Day 50-52 - The vet! 6/1-6/3

The boys came back from the vet with a clean bill of health! I really liked the folks at New Horizon Animal Hospital in St. Clairsville.

Before I talk about the housekeeping involved at the vet visit, I want to talk about a huge breakthrough I've had in training the pups. Pureed chicken. The puppies can lick it off my fingers and now suddenly they are interested in treats. All of the puppies have learned to look for the treat when I click my tongue and Tag and Snick have both figured out how to sit to ask for a treat.

Another thing has happened that has changed sort of a lot around here. Butter flipped a switch and is no longer acting like a mother most of the time. She suddenly stopped letting them nurse on Thursday morning. Now just once in a great while I'll see her let them nurse while standing under her.

Because of this, and because of how attached to them we are getting, and how attached to us they are getting, I am rethinking keeping them until 10 weeks. If I thought they'd all be leaving at once, I don't think I would be okay with it yet, for Butter's sake. But, I don't think, with this being our first litter, that they are all 3 going to be spoken for by this weekend, but if any are, they can go home. I hope I'm making the right choice for everyone here. We love these guys very much and every day somebody (usually me) will ask if we really don't need to just be a 4 dog household.

Since Butter is being a little too rough now, we've split the yard in two. The puppies can fit through between the fences if they want to be with their mom, or get away from her. Butter keeps bringing things to them, peace offerings, maybe? Try to guess which side is hers.

So, all the preparation I did for their first van ride to the vet was not enough. They all cried the entire drive down. And everyone was so anxious once we got there that they just laid down in the crate and slept. Here's Tag once he finally stopped panting and crying and just crashed.

But everyone did really well with their shots. I'm not even sure they felt them. And once we were done and started to leave, everyone perked up, started chewing on pigs' ears and interacting with the people and dogs in the waiting room.

Weight and Vaccine notes below.