a centrifuge to get a small amount of serum (where the antibodies are). The serum was sent to the University of Wisconsin where they measured the amount of antibodies to distember and parvo. (Both diseases that are almost always fatal to unprotected puppies.) Using the amount of antibodies that Gwynie carried for these diseases, the scientists at Wisconsin are able to predict when the maternal antibodies in the puppies will decay. Thus the scientists can suggest the best time to vaccinate. (This prediction is called a "nomograph".) Because the number of antibodies for these two diseases in the mother is often different, the scientists recommend giving two puppy vaccinations, at what they calculate is the optimum time for each of distemper and parvo. For Gwynie's puppies the nomograph said to vaccinate at eight weeks of age, and then at tweleve weeks of age. Since puppies do not leave me until they are twelve weeks old, I will make sure that Gwynie's puppies get both puppy shots. Thus - in theory - Gwynie's puppies should be protected for distemper and parvo. The way to check is to send some serum from a puppy to Wisconsin to count the amount of antibodies to distemper and parvo. (This is called a "titer".) This is usually done a few weeks after the second puppy shot.
The other diseases that are covered by a puppy vaccination are less severe that distemper and parvo. So distemper and parvo are used as proxies for when to give puppy vaccinations when using a nomograph.
An after-breakfast drink at the milk bar. Gwynie also let the puppies nurse after lunch. (I heard a lot of slurping.) But the amount of time Gwynie lets the puppies nurse is getting shorter.
As a socialization exercise, today I put out several different materials for the puppies to experience walking on: wood, a rubber mat, an aluminum tray, etc.
Uncle "JC" demonstrated and supervised.
Later all three puppies took a nap in the dog bed next to my desk.
After lunch nursing. Notice how crowded it is at the milk bar.
I have to do the "puppy shuffle" when I walk across the room. The puppies love to run in front of me. I often accidently bump the puppies with my feet. I wear soft slippers so that I do not hurt a puppy.
I was asked today about dental care for the puppies. Right now the puppies have their sharp "puppy teeth". The puppy teeth will start to fall out in a couple of months, so there is no reason to do any care at this time. When the adult teeth start to come in, the puppies will be teething and their mouths will be sore. So that is not the time to start brushing teeth or doing any other dental care other than dental treats. By dental treats I mean treats with the seal of the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC), so that there is some evidence that the treat helps prevent plaque and tarter. Only after the adult teeth have fully come in - when the puppies are around seven to eight months of age - will it be time to start daily brushing or using a dental wipe on the teeth.
I was a little surprised about the puppies nursing three times today. Possible the late afternoon comfort drink was because the puppies met Mr. Dremel again this afternoon. Rather than smear Nutri-Cal all over each puppies' face, this time I just let each puppy lick the Nutri-Cal as I squeezed it out of the tube. (This is what I do for my adult dogs.) Each puppy was a little unhappy when I dremeled the claws of the first paw. But each puppy settled down after more Nutri-Cal and each puppy realized that what was happening was something that they had experienced previously. Also new was that after each puppy was done, I fed each puppy a half scoop (15 mL) of kibble, just like I do with my other dogs.
Fred runs around like a maniac. But then
Fred crashes.
After breakfast nursing. So crowded at the milk bar!
Being ten weeks old, the puppies got another dose of pyrantel, a deworming medication today.
I have started to teach the puppies the "pretty teeth" command. While holding a puppy's head from underneath with one hand, I come over the head with the other hand and lift up the upper lips ... while saying "pretty teeth". Since I am just starting with this command, I hold the upper lips for less than a second. Then the puppy gets a treat. The goal is to slowly increase the amount of time that the puppy will let me hold the lips up. This will be useful for when a vet wants to look at the puppy's teeth. Also to get each puppy used to human hands being near the mouth because eventually (when the puppy is older) teeth will need to be brushed.
John Tucker asleep on the floor.
