When pups hit 3 hits, it is time to start weaning them, to give the mom a break. Feeding those growing, always hungry, furballs can wear her down.
So, I mixed up some formula, dipped my finger into it, and offered some to one of the babies, thinking I'd need to coax them into learning out to drink from a bowl.
But no, these guys were all into the new experience, body and soul.
They, slurped, gobbled, and swam in the dish of deliciousness.
So much so, that they all needed washed off. After sitting each on the potty pad (which they all used!), they were ready for a bath and then to be tucked back into their box. At this point, they are still too little to climb in and out of it, so they need the bedding changed throughout the day. Soon, they will learn not to pee in their nest, and will venture outside of the box to potty. For now, they will use the pad if I set them on it right after they wake up or right after they eat.
I had a small bowl of warm, slightly sudsy water that I dipped a cloth into for a soft wiping off. I kept towels on a space heater nearby to wrap them in as I finished washing them. With six, wet babies, it was a bit of a struggle to get them all warm and dry, I was able to wash one at a time, with two in a towel on my lap to dry off. With their fat tummies all full, they aren't very wiggly, and are happy to curl up in a warmed towel.
As I'd finish, I'd kiss them on the top of the head and set them back into their newly freshened up bed.
Rinse, lather, repeat.
This is what my days will be looking like for a while, puppy feeding and cleaning (and snuggling) a few times a day. Not a bad life....
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