Sunday, June 6, 2010

The third week of puppies' lives

Keena's pups turned two weeks old yesterday, and Gilda's pups will do the same this coming Tuesday. This upcoming week will witness more actvity in the whelping boxes and pups will experience many "firsts".

Right now puppies can see and hear some, but their senses are going to improve dramatically. The pups are not steady on their feet yet, but in the upcoming days their mobility will get much better. They will be able to stand and take few steps without falling. They will also start interacting with their siblings and of course, with their moms. Their teeth will start to erupt and interestingly, the timing of the teeth eruption in wires is correlated with the texture of their coats they will have as adults. Pups with shorter, tighter coats will get their teeth first. Pups with longer and softer coats (as adults) will get their teeth a bit later.

In the third week pups are not ready for food supplementation yet, and they will rely on their moms for all the nurishment. And moms will continue to clean their pups' little butts. Keena and Gilda have been eating a lot and their needs for food will increase even further. Since both of them are dealing with large litters, we will be watching for any signs of eclampsia. I have seen this condition just a couple of times, but it was a very scary experience, requiring emergency. We do have oral calcium on hand, just in case. Eclampsia in dogs is different from human eclampsia, and it usually happens when pups are 2-3 weeks old and a bitch has to deal with a large litter. I think it is quite unlikely in Keena and Gilda's case as they have been eating really well, and they do not stay with puppies all the time.  For more info on eclampsia click here.

1 comment:

Stan said...

Interesting correlation w/teeth and coats.