Portia and the puppies are doing great! We had to wean them a bit early because Portia had a small bout with mastitis. Basically she had an infection in one of her mammary glands. It is more common that you would think. It can happen for many reasons, but hers was probably from a dirty little claw scratching her skin. A few days of antibiotics, and warm / cold compresses fixed her right up. However, we felt best to wean the pups to prevent this from happening again.
This litter is very advanced. They are remarkably large, and early in developmental milestones. At two weeks, eyes began to open, and teeth started erupting. At three weeks they were walking. By four weeks they were weaned and eating softened food. This was a mess. We started them on Royal Canin puppy food, but it proved to much for their little bellies. They all got the runs. We immediately switched them to Pro Plan and things hardened back up. Holly and I always worry, so of course, our vet was notified. Not enough great things can be said about Waco Animal Hospital. The vets there treat us and our dogs like family.
Our buyers have been able to do something unique this time. They have been able to log into our webcams and watch their puppies anytime they want...24/7. Even though this is great for them, it's one more thing Holly and I need to be conscious about. Last thing I want is for anyone to see me scratching my butt at 4:30AM while cleaning up the puppy area.
The older the puppies get, the less time Holly and I have for 'regular things', like cooking, or laundry that doesn't involve pee pads. Even going to the grocery store is done in shifts. This weekend was huge for Waco. Chip and Joanna Gaines from TV's Fixer Uppers had their Silobration, the Heart Of Texas Fair and Rodeo is here, and the weather is great! Holly and I could not participate in any of the festivities though...we have 8 very demanding puppies. And we wouldn't trade it for the world. Puppies bring us a lot of joy, and laughter.
Well, enough blogging for tonight. Its 11:00PM, and I will need to be up in a few hours to clean up after 8 beautiful, but messy babies.
Take Care, and God Bless.