Day 2

5/17/2006

Mom and pups are doing great this morning. Ripple doesn't like to leave her family for very long, and I have to coax her outside to take a potty break. Besides her regular food, I have a mixture of broth, yogurt, ground meat and digestive enzymes for her to lap up. It is very important that she get enough fluids. She isn't feeding a big family, but still needs enough water to make milk.

5/18/2006

With only three pups, I have to keep checking Ripple's milk bar to make sure that none of her teats are getting engorged with milk. That could lead to mastitis.

MASTITIS (INFLAMMATION OF THE BREASTS) Normal nursing glands are soft and enlarged. Diseased glands are red, hard, and painful. In general, the bitch does not act sick; the disease is confined to the mammary tissue. The bitch may be sore and discourage the pups from nursing; however, it is important to keep the pups nursing the affected glands. This is not harmful to the puppies and helps flush out the infected material. Hot packing may be helpful. Most dogs are excellent mothers and problems are few. The basic rule is to seek veterinary care if she seems to feel sick of if she ceases to care for her young. Puppies nurse until they are about six weeks old and then may be adopted by new homes.

5/19/2006

Dewclaws removed today.

The dew claw is the rudimentary first toe or first digit on a dog, and, unlike digits 2,3,4 and 5, are not used for walking. They are located a short distance up the leg on the inside surface. At this age, the bones that make up the toes are tiny and soft so that snipping them off is easy. If the dewclaws are not removed at 2-5 days of age one should wait until the pup is old enough to anesthetize safely. Removing dewclaws from an adult animal is much more difficult than snipping them off of a days old puppy. Recovery time is also longer and many adult animals will bother the incision excessively because it is so easy to reach. This usually necessitates the placement of an Elizabethan collar, a funnel shaped plastic device that surrounds the animal's head, so that it cannot lick or chew its sutures out. Dewclaws serve no purpose to the dog. They are easily snagged on things and often traumatized.

We also start the Bio Sensor exercises today.

Methods of Stimulation The U.S. Military in their canine program developed a method that still serves as a guide to what works. In an effort to improve the performance of dogs used for military purposes, a program called "Bio Sensor" was developed. Later, it became known to the public as the "Super Dog" Program. Based on years of research, the military learned that early neurological stimulation exercises could have important and lasting effects. Their studies confirmed that there are specific time periods early in life when neurological stimulation has optimum results. The first period involves a window of time that begins at the third day of life and lasts until the sixteenth day. It is believed that because this interval of time is a period of rapid neurological growth and development, and therefore is of great importance to the individual. The "Bio Sensor" program was also concerned with early neurological stimulation in order to give the dog a superior advantage. Its development utilized six exercises, which were designed to stimulate the neurological system. Each workout involved handling puppies once each day. The workouts required handling them one at a time while performing a series of five exercises. Listed in nor order of preference the handler starts with one put and stimulates it using each of the five exercises. The handler completes the series from beginning to end before starting with the next pup. The handling of each pup once per day involves the following exercises: 1. Tactile stimulation - holding the pup in one hand, the handler gently stimulates (tickles) the pup between the toes on any one foot using a Q-tip. It is not necessary to see that the pup is feeling the tickle. Time of stimulation 3 - 5 seconds. 2. Head held erect - using both hands, the pup is held perpendicular to the ground, (straight up), so that its head is directly above its tail. This is an upwards position. Time of stimulation 3 - 5 seconds 3. Head pointed down - holding the pup firmly with both hands the head is reversed and is pointed downward so that it is pointing towards the ground. Time of stimulation 3 - 5 seconds 4. Supine position - hold the pup so that its back is resting in the palm of both hands with its muzzle facing the ceiling. The pup while on its back is allowed to sleep struggle. Time of stimulation 3-5 seconds. 5. Thermal stimulation - use a damp towel that has been cooled in a refrigerator for at least five minutes. Place the pup on the towel, feet down. Do not restrain it from moving. Time of stimulation 3-5 seconds. These five exercises will produce neurological stimulations, none of which naturally occur during this early period of life. Experience shows that sometimes pups will resist these exercises, others will appear unconcerned. In either case a caution is offered to those who plan to use them. Do not repeat them more than once per day and do not extend the time beyond that recommended for each exercise. Over stimulation of the neurological system can have adverse and detrimental results. These exercises impact the neurological system by kicking it into action earlier than would be normally expected. The result being an increased capacity that later will help to make the difference in its performance. Those who play with their pups and routinely handle them should continue to do so because the neurological exercises are not substitutions for routine handling, play socialization or bonding. Five benefits have been observed in canines that were exposed to the Bio Sensor stimulation exercises: 1. Improved cardio vascular performance (heart rate) 2. Stronger heart beats, 3. Stronger adrenal glands, 4. More tolerance to stress 5. Greater resistance to disease In tests of learning, stimulated pups were found to be more active and were more exploratory than their non- stimulated littermates over which they were dominant in competitive situations.

5/20/2006

Week One (Days 1-7) DEVELOPMENT OF THE PUPPIES + 90% of time spent sleeping + 10% eating + Susceptible to heat/cold + Instinctive reflexes: crawl, seek warmth, nurse + They can right themselves if placed upside down + Needs stimulation for urination/defecation + Rapid development of central nervous system + Need constant care from bitch + Rectal temperatures 94-97 degrees Farenheit + Pups may lose 10% of weight after birth, but should start gaining again + Weight should double by end of week

5/21/2006

5/22/2006

The pups are all nearly 2 lbs. They were all about a pound at birth.

You can see little tumbleweeds of curly hair in the whelping box now. Ripple is starting to shed...and she has a lot of hair!