SoftMaple N HunterBay
Week Two (Days 8-14)
+ Eyes should open around days 8-10
+ Ears should open around days 13-17
+ Temperatures should be around 97-99F
Neonatal Period Birth to 2 weeks
Transitional 14 to 21 days
Puppies are born with eyes and ears closed, Their experiences are thru touch and smell. They are able to sense heat, cold, and texture. They are totally dependent
upon their mother for everything, even the stimulation of bowl and bladder function.
The puppy’s nervous system undergoes rapid development. The eyes and ears open, and baby teeth appear. He begins to stand up and by three weeks will try to
explore his environment. He begins to interact with littermates and learns play behavior. By 21 days the puppies are able to lap food from a bowl, though they
continue to nurse.
The pups are moved from the box while the liner is changed
I catch a quick weight on the pups before I put them back in. Everyone is over 2 lbs now.
The collars are changed, as many of the pups have outgrown them. The collars I am using are a plastic/paper type material, used in vet offices to identify dogs and cats. They are self stick, waterproof and very durable.
Day 10
11/18/2004
Morning pictures
The pups are starting to get up on shaky legs. Still blind, they take a few steps, then fall over and roll away!
Big nose... little nose
Day 11
11/19/2004
This morning some of the pups look like they are just starting to open their eyes. They have that wet look around the eyelids. When eyes start opening, the pups still can't see, and we have to keep the lights lower, and stop using the flash camera for a few days. 
Green girl up walking (sort of!)
Day 12
11/20/2004
Day 13
11/21/2004
Day 14
11/22/2004
Morning pictures
You can see the eyes are open on some of the
pups
Puppies are born with their eyelids closed and will
remain that way for at least 10 days. Most puppies will be able to open their eyes by 2 weeks of age but it takes a little longer for them to be able to see. By 4
weeks of age they should be able to see and respond to visual stimuli like a waving hand or a toy dropped in front of them. At 6 weeks, the retina ( the back part of
the eye actually responsible for sight) is more fully developed and vision, depth perception and reactions to sight are nearly normal.The pups eyes look cloudy or milky right now. Later they will almost look dark blue. Then they will turn the pigment they will have as adults. At this stage, we watch the eyes closely. If a pups half sealed eyelids get dirt under them, they can become infected. If this happens, I take a gauze pad soaked in warm saline solution, and hold it on the puffed up eyelid, to help soften the area, and gently open the lid to express the pus. When in doubt, always contact your vet)
SoftMaple Curly Coated
Retrievers
Mark and Cathy Lewandowski
8282 Soft Maple Road
Croghan New York 13327
Jet and Bailey
CH SoftMaple's
O'Dark Thirty MH WCX CD CGC TT HOF CR-536G27M-T OFA cardiac, CERF
and SoftMaple N HunterBay's Poetic Justice CGC, PennHip, CR-CA158/21F/C-NOPI, CERF 2004
Pedigree
