Recently our beautiful Poochon, Biscuit, and our adorable Cavapoo, Blue became parents for the first time. Biscuit and Blue have a stunning litter of cavapoochon puppies – 1 girl and 2 boys. We have naturally been fixed on the puppies since their arrival and are keen to share our day-by-day experience of week 1 in the life of our newborn puppies.
Day 1
The day of the birth of the puppies was incredibly stressful. The puppies were born in the early afternoon and the first day in the life of our puppies felt incredibly long. As the puppies were born, Biscuit frantically cleaned them. She chewed threw their umbilical cords and constantly licked them clean.
We ensured the puppies latched on to a teat and had a good feed. Furthermore, we made sure they did this within the first two hours of their birth to obtain the all-important antibodies within the milk from their mother.
On this first day, the puppies were very sleepy and incredibly hungry.
Biscuit cleaned herself rather well but she was bleeding quite a bit from her vulva (as to be expected).
The biggest dangers to puppies within the first few days of life are lack of food and lack of heat. For the first few days of their life, we monitored the pups to ensure they were all feeding every couple of hours and were all warm.
Biscuit’s appetite has increased dramatically since we discovered she was pregnant. We continue to feed her much more than usual and give her lots of high-energy treats throughout the day. After she had given birth, we offered her a bowl of vanilla ice cream which she devoured. This was a tip I found somewhere online that suggested the calcium and sugar content in the ice cream was beneficial for Mum!
Day 2
The following day, Biscuit looked more like herself. I cleaned the whelping box regularly of the blood and mucus Biscuit was losing from her vulva. The bleeding was lessening. In the first couple of days, Biscuit was reluctant to leave the whelping box to go to the toilet. She obviously didn’t want to leave her newborn puppies, quite understandably!
The puppies slept for most of the day and when they were awake, they spent their time feeding. Biscuit continued to clean the puppies, a lot and did so continuously throughout week 1!
Since we discovered Biscuit was pregnant, we added Panacur deworming medicine to her food. As per the instructions, we stopped doing so when the puppies were 2 days old.
Day 3
Unable to dedicate or urinate for themselves, Biscuit continued to profusely lick the puppies to assist them in passing waste.
Biscuit’s discharge and bleeding lessened and she was a little more eager to leave the whelping box. When she did so, it was for a very quick toilet trip and she would immediately return to the whelping box. The puppies would sense her absence and often made whimpering noises when she left them.
The puppies continued to sleep for most of the day and feed when awake.
Day 4
Biscuit sat outside of the whelping box for the first time on day 4. She didn’t leave the puppies for long. However, she was leaving them rather frequently. We initially had the whelping box upstairs in our bedroom, where she gave birth. But by day 4 we sensed she was feeling a little lonely up in the bedroom alone with the puppies throughout the day. We decided to bring the whelping box downstairs into the lounge to a space she would normally spend most of her time. To ensure Biscuit felt secure, we placed a playpen around the whelping box. Biscuit can leave or enter as she likes but the puppies are unable to leave it.
We immediately noticed Bisuit seemed a little easier after the move and the puppies appeared more settled. Biscuit spent less time out of the whelping box from then on, seeming to feel less lonely and more comfortable with her new space.
Biscuit and Blue have never before been apart, perhaps she was missing him. We know he was definitely missing her! The pair reunited was rather sweet, however, Biscuit would not allow Blue to enter the enclosed space within which the whelping box was placed.
Day 5
This was the day we decided to weigh the puppies for the first time. We hadn’t weighed them before as we were worried about Biscuit’s reaction. It was also obvious that the puppies were gaining weight.
We used the kitchen scales to weigh the puppies and placed either a pot towel or some kitchen roll on the scales to prevent the pups from feeling cold.
The puppies were more alert by day 5. They still spent most of the day feeding or sleeping, but they were much more active, crawling confidently around the whelping box in between naps and feeds.
Day 6
The puppies gained weight from the previous day – around 40 grams each. We have identified one pup which is lighter than the others, Castiel and continue to monitor his progress.
Biscuit is no longer bleeding but does still have a bloody discharge from her vulva. To ensure the whelping box remains clean, her bedding is changed frequently.
Biscuit feels much more confident leaving the whelping box now. My eldest daughter came to visit and she ran to the door to greet her which was really nice to see. Close family members have been the only visitors to the home to reduce the risk of infection to the puppies.
Day 7
From birth to day 7, we can see a marked difference in week 1 of the life of our puppies. Their bellies are bulging and they are getting longer. They still spend most of the day sleeping or eating. They are crawling around the whelping box much more now. The puppies are also starting to push up on their forearms and bear their own weight.
Their markings have changed each day. By day 7 each puppy’s nose was much darker than at birth. All puppies continue to gain weight. The smallest puppy is not as heavy as his siblings, however, he does continue to gain weight so we are not concerned.
Biscuit is a fantastic mother, regularly cleaning the puppies and ensuring they are adequately fed. She will leave the whelping box for short periods of time by day 7 to cool down and presumably to enjoy her own space.
Naturally, Biscuit is not playful yet with Blue as she once was, but she must be exhausted. She is still not too keen on us weighing the puppies, however, she is becoming a little more relaxed when we do pick them up to be weighed. We only handle the puppies to weigh them. However, Biscuit does allow our youngest daughter to sit by the whelping box and gently stroke the puppies. She is at ease with us, but a little on guard when I do so (presumably because I pick them up to weigh them).
We hope you enjoyed this post on week 1 in the life of our newborn cavapoochon puppies. Look out for more posts in this series.
To see where this adventure began, check out our post We Have a Pregnant Poochon!
