Watching PuppyCam

For those of you who may never had the opportunity to watch two-day old puppies, I thought I would give you an idea of what you’re watching on PuppyCam.

For at least another two weeks, the puppies are deaf, blind, cannot walk or stand, cannot regulate their body temperature, and cannot urinate or defecate on their own. Because of this, the pups are confined to a whelping box so they cannot move off on their own and “get lost” away from Lucille. Lucille is free to come and go. When she leaves the box she’s probably going to get something to eat or drink.

You may wonder how the pups find Lucille and the nipples if they’re deaf and blind. They use their sense of smell and their ability to sense heat. If they aren’t laying next to her when they wake up, you’ll see them moving their heads around to locate her body.

The pups are not capable of urinating or defecating on their own. It will be two to three weeks before muscles necessary to perform those functions have developed. You will see Lucille licking on the pups while they are eating. She’s stimulating them to eliminate. She will also clean up any “accidents” that happen in the whelping box.

The large red thing in the corner is a special heating pad. When the pups are near Lucille her body keeps them warm, but you will see them move on and off the pad at other times as they regulate their temperature. The pad will stay there for two weeks, then we can remove it.

And finally, when the audio is on you’ll hear the “puppy grunts” and other sounds they make. You’ll also hear Lucille snoring or making a snorting sound. She has some kind of defect that makes those noises. It may sound like a growl, but it isn't. If you hear a lot of barking in the background, it’s our dogs barking at someone who’s arrived at the house or just before they go outside.