first solid meal

This morning the puppies had their first meal without Emmi - a little bit of raw meat on a plate warmed up with hot water.  The first meal is usually not much of a success - the puppies don't get it right away, or they're not particularly hungry so they can't be bothered.  I think these puppies will take after their mother.  Let's just say they were absolute naturals.

Clockwise from bottom:  Raven, Rook, Merlin, Puffin, Buzz

Clockwise from bottom: Rook, Merlin, Puffin, Buzz

Rook, Merlin, Puffin

Raven & Rook; Woody at the top

Raven & Rook

It's a messy business, to be sure.  And cleanup time is when the bitey-face game really comes into its own.

 

third week

The 3rd week of the puppies' life is when they start to experience lots of new things.  Their eyes have opened so they can see for the first time which means they start to play with each other and interact with the humans when we look or reach into the box.  They have also started to hear by now which means they start to practice all their sounds; cue lots of yapping, howling and - my particular favorite - growling.  It's very funny and I promise I will try to capture it on video, but it's notoriously difficult to have the video going just at the right moment. 

Another milestone they reach at the age of 2 weeks is getting wormed.  This is the first inkling they get that the world is not just a warm cocoon of milk and snuggles.  Worming is not snuggly and it is not yummy and they hate it.  And I have to do it to them 3 days in a row!  Poor puppies.  I didn't photograph the little screwed up faces this time, but if you would like to see what they think of getting wormed, you can check out Kaija's brothers and sisters, the Juhla puppies, getting wormed here and, possibly even funnier, the Pippuri puppies getting wormed here.

Then, at about 2.5 weeks old, the really good stuff starts happening:  real food!  Here is a selection of photos from the week, including attempted escapes and the notable mess that is the first few forays into eating meat for the first time.

Intermittent stripes

Standard Lappy snoozing position

Peekaboo

Blurry escape attempt

Dizzy is catching up

Clean plate

Some puppies are greedier than others....

Messy

Sharing the last plate

Nina messy face

This eating lark is hard work

Wake me at mealtime

the cutest thing you have ever seen

Sometimes a puppy needs a little help.  Sometimes when a puppy is born it struggles to nurse for some reason.  I had one in my very first litter and he needed to be hand-fed every 2 hours for the first 2 weeks.  To say we were exhausted would be quite an understatement!  However, it was worth every sleepless night because he grew into a fabulous dog of great character and health who is still making his family happy now, 2 months before his 10th birthday.

I have never before had a puppy who started out strongly enough but then didn't thrive like the rest.  Normally, you think that if a puppy survives its first week, then he's going to be ok and grow on.  By the time they are 2 weeks old, their eyes are opening and I'm getting ready to start introducing solid food to them.

However, little Dizzy wasn't doing so well. When he was born he was only 237 grams, and believe me that is tiny for a Lappy puppy.   However, he was strong, vigorous and noisy, so I had high hopes for him.  Then he carried on gaining about 10% of his body weight each day, as expected and like his brothers and sisters.  That did mean he was still quite a bit smaller than the rest, of course, but as long as he was growing at an acceptable rate in relation to his own size I wasn't too worried.

Then in his second week his growth slowed down to where he wasn't gaining even 5% of his body weight each day.  As the 10-days-old milestone came and went, most of his brothers and sisters were opening their eyes but he didn't.  Time for intervention.  He was still happily nursing from Kaija, but I started to hand feed him some supplementary meals of Lactol puppy milk, and that did the trick.  Eventually.  At first he was difficult to feed using any of the methods I have tried in the past, but after 3 or 4 attempts he finally got it and then he was well away.  As it turned out, he just seems to be a bit rubbish at sucking!

And now you, you lucky readers, are going to get to see the cutest thing you have ever seen:  a 2-week-old Finnish Lapphund puppy nursing from a sponge.  Enjoy!

lunch

We had no visitors this weekend for one reason and another.  Considering the weather, it was perhaps just as well!

