Day 4 and Trimming newborn puppies' nails

Great day today! It was nail trimming day, and so we skipped ENS.

At first, nail trimming was awful. The puppies were not loving it. Whenever Butter heard a puppy whimper, she'd come over and lick it, which made a wiggly puppy even more wiggly! I stopped after just a few nails for each puppy. I do not want these guys to associate nail trimming with discomfort. And of course I was just absolutely terrified I was going to make someone bleed.

But after a break, I came back to it, and realized I didn't have to hold the puppies to trim their nails! I put them on a puppy bed on my bed, and they slept through the rest of nail trimming. They were still and quiet. Butter wasn't anxious, and didn't lick them. So I was able to take take my time and get my face in real close to see what I was doing. And I did not make anyone bleed.

It turns out there's a little hook almost at the tip of the nails, and I was able to use that as a guide for where to put my baby nail clippers.

Trimming a puppy's nails is extremely important to their well-being their whole life, so I will link some nail trimming resources. If you are not up to doing your dogs nails yourself, your vet and/or groomer can take care of them for you. If you take home one of our puppies, they will be well-used to having their nails trimmed!

Obviously, these are not my articles.

How to trim nails: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/how-to-trim-dogs-nails-safely/

How to trim nails if you've accidentally let them get too long. (If you can hear them clicking when your dog walks, they're probably to this stage): https://www.bubblesdoggrooming.co.uk/post/how-to-cut-dog-s-nail-to-make-the-quick-recede

Today's weigh-ins:

And, Tomorrow's to-do list:

Announce first puppy's nickname! (Oh, did I forget to mention we've decided on their nicknames for while they are under our care?)

ENS

Make more mother's yogurt

Day 3 Butter's first litter 4/15

Went back to weighing in the morning today. Butter and the puppies seemed WAY less stressed today, so we started ENS.

ENS is Early Neurological Simulation. You can read about it here (downloads a PDF.): https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/VA/VA-24-W.pdf

We are also starting to come up with names!

We had a "contest" on our Facebook page to see who could guess the right number of puppies. Completely coincidentally, my mom came closest by guessing the exact number, and we decided to let her give one a nickname.

I think I'll solicit more name ideas from our Facebook page.

To do

Clip nails (no ENS today)

Soothingly stroke puppies

Day 2 Butter's first litter 4-14

Puppies are sleeping like popcorn today. Their little potato-shaped bodies just twitch the whole time, it's adorable. What I wasn't prepared for, however, is that the twitching includes little yips and barks sometimes. It's startling and hilarious.

I went out to do some work in the barn today. While I was out there, my 6yo came running to tell me that Butter had brought a puppy outside. I rushed over, and sure enough, she had. She was crushed down with it and was whimpering and howling a little.

I have never heard her make that sound before. I called my mom and she came to help me manage puppies and kids and farm chores, because Butter isn't ready for me to leave her alone that long yet.

The puppy was crying a lot, and I'm pretty sure he was constipated, because his tummy was distended, and he was groaning and making straining sounds. I put some mother's yogurt on his little booty to encourage Butter to stimulate poop, and I think it worked because when I checked on him later, he was no longer crying and his tummy felt normal.

I didn't weigh everyone until evening because they were a little stressed out. For the same reason, I might not start ENS tomorrow as planned.

Tomorrow's to-do list:

Figure out how I made bullet points yesterday

ENS, only if everyone seems relaxed and comfortable

Replace and wash bumper beds