When Do Puppies Open Their Eyes? Brief Explanation With The Relieving Answer
Your dog just delivers the pack of little puppies and they all are sleeping peacefully. And this will surely make your eyes watery. Such an emotional moment. But you will panic when puppies won’t open their eyes even after two days. And you will search questions like: When do puppies open their eyes? Why aren’t they opening their eyes? Is there something wrong with the puppies? Etc. Let’s get the answers to your questions. After reading this blog you are going to feel a lot better and will be a concern-free parent.
Ever wonder why puppies are damn curious about everything they see or hear? Those cute little puppies always make you feel happy with their clumsy and innocent reactions. They will be observing everything through the window, and you will be observing them. You may miss the red-color stripe on the footpath of the park but puppies won’t. They are keen observers.
And the reason for that can be the situation they are born with. Puppies are born blind (close eyes) and deaf (close ears). And there is a scientific reason for that too.
Why Are The Eyes of Your Puppy Closed?
There is a systematic reason behind that, years ago when animals were developing and discovering the way to live and survive on the earth, they had to work on a reproduction system base on how their day-to-day lives are!
For instance, cows were use as cattle and hence they could carry their young ones in their womb for nine months. During this time, the young ones are fully develop in the womb only.
But in the case of dogs, they had to survive through hunting. Hence they can’t carry the litter of puppies for a longer time. The gestation period of dogs is about 58 to 63 days. After the puppies are out of the womb, a dog can go hunting to get food for herself and the family.
As they had spare days after hunting once, they could get time to take care of their puppies.
#FYI:
The species that reproduce immature young ones are known as altricial. The meaning of the word is ‘to nourish’ and is derive from Latin. The whole sense is the one who needs to and takes care of their young ones for a longer time.
As puppies are delivered within the 3 months, they are immature. The organs that need time to develop properly are the brain, eyes, and ears. All the organs mature slowly. The optical system of the eyes is still developing and is fragile, so to protect them from dust or any foreign particle the eyelids work as protection being close.
This is the reason why the eyes of the puppies are tightly shut when they are born. The same is the reason for the ears. The ear canal is still developing and needs protection from different voices. As the extreme sounds can affect adversely on the auditory machine.
When Do Puppies Open Their Eyes?
As the organs like the brain, eyes, and ears aren’t fully forming. It takes time to develop. And that period is about ten to fourteen days.
Within two weeks your puppy will open its eyes and ears. By that time, ears are fully developing but eyes are still to be mature fully. It will take a few more weeks to get its eye mature perfectly. After that, your puppy will be able to see its surroundings.
Keep in mind every breed has its own developing system and time can vary from breed to breed. For example, Golden Retriever will open its eyes at the age of 14 days and Fox Terrier opens its eyes at the age of 21 days.
After reading about the cause of why their eyes are shut, you will be curious to know when they will open it. After all, you are here to get the answer to this question only.
An exact answer: Within ten to fourteen days
Let it come naturally, don’t make your pup open its eyes forcefully. The outcome will break your heart. There are chances that if eyes aren’t fully developing the bright light may harm the photoreceptors and optic mechanism.
Naturally, you would want to take care of your pup when it is growing and freeing from the phase that makes you feel sorry for it. Below are the few points that you need to take care of, while it is just born:-
- Check if there is swelling or bulging under its eyelids. It may be a sign of infection.
- Ever you find any pus discharge from the eye area or around the eyelid area, it can also be a sign of infection.
- If your puppy doesn’t open its eyes till the end of the two weeks, it may be a development issue.
If any of the three happens, consult the veterinarian without delaying further. The vet will help your pup in the best way possible.
Conclusion:
Here comes the end of the blog. See, I told you the answer will give you relief. There is nothing wrong or strange if the eyes of your newly born pup are closed for a few days. It’s just a development process for its eyes. For more information on pet care or breed facts.
To find out more:
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