Have I mentioned that these puppies are adorable? I’m sure it’s a surprise to no one that I think so. But I certainly do.
Carmela is taking her responsibilities very seriously but she has actually gotten a toy to greet us twice today. Both times she dropped it in the pool when she hurried back to her babies.
I haven’t managed to conivnce her to let me hold a full weight watchers meeting, she thinks we should not judge them based on a number on the scale. For the most part, i haven’t fought her on that but it’s partly because we’ve been worried about the little brown boy.
He was significantly smaller than the other and has not been closing the gap. It’s not too unusual for puppies not to gain a lot of weight as the transition from colostrum to milk occurs but he was expending a lot of energy nursing. And we were expending a lot of energy getting him a prime location and helping him maintain it but that wasn’t the worry.
Last night, I tried really hard several times to get him to take supplement via every nipple we’ve ever had on syringes, bottles or the sponge wedge method. He expended more energy fighting that - I don’t think I’ve ever had a puppy willing to participate in that and we have all of the kinds “just in case”. I’ve never truly felt like it was needed before, it just would’ve made me feel a little better using the formula I’ve mixed up but I end up giving it to the dam. I was starting to really worry about him.
He was still peeing and pooping and nursing but he was NOT growing. So I pulled the tube feeding supplies out of the box. I’ve had them forever but not used them even though I technically knew how. Now I’m not sure WHY I was so worried about it, it was SO much easier than any of the syringe nursing options!
I couldn’t get him to make any noise when I pinched his toes (to make certain it was in his esophagus and not his airway) the first time this am so I did the end in water to check for bubbles version. Pretty much as soon as I started pressing the plunger, he started singing his eating song ;-). He’s still nursing so I’m supplementing but it made a huge difference after the first time. And again every time after that. I managed to sneak him away from Carmela the first couple of times but she could tell I had him when I brought him back and SHE wanted HER baby back. So he’d get cleaned up and topped off again ;-). As the day progressed (I started at 2 hour intervals but a couple of times ended up being 3 hours this evening). He’s gone from 5.5oz at 9:30am to 6.4 before his 10:30ish pm feeding. And he’s eaten a couple of times since then. I don’t think I’ll ever fool with the other options again. I’ll keep it up with him until I’m sure he has turned the corner, too. Just don’t tell his mother, she’s figured out what’s going on even when I sneak him inside while she’s out pottying and protests at the door to the kitchen.
` We continue with puppy yoga in spite of their mother’s attempts to thwart me. ;-). She is definitely not neglectful. Even when she really obviously wants to greet us with a parade, she hurries right back to the puppies. At this point, I’m lucky she’ll go outside to potty ;-). (She does it as quickly as she possibly can. And I doubut it’s helpful that I sneak the little brown boy in for a snack most times she goes out.)
I had to clip everyone’s nails today, those little things were sharp. I can do that in the pool though so Carmela doesn’t mind. So far, I haven’t quicked any but I barely take the shapr points off for a long time so that is pretty rare.
i think we are getting settled in pretty nicely so I might try for a little nap beside the puppy pool after the next tubing. It’s hard to sleep, I might miss something adorable they do (spoiler alert: everything they do is adorable!). It shouldn’t be too much longer before they yawn on cue so I can sbiff the puppy breath, we’re working on it. Nighty, nighty, nighty
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