However, Mark did pop by to drop off some stuff, so while he was here I took advantage of the opportunity to get a little video of the puppies having lunch.  It took all of, what, 35 seconds? 

You get the feeling they like scrambled eggs?

growing

A few more photos from the week's activities and a pair of videos to boot - 50% eating, 50% playing, 100% cute.

In the bottom one you get Roger & Novak playing in the background while Stan rolls around yawning & complaining in the foreground.  And you get a glimpse of the brand-new little teeth.

Roger rubbing his face

A bear makes a good pillow

A brother makes a good pillow - Andy & Novak

Toy time

nom nom

Puppy porridge day finally came.  This is the puppies' first taste of food other than what Tuuli produces for them.  Here is Ensi's first meal without mum.  Like a duck to water.



And then everyone else joins in the fun. Some are better at it than others, as usual. Oddly, Liila just wasn't interested - she only wanted to chew on her brother. Everyone else had a little lap - mainly from my fingers though. It's a challenge to get enough into them before the porridge goes cold. It can't be too hot to start with because you don't want to burn their mouths, obviously. But it cools very quickly. And tiny puppies are just not interested in cold food.

hungry

Two of the puppies have hit the 1-kilo mark today - that would be Ensi and Liila.  Yesterday they all started to open their eyes and today most of them are open.  In fact, all of them have opened their eyes today... except for one puppy.  And so to the next poll:

Which puppy has been a bit shy in opening his or her eyes?  You have a couple of days to vote - GO!

And for your enjoyment (but not Tuuli's), here are some very hungry puppies.

hand-shyness easy cure

At this age the puppies tend to run towards you with tails wagging when you stick your hands into the pen to say hi or pick someone up.  However, they also learn pretty quickly that it makes a good game to scamper away from the hand reaching for them.  There can also be a bit of shyness around this time as the puppies adapt to so many changes & new experiences in their young lives. 

Tuuli, too, is shy of most strangers and the cure is the same for 4.5-week-old puppies as for 4.5-month-old puppies - yummy stuff!

Everyday when Tuuli has her regular socialisation jaunt to some noisy place or other, there is always a nice stranger or two who want to say hello.  I always have a pocketful of tasty treats and I always get the strangers to give Tuuli one or two treats.  This way she will learn that hands = good stuff, even strangers' hands.  It's not an instant fix in a shy puppy, but it does the trick eventually.  I'll keep doing this for a long time to come just to reinforce the message. 

With the 4.5-week-old gang, the magic potion came yesterday in the form of a little bit of minced raw chicken.  Om nom nom!

Never one to shy away from a hand, Hopea is, predictably, the first to tuck into the chicken mince.

It attracts the attention of Brown Wolf, who puts up a "Keksi paw" to get my attention.  Daniel will be pleased to see evidence of Keksi's signature move in all these puppies.

Pretty soon everyone wants in on the chicken action.

On the menu today is scrambled egg.  That's always a good puppy day.

chow down

Oh, these puppies are too funny.  I have about a dozen adorable videos and can't decide which ones to post - the one of them stomping around wagging and barking at 6 am?  The one of them drinking milk for the first time 2 days ago?  The one of them cleaning the milk from each other's faces?  The one of them barking and growling?  If I had some good video editing software I would make one fabulous video from the various different ones.  Alas, I have no such software, so a couple of specially selected ones will have to do.

Everyone commented on how noisy the polar bear (aka Hopea) was in the last video.  After she took her turn, Brown Wolf was the noisy one for a couple of days and now it's Toes, who has been barking and squawking since yesterday.  Don't worry - they all take their turns being the naughty puppy, no one gets left out.

In this video, taken yesterday, you can see that the gang are already getting very good at drinking milk.  This weekend they'll start on mushed up puppy food and, if they're really lucky, some raw minced beef or scrambled egg.





And here is what was happening at 6 am yesterday.  Some of the high-pitched barking was contributed by Tuuli who was downstairs complaining that all the fun was taking place without her presence.  Oh, and she was ready for a wee, thank you very much, so the filming had to be cut short so I could attend to her very pressing needs.





