Day Three: A.M. & P.M.

Mary-Ann Sontag May 29, 2020

The Wildflowers continue to bloom.

I want to follow up on the results of the Nursing Challenge from yesterday.

As you may recall, Clarkia and Mariposa were just slightly under their birth weights while everyone else already had gains. The start weight/current weight (percent loss) for those two puppies looked like this:

Clarkia: 17.85/17.6 (-1%)

Mariposa: 17.45/16.95 (-3%)

Therefore, the plan was for Mariposa and Clarkia to get prime seating at the milk bar — and since the milk actually arrived yesterday, things went well — see for yourself:

Clarkia is now over her birth weight by 7% and Mariposa is over her birth weight by 11%.

The arrival of the milk is a Big Deal — weight gain will really pick up now. I am uploading a video right now that shows you what it looks like when nursing puppies experience the milk letdown — pretty cool. When it is done, the video will be linked HERE.

While Daisy was out taking care of personal business, the Wildflowers met their Great-Auntie Harper…

We have Daisy and her babies secluded in the living room — it is just calmer that way — but the other dogs are very interested in what the heck is going on in here.

We are so so so careful with these puppies, in case you have not noticed and I wanted to share this example of why that is necessary. How many puppies do you see?

We automatically count/locate puppies before moving around the whelping box — puppy nine was under that slight fold in the fleece. Mother dogs are not the only ones who can inadvertently injure or even kill puppies.

I am working on a post for tomorrow about newborn puppies and pain — do newborn puppies experience pain? What does Dr. Google say — and what do you think?

EVENING: Photos from the Day

Day Two: A.M. & P.M.

Mary-Ann Sontag May 28, 2020

I am pleased to report another successful night!

It really is wonderful that Dear Husband is a natural Night Owl and is willing/able to sit at the whelping box all night so I can sleep. The puppies are not only kept safe from suffocation but he tends to Daisy, keeps things clean, and rotates the puppies at the Milk Bar — and I wake up rested (sort of).

The puppies are not the only ones obsessed with nursing — we are also pretty obsessed with their efforts at the milk bar.

To maximize survivability, it is critical puppies nurse early and often so they receive the benefits of colostrum and do not lose too much weight in the first 2 - 3 days; both of those things are related to puppy survival.

Colostrum is produced by moms in the first two days following delivery. It contains a higher concentration of immune-system supporting immunoglobulins than milk and it has some other important benefits as well (Chastant‐Maillard, Aggouni, Albaret, Fournier, & Mila, 2017).

BUT there is a short window for absorption of these high-value benefits of colostrum.

One study, which supports other studies I have read, reported “…the canine intestinal barrier remains permeable to immunoglobulins mainly during the first 12 hours after birth, but with a sharp decrease in absorption as early as after 4 h.” (Chastant‐Maillard et al., 2012, p. 193).

Four hours.

This is why it is critical newborns start nursing immediately.

All of Daisy’s puppies, including the four born by c-section, nursed well within the four-hour window. Daisy staggered back to the room where we were camped and went back to sleep — but the puppies all nursed before we left the clinic.

They have continued to nurse well, and one way we know is by their weights.

Very accurate scale but new and bigger one is coming soon.

In humans, breastfed babies normally lose weight in the first two days — this is expected. The amount of “normal” weight loss is typically understood to be between 5 - 7%, although there is variability reported in different studies of human newborn weight loss (Thulier, 2015).

In puppies, similar weight loss should be expected.

Following a large study of newborn puppies of one breed — and their review of existing literature — the authors concluded, “in healthy [newborn] puppies weight loss should not exceed 5%, and in any case no more than 10%…” (Bigliardi, E., Ianni, Parmigiani, Morini, & Bresciani, p. 480). The authors further note puppies should be back to birth weight within 3 - 5 days.

Why would newborns lose weight? Primarily because they are born (and weighed) with fluid and stool inside that exits the body in that first day or two, and colostrum is not typically present in copious amounts.

The important point — some weight loss in the first 2- 3 days of a puppy’s life is not cause for anxiety.

Clarkia on the top bunk — Larkspur and ?? on the bottom

Let’s look at how the Wildflowers are doing in the weight department — all were between about 37 - 47 hours old at the time of this morning’s weigh-in.

Puppy Name: First Weight/Current Weight (approximate increase/decrease)

Paintbrush: 12.45/13.35 (+7%)

Mallow: 12.15/13.4 (+10%)

Clarkia: 17.85/17.6 (-1%)

Sage: 18.85/19.5 (+3%)

Mariposa: 17.45/16.95 (-3%)

Lupine: 18.6/19 (+2%)

Buttercup: 13.75/15.05 (+2%)

Larkspur: 17.85/18.15 (+2%)

Clover: 16.55/17.35 (+5%)

Those are surprisingly good results given they are not yet two days old. And no — we have not supplemented; I am strongly against routine — or anxiety-provoked — supplementing of puppies for all kinds of reasons, and that will definitely be a post for another day.

Too many words with no photo so here is the Day Two Morning Puppy Pile.

Okay — back to words: Keeping records is important.

Because of our record keeping, I know to give Mariposa and Clarkia first dibs at the milk bar today. I selected them plus two others from the Puppy Pile and let the others sleep while Mariposa and Clarkia had prime nursing time.

Daisy continues to do well and surely is in competition for Dog Mom of the Year. She is wondering who sent this hilarious toy???

I have my suspicions — and THANK YOU!

Photos from the Day

References

Bigliardi, E., Ianni, Parmigiani, Morini, & Bresciani. (2013). Physiological Weight Loss in Newborn Puppies of Boxer Breed. Italian Journal of Animal Science, 12(4), E77-e77.

Chastant‐Maillard, Freyburger, Marcheteau, Thoumire, Ravier, & Reynaud. (2012). Timing of the Intestinal Barrier Closure in Puppies. Reproduction in Domestic Animals, 47, 190-193.

Chastant‐Maillard, Aggouni, Albaret, Fournier, & Mila. (2017). Canine and feline colostrum. Reproduction in Domestic Animals, 52(S2), 148-152.

Thulier, D. (2015). Weighing the Facts: A Systematic Review of Expected Patterns of Weight Loss in Full-Term, Breastfed Infants. Journal of Human Lactation., 32(1), 28-34.

Day One

Mary-Ann Sontag May 27, 2020

The Wildflowers had a busy first full day here at Puppy Central.

They ate.

…and ate some more…

They slept. A lot.

Clover (before her switch to a purple collar) and Larkspur

The puppies get handled a lot — how can anyone resist cuddling puppies?! In addition, they are weighed twice each day, and today they all got their first pedicure.

How do you cut a puppy’s nails, you wonder? Very carefully.

The nails all had sharp hooks — not a great photo but you can get the idea…

Since Daisy had to be shaved for her c-section, she does not have protective fur at the milk bar and those hooks are sharp!

Using regular human fingernail clippers, I carefully removed the sharp tips and then used an emery board to smooth the nails.

I only did the fronts — the rear nails are helpful for the puppies as they propel around the whelping box, and they do not impact Daisy.

I wanted to share something Lori sent to me…

No breeder (who loves to sit and cuddle puppies all day) should be without that amazing floor chair. So much gratitude to Lori! It makes a BIG difference.

And check this out — Lupine is already getting on the furniture…