doodles on schnoodles
Fantasy Pups
Despite the headline, rest assured we still have only 15 dogs in our home. Not double the numbers. But the puppies have doubled! Here's why:
Phantasia's puppies had an average birthweight of roughly 150 grams. (This is an estimate based on subsequent daily growth -- intentionally, no weighing was made of the puppies for the first few days in the spirit of minimal disturbance for the first 48 hours.) They have been growing leaps and bounds these last two weeks and as of today, they all weigh in excess of 300 grams. In fact, their weights run between "Ballerina" at 336 grams and "Beefcakes" just shy of a pound at 441 grams. (These are not their real names - the fact is who is leading in the daily weighings changes from day to day, with a pup gaining 40 grams one day and only 5 the next.) So we have double the puppies from their birthdays, and they look double too! That's hard to capture in a photo without a good sense of scale, but it is evident in seeing them. So where are they going? Well, our adult dogs weigh about 6000 grams, which puts "Beefcakes" about 1/13th of the weigh there! (Pun intended!) My schedule says not to talk about their weights until two weeks of age, but since Phantasia's pups are ahead of schedule, I figured I would jump the gun by a few days. (A pound growth a month is good for this size breed and we expect them to be around 2 lbs on adoption day.) Why do we do daily weighings you ask? It's more than just a fixation with numbers. Turns out that loss of weight is a good indicator that a puppy is sick or needs intervention. So far, none has been necessary, (though being the parent I am, I have on two occasions placed a "Ballerina" next to a teet to make sure she is getting as much nursing time as "Beefcake"!) As for Marshmellow's puppies: they too are growing rapidly, but since they are only a week old today, I will forego early reports until they are two weeks old or double their birth weight, which ever comes first.
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BreederHello. My name is Marie, and I have three Schnauzers that fill my life with joy! With the help of my children and grandchildren, I am raising Schnoodle puppies and placing them in good homes. Feel free to browse through my website and enjoy the pictures! Archives
February 2020
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