Puppies
 

Does anyone have a suggestion on how to safely mark pups as they are born so you know the order? Thanks

Different Color yarn works great.

i used different colour ribbons

Nail polish????

Pups
 

Thanks for the great ideas

I would suggest the nail polish first, I tried using ribbons and mama wasn't having it, she managed to get them all off :D

We tried the ribbon too and it didn't work real well. Then I went to the yarn and they all left it on and alone.

Why do you want to know which is first born? Just wondering, because I have five right now and they aren't marked.

I know marking them helps keep track of their weights. That way you know if a puppy is gaining weight or losing weight.

True, but I can tell mine apart without marking them. The two girls are different and the three boys -- one is real tiny and the other two, ome has a little white mark on his chest.

i could tell all my pups apart just from the faces and markngs, but with 7 of them, i still colour coded with wool just to be sure... and so others would know who was who as well.

The ones here are almost 4 weeks old.....I have taken all but one ribbon off, because the two boys are identical!! Even their weight gain is the same every day!

I never worried about that. I just weighed them every day and weights always went up. On three litters of seven. When they get a little bigger you will be able to tell them apart they will all have personalities And look a little different. I never had a problem. I did spend a lot of time with them tho.

Sorry to go off topic, but, where did you get your darling Sookie? She is just beautiful!

Sheila

Marking puppies
 

I tried useing yarn and nailpolish. The yarn got stuck in the pups mouth, it was too loose I guess and his lower jaw got under it. Didn'd use that method again! :( With nail polish, their hair grows so fast on their paws that you can't see it at a glance about a week after applying it.:thumbdown PetEdge's new catalog has toy breed puppy ID collars, 5" to 8" on page 125. I'm gonna get me some! he he:thumbup:

I can always tell mine apart

I'm always worried about using yarn or ribbon. What if another puppy got their leg stuck through their ribbon or a littermate's ribbon? They could get injured or even choke another puppy!!
I've always used nail pollish on their toes and it works very well for me. I currently use a white nail polish color and this has worked the best of every color I've tried. I do make sure to get a little on the hair around the nail as well to make it last longer. ;)
Here is my system - we use the left foot for males (male & left each have 4 letters), first male gets the first nail marked, second male gets the second toe marked etc. The females each get the right foot marked in the same way. I weigh puppies twice daily for the first week to 10 days then daily until 2 weeks old. After 2 weeks old they are usually only weighed each week.
When they are small, (at least for the first 1-3 weeks) I find myself repainting the nails every 3-7 days. After they are older I usually recognize the puppies for their looks & personalities but it does help to make sure I have the correct puppy if I'm giving shots or medicines. I also show all my new families how I mark the puppy so they can verify when the pick up the puppy that it is the same toe marked.

Teresa

That is a great idea! Just took Lily to the vet yesterday and she is having 5 pups. Unbelievable!