Day 10--Changes are beginning to happen. I am starting to see spots before my eyes. Could it be that I am getting up too early and am often over tired? No, it is the time that the first fur starts to fall away making way for the new spotted fur. How exciting to see markings on these new little ones. Over this week most of the puppies will begin to look somewhat pink as this change happens. Here is Rose with her very pink face and her freckled muzzle.

 

It looks like Bonnie may have an EASY spot on her chin.

You can start to see the spots on Otto's body. You may also note the scab on the inside of his leg where the dew claw was removed. Those scabs will soon begin to fall off.

Eve, one of the liver sisters but you can already see markings on her. We are hoping for some nice pigment and decent size spots on all of the puppies. One thing that LUA breeders are trying to improve on is spot size. I was hoping that Gage could improve on that because he came from a litter with dark pigment and heavy markings.

I'm sorry the photos aren't a little lighter but my Photoshop program is giving me fits this morning and it is too early to deal with it. Here is a picture of the whole crew together in the soft crate that I keep next to the puppy pen. It has a top opening so it is easy for me to transfer the puppies right into it while I put clean bedding in the pen.

 

I have been asked how I manage to get my mothers to produce enough milk to feed such large litters. Keeping them well fed is part of it but I also have a formula that I learned about years ago that seems to work real well. It is goats milk, raw egg, honey, flax seed oil and a Junket tablet (rennet); this formula is very high in calcium that Hope needs right now. It doesn't hurt that she loves it. Here is Hope drinking up a batch.