Wilma's Health and Puppies Learning to Eat

Wilma has had a bad few days. It all started on Wednesday. After throwing up several times in the morning, she spent 3 hours at the vet. I was in Grand Rapids for work and Marilyn came over to check on her and the pups. She walked into a mess and a lifeless Wilma. She tried to get ahold of me and then called my vet. She made an appt and I finally got her message. Since I was 2 hours from home, she took Wilma in and I met them at the vet. Exams and blood work showed Wilma has mastitis, anemia and hypoglycemia. My poor baby! She was given fluids and shots at the vet and has 4 medications to take at home. And no nursing. So……

…I had to switch into puppy gruel mode instantly. I ground up dog food in a blender and soaked it in water and puppy formula. I was very relieved when the puppies actually caught on right away! But what a mess. The stepped in it, walked through it, laid in it, and had more ON them than IN them. But they must have gotten enough because they all went right to sleep after their clean up.







I’ve been experimenting with different ways to feed them. I tried a small bowl with 5 pups at a time, then 2 bowls with all 10 pups, then 2 pups at a time on the kitchen counter (easier on the back), but the last few times I just put them all around the big puppy feeder bowl. Some do better by sucking it out of my hand and some like to lap it off the floor. But most eat it out of the pan with their paws right in the middle of it.

Wilma was doing much better on Thursday, so Clare and my vet thought it would be OK if she nursed the pups for one meal, keeping them off the infected gland. So I did 5 pups at a time for 15 minutes. Afterwards, Wilma was exhausted and lifeless again. And Friday morning she threw up again, so I decided no more nursing for her. Then later in the morning, her mastitis broke open. It was a huge open wound and it looked awful! I took her into the vet and he cleaned it out. He said that’s exactly what was supposed to happen and it should help Wilma feel better. I have to wash it out twice a day and sprinkle some powdered medication on it. Wilma does seem to feel better. She’s eating again and keeping it down. The pups are eating good and they all gained weight both yesterday and today. So I think all will turn out OK.

Attack of the Lufa Dog

A purple monster threatened the pack of 10 helpless puppies. But not to worry, Sparty came to their rescue and tamed the beast.

Fun With Names

Besides their identifying color, I have given each puppy a temporary name. Most of these names correspond to their color. Of course, these temporary names will be used only by me. The Paws puppy raisers get to pick the pups permanent names. Wilma’s litter has been assigned the letter “H”, so each puppy’s name will begin with “H”. Paws will supply a list of possible "H" names, from which the raisers get to submit their top choices. Then Paws will make the final choice, making sure each pup gets a different name.

The name I am using are as follows:

Green and Yellow are Sparty and Wayne for Michigan State and Wayne State, the 2 universities I graduated from.

Purple is Lilac named by my mom who loves lilac bushes.

Black is Barney, after my friend Tracie’s 14 yr old beagle who recently had to be put down.

Orange is Brucie, after my orange tabby cat who lived to be 20.

Pink is Precious after my neighbors cat.

Red is Clifford, the Big Red Dog, even though Red is my tiniest pup.

Hot Pink is Princess named by my neighbor Marilyn who helped bring these little ones into the world.

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Rainbow is Little Miss Surprise because that’s what she was.

And Lime is Pebbles because Wilma just has to have a baby named Pebbles!

The First Escapee

This morning I got up, went into the nursery and much to my surprise, found a puppy outside the whelping box! Little Mr. Orange, aka Brucie, somehow climbed over the side. The box is about 12 inches high, with a flap in front to make it easier for Wilma to get in and out. Well, the flap is now closed for good. It is way too early for these little munchkins to be out of their nest. Wilma will have to step over it.

Uncle Kramer

Kramer has been such a good boy during this whole crazy time. He spent delivery day locked in my bedroom. At one point, when there were several puppies crying and Wilma grunting with contractions, Kramer started whining and barking. I went in to see him, took him by the collar and led him to the nursery. I let him see the pups and Wilma. He reached down and licked Wilma on the head and she reached up and licked his chin. Marilyn and I melted! Then I put him back in the bedroom where he was pretty quiet the rest of the day. He just needed to know what was going on.

I’ve been letting him in the nursery more and more to see the pups. He stands at the edge of the box and cranes his neck as he sniffs the whole box over. Sometimes he reaches down and sniffs one of the pups or a pile of pups close up. And Wilma completely trusts him with her babies. He’s not really too interested in the pups, and the pups don’t know he’s there. But I know that someday they will love their Uncle Kramer.

Kramer jumps with excitement whenever Wilma comes out of the nursery. He grabs a toy and tries to get her to play. Of course when Wilma is out of the nursery, it’s either to eat, to potty, or to lay and rest. I keep telling him “Don’t worry Kramer, someday your sister will be back to her goofy playful self.”

Super Dog

Life isn't all eating and sleeping. Everyday, all ten puppies hit the gym for a series of 7 exercises, called the "Super Dog" program. The benefits of these stimulation exercises include:

• improved cardivascular performance
• stronger heart beats and adrenal glands
• more tolerence to stess
• greater resistance to disease.

Not bad for only 2 minutes per day!

Each exercise is done only a few seconds or until the pup squirms.






Lie on belly.

Lie on back.

Hold up

Hold down

Tickle Foot Pad

Squeeze tail







Also, hold pup on a cold towel. But my favorite part is the end where you pet and snuggle the little pup until it is calm and falls asleep.

A Day In the Life

Puppies this age don’t do much more than sleep and eat. Sometime they sleep in a pile and sometimes they sleep scattered around. They twitch and whimper and sometimes let out a little cry. They might stretch out a leg or even move to a new spot, but mostly they just sleep.

Then in steps Mom and the box seems to come alive. The pups slowly wake up and the migration begins. Pretty soon they are all in place, sucking and gulping and slurping. Sometimes there’s a scream because someone doesn’t get their way or because mom is giving them a bath. It’s amazing just how noisy they can be!

Then come the sighs of contentment as their bellies fill up. And pretty soon they are asleep again. This cycle continues over and over throughout the day, but I never get tired of watching it.

My, How They've Changed!

It’s been 8 days and I can’t believe how much these little munchkins have changed. Their ears started out as bare little triangles, sometimes sticking straight out. Now they are laying flat, getting furry, and looking more like fuzzy golden ears.

Their little faces were pink and bare and their noses pink too. Now their noses are much darker and their faces are fuzzy with dark fur. And they are starting to get whiskers.

The pads on their feet were also pink and tender. They are dark now too, almost black. And I’ve already had to trim their tiny toenails. It won’t be long before I have the pitter patter of 40 little feet running around.

Puppy Nursing Tips

Tip #1: The farther you stretch out your leg, the more milk you get.



Tip #2: Don't waste energy holding yourself up when you can lay across your brother.


Tip #3: Always take a long nap when done.

Five Days Old

Today was 5 Day Old Portrait Day

The Boys: Red, Green, Orange, Yellow, Black

And the Girls: Pink, Purple, Hot Pink, Lime and Multi