And a couple of stills:

Clockwise from left:
Brownie, Little Ilo, Brown Wolf, Toes

Brownie licking the milk from Hopea's face.

Brownie still eating while Hopea falls asleep almost in the pan of milk.

five ways to keep your dog fit & healthy

Having previously been on the subject of weight and how to manage it, here are a few ideas for keeping your dog fit so that those extra pounds don't get the chance to creep on.

1.  Make sure your dog gets at least one walk every day.  Walking should be more than just pootling along sniffing the ground (For your dog, that is.  You are free to pootle & sniff if you wish).  If when released in a safe place your dog doesn't choose to run and play, then put him on a lead and take him on a brisk walk. How far you walk your dog, or for how long, will depend on the breed/mix of your dog.  A high-energy, medium-sized dog like a Finnish Lapphund, Border Collie or Labrador needs at least an hour a day.  Half of that time, or more, should be free running/playing or briskly walking.  (Just so we're clear: a puppy will need much less than an hour each day.)

2.  Don't over-feed your dog.  Again, how much to feed your dog will depend his breed, size and what you are feeding.  As a general rule, feed 10% less than advised on the bag of dog kibble.  If your dog is gaining too much weight - or if he is already overweight - then it cut by an additional 10%.  Dog food companies are in the business of making money by encouraging you to use as much of their food as possible and so buy more of it.  Usually, the recommended daily amount is way too much.  If your dog or puppy has loose, runny poos, chances are you are giving him too much food.  Take advice from your breeder.  Take advice from your vet.

A bunch of fat-bellied puppies busy growing into strong & fit dogs.










3.  Keep the treats under control!  Everybody likes to give their dog treats, but consider how much junk food you would allow your child to have and allow your dog to have less than that.  Treats should be earned and should be given in moderation.  My idea of  "moderation" and yours may differ enormously, but consider giving small portions - like only half a gravy bone or Bonio instead of a whole one.  And, yes, one is most definitely enough!  Consider swapping treats with food value for other kinds of things your dog enjoys: a game, a belly rub, a walk.

4.  Keep an eye on your dog's weight regularly - both how he looks and how the numbers look by having him weighed at the vet.  Most vet surgeries have a scale in the waiting room and you can pop in there and weigh your dog anytime free of charge.  Dogs' weights vary widely, of course, depending on the size, breed, etc, so the numbers should be a guide only.  How does your dog look?  You should be able to feel his ribs as you run your hands down his sides, but he should not be so skinny that they are very prominent.  Even with a fluffy dog like a Lapphund, you will still feel faint ribs.  Also, look at your dog from the top - he should have a distinct narrowing at the waist.

5. Consider training in one of the doggie sports like agility, obedience or Rally-O.  Agility, in particular, is excellent exercise for you and your dog.  Any of this sort of training will increase the bond between you both as well as improving how well your dog listens and responds to you generally.  You can find a wealth of information on finding training clubs in your area from the Kennel Club. 

worries

In the first week of the puppies' life, there's plenty to worry about.  For the 48 or so hours before they're even born I've already got a low-level niggling concern about everything going ok.  There is so much that can go wrong.

Once they have been born and all are good weights, all are strong and suckling ok and mum is also ok, then the first flush of worry drains away.  Then I'm left with the pressure of getting them all through that first stressful week.  Once the puppies get to a week, then they're usually well away.  And by the time they are 2 weeks I can start weaning them if necessary.

But in the meantime, there are all the things to get right.  First and foremost at this time of year is to make sure the pups are kept consistently warm and free from any chilly drafts.  Puppies this young have no ability to regulate their own temperature and even a brief chill can easily kill a newborn pup.  This is agony for the poor Lapphund mum, of course, who wishes for nothing more than ice and snow.  Especially while she's got all these hot little bodies clustered around her for so much of the time.  I keep the temperature in the room around 20 or 21ºC.  When it starts creeping up to 23, as it often does, then Keksi starts to get very uncomfortable.  It's also obvious that the puppies are plenty warm too because they migrate away from each other in the box rather than cuddling up in a heap. 

