Reds Little Rascals - Day 6 And we’re back! Red and her little rascals are doing great. Each day they get just a little bit bigger and a little bit stronger and Red worries about them just a little bit less. She has finally started coming out of her pen and started getting a little ‘me’ time! You will see the mother constantly licking her puppies in the first few weeks after birth. This is to stimulate urination and defecation. Puppies cannot do this on their own. If you have a mother who for any reason cannot or will not do this, you have to step in and do this for her. Take a damp, warm piece of cotton and rub down the lower belly area (like you would see a mother do). You would need to do this at least once every hour. Puppies also cannot regulate their own body temperature for the first few weeks of their life. They huddle to the mother to keep warm. Again, if the mother is unable to do so, you need to provide an external heat source – typically a lamp placed 4 feet above the pen which will warm the environment and provide the puppies with the required level of warmth. Raising a litter is not an easy task and requires the complete time and dedication of the human responsible. What I have shared with you so far is just the beginning. There is a lot more to come – deworming, weaning, feeding, socialisation, vaccination, and so much more. I wonder if I will be able to share with you all that I have learnt over the many years that I have been doing this. I learn with every litter and no matter how much I read and how much I learn I still feel that I don’t know enough. Being responsible for a mother and her puppies is a big deal and is something that should never be taken lightly. They deserve everything you can do for them and more. If you have questions that you would like answered, please do write in to me. I would be happy to help in any way I can. In the meantime, stay tuned for the next part of Red’s Little Rascals!
Posted on: Thu, 24 Jul 2014 15:01:10 +0000