Tilly is now 6 weeks pregnant, her tummy is looking plump and a little saggy! Tilly has had a little morning sickness which I have been giving her ginger biscuits for. Other than the occasional morning sickness she is very fit in herself. Tilly’s appetite has increased so I have just started to give her a little extra kibble at bed time.
An insight to the developing puppies.
This stage of her pregnancy is where the puppies develop quite dramatically. IF we were to xray Tilly’s tummy, we would be able to see the spines quite easily as the calcification of the bones is now taking place!
Between weeks 5 and 6 of pregnancy, the puppies will have developed their eyelids and also the little ear flaps will now be present. The ear flaps remain closed until after they are born (opening up between 13-17 days old). The ears look like little buds!
The eyes also remain closed until after birth, opening up gradually at the age of 10 to 15 days. (One of my favourite stages of development in a puppy is seeing those gorgeous eyes peeping back at you!). I cant wait!!!
The pups will also have claws growing on their tiny paws. At 6 weeks the digits are formed, although they do not have any pads on their paws. They have not yet developed any hair. You can also determine the sex of the puppy.
At this stage it is hard to guess how big they are but they will be at least 6cm – 7cm.
I now have to organise all of my supplies, get washing all of the bedding and sterilise all of my kit!
