A one-week-old puppy won’t open its eyes. A lot of pet owners get worried and asked about their young infants that when do puppies open their eyes.
The answer is simple, during the second week of life, their eyes will start to open, usually between the ages of 10 and 14 days, so you don’t need to worry as it’s very natural in puppy development and they take time to open their eyes.
Your puppy may not be able to see clearly at first. Although the puppies’ eyes will open gradually, exposing greyish-blue eyes with a hazy look. Over the next few weeks, puppies ‘eyes will begin to mature, achieving the full vision in around eight weeks of age.
When Do Puppies Open Their Eyes?
Young puppies require special attention. A puppy is still immature and requires special care at the tender age of one week, and is deeply dependent on her mother. In the coming weeks, she’ll start developing into a young puppy from her infancy. To the puppies between one and eight weeks of age, a lot of exciting changes happen.
Puppies ‘ears tend to open shortly after the eyes do, usually about 14 to 18 days old. Their hearing will keep on improving until the puppies are around eight weeks old.
For the first two weeks of life, newborn puppies are unable to bear their weight, so they crawl around on their bellies, paddle and try to move their legs and build strength. Around 15 to 21 days most puppies should be able to stand on their legs. They usually start walking unsteadily around 21 to 28 days of age.
What Are the Puppies Development Stages?
The first two weeks of life, for newborn puppies, are all about sleeping and feeding. After fourteen days, physical changes appear and they also feel many other changes such as your puppy will start watching, listening, and walking. He will start discovering the world by the age of 21 days and learn about dog behaviors.
This is also the time when your puppy starts becoming social. Through engaging with her mother and littermates, your puppy is learning how to communicate with other dogs. Also, at this moment, human socialization is significant as it will develop a strong relationship between you and the puppy.
What To Do During Early Weeks of Puppy Development?
You should monitor the development of the puppies. Within the first seven or eight days, most puppies will double their birth-weight.
The best tools for tracking weights are the electronic kitchen or postal scales. As a pet owner, you should know that when can puppies go outside.
A pattern that indicates weight gains is more important than accurate weights. Make sure to note down the weights of the puppies to keep the record, so that any adjustments can be detected as soon as possible.
If you realize that your puppy is losing weight then this is not a good sign and it may indicate that your puppy is not in a good health condition or not getting enough nutrients also if this situation will not reverse, then it may lead to death within 48 hours, so if you feel any of this situation consult your pet doctor as soon as possible.
What If My Puppy Is Not Opening Eyes After Two Weeks?
Puppies are born with eyes closed but after one to two weeks they start opening their eyes gradually. But, if you find any swelling or bulging under the eyelids, discharge or pus or any other anomalies, then you should try to open his eyes manually and check what’s wrong with your puppy.
Ideally, this step should be taken by your pet’s doctor as he knows better how to handle such situations but if this is not possible at that time, then, you should try to open the eyelids gently by massaging them with a cotton ball dampened with warm water.
Whether the swelling is due to infection, pus will appear when the eyelids open and calling the doctor immediately is important in this situation.
It is necessary to obtain urgent veterinary attention if the eyes have not opened by two weeks of age, or if you are worried about any eye discharges. There exist a very interesting and detailed guide of the puppy with a black face.
How Often Should I Feed Puppy?
They should be fed in small quantities at the time of weaning, usually four to six times a day. By the time they are fully weaned from the mother, they will usually receive about four meals a day at around eight to ten weeks of age.
You should increase the amount of food per meal by the age of three months, and try to check your puppies weight to make sure it is increasing and your puppy is getting beneficial nutrients. Also, do you know that, how many puppies can your husky give?
At the age of six to nine months, most breeds are able to take two heavy meals a day. Some of the breeds that usually get mature slowly, particularly the giant breeds, may need more frequent feeding until almost two years old.
Different dog breeds mature at different levels, with small breeds, such as Chihuahuas, the maturing rate is much faster than large breeds, such as Great Danes. Consult a doctor if you will feel your puppy is not gaining weight.
Wrap Up
As a pet owner, you should know that the optical nerves of a newborn puppy are still growing along with the rest of their central nervous system, making them very sensitive to the light. And their eyes are still developing behind their lids which are closed. So, you need to be very careful with young puppies as they are so sensitive.
The eyes of the Spaniel cocker puppies open earlier than the eyes of the Fox Terrier puppies. Only one example of how multiple breeds evolve at different speeds. So, don’t worry if your pet is taking time to open its eyes because it varies from breed to breed.
It is a smart idea to keep the eyelids of a newborn puppy closed. It helps keep debris and light from damaging nerves and membranes.
It is important for a puppy to open its eyes on its own. Don’t try to forcefully open their eyes. They will take their required time to open their eyes.
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