MAY 22 DAY 11

Did a little research and apparently puppies can get this kind of diarrhea due to too much nursing and rich milk... go figure ;)  Leave it to the Alchmy girls to promote a healthy appetite!  Nickel does tend to do more nursing if I hang out by the whelping box so I might try to move my 'operation' to the other room and encourage her to take more breaks.   Seems that either the slippery elm or Pepto Bismol (or both) have helped.  Pups poops are looking a little better today.  Phew.


Here's Corsa checking out the puppies for the first time.  She's been sitting outside the whelping box watching them for the past two days.  She's intrigued by them.  This has been her position for each litter but this time she's finally crossed the invisible line and entered the box.  
When Corsa was a puppy I would take her to my brother's house for visits.  He had a guinea pig that she was just obsessed over.  To this day when we go to his house she runs directly to the room... despite the fact that there hasn't been a guinea pig there for 10 years! LOL.
Corsa is convinced that these are guinea pigs.....

Corsa watching over the "Guinea Pigs" in TinTin's Litter:  Alchmy Magic Litter 2006

Corsa watching over the "Guinea Pigs" in Ico's Litter:  Alchmy Royale Litter 2010 (with TinTin and Nickel  accompanying her).

Corsa Watching over the "Guinea Pigs" in Nickel's Litter : Alchmy Absolute Litter 2011  

And finally takes the plunge into the box!

TinTin the Sentry

TinTin on Guard Duty for her daughter,  Ico's Litter 

TinTin on Guard Duty for her daughter, Nickel's Litter..... She's also taken the Plunge into the box! 

MAY 21 DAY 10 EYES START TO OPEN???

EYES WIDE SHUT

Puppy eyes are still shut.  I was expecting to start seeing the glimmer of eyes poking out from between their lids today.  Usually a few days before they begin to open you can see the eye lids relaxing and an occasional twinkle.  Seems that these puppies have no intention of opening yet.  I wonder if it's because they were born a few days early and they are actually following the gestational timeline.  

They all had a little diarrhea this evening.  They aren't dehydrated and are looking active and strong... but of course it worries me.  I'm hoping it's due to a new supplement I added to Nickel's food the past few days. Stupid me!!!  The longer they have diarrhea, the more like they will dehydrate and dehydration is a dangerous situation for young puppies.  


So.... this is what I'm doing....

First I removed the supplement from her diet.  I then added Slippery Elm to Nickel's food.  Slippery Elm is a wonderful herb that sooths the mucosal lining of the intestines and helps to firm up stools.  I'm hoping that Mom will pass on the properties of the Slippery Elm to the babies.  I'm hesitant to treat this with medication, as dosing for such small puppies can be tricky and I can imagine the puppies going from diarrhea to constipation.  Either condition isn't good!  That said,  I gave each puppy one drop of Peto-bismol.  This is enough to help without over-doing it.  In the mean time I'll monitor their activity, nursing and hydration status to make sure they're all comfortable and no one is getting into trouble.


Did you notice I spared you pictures... LOL 






In the mean time..  I thought we could revisist Nickel's pose on the rock.  


Before:

May 4 

May 21  post whelp

After!