The birth of offspring from a beloved dog is a real test. Newborn puppies are absolutely helpless and extremely vulnerable. They need care not only from the mother, but also the attention of the owner. The health and immunity of dogs in the future depends on how correctly the litter is handled, how they react to signs of unfavorable development and what measures are taken. That is why the breeder must know about each stage of development, including when the puppies will open their eyes and begin to respond to sounds.
Stages of development of a newborn brood
It is necessary to understand that for each breed, as well as for each puppy, development is individual; strict deadlines cannot be set here. It happens that littermates differ significantly from each other. They may grow and gain weight differently. Usually they sleep for a long time, while pushing a lot - this is necessary for the formation of muscle tissue and the development of the nervous system.
The umbilical cord in puppies falls off on the second or third day after birth. If this does not happen, then there is reason to worry - you need to contact a veterinarian. The brood begins to actively move around its bed within a week or a week and a half. At this time, dog cubs can only navigate by smell - after all, the time has not yet come when puppies begin to open their eyes. However, they are already trying to get back on their feet. At first, babies look funny and clumsy: their paws move apart, their gait is unsteady, their head gets in the way. But as their muscle tissue strengthens, puppies begin to walk confidently. This occurs towards the end of the third week of life.
It is very important for puppies to feel warm, which is why they tend to huddle together and be closer to their mother. Throughout the first week, babies suckle it every 1.5-2.0 hours, and sleep the rest of the time. After feeding, the mother licks the genital and anal area of each calf, stimulating the process of defecation and miction.
Health
A responsible breeder must take care of the health of puppies from birth. Animals must be carefully examined to rule out birth defects. If they are found and are not compatible with life, then the humane solution would be euthanasia.
Some breed standards require tail docking. This procedure must be performed at an early age - 2-4 days. It is during this period that docking is most easily tolerated, the animals do not experience suffering, and the wound heals in the shortest possible time. As a rule, this procedure is performed at home. If puppies are taken to the clinic, then you need to take a bitch with you who will calm and feed the babies.
Pups that are born during the breeding stage are usually bred in burrows or on land because the mothers prefer this solution far away and who knows what is best? After birth they regularly clean the soil to renew and purify it, there is almost no loss associated with this method of breeding, so natural selection can work healthy. The mother is alone with her puppies until she decides that they can see them, there are women who are stressed and others who are not, in any case we wait for the first 2-3 days when the mother recovers and organizes herself.
At 2 and 4 weeks, deworming is carried out, and at 6-7 weeks of age, the first vaccination is given. The bitch is wormed along with the puppies. You should be wary of not only tapeworms and roundworms, but also heartworms.
Puppies leave home no earlier than a month, usually after activation, which occurs at 6-7 weeks. A veterinarian or specialist from the breed club examines the puppies, after which they receive the first document - a puppy.
We avoid contact for the first 2 weeks while they develop their senses, open their eyes and begin to move. We then allow the puppies to come to us when they are ready and spend a lot of time with them, a trusting bond is established as well as a very strong foundation.
We expose them to many stressful situations, such as cars or crossing streams, where they have to overcome their fear to join the group, and while they are on the river, they work their agility, moving over pebbles and stones. In addition, the pens feature a variety of terrain profiles and some games to stimulate their reflexivity and their locomotor system.
Visual development in puppies
The palpebral fissure of any puppy opens from the inner corner to the outer. This does not happen all at once, but over several days. Usually both eyes open at the same time, but it also happens that one eye opens first, and the second after 1-2 days. However, once this has occurred, the brood must be protected from exposure to bright light for several days. Sometimes puppies may not respond to light. This should not frighten the breeder, since infant puppies usually do not distinguish between dark and light. Therefore, after the day when puppies open their eyes, it will take some time before they can see as well as adult dogs.
Owner's concerns
Opening (or, as people often call it, “cutting through”) the eyes of puppies is a process that does not require outside intervention. But there are times when you need to help your pet. There are also procedures that must be followed to avoid unpleasant consequences.
When puppies open their eyes, they become stressed. This is something new, unknown, and therefore frightening. It is within the power of the owner to help his newborn charges. To do this you need:
- Place the puppies and their mother in a place where there is no bright light. Or simply provide them with protection from electric light or sun. Ideally, this should be a semi-dark place, a separate room, booth or box.
- On the 18th day, if the puppy has not opened his eyes, you need to take a cotton pad, boiled water, and treat the eyes. For each eye (and, accordingly, for each puppy) there should be its own disk (you can cut it in half, this is quite enough). The water should not be cold or hot.
- If you notice that the puppies began to open their eyes, and then they began to stick, you need to help the pet. Here you will need antiseptic solutions; they can be bought at a veterinary store or pharmacy. It is necessary to carefully treat each eye separately, without trying to tear the eyelids as quickly as possible. You need to soak what has become sour and quietly remove it. Treatment must be continued daily (preferably in the morning) until the problem disappears.
