Puppy TV

Every day they are changing and getting more and more active.  They are starting to try and run but it doesn't always work out for them, so you see a lot of starting and stopping and crashing into each other.  I call it my puppy T.V. because it's better to watch than anything on TV right now.  They chew on each other, starting to paw each other and are piling up on each other more than they have in the past. 

It seems there is always one that just cannot quite settle down to go to sleep, this last round was lime girl, she pulled up the corner of the whelping pad and moved it half way across the box, then went around and literally pounced on each of the other pups to see if they were awake, then whining when no one responded she put herself into the corner of the box and cried herself to sleep.

I spoke with my mentor this morning to ask her advise about whether or not I should start them on gruel and she agrees with me that they are thriving on momma's milk, they are gaining, growing and as long as they are not hungry no reason to rock the boat, so we are still nursing every two hours and mom is doing an amazing job, the whelping box is spotless and the minute a puppy whines or cries she is in cleaning their bums.  In a way they haven't had to poop on their own, because mom cleans them long before it ever gets to the point of them trying to do it on their own.  So for me I think this is another reason for them to have a few more days on Mom's milk.

Green hit the magic 5 Pound mark this morning and Lime is right behind him, I am sure she will be 5 pounds by tomorrow.  Now I understand why Nevada is eating 9 to 10 cups of food a day.  She is eating three times a day and her bowl is empty after each meal so I am feeling very good about the nutrition they are getting.