Hello 5 weeks!
- Posted on 25th January 2011
- in Belle 2010
- by jvfairbanks
Wow! Already the start of the 5th week. Belle’s final litter is growing so rapidly their requirements for food are beyond what Belle has the ability to produce. She is becoming more reluctant to nurse and avoids them by jumping up on the couch or outside of the puppy pen to escape their erupting teeth. If confined, she does not lie down any longer, but moves so they must nurse standing up, but not for long. After a few minutes she leaves, with puppies yipping as they stubbornly follow after her for more.
Tonight was their first bath. Toenail trim yes, but not eye guard trim. Not just yet. Their first “grooming” imprint must be a good one and they were falling asleep after a good meal, bath and romp time. Pictures are on the online gallery from the main website and willing coming tonight.
Observing the milk bar, we see little bite marks, yet one more sign that a full wean is approaching. During the next week we think she will move to a full wean, but we let mother nature lead. Which brings us back to the bath as we introduce a very messy, sticky mess of rice and canine replacement milk and have worked towards adding meat this last couple of days. As we introduce the food Belle sits content at the far end, stepping in only to clean up the pan and the pups.
Within the next few days they will move to all meat but still require their mom as they are bombarded with absorbing all types of stimulation that is new this week. Weaning also indicates a shift from the “neonatal” period to that of going further then the pups den, exploring and becoming full on puppies.! And so begins our social period; a periodic absence of mom which gradually cause the puppiesto to be less dependent on Belle and more into play with each other. Yet another building block to our puppies. But again, I am getting ahead of myself.
Watermarking the pictures now and will upload tonight.
