Whelping Day
On Tuesday morning, Millie came to our house and spent the next couple of days settling in. We spent time with her in her whelping box, and I could tell she remembered the room from her first litter.
Since we became empty nesters, we have repurposed our spare bedrooms. We use one as a TV lounge and have set up the other as our whelping room. I spent the night in our TV room, sleeping on the sectional with Millie. We kept the door open so she could wander if she wished. Millie slept beside me, and I woke only a couple of times as she shifted positions. After we took Millie and our other dogs for a morning potty break, they all came back to our upstairs spare bedroom, which we use as a TV lounge. We were having our morning coffee when Millie quietly settled back on the couch beside me.
Without warning—no heavy panting or digging—Millie surprised me by giving birth to her first puppy on the couch at 7:30 am.
We quickly moved Millie and her new puppy to the whelping room. I placed the puppy in our warming container inside the whelping box and tried to encourage Millie to enter. No luck. She wanted to deliver on the elevated bed.
We spent the morning helping Millie deliver and care for her babies. The last puppy arrived at 12:11 pm. Millie did an amazing job bringing her twelve babies into the world — six boys and six girls.
Week One
Caring for Mama
Millie has a large litter and needs plenty of nourishment to feed her babies. Sometimes, after whelping, mamas need encouragement to eat. We start with boiled chicken breast with broth and mothers pudding. This is something every mama loves. We feed this inside the whelping box so Millie doesn’t have to leave her puppies. We always have dry kibble and fresh water available just outside her whelping box. We also put our mamas on a vitamin Oxy Momma.
Neonatal Period
Newborn puppies are in the neonatal period, when they spend their days eating and sleeping. Millie spends most of her time feeding and cleaning them and keeping them warm.
Daily Weigh-in
Millie is doing a fantastic job caring for her new babies. I have been pleased with our daily weigh-ins, and I’m happy to report that they have all been steadily gaining weight. Because there are twelve in the litter, I expect them to gain weight at a slower pace than in smaller litters.
Socialization
Part of raising well-adjusted puppies is socialization. We handle our puppies from birth. When our mamas are comfortable, we also let others in my family cuddle the puppies.
LOOKING AHEAD TO WEEK TWO
- Much the same as week one – Eat, Sleep, Repeat!
- Puppies will continue to grow rapidly
- Puppies still crawl; their hind legs will become stronger
- Continue ENS and ESI
- At the end of the week, eyes should begin to open – SO EXCITING!!!
