September 26, 2009: Bó and Brí, the Irish Wolfhound puppies, had their weights checked again today at Rose City Veterinary Hospital.  Bó gained almost four pounds this week: he’s now 56.8 lbs (25.8 kg). Surprisingly, Brí did even better, gaining just over five pounds. Brí weighs 55.4 pounds (25.2 kg).  They’ll each were four months old on Thursday, so for Wolfhounds, they’re developing nicely.  Brí's cyst seems to be doing fine.

September 19, 2009: Bó and Brí paid their weekly visit to Rose City Veterinary Hospital today to be weighed.  Brí has put on a little weight and is now 50.2 pounds (22.8 kg); Bó now weighs exactly 53 pounds (24.1 kg).  So, over the past week, Bó has gained 3.8 pounds (1.7 kg), while Brí gained only 1.4 pounds or 0.6 kg.  They're now seventeen weeks old and will be four months old on September 24.

Brí also developed a benign cyst–an hygroma–which had to be drained.  The cyst developed on her back left hip over the joint.  These hygromas occur in large breeds, usually on the equivalent of the elbow joint.  They're essentially lumps of fluid triggered by either rough play or hitting a hard surface abruptly.  Ideally, large breed puppies should rest on soft surfaces to avoid developing these hygroma.  They usually go away by themselves; however, it often takes many weeks to months.

September 12, 2009: Here are some pictures of Bó and Brí sleeping.  They contort themselves into strange shapes, sleeping upside down with their heads pointed in one direction and their hips pointing in the opposite direction.  It looks like someone should draw a chalk outline of the bodies, but it's apparently very comfortable for them.

September 12, 2009: Out of an abundance of caution, Bó and Brí will be weighed once a week.  Irish Wolfhounds grow quickly.  Between the ages of three to six months, it's not uncommon for them to gain three to five pounds a week (that's 1.5 to 2.5 kg or thereabouts).  Weekly weighing is good way to keep tabs on their progress.  Puppies are susceptible to infestation with worms–particularly roundworms.  These are transmitted from the mother while the puppies feed.  Any slowdown in weight gain from week-to-week could mean that the puppies have worms.  Consistent sluggish weight gain should alert the owner to concerns about the health of the puppy.  The puppies are now sixteen weeks old.

The puppies were weighed today.  Rose City Veterinary Hospital is very accommodating to patients.  The technicians are pretty meticulous about recording the weights in the file for each dog.  Wolfhounds learn quickly, but it is going to take a few weeks before they accept the fact that they're going to have to sit still on the scales for fifteen seconds.  Louie and Lír were funny: after a few visits to the vet, they automatically trundled over to the corner and plunked themselves on the scales.

Today Bó weighed 49.2 pounds (22.4 kg) while Brí was at 48.8 (22.2 kg)–hardly any change since Wednesday when each weighed 48.7 pounds.  It's not surprising that there's no real weight gain: they've had a traumatic week and are adjusting to their new home.