Keksi has been brilliant about keeping the puppies warm, and during their second night when we had a hard frost and the temperature in the puppy room dipped to 16ºC, I don't think she left the whelping box at all.  When I checked on them in the small hours and realised how cold it was I put the heating back on for the rest of the night. 

2 days ago - keeping warm between mum's big paws

 

Then there's making sure no contagious bugs come into the house.  This is a tough one in a house with more than one dog, and it seems to be particularly tough in our village where diarrhea bugs and kennel cough just seem to go round and round all the hundreds of dogs who live here.  To keep the possibility of cross-contamination from our dogs to a minimum, no one is allowed to say hello to Keksi during her brief forays downstairs on her way out to do her business. We also take Keksi to a less-used area of grass outside that most neighbourhood dogs in passing don't bother with.  We also make sure that all our gang have up-to-date kennel cough vaccinations before any pregnant ladies like Keksi come to stay.

Whenever any people come into the house, even though they are going nowhere near the puppy room upstairs, we spray their feet and lower legs with a solution of Parvovirucide disinfectant - the same stuff that we use to clean the box and all puppy-related equipment.  And when the puppies have moved downstairs at 4 weeks of age, we add the requirement that everyone who visits is required to clean their hands with antibacterial gel.  

Sometimes the biggest worry is making sure mum gets enough to eat and drink.  This isn't only important for the health of the litter's dam, but it's of paramount importance to the puppies too.  The fuel that Keksi consumes will be converted into milk to feed the puppies.  If she doesn't eat, then there is a danger that her milk will dry up.  That would mean 2-hourly hand-feeding a litter of previously strong and healthy puppies.  Otherwise known as a disaster.

When Neka had her litter of 9, it was a full-time job trying to keep her fed and hydrated.  While she was nursing, the puppies took so much out of her that I was constantly worried she was not getting enough fuel.   Even Keksi, who will by everyone's experience, eat anything and everything in plentiful amounts, is now turning up her nose at the puppy food I want her to eat.  Before the puppies were born, she gobbled up the puppy food no problem.  Now, it's the same old routine trying to find something she will eat without throwing it all over the room.

Last night she chucked her bowl of food around the floor and then ripped up some newspaper to bury it with.  Later on she happily ate it from my hand though. 

I'm sure Daniel & Jim will be thrilled that Keksi now requires hand feeding.  Kidding!  I have no doubt she will be back to her usual greedy self in no time, and long before she goes home.  

product review - Yumega oil supplement

Yumega Essential Omega Oil for Your Dog's Coat and Skin

Available In:  250 ml bottle

Price:  £10.69 plus delivery.
You can find it slightly cheaper online but best value is to buy 6 bottles for £59.25 or get a deal at a large dog show like Crufts.

Ingredients:   Golden flax oil, starflower oil, vitamin E

Manufacturer:  Lintbells

Website:  http://www.lintbells.com

What it Claims:

From Lintbells website:
"YUMEGA Dog is a unique blend of natural Omega 3 & 6 oils from coldpressed golden flax and starflower, proven to generally improve dog health, coats and skin.

YUMEGA is proven to:

• Reduce excessive dog moulting
• Improve dry, flaky skin
• Develop the perfect coat

Trusted and recommended by thousands of breeders and vets, Yumega Dog is easy to use and will improve your dog's skin and coat condition in as little as 3-6 weeks."

How it Works:

Flax seeds and starflower (borage) oil are the best known sources of Omega-6, an essential fatty acid which has proven benefits for skin and hair, amongst other health benefits.  The primary source of Omega-3 is oily fish, but it is also found in flax seeds.

What I Did:

On the advice of a friend who had great success with Yumega, I bought 6 bottles to use on my 3 dogs.  It is administered in their food and introduced slowly at the rate of half a normal dose for the first week.  In the end I didn't give any to our Akita, Annie, as she was already on various oil supplements for her joints, so I used 2-and-a-bit bottles in total on 2 dogs over a period of a few weeks after they had finished moulting.    For a medium-sized dog, the dosage is 5 - 7.5 ml per day, so one bottle approximately equals a month's supply for one Finnish Lapphund.

