DAISY'S PUPPIES - DIARY OF HER FIRST LITTER

Daisy gave birth to her first litter of 5 puppies on Monday 27th April in the morning; 4 boys and 1 girl.  Mum and pups are doing very well and at the beginning of week 2, all the puppies have doubled their birth weight!

Puppies, 2 days old

Westie puppies at birth are very vulnerable and are blind and deaf.  They also need their mother's help to go to the toilet.  She does this by licking them to stimulate this reflex. At this stage of their life they are also very vulnerable to heat and cold because they cannot regulate their temperature themselves and therefore rely on the body heat of their mother to keep them warm.  

As you can see from the photo when they are born they do have white fur all over.  For the first few days their noses and paw pads are pink but over the first 2 weeks they gradually turn black.  The surprising thing about Westie puppies is that even though they are so small at birth 3-6 ounces they have a real instinct for survival and providing they start to suckle within a few hours of being born they WILL survive.  It is only if the mother rejects them or is unwell herself, that we have to step in and help.  I am happy to report that Daisy has taken to motherhood and so the puppies are well fed and thriving.

Puppies 5 days old

The puppies are now 1 and a half weeks old.  Each day they develop a little at this stage.  Daisy has now settled into the routine of motherhood but is now willing to leave the pups for a short time to enjoy a walk each day.  Feeding the mother of the pups is very important at this stage as they depend on her for all their requirements.  At this stage the puppies can move around the whelping box but they do it by crawling as they cannot yet take their body weight on their legs.  However, they are very adept at this and can always find Mum!  At this stage they also make noises like "Sweep" from the Sooty and Sweep show for those of you who remember this.  They do cry if they are cold or hungry but Mum soon responds to this and they also make little warbling noises when they are asleep which sometimes we interpret as dreaming but we do not know as they are still blind and deaf.

Puppies 10 days old

As you can see from the photo the puppies all huddle to keep warm and they only "wake up" to feed.  At this age the puppies are driven by the instinct to survive and although they may seem very small and vulnerable they have no problem in making themselves heard and are quite demanding when it comes to feed times!

Monday 11th May
The puppies are now 2 weeks old and are growing fast.  They are gaining weight just as they should, and their eyes have already started to open.  Although they are still crawling for the most part they are now beginning to take their weight on their little legs;  it won't be long before they are walking!  Daisy now leaves the pups more readily but soon returns if she hears any noises from the whelping box.  They still sleep the majority of the time but are beginning to have periods of wakefulness when they are beginning to interact with each other.

Puppies with Mum - 2 weeks

Puppies - 2 weeks

The development of pups is amazing when you think that in just 8 weeks they transform from helplessness to a youthful independence.  For  me, as a breeder it is an honour and a privilege to be able to witness and participate in this transformation.

The puppies are spending more time awake now;  their eyes are fully open but it is a moot point how much they actually see at this age.  Mum is still cleaning up after them but she now spends less time in the whelping box.  Of course, they still spend much of their time asleep but when they are awake I can see the beginnings of play developing.  They still make "Sweep" like noises but have already developed a little "growl" like noise which they practice with each other.  Their steps are still a little wobbly, but improving on a daily basis and so it will not be long before they are walking without falling over!  

Monday 18th May
The puppies are 3 weeks old and continue to put on weight.  They have more than tripled their birth weight in the three weeks since their birth and are now beginning to act more like puppies.  During their waking periods they now interact more with each other.  Exploration at this age is all done by mouth. The puppies are now able go to the toilet without their mother's stimulation.  At this age they just squat and go and so it is a full time job to keep them clean!  In the coming weeks I hope to be able to put some short videos up so that you can see them in action!  In fact, the other day one of the puppies tried to do what I call the "Westie" shake.  I am sure you all know how good Westies are at shaking from head to toe.  The puppies cannot do this and so when they try it is as though they are in slow motion! It is very funny to watch. This will, of course, improve as they continue to develop.

Puppies, 3 weeks old

Sleeping peacefully!

