When Do Puppies Open Their Eyes?

Maybe you don’t know, cats open their eyes after 10-14 days to see the cat’s mother’s face. Rabbits are 10-12 days old when they open their eyes. The hamster’s mother must wait half a month to see the cubs open their eyes. What about dogs?

Steps to prepare to deliver a dog
Steps to prepare to deliver a dog

Why do newborn puppies not open their eyes?

Dogs often give birth to many pups per litter, averaging 2-3, sometimes up to 10. Scientists think this is the reason why they often give birth early because if the puppies continue to “mature” in the womb, it will affect the life and feeding activities of the mother. Therefore, puppies are born without opening their eyes. In the early days, babies are completely dependent on their mothers. Babies find their mother’s nipples with their noses, so their sense of smell is very developed. 

How often do puppies open their eyes?

In fact, newborn puppies will also take about 10-16 days of age to open their eyes to the outside world. But there will also be many cases where puppies may open their eyes a few days earlier or later than expected. So if you see the babies for more than 10 days and still haven’t opened their eyes, you should not be too worried as long as they are still healthy and well breastfed.

Puppies after opening their eyes for the first few days will not really see clearly, but it will take a few days to adapt and get used to. At first, babies can only distinguish the moving of light objects and gradually see the full picture. 

Dog breed will also affect how long your pet’s eyes open and how quickly they grow.