Have I mentioned how much I love these puppies already??? I can't believe how big they are getting and all have more than doubled (tripled in Gypsy's case!) their body weight already. They are getting more active now too and have become very responsive to my presence in the whelping box. Last night, Kahoona was up on all fours and took a few steps. It was amazing to see at eight days old!!! This morning, Rev was a wild man all over the whelping box, crawling up and down (well falling down!) Rave and even managed to get himself up on the pig rain using Rave's back. Again, just amazing for nine days old!
When I get in the box now, they make their way over to me to sniff me out. It's very clear their sense of smell is working well already. When I put them in my lap, they sniff all over me. I am not sure if they are looking for a food source or if they are just processing information. Either way, it's so cute. And they love being touched now! Envy rolled over on her back this morning for belly rubs and it was so stinkin' cute. Then she gave me a lick on the hand. Oh man, did that melt my heart.
Gypsy is doing so great now, and I feel like I can finally relax and not worry about her so much. I am still making sure to give her time alone at the milk bar, because she can easily get knocked off by the bigger kids who are really just downright aggressive at the bar now. They push, shove and fight for the prime nipples! Rave has a few that don't work (which I guess is normal) and the rear ones produce much more milk than the ones up front. So they are always jockeying to get back there. Interestingly, Gypsy always feeds at the rear nipples. She must be very clever!!! I cannot put into words how emotional last week was for me, and working so hard to ensure that Gypsy was given every chance to thrive. And I am so incredibly grateful that she's doing so well.
It's still so early in this journey, but everything about this litter has been "more" than I expected. I had planned on it being a lot of work, I planned on sleepless nights, I planned on it being emotional. I think all the issues with Gypsy magnified everything. But it's all so much more than I could have imagined. And this morning, sitting with the pups before I left for work, I was overcome with emotion watching those little pups developing and making me laugh. And I realized that I am so grateful that I have been given the chance to nurture these pups from the start and that I happily accept everything that comes with it.
I am also super grateful that Rave is being such an incredible mom. She takes such good care of the pups, feeds them well, and worries when they are upset. She still thinks she needs to protect them from all the other dogs in the house except for Rival. Rave definitely wants to get out and play more and be a part of the household again, but she's still making sure those pups are well care for. I am also so glad that Rave seems to still be quite strong and healthy, is producing milk well and has no post whelping issues at all. So much can go wrong during pregnancy, whelping and rearing so I love that Rave's in such great shape.
I love Rave. And I love her very special little puppies. :-)
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