Tachi's 2019 Puppies ~ 1 Week Old

Tachi's puppies are 1 week old!  Though their pictures may look similar to their introductory post, they have grown a lot in just one week.  Below are the puppies - click on their pictures to go to their individual pages.

A day in the life of a newborn puppy involves eating, sleeping (lots of sleeping!), and seeking warmth.  

The puppies cannot see or hear, but they can move.  They propel themselves all around looking for food and warmth.  Below is Zeke swimming while I was trying to take his 1 week photo.

The puppies are also growing stronger each day.  Their little bellies do not get off the ground as they "swim," but they can lift their heads - a skill Tracker shows off below.

Our care for the puppies at this stage involves keeping their area clean and taking the best care possible of their Mama - their sole source of nutrition.  With 10 puppies, we were not sure Tachi would be able to feed all of them.  We've been weighing them frequently, and Tachi's is doing a fabulous job.  We have not supplemented the puppies at all.  Zuma, who entered the scene as one of the smallest at 5 ounces, now weighs in at a whopping 12 ounces!  He has by far been the fastest gainer, but he still isn't the largest - that prize goes to Chester and Amelia at 13 ounces.  Tracker is the smallest at 9 ounces.  In between we have Faith at 10 ounces; Zeke and Ivan at 11 ounces; and JD, Auggie, and Everest at 12 ounces (along with Zuma).  A milestone we watch for is doubling their birthweight by 7-10 days.  Zuma has surpassed this milestone, and the rest are on track to meet it by day 10. 

We are still in awe of Tachi's ability to produce enough milk for the crew.  We feed her as much as she'll eat of her Life's Abundance food, and coax her to eat more by adding ground turkey, rice, eggs, and goat milk.  She spends nearly every minute - waking and sleeping - with her babies.  She has their black coats glossy clean and their little tummies round with milk.  

We watch the puppies for signs of health everyday - weight gain, sleeping in a pile, twitching while sleeping, and nursing with a good, content latch.  We are thrilled to see lots of healthy signs from these puppies.

A big event in the puppies' week was a routine trip to the vet to get their tails docked and dew claws removed.  Below are the puppies in a laundry basket for easy transport to the vet.

Our children are eager to their hands on these little guys, but we make them wait until their eyes are open.  Right now, I handle them every day, but they are too fragile for little hands.  
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We feel so blessed; hope to see you back next week for week 2 and EYES!