Puppies: the first week

puppies

7 Feb

In a way, the first week is fairly straight-forward. The puppies have not opened their eyes yet, so they don’t tend to go far. So much of what happens in the first week is about getting the rhythms and routines of the day in place, so that the next few weeks can go as smoothly as possible.

Mum - Lots of work has been done through pregnancy and then the birth. But it does not stop there. During the birth itself all the placentas were counted out - indeed Zinny had eaten a few herself. As well as being a “tidy” instinct, eating the placenta has many other benefits. The placenta contains Oxytocin (which will encourage milk let down and uterine contractions) and natural endorphins (which will help her feel happier and more comfortable after al the hard work of birth.)

The placentas will have a certain nutritional value. A word of caution, do be aware that some bitches may have a bit of diarrhoea after consuming them. This usually settles without an issue. Maybe only two or three is enough.

The uterus in the dormant state is a relatively small organ. It is approximately the size of a pencil and composed of two horns. By the end of pregnancy it has grown considerably larger. Think about the size of a sac needed to contain all the puppies. Over the next few weeks the uterus will be rapidly reducing in size until it gets to the dormant state again. A lot of activity goes on inside. Zinny was having remedies to help her uterus settle down.

On the outside she will be busy producing milk. She has nine puppies to feed so that is a lot of milk production. Making sure that she has plenty of good quality, well balanced nutrition is essential to make sure all goes well.

Puppies - Day by day the puppies are getting bigger. They had all been weighed after they were born. As is common there was a range of different birth weights.

Zinny had eight good teats, with some producing more milk that others. As there were nine puppies, it was going to be a juggling act. Ziggy’s owner was very attentive making sure that there was a regular rotation of pups. The pups were weighed on a regular basis. The tendency is for the big pups to barge in and get more milk. With a little bit of clever intervention the aim is to start to let the smaller ones get in first for a good feed, then let the big ones come in a little bit later. Gradually over time the weights tend to even out for similar size pups.

Fleas - The first challenge had arrived. Fleas had not been a particular problem in the household. Zinny had been free from fleas through the pregnancy. There were cats that came in and out quite regularly. They had been treated recently and were not considered a concern. None the less somewhere along the line a few flea larvae must have been produced for a flea had been spotted on a puppy.

The aim is to do things as naturally as possible. At the same time, it is well known that a couple of fleas can breed and produce six hundred offspring within a matter of weeks. There has not been extensive research for which chemical flea products are safe for puppies. Usually this is left to the “vets discretion’.

The choice was made to apply the Holistic Triage model:

Red Level - There are many flea products on the market, each with their own risks and benefits.

Red Flags - For now the aim is to avoid; at the same time if the situation were to get worse, such products may be needed.

Green Level - There is a large amount of husbandry that is useful to reduce fleas. Bedding was changed on a regular basis. Similarly, extensive vacuuming of the whole house, and in particular the puppy area. Each puppy was flea combed on a regular basis, as was the mum.

Amber Level - There are a wide variety of herbs and homeopathic products that can potentially be useful to improve the resilience of the puppies and the bitch. A selection of these was to be used to start off with.

The key thing about using this model well is diligent observation on a regular basis. Ziggy’s owner had their work cut out over the next few weeks.

Fun - As well as all the work involved in caring for mum and pups, there is also much fun to be had. Even without their eyes being open, there were clear characters starting to come through. Each puppy was very much going to be an individual. Day by day they were becoming their own unique selves.

If you want to keep up to date on the puppies progress, then sign up to the newsletter for the next Puppy Blog.

There are several more weeks of being with their mum before they go on to their new homes. There will be many important stages of their development and a lot of work ahead for Zinny’s owners. You can follow the progress in the Puppy Blogs as we see how they all develop.

There will also be a number of useful Holistic Puppy Owner leaflets to look out for. Check the resources section of the website periodically to see what’s new.