Monday 25th May

The puppies are now 4 weeks old and as you can see from the photos are very content.  Daisy continues to be a wonderful Mum and is still feeding them.  I have now introduced a small amount of puppy milk in the morning which they lap up with gusto.  The weaning process has begun!  Over the next 2/3 weeks the puppies will have less of their mothers' milk and more adult foods will gradually be introduced.

Contented puppies

My puppies are all weaned to a raw meaty bones diet and so over the next few weeks they will be introduced to their diet so that when they go to their new homes they are fully weaned and independent of their mother.  Now that they are awake more often and can see and hear, each puppy gets individual handling and is introduced to the daily noises of life.  However, sleep is still a very important part of their daily routine and will be for many weeks to come.

Tuesday 2nd June

Yesterday the puppies were 5 weeks old and  were allowed to explore their new world beyond the whelping area.  Their intake of puppy milk is gradually increasing and Daisy is now feeding them less often.  Their milk teeth are all erupting and so they just love to chew on anything, including fingers!  Their first solid food will be introduced this week and this will gradually be increased to replace the puppy milk which is still a substantial part of their diet.  Raw meaty bones will gradually be introduced over the next few weeks so that when they join their new families they are firmly established on their new diet.

As I took the second photo they all raised their heads.  They look sleepy but still a nice photo!

Tuesday 9th June

The pups are now 6 weeks old and have started to spend a part of their day outside.  The weaning process continues although Daisy will still feed them about once a day although this will not continue for long.  Meat is now becoming the main constituent of their diet and this plus the puppy milk provides their essential nutrients.  They have already had some chicken feet to chew on as their first introduction to rmb!


You will notice from the new photographs that the boys now have their collars on.  However these are sometimes difficult to see because their coats are becoming quite thick.  First indications are that they will all have beautiful Westie coats.

Yellow collar

Yellow collar and red collar playing

Purple collar playing with inside of kitchen roll!

Blue collar (front puppy)

Daisy playing with her pups

Peace at last!!

Saturday 20th June

The puppies are now nearly 8 weeks old and have just had their first injections at the vet.  It was their first trip out in the car but they all seemed to enjoy it and loved the fuss they got at my local vets.  They are now fully weaned from Daisy but she still plays with them all the time.  

The boys (front) and Abi

Jamie playing outside

A pile of Westies!

Hamish asleep!

Angus and Whisky playing together

Dairy playing with puppies in toy box

Angus and Whisky posing for photo!

Jamie and Angus playing with Daisy

Boys playing with Daisy

I kThe puppies will go the vets next week to have their microchips inserted and then the following week they have their second vaccinations.  They will then be ready for their new homes!  How exciting!

Wednesday24th June

The puppies are now just over 8 weeks.  They will all go to their new homes when they are around 10 weeks old.  Many breeders let their puppies go at 8 weeks but I believe the extra 2 weeks with their mother and siblings helps not only with their overall development but also to establish their raw meaty bones diet.  The next few photos show the boys enjoying recreational raw meaty bones and these can be given between mealtimes as it helps to keep them occupied and to learn how to chew and tear which helps build muscular strength and provides plenty of work for their milk teeth.  Although the milk teeth will be replaced by their adult teeth in a few weeks time the health of their mouth and milk teeth is vital as this will help the adult teeth to emerge straight and strong.

Angus enjoying his bone

Whisky enjoying his bone

Jamie enjoying his bone

Hamish enjoying his bone

Friday 26th June

The puppies have had their microchips inserted today and so they have been to the vets.  They enjoyed the outing and loved all the attention they received from the staff!  Only one more visit to the vet for their second vaccination and then the boys all join their new families.  

Whisky, Angus and Jamie sleeping off the trauma of their microchip insertion.

Thursday 2nd July

The puppies were 9 weeks old last Monday and I am now preparing them for life in their new homes.  They have been allowed out into the bigger garden this week and have enjoyed this by chasing around.  The last two days have been very hot and so they play and then sleep.  Daisy still plays with them a lot and chases them around the garden and playfights with them.  

Here is a video of them playing in the garden.

After their play in the garden they had their dinner and then collapsed in the kitchen for a sleep!