Oh Yeah, You Blend

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQwlqjrex6HFEQZN5s8a9dA/live

So their nails were sharp so I trimmed them. It’s a bit fraught since the nails are tiny at this age. I use a human nail nipper and just catch the hook at the end of the nail and snip it. I didn’t do back nails yet, I’ll do those tomorrow.

Everyone is growing well, and Alice is really proving to be just a stellar mother. She is quite upset if I leave her for any length of time right now but that will ease off with time.

Turn your volume up for what puppies sound like when they’re practicing the theremin complaining about someone muscling in on their nipple:

Alice being a good mama:

I hope to get the puppycam up and running asap!

Weigh in:

Alfa (and yes, that’s how it’s spelled in international radio code): 318 grams (213 at birth)

Bravo: 283 grams (205 at birth)

Charlie: 269 grams (173 at birth)

Delta: 332 grams (220 at birth)

Echo: 273 grams (176 at birth)

Foxtrot: 337 grams (213 at birth) – CHONK!

Golf: 325 grams (225 at birth)

Skip this if biology isn’t your thing, but I took this short video of a really good strong contraction during Monday’s “best whelping ever”. If you’re interested, I gave a subcutaneous calcium injection once we had strong contractions per my repro vet’s advice, Pedialyte with glucose given a couple of times to keep her strength up but honestly this was just so smooth and easy, she kept contracting like this throughout and didn’t get exhausted at all.

The puppies nursing helps with oxytocin release which also helps strengthen the contractions (calcium helps support the muscles doing the work), which is why I don’t understand when breeders take the puppies away until labor is finished – if you have a bitch who is moving around a lot while she’s laboring you can put the puppies in a safe warm box in the whelping box area to keep them safe if needed, but then put them back with her as much as possible. Alice was very chill throughout so the puppies stayed right on her the whole time. It’s much more natural this way and it all helps both her AND the puppies (she gets the oxytocin to help with labor and bonding and they get colostrum from nursing and stimulating from her cleaning them).

If every whelping was as perfect as this one I’d never worry about it!