Pippa and her puppies

11 April (9 weeks 2 days old)

Over the Easter weekend our last two girls (Daisy and Sadie) left for their new homes, leaving Aggie home with her granny Poppy. Poppy is not quite sure about the new family member, but Aggie is quite persistent with her attempts to play and snuggle. The real work begins now and Aggie is enrolled in puppy preschool starting next week. This will be the last update on Pippa and her puppies although we plan to get them all together in June.

5 April (8 weeks 3 days old)

New home update. Five of our babies (Penny, Milly, Bronte, Tully and George) were collected on Sunday and after collecting their packs, choosing a certified Pippa-licked toy they left for their new homes. By all accounts they are settling in well, have met their non human family members and checked out their new accommodation. George is now reunited with his mum Pippa who proudly introduced him (again) to the family. All (including those who stayed) were weighed and wormed. Some pictures of pups with their new families below.

New families collect their babies

2 April (8 weeks old)

Puppy pick up day! Five of our precious bundles will go to their new homes today and it is with a mixture of sadness and relief (not going to miss the poo pickup!) that I say goodbye to them. However it is only a farewell as we plan to get together at a local park in June for a big reunion and to compare notes on progress and how they are all settling in.

The puppy packs are prepared and each pup will go home with food samples, a toy licked by Pippa, and a personalised folder containing their vaccination cards and microchip tags, health guarantee, parents’ pedigrees and health clearances, advice on feeding and preventative veterinary care, useful information and the full Labrador Retriever breed standard.

Our puppies’ new names are:

• Aggie – Agapanthus (she will remain with us)
• Sadie – Hydrangea
• Penny – Nigella
• George – Anigozanthos
• Tully – Mimosa
• Bronte – Grevillea
• Milly – Azalea
• Daisy – Camellia

31 March

In their eighth week the puppies have put on quite the growth spurt. Meals are mostly soaked kibble or meatballs and like true labs there is no hesitancy and consumed in seconds! For a bit of variety I sometimes soak the kibble in goats milk and add a few carrot sticks as a snack. They are still sleeping a lot and do not take much persuasion to settle down after a bit of post meal play. They are quite curious about their grandmother Poppy who will occasionally play a little but mostly scolds them for crowding her! There are a few videos too which capture the action.

26 March (7 weeks old)

We have had a few puppy families visit, and are now counting down the days til they welcome their new family member home. The puppies’ routine is sleep, eat, play, repeat four times a day. Mornings are still my favourite time of the day with them as they snuggle down for a sleep after breakfast and a little play.

22 March (6 weeks and 3 days old)

A big week for the puppies! Worming, vaccinations, microchipping and toenail clipping all took place yesterday. The meatballs continue to be a favourite but when the supermarket had run out of 4legs, I tried VIP Chunkers instead sampling beef, chicken and lamb. The beef most closely resembles the 4legs, but puppies have been eating all enthusiastically. The only available rice porridge came in banana, apple and pear which also proved to be popular. The least favourite seems to be the soaked kibble but as labradors they do their best to eat everything on offer!

Today Pippa dug a big hole at the side of the puppy enclosure and helped three to escape before they were discovered! She needs to dry up her milk so she just spends a short time with them each day after breakfast. Having been shown the joys of digging, the puppies have taken to this new activity with enthusiasm. My garden is now being heavily pruned so if any of our new puppy families value their plants, I would suggest the use of temporary fencing! Below are a number of pics and videos since the last update.

18 March

I have restocked with rice porridge which seems to be enjoyed for breakfast and last thing at night. A new addition to their diet is 4legs meatballs which are small, soft and chewable. They have proven to be very popular. The puppy mousse is finished so soaked kibble is given mid afternoon. Mealtimes are: 7.30am, 11.30am, 3pm and 7pm. I have taken a few videos to try and capture the action outdoors and while unwinding before settling to sleep. Note the addition of a pet ramp which enables the pups to climb up on to the puppy couch. I also include a few pics. Enjoy!

14 March

Puppies were 5 weeks old on Sunday 12 March and now on 4 meals each day. The rice porridge supplies were finished yesterday and have now been replaced by soaked kibble (Royal Canin large breed puppy). I let it stand for a while until fairly mushy but with a little bite to encourage chewing. They seemed less enthusiastic about the puppy mousse but suspect they have been topping up with milk from Pippa who they ambush when she visits! Weight gains quite substantial today, especially from Mimosa, Grevillea, George and Camellia!

10 March

Puppy portraits!

8 March

The puppies’ outdoor area is now fully fenced which makes it easier to not just contain them but stop Pippa from ‘helping’ them finish their meals! The arrival of another section of fencing has meant that I’ve been able to extend their area to include a nice shady grassed area as well as the dust bowl below the cubby that Pippa and her littermates enjoyed digging in four years ago. The addition of some toys has been enjoyed by the pups although it generally ends up in a bit of rough and tumble!

