pUpdates

Week 1 pUpdate

Week 1 (May 7 - May 13)

We’re happy to report that Hank and Ruby welcomed their first litter of 10 pups—4 boys and 6 girls!  Boy, did we luck out on the timing.  Huge thanks to Ruby for getting the party started ahead of time.

In the wee hours of May 7th, Ruby kicked things off at 1:16 a.m. and delivered her final puppy at 5:16 a.m. For a first timer, she crushed it.  Jeff and I, however, are still recovering.

Both Ruby and the pups are doing well. We do have two smaller girls we are watching closely. While we would love to see them packing on weight a little faster, both are consistently gaining between our morning and evening weigh-ins and are plenty active.  I think we were spoiled with Shelby in that department.  No small puppies with her.  Ruby’s more like that one chick who you can’t really tell is pregnant until the last half of the last trimester, can still run circles around you, ankles never swell up, pops 10 pups out, and is right back to a size 0.  You win, Ruby.

Ruby has also been dealing with a stubborn ear infection for the past couple of months. Because treatment options have been limited during pregnancy and nursing, we have not been able to use a typical course of medication. Instead, we are managing it by cleaning her ear every other day and keeping a close eye on things.

To support both Ruby and her nursing so many mouths, we are feeding her three times a day. Her current menu consists of cottage cheese, a probiotic powder, and dry kibble.  She is never disappointed seeing us come in with that food bowl.

We removed dewclaws on May 8th.  It was the only time we were able to make work with high school graduation and lots of family coming to town.  Dr. Frese gave everyone a good once-over.  No health concerns at this stage.  She was primarily checking for cleft palates on the pups and making sure Ruby was in good condition.

You may notice that our photo updates have not been quite as extensive as past litters. Between everything else we have had going on and the logistics of caring for ten puppies, there has been little spare time. Ten puppies also means ten opinions about whether it is a good time for a photo shoot.

Any photographers reading this will understand that getting one clear picture of a puppy that never stops moving often requires ten or more attempts, followed by choosing the least blurry option, cropping to the right size, and hoping for the best – times 10.  Not a super quick or efficient process.

Because several of the puppies look remarkably alike, we have included a “cheat” for each pup in their day 7 portraits. The markings will become much more pronounced, but what we note is all we had to go on when meeting each for the first time.  Honey, being the third pup out and having no markings, had us a little uncertain as to how this would all unfold.  Luckily everyone else had some spot on them…

Thank you for your patience and tuning in for Hank and Ruby’s first litter. We’ll keep the pictures and pUpdates coming.  As always, reach out with any questions or comments.  We appreciate hearing from everyone.