Jeepers peepers!

Day 13 and Big Red's got the tiniest of eye slits!

The milk letdown

Here is a video from a few days ago that shows all four puppies feeding. At the beginning, they are moving around a lot, whining and grunting. Then at about 0:20 seconds, Sophie's milk lets down. You can see and hear the change in the puppies as they start gulping milk as fast as they can.

Growing puppies

Eating again??!

Today, at 11 days old, all the puppies except Junebug exceeded the three pound mark. I think that explains why she's the first one to really be toddling around on all four legs. She is the smallest of the puppies, but by no means a runt. Although they can all support their weight on their front legs already, the others just can't support their weight on all fours yet. This is typical for puppies under two weeks of age. Normally puppies are standing on all fours by about 15 days old and starting to walk at about 3 weeks of age.

During the next week, the puppies' eyes and ears will start to open. This marks their transition from neonates to dogs. They will begin to experience the world and interact with Sophie in new ways and thus start developing their canine identity. The sounds they make are already changing from mews and whines to the cutest puppy barks, growls and grunts.

Fat-n-happy

Junebug says "hi"

Cricket

Honeybee

Big Red Firefly

Puppy cam is ON

The puppy cam is now on and you can check in on the love bugs during daylight hours. Enjoy the show! 

Pedicures all around

Vizslas are a "wash and wear" breed that require very little grooming. Regular nail trims and brushing of teeth are just about all that is required, with the occasional bath after your Perfect Puppy rolls on a dead animal. (Volt's fave cologne is seasonal rotting salmon.)

Nail trimming is critical to the proper development of the foot but is too often a neglected task because time isn't taken to accustom the dog to having their feet and toes handled and getting their nails trimmed. If you take the time to make it a positive experience, it is only a 5 minute weekly task. The nails should be kept short enough that they do not touch the ground when the dog is standing upright. Here are some images of nice, short nails. http://tinyurl.com/ok8msyf

The puppies all had their first nail trim this week. Their little nails are tiny and SHARP. Right now I am using baby nail clippers (and glasses!) to do the job, but later I will start using a Dremel because it creates a smoother edge on the nails than clippers and there is very little chance of cutting the quick. (You DO have to be careful to not let the nail get hot, which will happen if you keep the Dremel on a single toenail too long. On adult toenails, I rotate through the nails, sanding for just a few seconds on each nail, and then back around until they are the desired length.) By the time they go home, the puppies will be accustomed to having their nails trimmed.

My personal weapon of choice is the Dremel 8100 with the fine sanding drum but the Dremel 7700 is also suitable. I prefer the lithium ion battery because I've found that the other batteries lose their charging ability over the years.

And now, I'm off to trim Sophie's nails... she missed her trim last week...

Week 1 (cont.)

There were too many cute pictures from the first few days not to share more. Enjoy!

Week 1

This past week has been a busy week. The pups have all exceeded their target weight for the week -- they are supposed to double their birth weight by day 7-10. These bugs all hit that mark on day 6. Everyone is gaining steadily and definitely getting plenty to eat. Poor Sophie is exhausted. Here are the newborn puppy pictures. It's hard to believe they are all double their original size.

Junebug aka Junie B

Cricket (because he came out with a squawk)

Honeybee, aka Honey

Firefly aka Big Red (because he's anything but diminutive)

Sophie's Love Bugs have arrived!

The little bugs landed on February 11, 2015. Two girls and two boys!

Orange girl "Junebug" - 1:40pm 12.6 oz

Aqua boy "Cricket" - 2:00pm 14.4 oz

Yellow girl "Honeybee" - 3:00pm 14.0 oz

Red boy "Firefly" - 4:10pm 15.0 oz

Sophie was a champ and seemed to breeze right through labor and delivery. I am looking forward to getting to know these little critters over the next nine weeks.

Day 61 - Let's play ball!

Puppies?? Who says it's time to slow down and be a mama?

Okay, okay, maybe I am a little tired... Just. Can't. Reach. It.

Preparing for whelping day

Over the last couple of months, other than nail-biting while waiting for the confirmation of pregnancy and now the birth, I have been assembling all the supplies I will need and even might need for the big event. Being that this is the first litter I have whelped, I am a little nervous and probably over-prepared. But my best friend and mentor, who has been through many puppy births, will be with me to calm my nerves and assist in the whole process.

My office has been converted to the puppy nursery and the whelping box is ready. The first step was to lay down plastic carpet protector over the entire room. Tricky, sticky stuff. Underneath the whelping box is a layer of thick foam tiles to insulate and provide padding. Next is a waterproof liner, and then a thick veterinary fleece pad. During whelping, I will cover it with waterproof bed pads to soak up the inevitable mess. The boards around the inside lower edge of the box are called "pig rails" (because they are also used for mama pigs). This prevents Sophie from accidentally laying down and pinning a puppy against the wall. Instead, the puppy will get pushed under the rail.

While the puppies are being delivered, I will have a little warming box with a heating pad and blankets to put the puppies in while Sophie is busy delivering the next puppy. This will keep them warm (they are unable to regulate their body temperature while they are so young) and safe during the delivery process.

Counting down the days......

Baby bump, weeks 5 - 9

Sophie is at the beginning of the 9th and final week of gestation. She is doing great, but I can tell things are getting a little crowded in there. Her breathing is heavier and more strained and her stomach feels really tight. It's a good thing she is in such great shape! I think that's one of the reasons her baby bump doesn't look all that pronounced. I should have taken photos from above because her girth has really increased. When Sophie is really relaxed, particularly after she eats, I can feel the puppies moving around in there!

Here's a little recap of the previous four weeks:

Up until the fifth week, there was not much of a change in Sophie's appearance. During the fifth week of gestation, the embryos enter the fetal stage.

Day 29

At the start of week 6 of gestation, Sophie is over halfway thru the pregnancy! This is when the puppies' rate of growth and development really picks up. During this week, the little pups are developing their claws. Sophie is extra clingy right now due to all the hormonal changes. She is still excited about getting her morning exercise, but it seems to tire her out more.

Day 36

During week 7 the puppies are developing their fur and their skeletons are ossifying. Sophie's appetite has also increased as the puppies are really starting to grow now.

Day 43

By the eighth week, the puppies' skeletons have ossified and will just continue to grow.

Day 50

During the final week, Sophie will start nesting. I will begin taking her temperature this weekend to pinpoint the temp drop, which will indicate whelping in 24-36 hours.

Day 57