16 March 2005 - Day Twenty-eight

Four weeks old this evening. And the rough realities of life strike. Tonight, Woody (Arrowhead) and Star (Spiral) got their first baths. Star was pretty good about it but Woody complained, a lot.

The last few days have been fairly rough dealing with these guys. They are eating rapidly growing amounts. We were using the formula plus rice cereal, but the kids were also getting constipated, and taking turns with a lot of grunting and groaning. We are about to finish our second carton of formula in a week, at $30 a carton. Tonight we are trying competing methods to soften puppy kibble for them. I'm soaking a few in milk. Winnie pulverized a few in a mini-blender container. We'll try feeding them soon and see.


The area we set aside for them in the dining room is good, but there was a problem. I had lined it with a plastic sheet, topped by a canvas painters drop cloth, topped by newspaper, and then their soft rug. I was assuming the canvas drop cloth would bead up more moisture than it did, and it was getting wet.

Our friend Donna suggested a piece of linoleum as a base. That's what she used when her dog had pups. So, we bought a 6x9 piece at Lowe's. When I pulled up the other stuff I was in for a rude surprise. The plastic drop cloth had leaked, it was damp underneath, and going to ammonia. So, first that had to get cleaned up. What a smell!

We have our first definite 'forever home' for one of our girls. They hope to come visit soon and meet every little body.