Happy 2 week birthday, babies

Ripley is a great mom. Two weeks ago, she delivered 7 puppies in a shelter. As great as shelters can be, they are no place for a new mom – too loud, too much commotion, too many smells, not enough ‘tending and nurturing’.

So, here they are with us in the Puppy Palace.

The two on either end of the milk bar are BRUISERS! They have tripled their weight in just 10 days. Weighing young puppies is the best way to determine if they are thriving. We check their weight each night, compare it to the day before and supplement if needed.

Little Tiny isn’t out of the woods yet. Here are his weights since birth (in ounces):

5.7, 5.71, 6.03, 6.61, 7.0, 7.15, 7.2, 7.55, 7.55, 7.45, 8.9, 9.5

Biggest brother started at 6.2 and is now 22.8. I know data isn’t everything, but it helps us know what to do. LT nurses well, doesn’t have a cleft palate, yet MAKES ME WORRY…

We keep our visits to Ripley at a minimum so that she can focus on nurturing her pups. But as they grow, she spends more time with me roaming around the backyard. She likes to use me as a springboard – video to follow!

Just today, I noticed that the puppies eyes are starting to open, right on schedule. During this third week of life, we’ll see them transform from ‘swimmers’ to ‘wobblers’. Then they’ll start the slow-mo play sessions.

New life is fragile and precious.