Coco's pups 1 week old update

Today the puppies are already 12 days old.  The weekend was busy and I wasn't able to get pictures right on the 7 day mark.  But I did get these photos taken yesterday, as my aim is to give an update roughly every 7 to 10 days...until the puppies reach 8 weeks old.  

During this first week the puppies are in the Neonatal Stage of Development.  This stage lasts from Birth until 14 days old.  At this stage the litter cannot see or hear.  Their eyes and ears are still developing.   The puppies sense of smell, on the other hand is very keen indeed.   They know as soon as their mother enters their whelping box.  They scoot over to her so fast, you would think they could see her.  If they are not curled up with their mother, they want to be cuddled up with their litter mates for warmth.   We always know if a puppy is separated from the group, because he will cry until he finds them.

Coco's Boy #1  - Pretzel

 In the first few days I watch my Mama and Puppies very closely to make sure Coco is recovering quickly and that the babies are all nursing well.  This is no small thing.  The highest rate of mortality in a puppies life is within the first 24 hours.  So I have to make sure that everything is going perfectly.

Coco's Boy #2 - Chester

On the third day of life, I take the puppies to the veterinary to have the dew claws removed.  It is a quick and simple procedure, and the puppies complain for less then a minute, then they go on nursing as if nothing happened.  The thing I don't like most about removing dew claws is disturbing the litter.  Taking them to the veterinary is no small thing at such a young age.

Coco's Boy #3 - Rusty

Once the dew claws are removed, we keep the mama and her puppies very quiet for the rest of the week.  The mama dog stops being hyper vigilent after the first few days.  As she relaxes she runs about the house back to her old self.  But she is still very protective of her litter, so we keep the puppies in the far corner of the house (our Master Bathroom) for the first week.  The door is left ajar so she can come and go, checking on them, cleaning them up, and nursing whenever she feels the need to do that.

Coco's Boy #4 - Pudding

When Crystal (8 month old Mini Schnauzer)  first approached the door of the room to see the puppies, Coco chastised her immediately.   Crystal who is naturally very submissive, took this very seriously.  Now she is super careful not to come close to those puppies.  She knows Coco will not stand for it!

Coco's Female Puppy - Hazel

As the week goes on, we change the puppies bedding regularly, but it does not get very dirty. Coco cleans up the puppies very well herself.   Puppies actually need their mama to lick them in order to help them go potty.  It seems strange to us humans....but it does make clean up so much easier!

The puppies grow super fast this week, and the ribs that were showing forth at birth, are now not visible.  The puppies are noticeably putting on weight.  It makes a mama proud!

The rest of the work is just keeping on top of Coco's needs.  Coco is eating a lot throughout the day, and as a result needs to go out to the potty throughout the day.  That is where having a doggy door comes in super handy.  The bigger problem is that Coco needs to go out to potty in the middle of the night and that requires my supervision.  We live on the edge of some pretty wild woods.  I wouldn't want to risk Coco being out alone even in a fenced yard.  If I leave to go out during the day, I put Coco in the room with her puppies.  This is just added assurance, that she will not accidentally get closed off from her litter while I am out.

All in all, the first week of puppies does require me to be on my toes, but I still consider it to be an easy time.  At least Coco is still doing the bulk of the work!