Kennel name approved

Our first choice of kennel name "Waterfront" was unfortunately rejected as it was already in use but our second choice "HarbourGreen" (the name of our housing development) was approved :)  Paperwork is to arrive early next week - then it's time to register the puppies with the kennel club - better start thinking up some more names !

More photos from week four

As you can see from the last few pictures in this set, today the puppies ventured outside for the first time !  They were a bit cautious at first but then loved having the extra space to chase each other around. Didn't take any pictures of them outside as it was all a bit manic but I will definitely take plenty during the coming week :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brentharlow/sets/72157624134487031/

9 pups equals lots of food

Using the formula of 30-35g per week of age every day, during the 7th week that will see the pups going through  14kg of food in a single week !

In total, from weeks 3 to 7 (inclusive), they will consume a total of 51 kg of food !!  Hmmm, how much poo will that mean we're picking up ?!!  Here's hoping they make VERY efficient use of their food :)

Show me the meat !!

Went to the pet store yesterday and bought some Burns Mini Bites puppy kibble.

This morning started the official weaning process ! The idea is within 2 weeks we start limiting the amount of time that Jess is feeding the pups and then the following week stopping altogether so her milk is able to dry up in time for all the pups leaving. Plus they're getting quite big now and are developing a real appetite so to keep Jess as the sole provider for much long would really put a toll on her.

Each pup got 30g (1oz) of chicken mince this morning - it took them all of about 1/4 second to realise there was some real food in front of their nose before they devoured it !!  It was so cute to watch, their little bodies were trembling with excitement. As they were eating it off our hands we realised that there was definitely some teeth coming through - poor Jess.

The plan is to ease them in - 2 meals a day today and tomorrow, then 3 meals a day for 3 days then by next Monday we'll be on to 4 meals a day. The amounts we will be feeding them will be approx 1oz - 1 1/4oz per week of age each day - so at 4 weeks they will each be getting around 130g divided into 4 meals.

Next week we'll start to add some puppy biscuit to their meals, then from about 5.5 weeks start introducing some bones (chicken wings, chicken backs).

I guess now it will start to get a lot harder for us - 4 feeds a day and cleaning up after them as Jess will soon stop doing that :(  All great fun though ! :-)

Costs : Burns food (7.5kg bag) £24

More photos :)

Some more photos of the pups !

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brentharlow/sets/72157624204577864/

Pet foods and animal testing

Came across this interesting article on well known pet food brands and the often cruel and unethical animal testing these large companies do.  It suggests the biggest culprits are IAMS/Eukanuba (owned by Proctor & Gamble) and Hills Science (owned by Colgate Palmolive). Other brands that I am familar with I see on the list  are Royal Canin and James Wellbeloved (owned by Mars).

I've never looked into this too much as we don't feed our dog(soon to be "s") kibble but with puppies going to new owners who may not be interested in feeding their dog a "raw, meaty diet" I want to feed the pups on a mixture of raw food and kibble - to make sure that their little tummies do not get upset switching from raw to a 100% kibble diet once they go to their new homes.

Looking at this article, it seems that "Burns Dog Food" would be a good choice - taken from Burns Pet Food website :

"All Burns diets for dogs and cats are hypo-allergenic and free from artificial flavourings, colourings and preservatives. Burns is a family run company that places great emphasis on quality and customer service, supports numerous charities and organisations both locally and further afield and works hard to minimise its environmental impact."


And no animal testing !  My local vet store is a Burns stockist so I'll be off to see them about getting some puppy kibble.


Here is the full article from Uncaged

First worming

I'm a little late with this post as the pups had their first worming treatment last Wednesday (just over 2 weeks old).  I bundled all the pups (took two plastic crates this time) and Jess into the car and off to the vets where the vet nurse weighed them all (weights ranged from 1.27kg to 1.68kg) and showed me how to give them the Drontal puppy worming treatment. The bottle came with a 5ml syringe that you use to draw off 1ml per 1kg of body weight and then cradling the pup inject slowly it into the side of their mouths.  The poor little guys weren't terribly impressed - the first small squirt was fine then once they got the taste of it on their tongues they kept trying to spit it out !  Pink coloured saliva ended up everywhere - I'm glad that the nurse showed me her doing the first pup otherwise I would have thought I was doing a terrible job.  The nurse did one, I did two more while there and then did the rest once I got back home. Taking 9 pups along to the vets turns you into somewhat of a minor celebrity !  While I was there every 5 minutes it seemed someone else was knocking on the door to have a look at the puppies :)  Great service from Oak Tree Vets - I was there at least 30 min and there was no charge :)  Cost of the Drontal puppy was £24 for 100ml - I'm not sure if I'll need another one but I will get the next one off the internet and save a few pounds.

Cost : £24

Professional puppy pics

We had a friend come round on Saturday who took some professional puppy pics for us. We soon found out that it's not terribly easy getting these little guys to do what you want :)  Here is the link to her Flickr site where she has put some of the pictures up.  The best way to view them is to click on the "Slideshow" link near the top right of the page - you can then view them in full screen and slow down or speed up the show.

Thanks so much to Nicky for these amazing photos !!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickygraham/sets/72157624085560903/

Videos

I uploaded two small videos on to flickr last night - unfortunately the light was not very good so when the pups are feeding it's hard to work out the difference between Jess and her pups !  You can still see the tails going though and hear the noise they are starting to make :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brentharlow/sets/72157624204577864/

Kennel name

After much deliberation (mainly because of the £70 fee !) we decided to apply for a kennel name.  I like the idea of all the puppies having a common name in their pedigree and it will be exciting if we one day see a dog mentioned that has our kennel name in it !

Our first choice was for "Waterfront" which was chosen because it is the name of the large area being developed here in Edinburgh along the Firth of Forth where we live. Our second choice, in case the first is declined is HarbourGreen which is the name given to the group of houses and flats in our development. You're encouraged to select a few choices as they do checks to make sure the kennel name is not to popular a word or sounds too much like an existing kennel name etc...  The lead time is 2-3 weeks before we hear - we will need to wait until we hear back before registering each of the puppies so we know which kennel name to use.

Cost : £70