7 March

All puppies were wormed yesterday and half had toenails clipped (I think I find it more traumatic than the puppies do!). Today was their first meat meal in the form of Royal Canin puppy mousse. I have some smart new eating dishes and water bowl (plant pot saucers from Bunnings garden section). The meat meal has been added to the two rice porridge meals which are now double the quantity. This means they are relying less on Pippa’s milk for their nutrition. However she does visit after they have finished eating, cleans them and gives them a feed. Her meals have now been cut back to 3 per day.

New routine:
7.00am: Puppies popped in boxes while bedding is changed and then each one weighed, returned to the whelping box and Pippa feeds them.
11.30am: Puppies moved to outside area and fed first solid meal (puppy mousse).
3.30pm: Porridge meal.
6.30-7.00pm: Porridge meal.
7.30pm: Bed time (inside)

When outside, they are starting to toilet at the edge of the fenced area, on the grass and away from their eating and sleeping area. Meal times are generally followed by vigorous play and then plenty of sleep.

6 March

Puppies on the dog bed. L-R: Azalea (rear), Nigella (front), Grevillea (centre), Camellia (rear), Agapanthus, Hydrangea (in front of Agapanthus), Mimosa (front) and George.

George bites the dust! The girls are still figuring out how to get off the bed.

5 March (4 weeks old)

We have a new routine now that involves two solid meals during the day, although Pippa continues to join the puppies to clean and feed them. They are becoming familiar with their outdoor area now which has a sleeping tent, a couch (mainly used by humans), a raised dog bed and a couple of tunnels for play. They are still too little to climb on to the raised dog bed, so following a feed, they all tend to retreat under the couch. They have a large dish of pre-boiled water which they occasionally use as a wading pool.

They really are developing quickly and at around 6.30pm after their second porridge meal, instead of settling down to sleep, had some pretty boisterous play with a bit of bunny hopping! Toileting on grass is a new experience and they are already starting to take themselves to the edge of the fenced area.

4 March

Summer has returned (although technically autumn)! Lovely late afternoon with the puppies in the garden puppy enclosure yesterday. Pippa played with them and they seemed much more enthusiastic with their rice porridge. They really seem like little dogs now.

3 March

A return to cooler weather meant an inside day for the puppies yesterday. A few also had tummy upsets so just mother’s milk for the day and this morning all had bounced back and seem ready to take on the world again. Will try rice porridge again today (but not too much). Weights progressing well with all over 2kg and Agapanthus almost caught up to Azalea who has now exceeded 2.5kg! Although toys have been introduced to the box, puppies are still more interested in each other’s faces, ears, tails and legs!

1 March

Another first! First day outside for a supper of rice porridge. The puppies will gradually spend more time in the garden becoming familiar with the bird sounds, passing traffic, voices and lawnmowers. They explored the gazebo area and after eating had a little snooze. Pippa helped clean up!

28 February

Momentous day. First solids. I took two at a time out of the whelping box to try the rice porridge mixed with dog milk formula. Some took to it instantly and others needed a little encouragement. However it was the post meal cleaning that all enjoyed. Pippa, of course polished off what was left.

26 February (3 weeks old)

Hard to believe the pups are now 3 weeks old and we are about to start weaning! This morning’s routine involved toenail clipping and collar loosening. Taking a puppy on your lap is something of a hazard as they are quite likely to wee, so protective towels required! We now have two pups over 2kg (Azalea and Camellia) and two almost there (Agapanthus and Hydrangea). Anigo aka George (or should that be Boy George?) not far behind followed by Mimosa, Grevillea and Nigella. This is all down to Pippa’s excellent care and attention. Here are some pics from the last few days which have seen a bit of a drop in temperature.

22 & 23 February

Hot, sunny days and Pippa has been a real trooper, keeping her babies fed and clean. Today (Thursday) has been especially hot and all pups were panting so I gave them a little boiled water. Some were more successful that others at lapping but it seemed to help and gave them a new experience. Some huge gains in weight and five of the pups are well over 1700g!

21 February

Puppies have all been wormed and getting very active. Several have eyes peeping and a couple with very strong loud voices, especially when Mum (Pippa) hears a rustle in the kitchen and unceremoniously shakes off the babies and jumps out of the box!

19 February (2 weeks old)

Well it’s been four days since an update mainly due to a family wedding and many houseguests in residence. Despite all the turmoil, Pippa has continued to be the perfect mum and the little plumpies have been growing and developing magnificently.

Updates:

1. New collars for all (longer ones, but same colours)
2. All front toenails clipped including dew claws
3. Eyes just peeping
4. Puppies briefly up on 4 legs and getting more mobile
5. Addition of a cardboard ‘wall’ at the entrance to the whelping box to stop any adventurous pups climbing out.