There was an interesing-looking lecture at my local dog club this evening. "Local" is a slight exaggeration. The club is about a two-hour drive away from me. It is the dog club that friends recommended that I join when I moved here, and it was good advice. Unfortunately being so far away, I can not be an active member. But I occasionally participate in some of the club activities. The lecture was by a professor at the NC State University vet school. Being as it was at a dog club, I knew that it was ok to bring dogs. And what better way to socialize a puppy than to meet lots of different people. One problem was that I could only take one puppy. I agonized over which puppy to bring, and in the end decided that Tashi was the most likely to remain calm and quiet during the hour-long lecture. So Tashi and I made the two-hour drive. During the lecture, Tashi was passed from person to person, petted and made much over. Everyone at the dog club understands that "pass the puppy" is great socialization for a puppy. Tashi was good, and she only started to get squirmy towards the end of the lecture. But Tashi got very noisy when we started the drive back home. Evidently being good for the two-hour drive to the lecture plus the hour of the lecture was her limit. I actually pulled over and stopped in case Tashi had to potty, but that was not Tashi's complaint. Tashi eventually settled down when she realized that complaining would not do her any good. When we got home, Tashi had a good time playing with her brothers before bed.
Mid-morning nursing and mid-afteroon milk. I am amazed that mommy Maggie has any milk. I continue to daily check Maggie's belly (for mastitis). Maggie's belly now seems smooth and firm, with hardly any sign of milk in her teats.
It was bitterly cold today. (It started snowing in the evening.) As it was too cold to stay outside and chew on a stick, one of the puppies had the bright idea to drag a stick inside. From left to right chewing on a stick are uncle "JC", aunt Maggie, and John Tucker. The butler is shaking his head, as he know who is going to clean up the mess of wood pieces when everyone is done.
In spite of putting topical flea preventatitves on the puppies (selamectin and fipronil), today I found a flea on John Tucker. As it was so cold I felt bad about doing it, but John Tucker got a bath. The puppies are still too young for the medicated shampoo I use on my older dogs. So I bathed John Tucker using dishwashing liquid, lathering John Tucker up for a good five minutes before rinsing the suds off (and hopefully dead fleas who have drowned). After I toweled John Tucker off, I gave John Tucker 15 mL of kibble. Then I found a flea on Fred. So Fred got the same treatment. I should have given Tashi a bath also as I suspect it is easier for fleas to hide in her dark fur. But as Tashi was not scratching and as it was so cold, I took pity and decided not to give Tashi a bath.
I am amazed that my dogs and puppies will go out in such cold weather. It is below freezing. (I can hardly wait to get back inside where it is warm.) Here are the puppies running towards me, with those behind trying to slow down the puppy in the lead.
Tashi wondering why the puppy in the mirror will not come out and play. Tashi kept jumping at the mirror, trying to get the puppy to play.
The puppies keep bringing inside small rocks to chew on (because the puppies are teething). I keep taking the rocks away and throwing them back outside.
Tashi and John Tucker chewing on a stick. This is another stick that has been dragged inside out of the cold.
The two bothers, Fred and John Tucker. Other Norwich breeders have told me not to worry, that the boys ears will come up. Both boys have such large ears.
John Tucker chewing on a stick
Settling in for an after-breakfast nap: Fred and John Tucker. A moment later Tashi came to join them (or just to get in the picture).
I had to be out of the house during the middle of the day. I was not worried about the puppies missing lunch. When I got home, mommy Gwynie let the puppies nurse. Gwynie had also let the puppies have some milk just before breakfast today. For dinner, the puppies got twice their usual amount of kibble. (So the puppies got their usual amount of kibble for the day.) For dinner, the chef add some hard-boiled egg. (Yesterday for dinner, the puppies had some sardines).
I was reading the latest issue of the (UK) Norwich Terrier Club's newsletter and came across the following which is so true.
Puppy Property Laws
If I like it, It's mine!
If it's in my mouth, it's mine!
If I had it a little while ago, it's mine!
If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.
If toys are out, all of them are mine!
If I think it's mine, it's mine!
