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Sheerah's 2019 Puppies ~ 1 Week Old

10/17/2019

2 Comments

 
Our little pumpkins...
Click on the puppies' pictures above for more photos!

​Sheerah and the puppies are doing fabulous.  Sheerah, a first-time Mama, is mothering them well – feeding them, cleaning them, and keeping them snuggled together.  Though the puppies may look helpless with their eyes and ears closed and their lack of ability to walk, they are born with several instincts that help them thrive.  They are driven to food and warmth.  Healthy, happy puppies sleep in a twitching pile.  Yes, twitching!  Researchers think healthy puppies twitch due to activated sleep that helps with their muscle tone and brain connections.  Whatever the reason, we know that twitching while sleeping is a good sign.
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These two photos (above) sum up the puppies' lives at this stage - eating and sleeping!  It is literally all they do.  ​They don’t play with each other or people.  My husband and I handle the puppies to weigh them twice a day, but we don’t allow our children to hold them until their eyes open up.  This is due to how fragile they are at this age and their need for sleeping and eating.
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The puppies are weighed in the morning and evening.  We do this to ensure that each puppy is thriving and getting enough nourishment.  Sheerah's been feeding them well!  Their weights at one week are as follows: Thomas, Annie, and Shadow - 1lb, 1oz; Rex - 1lb; Elsa - 15oz; and Clarabelle - 14oz.  They have all met (or are on track to meet) our goal of having them double their birth weight in 7-10 days.

Our care for the puppies at this stage focuses on care for Sheerah.  We feed her as much as she’ll eat of Life’s Abundance All Stage food and add Life’s Abundance Wellness supplement for an extra boost while her system is working hard to provide food for her babies.  We keep her and the whelping area as clean as possible.  We change the bedding in the puppies’ area several times daily.

A big event in the puppies’ lives this week was a routine trip to the vet for tail docks and dew claw removals.  Here they are below in a basket for easy transport.
As I mentioned earlier, the puppies are fragile, but not helpless.  Below are some photos show-casing their God-given abilities as newborn puppies.
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Here's Clarabelle "swimming" - a propelling motion the puppies use to get around. They cannot walk, but they can move!
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Elsa showing how they can lift their little heads at one week old.
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Annie showing their "rooting" reflex as she searches for some food.
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All the puppies showed a definite dislike of the cool, smooth pumpkin. They are wired to look for warmth and comfort. Clarabelle clearly shows her distaste for the pumpkin as she turns away.
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One last super important skill - the ability to sleep in any position!
PictureAnd just another size perspective - Elsa by a pen.

PictureA picture of our whelping area; notice Sheerah has a bed where she an rest away from the puppies. She spends almost every minute with them right now, but we want her to be able to rest as needed. She has free access to food and water at all times.
Thanks for stopping by!  Have a blessed week!

2 Comments
Colleen & Mike
10/19/2019 09:33:06 pm

Oh Vanessa what a beautiful surprise when I seen 6 more puppies to watch & see grow. They are all beautiful I would love to be able to take two of them home with me. Mom is certainly doing a good job for all of them to be so small & for her first litter that is amazing. You & your husband have certainly been busy with the two litters, I wish I was closer & I surely would help you. Thank you again for sending us the latest additions & letting us see how they grow & develop. We enjoy every e-mail received from you. Please always continue to send them to us, we enjoy all of them.
Fondly,
Colleen & Mike

Reply
Vanessa link
11/14/2019 05:57:05 pm

Thanks, Mike & Colleen. Yes, we are busy, but it's a good busy! Our older children help a lot around the house, and, of course, Sheerah's been a super mom making our job easy right now!

Reply



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    Vanessa 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!
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"The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein." Psalm 24:1

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  • Home
  • Mini Schnauzers
    • Mini Schnauzers - The Basics
    • Current & Upcoming Litters
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Nutrition >
      • Nutrition - The Basics
      • Recommended Products
      • Life's Abundance-FAQ
    • Past Puppies
    • Puppy Photo Updates
    • Testimonials
    • Past Puppy Blogs
    • Documents
  • Goats
    • Our Goat Herd >
      • Goats - The Basics
      • Velvet
      • Nickel
      • Llama
    • Available Goat Kids
    • Past Goat Kids
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  • Blog