Pups Is Pups

It's been a while since we've had puppies on this blog so I thought it would be a good idea to review the kinds of records we keep for our foster pups. Harriett designed a chart that lets us see, at a glance, the status of each puppy.

For each pup we record the gender and a short description on the far left. Once the pups get named we’ll add the name to that information area.

Our main indicator of progress are the puppies' weights. For the first 10-14 days each pup is weighed twice a day. We record the weights, in grams, on the chart. If everything is going well, each pup will gain weight every day. If the weight stays the same or decreases it indicates there is a problem. The circles on the weight chart highlight these situations. If we have the mother we’ll do supplemental feedings or sit with the mom and pup to be sure it gets a chance to eat properly. We sometimes use NutriCal, a high-calorie supplement, to support the pup (indicated by an ‘N’ on the bottom line of the chart).  If the weight does not stabilize and start to increase within two days we might have a serious illness developing and we’ll watch for other symptoms and consult with a veterinarian.



For orphans we record the volume of formula, in milliliters, each pup eats at each feeding. Those are the single-digit numbers in the sample above. We know how much each puppy should consume based on its weight, so we can run down the columns and add up the daily amount to be sure we’re at, but not too far over, our target. It’s bad to under- or overfeed the pups, so we watch these amounts carefully.

Special treatments, such as subcutaneous fluids, are also indicated on the last line of the chart. We use that information if we have to talk to a vet about a problem.

We will post a graph of the puppies’ weights at the top of the left column of this blog until the pups are about 5 weeks old. The weight is shown in ounces on the graph because that measurement is more familiar to most of our readers. Each pup is represented by a colored line.

For the first 10-14 days there will be two weights per day. If the pups are healthy at the two-week-old point we’ll drop to one weight per day. We’ll stop the daily weightings at the five-week-old point if everyone’s doing well and there are no problems.

Let’s hope we see all of the lines moving up as we go to the right.