Puppy pics

All 10 pups nursing

Yoko has started nursing the pups from the sitting position

Such a wonderful mama

Vallejo cuddling up to Yoko

Creative nursing by Val

Vallejo must have gotten one of the prime spots at the milk bar.  This morning, she was the biggest pup.

Ukiah practicing her walking

Fresno with a fat tummy

On the move

This morning, I moved the pups into a bigger pen with a small litter box at the far end.  I have also added bedding with different textures and some soft toys for environmental enrichment.  We are still waiting for eyes to open, most of the pups have their eyelids half open.  The pups continue to gain, with different pups in the private nursing group each day.  This is ideal, since it means that no one pup is lagging behind.  Gilroy and Monterey are the only two pups who have not been assigned to the private nursing crew.  A number of pups should weigh in at 2 1/2 lbs tomorrow. 

Day 11 puppy pics

Monty & Sierra

Monterey close up

Ukiah sleeping, check out her jet black paw pads

Carmel sleeping

Puppy pics

A bunch of pupsters

Carmel sleeping on her back

Shasta sleeping on her back with what looks like a very full tummy

Gilroy

Sierra

Vallejo

Ukiah

Temporary puppy names

I have decided to go with a Northern Calif theme for this litter.  Canine Companions for Independence, the program that generously provided stud service, is located in Santa Rosa which is north of San Francisco.  I also have ties to Northern Calif since I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area in what became Silicon Valley.

Females

Pink (light yellow) - Shasta (Mt)
Purple - Ukiah (town)
Green - Sierra (mountain range)
Orange - Carmel (town of Carmel by the Sea)
Pink (gold) - Rosa (Santa Rosa - location of Yoko's date)
Lavender - Vallejo "Val" (town, hispanic with "j" pronounced with an "h" sound)

Males

Blue - Gilroy (town south of the Bay Area, known as the Garlic Capital of the World)
Black - Monterey "Monty" (costal town with famous aquarium)
Yellow - Fresno (town)
Red - Tahoe (lake and ski area)

2 pounders

Blue and Black boys, and Purple girl weighed at least 2 pounds this AM.  A number of pups have doubled their birthweight, which is excellent.  Most of the pups have had their collars upgraded to small snap collars. 

1 week old

The pups are 1 week old and doing great.  Most of the pups gained around 10 to 12 oz their first week which is very respectable, especially for a big litter.  This morning, the pups weighed 1 lb 8.3 oz (Green girl) to 1 lb 11.7 oz (Black boy) and I expect them to double their birthweights in the next few days.  Yoko is producing lots of milk and is having no problem keeping the gang fed.  She is up to 7 c/day of high calorie kibble and ravenous.  I expect to be feeding her 10 c by this time next week.  The pups eyelids are starting to crack open and they are becoming more interactive.  If I sit in the pen, I have pups swarming around me, and they seem to enjoy being stroked.  Very cute.

Sunday puppy pics

The little puppy pen

Breakfast at the milkbar

Yoko is very diligent about keeping everyone clean

Nursing pupsters with nice little fat otter tails (a Lab breed trait)

Red boy scooching across the pen

Orange girl sleeping on Lavendar (Purple/White) girl

Close up of Orange girl, notice the black nose, the pups are
developing their dark pigment

Yellow boy sleeping on his brother Blue.  You can see by the footpads that the
pups are getting their dark pigment.  No more pink noses and foot pads. 

More puppy pics

Creative nursing by Green girl

Yellow boy sleeping on top of the puppy pile

Close up of Yellow boy

Pale Pink (formerly Pink/White) girl sleeping on Yoko's foot

Purple girl showing off her attempts at walking

Pink girl coming through

Pink girl has found her spot

All is well

Yoko and the pups are doing very well.  Big litters are challenging, but with this litter being so vigorous and uniform in weight, it has been amazingly uneventful so far.  The pups had been gaining 2 oz a day, but dropped off to 1 oz the last 24 hours, so time to start ramping up Yoko's food.  My guide is that the dam is fed the 1 cup per pup, so Yoko could be eating 10 cups of high calorie kibble within the next week.  That should make for one happy Labrador retriever.  A couple of days ago, I moved the pups into a small circular ex-pen about the same size as the big pool, with a crib bumper and a step-over half gate.  The pool was getting to be too hot, especially for Yoko.  The pups are very mobile and some are already trying to walk/wobble a bit.  On Thursday, I started BioSensor early neurological stimulation exercises which will continue daily until 16 days of age.  More info at:  http://www.angelfire.com/ca/curlycr/2001pups2a.html  The pups have already outgrown their newborn hairband "collars" and have graduated to elastic tie collars.  This AM, they received their first nail trim.  Next big milestone will be eyes opening at around 12-14 days of age. 

Day 3 puppy pics

Yoko and pups are doing very well.

Day 3

Starting to look like a rugby scrum already

Close up of nursing puppies

Yellow boy

Black boy

Blue boy and Orange girl

Orange girl sleeping on Pink girl

Purple girl cuddling

Close up of Purple girl

Yellow boy