green stuff & black stuff

Contented mum & growing babies













Remember when the 2 cream puppies of the last litter turned green?  I don't think I ever got around to blogging about why that happened.  Amazing, really, considering the gory detail I usually savour on this topic.  The green thing seems to happen to every litter, but it only becomes apparent on light coloured puppies.

For a couple of days after the puppies are born, bitches have a dark greeny-black discharge.  It's related to the placenta juice, to be blunt about it.  Eeuw is what I have to say to that.  I've had a couple of new experiences with this litter, one of which was my very first glimpse of a placenta.  Keksi was nursing her brood and dozing after delivering the 7th when I saw a slimy black mass under her tail.  I managed to scoop it up and get rid of it before she gobbled it up. 

And so, all that's left as evidence of the placentas is a couple of days of the sticky green stuff that stains everything it touches.  Most of it stays in Keksi's very furry tail and when the puppies burrow under her tail, they get greened with it.  I'm pleased to say that Hopea doesn't appear to be a tail-burrower as she has managed to stay more or less white - apart from the initial newspaper inking, that is. 

Tomorrow I'll give Keksi's back end a quick and gentle bath to get rid of the dried in muck.  It's not a nice thought to have the puppies nestling in there and it must be very uncomfortable for Keksi.  That will help to keep the bedding clean too.  At this stage it gets changed twice a day and gets grubby pretty quickly.

As for the black stuff, well I was pretty impressed with the way Keksi handled the black tarry placenta poos last time. This time?  I'm even more impressed.  Not only did she manage to expel the entire lot in one go, but Jay was the one who took her out to do so.  Result!

Having said that, there was still the - four? five? more? - trips outside during the night last night with squits.  Keksi's, not mine, you understand.  

And because I'm a bit tired from interrupted nights, I can't write much, but lucky you are getting this instead.  Check out the sleepy little brown contortionist as Keksi cleans his bottom.  And then there's the one who cries because she's stuck away from the milk bar but then takes off again after being rescued.  And the paws waving in the air.  Oh, and then there's the little wagging tails as they nurse.  I'm warning you now, it's all just too cute.




And in today's news: the puppies are really motoring around the box now.  I'm amazed by how strong this bunch are.  They're not usually so mobile quite so quickly, are they?  Oh, their lucky, lucky new owners!  But first, my several weeks with their active little legs.