My first job after getting up this morning was to collect a DNA sample from Tashi. The previous sample of Tashi that I collected a month ago did not have enough DNA for analysis. So once again I put the DNA collection swab in Tashi's mouth and twirled the swab around next to the inside of Tashi' cheek.
Since the chef was being slow in preparing breakfast, the puppies got some milk from mommy Gwynie.
Fred napping in what has become one of his favorite spots. Note that partial destruction of the box by the puppies.
The puppies had visitors today. (Note aunt Izzy telling me that the visitors came to see her and the other adult dogs also.) A pleasant afternoon was spent sitting on the floor playing with the puppies and dogs. Since there were three humans - one to keep an eye on each puppy - we took the dogs including the puppies for a walk about my house ... twice! After which we had very tired puppies.
John Tucker working on destroying the box. Fred is inside the box, working on the inside. This seems to be a morning and evening project of the puppies.
Three puppies chewing on a stick.
My car needed an oil change. The auto shop where I take my car is a family-run business, and the owner frequently brings his dogs to work. I have a standing invitation to also bring my dogs while I wait for my car. So the puppies big adventure for today was a trip to the auto shop. I let the puppies have some bully sticks while we waited:
I rotated the puppies onto my lap and held a bully stick for each puppy to chew.
The puppies got to meet lots of new people:
and hear strange noises.
The puppies also got to see cars and trucks whiz by when I took them outside to potty:
Since meeting people is exhausting, the puppies took naps:
While John Tucker tried to sleep, Tashi used John Tucker as a pillow while Tashi chewed on a bully stick.
The puppies got to meet one of the owner's dogs.
And the puppies got to meet the owner's two-year old daughter:
After all the excitement, some comfort milk from mommy was needed when we got home.
The puppies big adventure for today was a trip to the NC State veterinary school. The puppies were there not for any medical or research reason, but just for socialization. The reason for the trip was to take my adult dogs for their annual eye exams. Since it was a nice day weather-wise, I brought the puppies, arrived about an hour before the adults' appointment, and set up an x-pen for the puppies. Almost immediately people came over, asking if they could pet the puppies (Yes!), inquiring what breed of dog and how old the puppies are, asking why the puppies were at the vet school (socialization), etc. The puppies were petted and held by lots of people: students, staff, researchers, even one of the vets from the theriogenology (reproduction) department that I often see with my breeding dogs. Everyone wanted to "pet a puppy". One person even wanted to get in the pen with the puppies. One gentleman said "I need to pet a puppy after the day I have had". (After dealing with sick animals all day, I can understand wanting to pet a healthy puppy.) I was so busy answering questions and encouraging people to pet or hold a puppy, that I did not have much time to take pictures. After about an hour, it was time for the appointment of my adult dogs. So we packed up, my adult dogs had their appointment, and then we did the long drive home.
The puppies had me up at 1 am for a potty trip, and then again at 5 am. After bringing the puppies inside at 5 am, I left the puppies loose as is now the routine. All three puppies came up onto my bed, curled up, and slept until great-aunt Mandy woke me up when the sun started to appear.
The puppies started today donating some of their DNA to science. Each puppy got the inside of their cheeks swabbed with a bristle swab to capture some cells for DNA analysis.
The puppies have learned that complaining does not make the chef prepare breakfast any faster. Instead the puppies play until breakfast is ready.
After breakfast, the puppies picked different spots for their after-breakfast naps:
As I was getting ready to leave with my adult dogs for a walk, I looked back through my screen door and saw Fred complaining about being left behind. Fred is standing on my robot vacuum cleaner. John Tucker is off to the side.
Puppies in my yard. From left to right - John Tucker, Fred, and Tashi. Uncle "JC" had been playing with the puppies, but now was moving away.
Dinner for a puppy. I wish the chef would cook so well for me.
John Tucker (left) and Fred (right) greeting us as the adult dogs and I came back from a walk.
The puppies went to a salon today to have their nails done. Actually I just took the puppies to the grooming table in my barn where the puppies met Mr. Dremel again. Mr. Dremel now is an old friend. The puppies are much more interested in Ms. Nutri-Cal, who tastes so good.
