Chihuahua Update

Since last week, things are looking up for the Chihuahua pups. All of the pups are stable, alert, and eating well. The shelter had some of the old formula milk replacer in their freezer and since we’ve switched back everyone’s doing great. We’re still hearing some congestion noises, but all things considered, I think we’ve turned the corner. Harriett and I are allowing ourselves to be optimistic about the outcome of this litter.

The pups were three weeks old on Saturday. This is the age at which we see many physical and behavioral changes. Their eyes are open and they can hear. The shape of their skulls is changing to a classic Chihuahua shape and their ears are starting to lift. Their teeth are also starting to come in.

We noticed tonight that Megan and Brian are starting to play mouth games (also known as play fighting). That’s a major milestone for puppies. I’ll be posting more on this important behavior in a future post.

The pups also had their first visitors on Sunday. They’re still not terribly active, but they stayed awake for about 15 minutes and didn’t mind being held and passed around.

It’s hard not to be amazed at how small they are! Megan, the biggest pup, is smaller than some newborns we’ve had in other litters. The three little ones only weigh about a half pound each. When fully grown, these pups will probably weigh only a few pounds.

Now that the puppies seem to be healthy, we will begin regular PuppyCam broadcasts later this week. I’ll send a tweet and post a note here when we decide the schedule. If all goes well we may be able to have a broadcast on Tuesday evening. Keep in mind, however, that puppies of this age sleep about 95% of the time. Don’t expect too much action.