Bluestem Kennels

The "C" litter asleep at 8 days old.

The puppies turned one week old on Saturday and are growing like spring buds!  They are all around 3 pounds now and spend their time sleeping and eating, like all babies.  Caleb and I visit the whelping box 2-3 times a day to hold and pet the puppies.  It is a little chaotic trying to handle a toddler with six puppies; he has mastered picking one up and putting it on his lap gently, but keeping it on his lap is tricky for him and they sometimes take a tumble.  Luckily he’s low enough to the ground and they land in their soft bedding, so it’s an injury-free tumble, but enough for mom to stress out.  He is so enthusiastic about spending time with them, he always cries when our time is up. He would spend the whole day in the whelping box if I let him!

Mae is doing fabulous, as the puppies are growing fatter she is more relaxed about spending time away from the whelping box.  The first few days, I had to pick up the food dish and hold it for her to eat from while she was in the box with the puppies, she just didn’t want to leave them.  Now she’s able to enjoy walks with her kennelmates and a little time in the house with the family (spent mostly looking for neglected scraps of food).  It was during one of her visits with the human family that I took this week’s photos and video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqqTbME9fsU  Makes one wonder what puppies dream about…

Dreaming of birds...

Dreaming of lunch...

It's a dog's life!

It takes a lot of food to power the litter, daily I am giving Mae a double ration of Diamond Performance (so twice as much high-energy food as during hunting season), mixing in a full can of Iams puppy food, 1 cup of mixed veggies (corn, grean beans, peas and carrots) and a calcium supplement tablet.  That seems to be enough for her to maintain her weight and produce plenty of milk.

It’s possible that by the time of my next pupdate that the puppies eyes will be open, but it might not be until later next week, as it usually happens between 2-3 weeks.  They are all fat, healthy and a great addition to the miracles of spring happening all around us!