- It is advisable to provide the puppies with a draft-free place. They can cause suppuration or dust to get into the eyes.
- A dog with newborn babies must be provided with peace. It often happens that puppies are afraid to open their eyes because they experience constant fear and anxiety. For example, if they are often touched by different people, children carry them. It’s better to leave them alone, talk to them so that they get used to the voice.
Do not touch the puppy often.
During any manipulation, you must talk to the animals calmly and affectionately. They should feel protected. Their mother should be nearby and calm. If she is nervous, the puppy will feel it.
At what age do puppies open their eyes?
This question arises as soon as a dog breeder becomes the owner of new offspring. Most inexperienced owners are interested in the timing of when the puppies will open their eyes. Usually this moment occurs at the age of 10-15 days after birth. By the way, almost simultaneously with the insight of the young brood, hearing begins to fully function. However, these are average values, so you should only focus on such terms, but not take them as strict limits. For each breed of dog, the process of full insight may occur at different periods. Often times range from 10 to 17 days. But if by the eighteenth day the eyes have not yet opened, the puppy needs help.
Why do the eyes not open immediately after birth?
Why aren't puppies born sighted right away? This happens because it takes some time for the muscle tissue of the eyelids to fully develop. As you know, eyelids play a vital role in healthy development - they protect the eyes from drying out and have a protective function when exposed to external factors. The overall development of the pet will depend on what time puppies open their eyes.
Early insight can negatively affect the puppy’s health, because the eyelids are still underdeveloped and cannot fully perform their intended functions. For the baby to develop properly, a certain period of breastfeeding with mother's milk is necessary, when the dog will receive all the vitamins and microelements necessary for normal growth.
How to care for your toy terrier's eyes
The organs of vision should be washed five to six times a day. Within three days you will see that the problem has disappeared. If the eyelids do not open due to constant discharge, then start wiping the puppy’s eyes with a piece of gauze soaked in either a weak infused solution of chamomile or in lukewarm boiled water. You can buy pharmaceutical chamomile at the pharmacy and prepare a decoction yourself. Or you can buy ready-made lotion with chamomile or St. John's wort at a veterinary pharmacy. The cost of such drugs is minimal, and the effect is maximum possible. Because these herbs cope not only with washing the organs of vision, but also with relieving the inflammatory process. And most importantly - no harm to that terrier.
Puppies, like any other animal, are helpless at an early stage of development. They require constant care and care from the mother and breeder. That is why you should know all the stages of development of puppies and the basic rules for monitoring their health.
Puppies are often taken away from their mother too early, leaving many owners with developmental milestone issues. When do the eyes open? How many weeks does it take for puppies to hear and what is the best food to feed them? You should know the answer to all these questions in order to raise a strong and healthy dog.
Possible problems
The wait for the puppies to open their eyes cannot be too long. If the eyes have not opened on the eighteenth day, the puppy needs help. To do this, they are washed with warm boiled water or the eyelids are lubricated with eye ointment. It is advisable to show such a puppy to a veterinarian - he will recommend suitable drops.
However, if by the end of the first month of life the eyes still have not opened, a visit to the veterinarian is inevitable. You should not try to open your eyelids on your own. If pathologies of the puppy eyelid require surgical intervention, then all manipulations are recommended to be carried out only after four months of age. The usual indication for surgery is entropion of the eyelids, which occurs in breeds with folds on the face.
How to help a puppy open its eyes
If a puppy’s eyes do not open for a long time, then the reason for this may be various disorders. It is important to know how to help the animal, and for this purpose a pet examination is carried out. If germs have accumulated, then you need to take a cotton swab, moisten it with warm water and gently wipe your eyelids several times a day, carefully removing all accumulations. The most important thing is to do everything very carefully during the procedure. Be sure to make sure the water is not too hot.
If the eyelids have swelling or accumulations of pus, then you need to wash your eyes with a cotton pad soaked in salt water. You need to wipe the eyes in an outward direction, so that the pus can be removed from the corners. To remove bacteria, you need to instill 1-2 drops of salt water several times a day. You can also dilute 1 tsp. boric alcohol with a glass of boiled warm water, moisten a cotton pad and wipe the eyes.
You can also wipe your eyelids with strong tea leaves, repeating this procedure up to 6 times a day. This usually helps solve the existing problem.
In this article I will talk about caring for newborn puppies. I will list the problems associated with opening the puppy’s eyes. I will name the main stages of a pet’s development from birth to puberty, when they begin to open their eyes, hear how many days after birth, and at what age you can pick up a puppy from its mother.
The first stage of development of a newborn ends at 18-20 days of life. During this time, the baby shows the ability to retain heat, curling up into a ball with its brothers when the mother is not around, the cub knows how to crawl, find nipples, and suck.
Babies acquire hearing, ear, smell and vision during this period. The eye in dogs opens at 11-13 days. If by the 18th day the eyelids have not opened, you should help - moisten your eyes with boiled water.
