1 week old! Although the puppies may look similar to their pictures from a few days ago, they changed a lot in size! This morning, Jewel tipped the scales at 1lb! Exactly double her birth weight - a goal we like to see reached between 7-10 days. Her siblings weren't far behind with Ranger & Charity at 15oz, Ebony & Pollyanna at 14oz, and Sasha at 13oz. The puppies' daily life consists of eating and sleeping at this stage - with one interruption this week with a trip to the vet for tail docks & dew claw removals. The puppies did fabulous, and it didn't slow down their weight gain! Jolly (below) was quite concerned to have her babies taken, but soon got them back again! If you read my post introducing this litter, you'll remember these little gals are difficult to tell apart. My red sharpie on their toenails idea didn't work. Since I really don't want to have any ribbons or collars on these little puppies, I did some careful inspection of their white markings, and I have them figured out! Pollyanna & Sasha can be distinguished by the colors of their right front claws. Jewel & Ebony can be told apart because Jewel has some white hairs on her back right paw pad. The white markings will change and somewhat disappear into their adult coats, but, for now, it works! To care for the puppies at this stage, we make sure Jolly is well fed with plenty of water. We keep the whelping area very clean by changing the towel several times a day. We weigh the puppies morning and evening. We hold them and pet them a little bit, but mostly allow them to eat and sleep and grow! Puppies cannot see or hear at this age, but that will come in the next week. I will close with some sleepy pictures and one view of the whelping area. As you can see, Jolly can choose to be in the box with the puppies or out. At this point, she stays with the puppies nearly 24 hours a day - leaving them only to eat, drink, & do business outside. Also, notice the puppies sleeping on a pile - that is a sign of happy, healthy puppies. Thanks for stopping by!
4 Comments
Lorraine
5/8/2017 01:15:21 pm
One word describes the post ADORABLE - especially with the puppies sleeping on Jolly - what a good Mom she is:)
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Vanessa
5/12/2017 03:33:04 pm
Thanks, Lorraine! Jolly is a good Mama - very calm & attentive :)
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COLLEEN
5/9/2017 08:50:58 am
RUSSELL HOMESTEAD....PUPPIES ARE ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL ALL 5 GIRLS & 1 BOY WHAT A GREAT LITTER FOR JOLLY. WE ARE CERTAIN SHE IS A GOOD MOM WE KNOW FROM SEEING & BEING WITH LORRAINE'S SADIE. ALSO, GREAT PICTURE OF YOU & JOLLY YOU SHOULD FRAME IT BECAUSE WE KNOW HOW GREAT YOU
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Vanessa
5/12/2017 03:34:38 pm
Thanks, Colleen! We are so pleased with a healthy litter of 6 & looking forward to meeting all their new families. Thanks for being a faithful reader & staying with us over the years since Sadie went home with Lorraine. Sadie will be 2 soon - that's hard to believe!
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AuthorVanessa from Russell Homestead. Follower of the Lord Jesus, wife of my knight in shining armor, mother of 5 wonderful children, and joint-keeper of the Russell homestead. Thanks for stopping by! Archives
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Vanessa Russell
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