Puppies first week

During the first week of their lives, what do the puppies do? They eat, they sleep, they vocalize a bit, they repeat.

The pups are still small enough to all ‘fit’ nicely in order to feed.

During this first week of the puppies’ lives, Athena and I keep them alive. It might sound dramatic, but puppies are fragile. They need to get plenty of nutrients from their mom, need to be kept warm and clean, need to be monitored for weight gain – the best indicator that they are thriving.

So, Athena tends to her puppies and I tend to Athena. During the first few days, Athena stays close to the pups, eating in bed, while they are nursing. She only goes outside to do her business, and rushes back in to make sure all is well.

As the week went on, she lingered a bit more outside. And today, we hung out in the warm sunshine.

Athena’s babies are thriving! Puppies usually double their weight by Day 10. Four of the 6 pounds doubled their weight today (day 7), the other 2 will definitely hit that mark tomorrow. This is huge!

We started the ENS protocol this week. Early Neurological Stimulation consists of 5 simple exercises, done daily, for 5 seconds each to stimulate their brains. Very simple to do, paying huge dividends as these pups grow.

And tonight, they got their first pedicure! It’s so important to keep those nails short. Mama will be more comfortable while they nurse; the pups will get used to this life-long maintenance technique.

The pups have also started to spend time away from each other, not always nursing or piling together.

But their favorite pass time at this age, remains….The Snack Bar!