15 February

Apologies for yesterday’s absence of pics. Busy day but all gaining weight superbly. All puppies have now doubled their birthweight (the usual metric is to double birthweight by 10 days – most did it in 8 but all now past that milestone).

Here are the pictures of a post feed snooze. I feel that eyes will be well and truly open next week. Collars almost fully extended so probably time to change.

14 February

Weight report:

An astonishing average weight gain today of 97g with three puppies (Anigo, Mimosa and Camellia) being well over 100g. Camellia was the superstar gainer at 129g! Azalea now 1049g and Anigo 1015g are unsurprisingly the first to crack 1kg.

(more pics to follow)

13 February

Are the puppies sending us messages? What does this pattern mean?

12 February (1 week old)

Much cooler but the little fatties seem cosy in their box. I noticed a curious thing today. They appear to have grouped themselves by colour – the three darker ones (Hydrangea, Azalea and Camellia) in one corner and the paler pups (Anigo, Agapanthus, Mimosa, Nigella and Grevillea) in another. However their eyes aren’t even open! On another note Miss Mimosa was the biggest gainer – up 98g! All, though are doing so well with today’s average gain being over 73g.

11 February (6 days old)

Hot day! I have given Pippa direct access to the deck so she can cool off but had to fence part of it off because she keeps trying to go under it and dig! Mimosa no longer the smallest and Agapanthus put on a huge growth spurt gaining a whopping 95g in a day and is now the heaviest girl! Here are some picture portraits.

10 February 2023 (5 days old)

It’s hard to believe that the babies are already 5 days old. They are strong, vigorous and racing around the box. Azalea (red) is neck and neck with brother Anigo (green) who overtook her yesterday but only 2g separates them at 718g and 720g! The next similar pair are Agapanthus (purple) and Hydrangea (blue) (676g & 672g), followed by Camellia and Grevillea (647g and 644g). Our two smallest girls are gaining equally well (~10% of their body weight in a day) and well over the half kilo mark at 550g (Nigella – light blue) and 539g (Mimosa – yellow).

Pippa is recovering well from the stresses of the birth and enjoys a roll on her back in the garden and dip in the pool. She has also discovered that the puppy rails make a convenient head rest!

8 February 2023 (3 days old)

So pleased with today’s weight gains! They are quite literally packing it on. Anigo (green boy) is has been overtaken by his sister Azalea (red) who gained a whopping 84g since the last weigh in and is now 609g. All however, gained 40-50g on average thanks largely to Pippa’s attentiveness.

Meet the puppies!

7 February 2023 (2 days old)

Since officially the litter was born on 5 February, today counts as 2 days old, although this marks the first weigh-in since birth. Routines are now being established.

First thing (at dawn)

1. Feed Pippa and check she has toileted and has enough water.
2. Change bedding in the whelping box and warm the heat packs (microwaveable wheat packs wrapped in hand towels) and place them in the whelping box. There is an additional small heat pad that is on constantly. Temperatures (both air and in the box) are monitored continuously.
3. Let the puppies feed.
4. Weigh each puppy in birth order and note any gains/losses.

For now, Pippa is taking care of all the puppies’ needs and must lick them vigorously to stimulate their wees and poos (especially the latter). Their systems are too immature for them to do this without help. They are deaf and blind but they can smell and seek warmth and food.

Pedigree name	Collar colour	Time of birth	Weight at birth	M/F
Papoulab Agapanthus	Dark purple	9.45pm 6/2/23 (breech)	480g	F
Papoulab Hydrangea	Dark blue	12.55am 7/2/23	485g	F
Papoulab Nigella	Light blue	12.59am 7/2/23	381g	F
Papoulab Anigozanthos	Green	1.40am 7/2/23 (breech)	506g	M
Papoulab Mimosa	Yellow	2.12am 7/2/23	384g	F
Papoulab Grevillea	Orange	2.26am 7/2/23 (breech)	445g	F
Papoulab Azalea	Red	3.28am 7/2/23	486g	F
Papoulab Camellia	Pink	5.22am 7/2/23	477g	F

6 February 2023 (day 63)

The puppies have arrived! Between 9.45pm on Sunday 5 February (day 62) and 5.30am on Monday 6 February (day 63) Pippa safely delivered eight beautiful strong pups – 7 girls and a boy! Sadly there was stillborn boy (meaning 9 in total) but all others are healthy, vigorous and feeding well. Pippa’s maternal instincts have kicked in and she is nursing her pups beautifully. Although most were born after midnight, the firstborn, a girl, arrived into the world on 5 February so that is the litter’s birthday, just two days before their uncles and aunties (Poppy’s first litter).

Coloured velcro bands were applied as each one arrived, and while we sorting out the pedigree names, we are referring to them by colour (ie purple, light blue, green, yellow etc.). I’ll update this blog with a full table of colours, birthweights and names tomorrow. Meanwhile, here is the new mother with her babies.