Puppy Update and Other Stuff

First off, is there some internet thing going on that hasn't made the news yet? My host is down (for the website and for all those I'm maintaining... about 2 dozen.) The Brokeback forum is down. And another dog-related site I visit fairly often is down. I hate it when that happens!

The Puppies
Lots going on with these guys, both good and troublesome. Over the weekend they all got really yucky stool...
I guess I should post a warning: if you have a queasy stomach, move on to the next paragraph...
yellowish, brown liquid. This is highly unusual at this age since the pups are on just mama's milk. I decided to worm with Panacur, rather than Pyrantel, because Panacur "gets" a variety of internal bugs while Pyrantel pamoate only gets round worms (and yes, it's true, all... as in 99% of... pups have worms.) Panacur is a white chalky suspension and tastes terrible AND you give it several days in a row. Pups HATE it. But, I'm bigger than they are, so they're getting it. Yesterday, after I didn't see much improvement in their stool and the color was still very yellowish (indicating too much fat in their diet,) I changed Cotton back from the super high grade puppy kibble she was on to my normal adult dog food, Pedigree. We'll see how that works in the next couple days. AND because I still didn't see a lot of change this morning, I called the vet and asked about putting the pups on Albon, a sulfa based antibiotic that is used for a multitude of intestinal upsets. She said to give them the normal dose for several days. At least it tastes good, so they don't object!
Don't get me wrong, they are not sick. They're acting and apparently FEELING normal, which is great... can't think of anything worse than ELEVEN unhappy pups!

Okay, for the squeamish, you can come back now.
Here's what the gang is up to... one found mom's water bowl this afternoon and actually drank quite a bit of water. Well, quite a bit for a 3-1/2 weeks old puppy. Then he/she let another pup lick his wet face and pretty soon THAT pup also had his nose in the bowl!
Another puppy tried his/her hand at running... took off at a fast clip and made it most of the way across the 8 foot pen before falling on his chin. The last couple strides were something to behold as the brakes didn't seem to be working.
All of them have discovered... each other. They began wrestling with each other a couple days ago but it was more one tripping over a sleeping littermate and then the two of them mouthing each other. Today, several have actually gotten up from where they were sitting or sleeping and gone in search of a playmate.
They can growl and I've even heard a few baby barks.
And they've noticed ME. A couple have started responding to the sound of my voice or sitting with their noses pressed through the wire staring at me. Trust me, it gets tougher from here out!

Another Doodle heard from
These are pictures sent me of Cooper at 5 years of age.


This is Cooper with a couple pals, obviously other Doods

Out of the Nest

Ready or not, I've removed the nest from the puppy pen. Now everyone can walk around unobstructed. Cotton is not particularly happy since, before, she could get out of the nest and take a snooze away from MOST of the kids... there have been a couple who have been climbing/falling over the edge for the last few days and she's had to put up with them. But the funny thing is, MOST of the pups are staying in a group in the back of the pen, where the nest used to be, and only a couple are wandering around... just like before. That will change in the next day or so when the babies come to understand the dogs on the other side of "the fence" looking in at them can't get TO them... although the few times Mama has been outside and someone else has wandered into the pen for a sniff, the pups haven't been frightened. And one of the babies had his (her) nose in mom's food bowl this afternoon... just inhaled a little and then staggered away. That will be changing soon also. They'll stop staggering and will start eating kibble. They grow up so fast!

Puppy Pix!

Here's a sneak peek at tomorrow's 3 weeks birthday photos. I grabbed these this evening... don't know if they're male or female or what. The pups DO have their eyes open AND they can see, sort of. AND I have a sneaking suspicion their ears are also open (because of the way they reacted when I opened the gate to get pictures.) They're all up on their feet and staggering around... and getting lost. At any given time, some of them are out of the nest and unable to find their way back which is driving Cotton crazy because she doesn't like it when they cry. There is one independant little pup... again, don't know if it's a boy or girl... who will give a shout out and if Cotton doesn't come to the rescue, it just curls up and goes to sleep. My kind of puppy!