Did It Work?

I didn't actually see an enormous difference after using Yumega.  Their coats were slightly more shiny, but there was no change in Neka's itchy skin condition.  As my dogs get a varied diet rich in fish oil, anyway, it's possible they were already getting much of the benefit that Yumega offers.  There are certainly other Lapphund owners who swear by the product for maintaining their dogs' coats.  The reviews found online are a similarly mixed bag.  The benefits seen probably depend on how much Omega-3 & 6 your dog gets otherwise. 

I stopped using the product and gave the remaining bottles away to very grateful friends and raffles.

Summary

Pros - easy to adminster

Cons - a bit pricey at more than £10 per month per dog

Woof Rating:  3 out of 5

Keksi update

Daniel reports that Keksi is enjoying her pregnancy, and is her normal happy, chilled self.  Here is the Lady of the Growing Belly relaxing ... in front of the fire?  Surely it wasn't lit.  At any rate, I'd say she's blooming.

She has been on slightly more food for a week now and has just started daily worming so that the puppies have the best possible start.  In a week she will come back down to us to settle in and have her puppies and she will stay until they are weaned.

I've been busy compiling all the stuff we'll be needing like the disposable whelping box, rubber gloves, round-tipped surgical scissors and clean towels.  And newspapers?  You may recall that I ran out of them last time and had to send out requests to my neighbours for emergency supplies.  This time I've got plenty.  I'm quite sure it will be plenty.  Well, plenty for a normal sized litter, anyway.  Daniel is threatening me with 11, though, based on the rapidly expanding girth.  Shhh - don't even think it!

Then there is the small matter of cleaning out the puppy room - a mammoth chore each and every time.

In the meantime, I've been told that Keksi performed another expert and impressive bin raid and that Daniel had a hard time retrieving all the bits of ripped up cardboard before she scooped them up.  Between the wood and the cardboard, I'm beginning to wonder if she's planning to have a litter of beaver pups. 

Not long now and we'll find out.  Tiny pointed tails?  Or tiny flat tails?

You get an idea of her changing shape from the photo above, but here is a belly update too.

don't feed the dog

Of course I don't mean actually don't feed a dog.

There are some things that dogs should only ever have as occasional treats and there are some things that dogs should never have.  The sort of thing that falls into my category of "occasional treats" includes most human food and the Pedigree Jumbone / Dentastix / tripe sticks, etc, sort of canine consumables.  By "occasional"  I mean no more than once a week.  Yes, I'm strict, I know.  And when they do get a Dentastix or Jumbone (both of which they love), they only get half of one each.  And that's plenty.

As a result of this my dogs are not fat.  In fact, they are lean and healthy, even if they do hate me.  Perhaps hate is a strong word.  Perhaps they just resent living here instead of somewhere with a softer touch for an owner where they might get leftover roast lunch on Sundays, bull's pizzle every morning and a ham sandwich now & again.  No such luck in this house!

Usko, age 3.5 months, enjoying a very safe chew - a nylon bone with an edible fake marrow inside that dogs love to eat. 














Amongst my list of things that dogs should never have are:

Chocolate - you know that human chocolate is toxic to dogs, right?  Dark chocolate or baking chocolate is the worst.  Don't let them have it and don't leave it where they can get it.  There is a doggie version of chocolate that is safe, but my poor maligned dogs don't even get that.  Not because it's poisonous, because it's not, but just because of the horrid ingredients.  I'd rather give them a juicy raw bone.

Citrus fruit - Lemons, limes, orange, grapefruit and their juice are all very bad for dogs as their stomach cannot deal with the citric acid.

Grapes & raisins - Both highly poisonous for dogs and, worst case scenario, can cause kidney damage.

Alcohol - Don't think it's funny or cute to let your dog drink beer.  Hops can cause seizures and any kind of alcohol can even kill a dog.