Under no circumstances should you try to unstick a dog’s eyelids on your own. This can damage the tear glands and vision.
The eyelids do not open synchronously, the difference may be several days, but if the eyes have not opened by day 25, you need to contact a veterinarian as soon as possible.
The age at which the eyes open depends on the breed of the dog; some breeds are predisposed to pathologies in the development of the eyelids. Once a veterinarian diagnoses entropion, surgery is necessary to prevent vision loss. If pus accumulates on the eyelids, it may be in a dog, which is treated with drops and tetracycline ointment.
Puppies are born helpless and need care from their mother.
Chihuahua
Newborn representatives of this breed are characterized by extremely low weight and an extremely helpless state. The weight of a newly born puppy is usually about 70 grams, but sometimes larger cubs can be found in the litter. They can only gain 2-4 grams per day. Immediately after birth, they are practically incapable of even small movements. Only the licking of the mother encourages the babies to take at least rare breaths.
At 12-16 days, there comes a time when Chihuahua puppies open their eyes. This process is practically no different from the epiphany of cubs of other dog breeds. Up to the 13th day, the palpebral fissure remains tightly closed, however, the cubs react to a source of bright light with a blink reflex. It will disappear only by 21-22 days, when the puppies have already learned to control the movements of the pupil. The presence of the palpebral reflex (twitching of the eyelids) is observed on the third day of life of the fragile creature, and by the 9th day it should be fully developed.
The opening of the palpebral fissure occurs from the inner edge to the outer. Usually the eyes open at the same time, but sometimes it happens that first one eye begins to see, and after a couple of days the other. On the first day after opening, the palpebral fissure remains narrow, however, the very next day the incision becomes properly formed and natural lacrimation develops. Vision becomes full only by 21-25 days of life.
When can you take a puppy away from a dog?
The third stage of development is 6-12 weeks. The nervous system of the cubs is formed, the babies acquire individual character traits and differ in behavior. A baby at this age is playful and affectionate. It is better to separate from the mother at the end of the third stage at 12-16 weeks, when the bitch’s immunity no longer extends to the cubs, and the newborns are actively exploring the world.
At 4 weeks of age, puppies play with each other and run around
From 4 to 7 months, the 4th stage of development occurs, in which the baby is finally separated from the mother. must be carried out at three months of age. It is better to take purebred dogs that the future owner wants to show at exhibitions when they are older, then their exterior will be visible and developmental defects will appear.
When puppies appear in the house, it is necessary to monitor their development and note the dates of opening their eyes and introducing complementary foods.
If there are developmental delays, do not panic; the speed of development depends on the breed of dog, but it is better to consult a veterinarian. If you start treating pathologies earlier, it is possible to avoid unpleasant consequences. It is worth remembering that each individual is unique, and each litter produces weak puppies that require additional help.
So cute that not only children, but also adults enjoy them. Their future fate depends on how well the owners treat and care for their pets. Many people probably know that babies’ eyes do not open immediately after birth.
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Husky puppies
The eyes usually open 13-15 days after birth. The unique bright blue color of the iris of newborn husky puppies is mesmerizing. However, in most representatives of this breed, the icy shade begins to change by 3-4 months and by six months it becomes green-brown, brown or almost black. The blue eye color of an adult husky is quite rare; different eyes are even rarer. This is not a breed defect. Most often, manifestations of heterochromia occur after suffering from any diseases at a young age, when the shade of the iris has not yet changed. With congenital heterochromia, signs of the disease can be noticed immediately after husky puppies open their eyes. This anomaly is not considered a defect. On the contrary, many connoisseurs of the breed strive to get just such dogs.
Problems that may prevent your eyes from opening
There are also cases where various health problems are associated with the opening of a dog’s eyes. To prevent trouble from happening to your animal, you need to carefully care for it and monitor its development; there are special recommendations for this.
If the baby does not open his eyes for a long time, this may be due to the following reasons:
- entry of microbes into the palpebral fissure;
- development of conjunctivitis;
- accumulations on eyelashes and eyelids.
But don’t be upset if your dog has abnormalities; after identifying problems, you need to begin treatment. If we are talking about the development of conjunctivitis, you need to wash your eyes regularly with a solution of furatsilin and use drops with antibiotics. It is recommended to use the drugs no more than six times a day. After such procedures, all problems will disappear and they will open. If the eyes do not open due to accumulations of discharge, then you just need to wipe them with swabs soaked in warm water several times a day. This procedure is completely harmless.
Despite the fact that there are certain limits for opening the eyes, it is worth considering that each animal is unique and individual - this determines when the eyelids open. Much depends on the age at which the puppy’s eyes open, including its full development. After all, the age at which the dog begins to walk, hear and lead an active life depends on this. After how many days your animal’s vision begins to clear depends, first of all, on the structure of the body.