I'm not putting these 2 pictures on the website, so if you want them, take them from here.

The Bird Brothers Do It!

Only in the wrong order! Summer Bird finished first and Mine That Bird was third in today's Belmont. And Mr Hot Stuff was 8th (out of 10. No problem... he comes from a slow maturing line, so next year he'll beat ALL these guys!) Of the first 4 finishers... Dunkirk was 2nd and Charitable Man was 4th... ONLY Mine That Bird had run in all 3 of the Triple Crown races. His brother and Dunkirk ran in the Derby and today, but Charitable Man didn't try any of the others. If I had put $10 on each of my 3 picks "across the board," I'd be sitting pretty right now. Oh well.

I Feel Guilty

I've got nothing new to report. I feel bad because I know a lot of people are tuning in here every day for updates on the pups. BUT they're just babies and not doing much of anything. They ARE all on their feet... sort of. They stand rather spraddle legged, bellies close to the ground. Until they try to move and then the bellies are back ON the ground. But they're getting the idea. Cotton is still taking complete care of them by herself. Her poor nipples are so red! Sometimes it seems to me that she's not spending enough time nursing them, but they're not yelling which they'd do if they were hungry. And if she's been napping outside the nest and goes back in, only the crew that hasn't eaten for a while wake up. The ones that nursed just before she left keep on sleeping. I do expect these guys will be in her food as soon as they discover the bowl... which should be in less than a week.

Belmont is tomorrow
It may not be a Triple Crown year, but I'm looking forward to the race. I'd love to see Mine That Bird make another of his now patented (!) take-no-prisoners run from the back of the herd to cross under the wire first. It is just amazing the way he just sweeps passed everyone. I'll bet the people who gelded him are kicking themselves now! For second place, I'd like to see Mr Cool Stuff... just because he is soooo different. And for third, why not Bird's brother Summer Bird? He didn't do so well in the Derby, but maybe the longer distance will suit him better. One thing that bothers me is the "tradition" of people not running their colts in the first 2 races and then entering them in the Belmont as spoilers. Some how it just doesn't seem fair.

Two Weeks Old

And growing like weeds. Literally! If you compare what's going on in my yard with the way these pups are thriving, well, there's a lot to compare! Several of the pups have their eyes open... of course, they can't see yet, but they're growing up fast. I've been in awe of this litters' sense of smell. Their mom can go outside while they're sleeping and they're completely undisturbed by her absence. But let her just walk back into the room and every one of them is awake and moving around, trying to locate her. Since they can't hear, it HAS to be her smell they pick up on.

12 Days and Movin' On

And I do mean moving'. Cotton's babies are all over the place... when they're awake (which isn't much!) Most of them are already trying to get up on their feet. Usually one end is in the air and the other still on the ground, but they get "A" for effort! Cotton has an interesting way of dealing with their hunger. She still doesn't like it when they cry, so she'll get in with them and let them nurse for 5-10 minutes, then she's back out of the nest and lying elsewhere in the pen. A half hour later, she goes back in the nest. Normally, that is with a normal size litter, 5-10 minutes would be enough for everyone to get some chow, but with this many pups... well, it looks like a run on the bank! And yet, for the most part, they're quiet and they're growing like weeds AND they always seem to have full tummies when I pick them up. AND their bottoms are clean (thank you, Cotton!) At night, Cotton usually stays with them most of the time. I'm torn about starting to supplement them as I don't want them getting loose stools, but I also don't want Cotton getting run down for having so many mouths to feed. (Even though it IS her fault in the first place!)

And by the way
Someone didn't have their fingers crossed when it came to placing this rescue puppy... she's still with me. The family drove several hours to meet her and she, all 6-1/2 pounds of her, was too BIG. Since she's now living with a group of adults, she's doing great... hasn't used the newspaper at night for several weeks and has toned down some of her excessive energy. Guess she feels like a big girl now! She still needs to go....