growing & pain

Not puppy pain, but mother pain. What I have seen with Neka in the past and with Keksi this time around is quite a testament to the dedication of the dam to her puppies. Neka had 2 huge sores on her tongue from grooming and taking care of her puppies, but they didn't slow her down or make her any less inclined to do her job. The sores on Keksi's tongue are not quite so large as Neka's were, but they really have looked very sore indeed. Looks like they are finally starting to heal.












Again, although it must hurt, she doesn't stint for a second in her responsibility toward her pups. In fact, when I clean the box each morning I'm amazed how clean the vet bed is. She really is keeping the puppies immaculate.

Which is all the more amazing when you consider she would much rather be outside playing in the snow.

The Lapphunds are really loving this weather. Keskiyo has turned into a complete snow dog - he's still out there in the garden - and that's after our trek up through the fields this morning.











So you can imagine that when Keksi goes out for her ablutions 4 or 5 times a day, she doesn't really want to come back inside. She drags her feet just the slightest bit. So I always give her a little game so that she doesn't feel too left out. At less than 2 weeks since giving birth, it's rather amazing to see her running around, rolling in the snow and catching snowballs. No, I don't carry my camera out to capture all this. Frankly, my hands are usually quite full with stuffed poo bags, as each of Keksi's deposits requires 2 or more of them.

And so, the puppies grow and develop. As expected, their eyes are all open now, some wider than others, and they are starting to walk. Well, teeter and lurch, really. I'll try and get a video of that later. In the meantime, you can really get a sense of how much they've grown from today's lunchtime feeding.