The Pups 2nd Day
The Pups 2nd Day
The puppy normally loses 10% of its birthweight in the first 24 hours, so beginning today the weight will start coming back on and by tomorrow they should weigh the same as they did at birth. You should weigh the puppies everyday on a little postal or food or dog scale to make sure they are gaining weight everyday.
If you have a puppy who is not gaining as well as the others, then pay special attention to that pup, and make sure he is not being bullied by stronger pups and is getting his fair share of nursing time. If he is being pushed off by stronger pups, then you should put the other pups in a clothes basket and let the weak pup nurse unmolested every twp hours. If he fails to thrive, take the pup to your Vet. Infants get dehydrated and weaken very quickly and the Vet attention is needed to save pups life.
The bitch temperature may still be slightly elevated. By tomorrow it should be returned to normal. If it isnt, then call your Vet.
The vaginal discharge will continue to be moderately heavy and bloody looking. There should not be any foul odour or green color to it, however. If a bad smell or a weird color develops, call your Vet immediately. This could be a sign of a retained dead puppy and needs immediate attention. Somethng like this can cause your bitch to die.
You should offer food to your dog 3 times a day. As the puppies grow, the amount of food for the bitch will increase proportionately. Water should be available at all times for her, but be careful that a puppy can not crawl into the water and drown.
Snip off the "Hook" part of each of the nails. If you take off too much, you will see some blood. Put on some Kwik Stop on the bleeding nail and continue clipping the nails. If you did not have the declaws removed on the day 3, you will have to snip off 5 nails, rather than 4 on each foot. After you have done the first front foot, reposition the pup so you can snip the nails on the second front foot. After you have done the two front feet, you will have to turn the puppy over, with it's belly up, so that you can trim the hind nails on each rear foot. Again you may have 5 nails to trim if you have 'declaws'(or what would be a "thumb" on each hand if this was a human).
You'll notice that the pups are sleeping a little more spread out now, and are more active in the box- they are navigating around using their noses for scenting the bitch if they get too far away from her. Even thoough they still can't see or hear, they are amazingly capable of getting what they need- food, warmth and companionship.
The bitche's appetite is increasing daily, as the pups grow and require more and more milk from her. Feed her as much as she wants. She won't get fat! Encourage her to stay in the room with the puppies as smuch as possible, coming out only for bathroom breaks and a brief hello to her human family. Her vaginal discharge is beginning to decrease now.
The puppy normally loses 10% of its birthweight in the first 24 hours, so beginning today the weight will start coming back on and by tomorrow they should weigh the same as they did at birth. You should weigh the puppies everyday on a little postal or food or dog scale to make sure they are gaining weight everyday.
If you have a puppy who is not gaining as well as the others, then pay special attention to that pup, and make sure he is not being bullied by stronger pups and is getting his fair share of nursing time. If he is being pushed off by stronger pups, then you should put the other pups in a clothes basket and let the weak pup nurse unmolested every twp hours. If he fails to thrive, take the pup to your Vet. Infants get dehydrated and weaken very quickly and the Vet attention is needed to save pups life.
The bitch temperature may still be slightly elevated. By tomorrow it should be returned to normal. If it isnt, then call your Vet.
The vaginal discharge will continue to be moderately heavy and bloody looking. There should not be any foul odour or green color to it, however. If a bad smell or a weird color develops, call your Vet immediately. This could be a sign of a retained dead puppy and needs immediate attention. Somethng like this can cause your bitch to die.
You should offer food to your dog 3 times a day. As the puppies grow, the amount of food for the bitch will increase proportionately. Water should be available at all times for her, but be careful that a puppy can not crawl into the water and drown.
Snip off the "Hook" part of each of the nails. If you take off too much, you will see some blood. Put on some Kwik Stop on the bleeding nail and continue clipping the nails. If you did not have the declaws removed on the day 3, you will have to snip off 5 nails, rather than 4 on each foot. After you have done the first front foot, reposition the pup so you can snip the nails on the second front foot. After you have done the two front feet, you will have to turn the puppy over, with it's belly up, so that you can trim the hind nails on each rear foot. Again you may have 5 nails to trim if you have 'declaws'(or what would be a "thumb" on each hand if this was a human).
You'll notice that the pups are sleeping a little more spread out now, and are more active in the box- they are navigating around using their noses for scenting the bitch if they get too far away from her. Even thoough they still can't see or hear, they are amazingly capable of getting what they need- food, warmth and companionship.
The bitche's appetite is increasing daily, as the pups grow and require more and more milk from her. Feed her as much as she wants. She won't get fat! Encourage her to stay in the room with the puppies as smuch as possible, coming out only for bathroom breaks and a brief hello to her human family. Her vaginal discharge is beginning to decrease now.
