Posted by Delores Smith on Saturday, December 9, 2017
11 days old - Blanka is doing very well as a first time mom. She is spending less time in the whelping box and feeds as necessary...this also means that if you snooze you lose. I weigh the puppies every evening to make sure each puppy gains a decent amount of weight. 10% of their weight per day is a guideline - but the weight gains can differ daily. There are tummy upsets and this has been the "poopiest" litter I've had in a long time. 10 puppies are 10 poop factories and Blanka's milk is plenty. Today, Dec 9, was the first day eyes are open, and that is right on schedule. They are a pretty content litter and seemingly laid back so far. When I weigh them on my scale they just lie there while I record...the last litter, the Happy Litter, did not like the scale - they wriggled and tried to crawl off.
With the eyes open, puppies will start moving around more and I will start sitting in their whelping box - very interesting to see who seeks me out; who stays back and just watches me. Their hearing will also start this week, which will make them more aware of my comings and goings.