The breeding of any animal is a serious responsibility!
Only those persons
with a sense of responsibility and quality & healthy animals,
proper facilities and
knowledge of what they are doing, should consider breeding.
There can be heartbreak, tragedy and great expense involved with
breeding. Quality homes are not plentiful, and rescue and humane groups
are overwrought with the results of irresponsible breedings.
The five pups are enjoying a home cooked meal of mom's milk.
Ramona has abundant milk, and all five are able to easily locate and attach to a plentiful food source. At this age the pups basically suckle and sleep.
Healthy pups getting a quality feeding will suckle vigorously & quietly, and when their tummy is full, fall off and sleep.
The 5 pups now weigh between 2 lbs. 2 ozs. and 3 lbs. Their birth weight ranged from 1 lb 1 oz. to 1 lb. 11oz. Their 1 week weight gain is normal and on par with their anticipated growth.
Two or three of the pups have finished feeding, and chose to stay with their littermates next to mom. The litter spends a lot of time sleeping close to Ramona, who keeps her babies very clean, warm, and quite content.
Note that the whelping pen has high walls, to keep it draft-free. Also, there are rails that go around the pen. These rails are often called "pig rails". Puppies move and roll around and the rails minimize the possibility of a puppy becoming laid on or trapped under their dam.
Later, four of the five ventured off to a corner of the whelping pen to catch some sleep.
Note how the nose pigment is almost filled in on two of the babes.
The pups and Ramona are on very short pile rugs, to provide a good footing (crawling) surface.
Newspaper is under the rugs, and under the newspaper is a wood floor.
Also, we use an artificial lambswool rug, as an alternative surface and for a little additional warmth under the puppies.
As this is a summer litter, we did not need a heat lamp as we might have for a Fall, Winter, or Spring litter.