Seeds & pits from various fruits - like apricots, cherries, apples, peaches.

Nuts - dogs can choke on nuts; macadamia and walnuts can both cause awful illness.

Photo:  Joanne Ross

Tarkka enjoying every Lapphund's favorite treat - a snowball!

dining out

My day starts at 6 or thereabouts. (If you don't count the increasingly tedious insistence by Keksi that she get a trip out to the garden at 3 am, that is.)

First up for me is preparing the puppies' breakfast. While that's soaking to soften it a little I take the big dogs out. Then, weather permitting, the puppies go into the garden pen and have their breakfast, leaving the indoor pen empty for cleaning. At this time of year it's completely dark, so one thing these guys won't be is afraid of the dark.

Puppies come back in, have a little play and then conk out to sleep for an hour or so and big dogs get their breakfast. In the meantime I deal with the dishwasher & clothes washer and make sure I've got a steady stream of clean, dry vet beds.

Then I finally get my coffee at about 8 am, have a shower and get a little work done, if I'm lucky.

After my shower today I need a trip to the pet shop because I ran out of big dog food last night. Perhaps I'll take a puppy with me.

And for you, a couple of little films Jay took when the puppies went into their outdoor pen for the very first time a couple of days ago to have lunch. They are surprisingly brave about it all. There's plenty of wagging tails and a bit of playing & pouncing - by Vee & Honey, in particular.

In the second video look out for a cute moment of nose-to-nose action between Neka outside the pen and Budgie inside.

While they're uploading I'll be doing some invoices so that I can swing by the post office to send some orders when I go out for dog food. Multi-tasking is my friend.

little video

Here's another one of the little 20-second porridge videos to keep you going until such time as I get my audiovisual stuff sorted out.

video

Having failed abysmally in the puppy video department this time around, I've dug out the old, poor-quality vid recorder and am charging the battery as I write this. In the meantime, I have managed to upload a 30-second clip that Jay filmed during chow-time yesterday. Better than nothing, I figure.



And if that video doesn't work (like it didn't when I tried it earlier), then click this link and go see the puppies' sire Elias playing in the snow with Keskiyo's gorgeous half-brother Armas. Who says male Lappies can't get along with each other. Sweet, sweet boys.

soup's up

I didn't intend to start weaning the puppies over Christmas. With everything else happening, I didn't need the additional chore of 4 times a day plates of puppy porridge. Not to mention all the additional cleaning that goes with that.

But needs must, as they say. (Why do they say that, exactly? And who are 'they', anyway? Are 'they' the same 'they' who say "Mustn't grumble"? Because if that's the case, then this is officially the last time I use the phrase. Either of those phrases.)

The honeymoon is well and truly over and the novelty has most emphatically worn off the puppies, as far as Keksi is concerned. Which makes for noteworthy timing, actually, as our interest in the puppies is waxing at least as quickly as Keksi's is waning. They are just starting to get interesting now, which is just as well since now is when the work really begins.

Keksi is well aware of how much fun she's missing out on when the other dogs go out for their walks each day, even though we have improved our sneaking out technique somewhat. She also wants to hang out downstairs with the rest of the family instead of being relegated to upstairs with the cats and puppies. We have agreed on a compromise: she is allowed to be on the stairs where she is officially not part of the downstairs, going-out-for-walks-in-the-snow pack, yet she can still see what's going on and get her ears scratched from time to time when we pass.

Last night she was falling asleep as we were having festive Bellinis with the neighbours. No, not drunk. Really.




















To make sure she gives the puppies a full measure of quality time, though, I still stay in the room with her for a while a few times each day. Otherwise she just hops in, tops them up to a minimum level, gives their bottoms a quick scrub then it's straight out again. If she's got some company, she's more than happy to stay in the box. And of course that gives me a chance to have some puppy time too.

But with Keksi more than happy to ignore her brood a bit more now, and with them getting so big and active, they're getting hungry. So yesterday I broke out the puppy porridge. This is a great product - as soon as the puppies smell it they wake up and make for the plate. It's truly remarkable how quickly they learn to lap it up.

