4/25

The children went to the vet today for dew claw removal. All went well. The vet gave them a check. All hearts and everything else are healthy. They are gaining weight nicely as Elaine’s milk is abundant. Elaine went for a mommy check and she is doing fine too. She got a little finicky with her eating toward the end of her pregnancy, but now she has a voracious appetite (she’s eating for 6, you know). She is starting to resume her normal activities, and I think tomorrow, she will be ready to go on our daily run with the other dogs. We keep the heat high (80 degrees) in our bedroom, where the puppies are living now, for the first three days after birth since they can’t regulate their own internal temperatures when they’re first born, but today, we turned the heat down. Whew. The puppies have all kinds of noises they make. The first night, they were agitated at being outside their mom for the first time and kept us up all night with their grunting and squealing. But each night has gotten a little better and last night was pretty good. Mom can roll over on a puppy and smother it, so we investigate all sounds to make sure everyone is all right.