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Previous litter - Violet and Malloy. The
litter of 7 girls and 3 boys was born on March 8, 2014. The pups went to their new homes on May 3, 2014.
Violet
is a tall athletic girl with a light gold coat and a beautiful face and
temperament to match. She is sweet and gentle with people and dogs. Her
main loves are swimming, running and hanging out with her owners, our
friends in Uxbridge. Malloy lives at the well-known Blackpool Kennels in Shanty Bay. He has mainly English Goldens in his pedigree. He is mid-sized, cream in colour with dark pigmentation and has a happy outgoing nature. We feel that he is an excellent mate for Violet. Birthday - March 8, 2014. Violet delivered her first litter beginning at 11 am and finishing at 7:25 pm. The birth weights ranged from 13.5 ounces to 16.5 ounces. We have been letting her nurse them in two groups of 5 to make sure that the smaller ones can feed. We change the groups each hour. She will have all 10 overnight. All is well.
Watch
them grow. Each week, we will post a picture of the pups with a favourite toy (whose name is Winchester) so that you see how the pups are growing.
Three days old - March 11. All 10 pups are doing well. They are nursing normally and have grown from an average birth weight of about 13.6 ounces to an average of about 17 ounces now. Violet's temperature is almost back to normal and she is eating well. Here is today's menu: 6 slices of bread and peanut butter; 6 slices of cheese; 1 can of dog food (chicken, vegetables and herbs); 1 "Tums" (for calcium); 2 1/2 cups of Royal Canin "starter" kibble. We have divided the pups into two groups of 5 during the day to make sure that they all nurse. If they are always all together, the smaller or less assertive pups can be pushed away from Violet's milk. The groups are switched every hour. Overnight, they are all with Violet. At present, all is normal.
One week old. The
pups and Violet continue to do well. The pups' growth is normal and
they are developing as expected. Their eye lids are forming to allow
the eyes to open in a week or so. They are quite mobile (and noisy!)
when Mum returns after an extended absence. We are still dividing the pups into 2 groups for nursing but are leaving the four smallest pups with Violet full time. They are wearing collars so we will know who they are. We have increased Violet's food again so that she can feed the litter and not lose too much weight. Here is todays menu: 6 slices of toast; 6 slices of cheese; 6 cups of starter kibble; 1 1/2 cups of cooked ground chicken; 1 Tums; A small amount of Nutrical calorie and vitamin supplement; Several cookies. At birth, the pups' eyes are sealed. They are showing normal eye-lid development and we expect their eyes to be open in about a week. Their ears are still sealed and will remain so for another 10 days. In the meantime, their noses are working very well and they have no trouble locating the source of the next meal. Here are a few pictures taken today.
Two weeks old. The pups' eyes have opened and they are beginning to play with each other. Violet is still feeding them well so they are growing as expected. They are starting to walk but as is normal at this stage, they are not yet strong enough to stay on their feet for long. They will soon be able to hear.
Three weeks old. Play time is now. Most litters begin to play soon after their eyes are open but this bunch is exceptionally active. They are walking well and are very good eaters of the soaked starter kibble that we introduced the day they turned three weeks. This will help to supplement Violet's milk supply. For her part, Violet is doing her job well but reluctantly. She seems to feel that cleaning the pups is not in her job description. Here area a few pictures taken on March 30.
Update - March 31. The pups began the de-worming process today. They were not impressed. They were much happier with Geneva's visit and with feeding time.
Moving day - April 4. The pups are almost 4 weeks old so it is time to move them out of the whelping box to more spacious quarters. Here is their story.
Four weeks old. The pups are eating well, growing as expected and are very confident. They adapted to their new surroundings easily. Violet is still nursing the pups five at a time. Each pup is nursed twice and fed solid food three times each day. Violet has not lost weight - probably because she is eating 11 1/2 cups of starter kibble plus cookies every day. The pups are wearing the coloured collars that will be used to identify them until they leave us. Here are their mugshots.
The
pups were able to interact with last Sunday's visitors. All had a great
time. As is usual, the pups started awake and finished asleep. Here are
a few pictures.
Five weeks old. The pups have continued to progress as expected. They nursed twice each day (not nearly enough!) and ate solid food 3 times (not nearly enough!). Violet nurses them dutifully but would much rather go for walks with the other dogs which she has been doing this week. The pups really enjoy the weekly visitors as these pictures show.
Six weeks old. This is the week that the new owners go through the choosing process. By the end of the week, they will know which pup is theirs. Very exciting! The pups experienced the great outdoors for the first time during the visiting time. Here are a few pictures.
Seven weeks old. This is the last week before the pups go to their new homes. This week, they will finish the weaning process, have their vet exam and first shots, get their microchips and finish being de-wormed. It's a busy time and they are ready! They are full of energy and confidence. Here are a few pictures of this week's edition of visiting time.
Veterinary examination and first vaccinations - May 2. Dr. Dan of the Uxbridge Veterinary Hospital visited to check each pup and give the first set of shots. Here is Miss Green's account of this very important process.
Eight weeks old - going home. After weeks of waiting, the day to take them home has arrived. The pups have been weaned, vet-checked, vaccinated, micro-chipped, socialized and selected by their new owners. They are completely ready for the next big adventure. It is a bitter-sweet time for us as we always enjoy our time with each group but we know that all the pups are going to people who will give them the love and care they deserve. Our thanks to yet another group of great owners. We have enjoyed meeting and getting to know them and we thank them for choosing Setherwood Goldens.
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