Well aware that I spoiled you yesterday with some initial porridge photos, I just had to grab a couple more this morning. At each meal it seems that some puppies are more interested than others; they take turns really sticking into the porridge. This morning it was Junior, Kicker & Kuusi.

3 weeks old weights

Here's the chart showing how the noisy little horrors have grown over their first 3 weeks. Looking back over the blog archive, I see I was calling the last litter the very same unflattering name at about this age. It's good to know they all have good, strong, healthy lungs. Uh huh.





















Everyone is still growing well, although Dino is really taking off, already topping 2 kg at weigh-in today and Butterfly seems to be tailing off a little. I'll be sure to encourage her to get maximum time at the food plate and milk bar from now on.

Here's the comparison of the average weight per litter.















Looks like this 5 are growing bigger faster than the Devon Nine. But, then again, no one in the last litter took quite so well to eating solid food so early either. Check them out tucking in followed by the usual little game. My battery died as Grey Wolf keeled over trying to climb out. Beware: cuteness alert!

weaning

We've had an eventful ride so far, Taika, these puppies & I. I never knew whether Taika was going to wash her paws of the babies and depart, leaving me to it. Then there was the worry that she wasn't producing enough milk. But by the time of the 2-week milestone, I realised that all was finally well. Taika had learned her job and was performing it well (if a teeny bit begrudgingly). She was cheerful, enjoying her walks but also hurrying back to the pups whenever she heard them squeak. The puppies were growing fast & fat and developing just as they should. I no longer needed to provide extra milk for anyone nor did I have to do the bottom licking anymore. Ahhh, at last I could relax and enjoy the whole experience. Apart from the worming, of course, which the puppies & I 'enjoy' alike.

And it was a nice 3 days while it lasted.

I think the puppies are growing teeth because Taika has started giving them a speedy feed, an even speedier wash and then hopping straight out of the box again. And there have been complaints. Loud ones. I think they're still hungry, so it's time to break out the weaning stuff.

In the past, on recommendation, I've always used Pedigree Puppy Porridge, which is great stuff. It comes in a 2kg tub of powder that you mix with water into a milky paste of the desired consistency, gradually getting thicker as the puppies learn to eat. Then they eventually graduate to softened puppy kibble. But I've been having difficulty finding a supplier with the porridge in stock and for a few terrible days I feared Pedigree had stopped making it around about the time they yanked their public support for dog shows. But no, they do still support breeders - just not in a public way. That's fine by me just so long as I can get that great porridge.

There were other brands of similar-sounding stuff available, but the last thing I wanted to do was risk using an untried product. What if it upset their digestion again? No, no, no.

So, while I'm waiting for the Pedigree tub to turn up, I've started in the labour-intensive manner. First, soak a few pieces of Arden Grange Weaning/Puppy food in just-boiled water. Some soften quicker than others. Some never do, fish them out. Mash up softened kibble with a fork until mush. Next, make up some Lactol milk and get it to the right temperature. Combine. Give to puppies.

The first meal wasn't very successful. I used a plate which had 2 major problems: (1) the stuff stayed in the middle of the plate and the puppies can only reach the edge of the plate; and (2) such a little amount of milky mush gets cold very quickly on a plate. Not appetising for puppies. The second meal was much more successful. These puppies are smart! They caught on straight away. I tried to take a video of them all eating (some from the plate, some from each other) but my primary concern was keeping the food coming, so the video didn't turn out very well. So I had another quick attempt after a couple of the puppies had given up. What are they eating from? The lid of the empty Lactol can.

Don't miss the growl at about 30 seconds.





And may I say what a relief it is to get my internet connection back after 48 hours beyond the pale. I guess BT were threatening not to reconnect us until Sunday or Monday just so we'd be grateful beyond complaint when they got us back online earlier than threatened. Phew! Quite apart from my blog & Facebook addictions, there is the small matter of the financial year-end for work. I really, really need online access to my work computer at the moment.