The puppies currently have favorite places for after-breakfast naps. Tashi prefers the mat in my bathroom. John Tucker likes the plush donut bed. Fred just wants to continue to play.
The puppies greeting us as my adult dogs and I return from a walk. From left to right - Fred, Tashi, and John Tucker. Fred is again expressing his vocal displeasure about being left behind.
For the past few days, whenever I have heard loud slurping noises indicating that the puppies are getting some milk, mommy Gwynie has walked away before I could get my camera. Today I was able to get this photo. I rarely now give mommy Gwynie any cottage cheese, in order to help Gwynie wean the puppies. Although at this point the puppies are not getting many calories from just a taste of milk.
The big adventure for the puppies today was a trip to the vet so that the puppies could get their second puppy shots and bordetella (kennel cough) vaccine. Also Fred needed to get his health certificate (formally called a "certificate of veterinary inspection") so that Fred could travel tomorrow.
While we were waiting for the vet, Fred took a selfie. When the vet came into the exam room, Fred was examined head to tail. For boys, I always ask if the vet can feel both the boy's balls (testes). While I never relax about a male puppy having a retained testicle until a puppy is about six months old, it is a good sign if the vet can feel them. Fred's fecal sample was negative for any parasites, so the vet declared that Fred was in good health.
Next Fred got his second puppy (DHPPC) shot. Then Fred got his bordetella vaccine. This was the oral version of the vaccine. (There are also inter-muscular and inter-nasal version of the kennel cough vaccine.)
Finally Fred got his microchip. This was the only thing that Fred complained about, as the needle used to inject the microchip is large.
Afterwards John Tucker and Tashi also got their second puppy (DHPP) shot and bordetella vaccine.
Both John Tucker and Tashi will get their microchips at a later date.
After seeing the vet, Fred got comforted by the receptionist. The vet signed Fred's health certificate and then we went home. (Legally a health certificate is necessary if a dogs is moving across state lines, although this is rarely checked.) None of the puppies had any reactions to today's shots as near as I could tell.
Mommy Gwynie and her three puppies. Gwynie got a bath again today as I again found a flea on Gwynie. The battle with the fleas is a war of attrition.
Mommy Gwynie giving her puppies some last minute advice while mommy and all three puppies are still all together.
A last photo of all three puppies together. Clockwise from the top - Fred, Tashi, and John Tucker.
Today I took Fred to his new home with Mert and Ayse. I am always a bit depressed after a puppy leaves me. But I know that Fred is in a good home and will get - and give! - a lot of love.
And then there were just two:
As I had a judging assignment this weekend, I took Tashi and John Tucker to stay with my petsitter for the weekend.
Sine John Tucker and Tashi were sleeping at noon, I decided to cut John Tucker and Tashi down to two meals a day - breakfast and dinner. The total daily amount is approximately the same - 30 mL of kibble for breakfast and 60 mL for dinner.
John Tucker and Tashi were digging furiously at the botton of the box, so my other dogs came over to investigate.
Tashi sleeping on top of John Tucker
Mert sent me the following pictures of Fred:
The big adventure for John Tucker today was a trip to the vet to get his health certificate (formally called a "certificate of veterinary inspection").
While we waited in the exam room, I took the opportunity to pull the dark hairs off of John Tucker's ears:
And John Tucker took a selfie.
When the vet came in, she checked John Tucker over and declared John Tucker healthy. Then the vet injected John Tucker with a microchip. John Tucker did not make a noise as the microchip went in.
Afterwards John Tucker was comforted by the receptionist and people in the waiting room
John Tucker even got to meet the black cat who works at the vet's.
When we got home, John Tucker and Tashi took a nap together.
Today I took John Tucker to what hopefully will be his new home.
John Tucker and his new owner, Sandy
After delivering John Tucker, I returned home.
And then there was just one - Tashi.
As I plan to keep Tashi, this is a good point to end this puppy blog.
(Hopefully now I can find time to update the Shaksper News, about my other dogs in my home and other homes.)
