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Neonatal Check-In

Video walkthrough: Watch on Loom (link coming soon)
Neonatal Check-In is your daily log for newborn puppies — weight, ENS (Early Neurological Stimulation), and ESI (Early Scent Introduction). You can log weights any day once a litter is marked Born, while ENS and ESI run from day 3 through day 16 after birth. Every litter marked Born shows up on your Dashboard so you don’t miss a day.

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What You Can Do Here

  • Log each puppy’s weight, with a small trend chart of recent changes
  • Record ENS sessions — the stimulus performed and the puppy’s reaction
  • Record ESI sessions — which scent you used and the puppy’s reaction
  • Move day-by-day through the check-in window with arrow controls
  • Switch between puppies in the litter without leaving the page
  • Add notes and the handler’s name so you remember who did what

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How It Works

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Starting a Check-In

Before you start: the litter’s Status must be Born and it needs a Date of Birth. Only Born litters appear in the check-in.
  1. Go to your Dashboard (the first item in the left menu).
  2. Find the Neonatal Check-In section. (Don’t see it? New dashboards start with only a few sections. Click the sliders icon near the top of the Dashboard (hover text: Manage dashboard sections), tick Neonatal Check-In, and click Save changes.) It lists each Born litter with its age, like “Day 5 — neonatal active”, and how many puppies it has.
  3. Click Check In next to the litter to log today’s check-in in a pop-up window, or click Full View to open the check-in on its own page.
  4. The top of the check-in shows the litter’s day, with arrows to move to the previous or next day.
You can also log a single puppy’s check-in from that puppy’s profile: open the puppy and go to the Aptitude & Neonatal tab.

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Picking a Puppy

A carousel at the top lets you cycle through puppies (showing their photo, collar color, and position like “1 of 8”). Use the arrows to pick a puppy, fill in the check-in, click Save Check-In, then move to the next.

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Logging Weight

Enter the weight in pounds and ounces. A small chart shows the change since the previous weight in grams, so you can spot a puppy losing ground quickly. Skip the weight section any day you don’t have a scale handy. Saving a second weight for the same puppy on the same day replaces that day’s weight instead of adding another entry.

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ENS — Early Neurological Stimulation

ENS is performed once a day from day 3 to day 16. Pick the stimulus and reaction:
  • Stimulus options: Tactile Stimulation, Supine Position, Cranial Stimulation, Caudal Stimulation, Thermal Stimulation
  • Reaction options: None, Mild Protest, Medium Protest, Strong Protest

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ESI — Early Scent Introduction

ESI is also performed daily during the same window. Pick the scent and reaction:
  • Scent options: Garlic, Rosemary, Red Pepper, Cinnamon, Peppermint, Ginger, Clove, Lavender
  • Reaction options: Positive, Neutral, Negative

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Notes & Handler

Add a free-text note for the day and type who did the check-in under Handled By. Click Save Check-In when you’re done. Saved records show a green checkmark next to the section, so you can tell at a glance what’s been logged.

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Key Terms

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Tips & Common Questions

Weights and notes can be logged any day once the litter is marked Born. ENS and ESI run from day 3 through day 16 after birth. Before day 3 you’ll see an “ENS/ESI starts day 3” message. After day 16 the protocol window is closed, but you can still log weights and notes.
No problem — use the Previous day arrow at the top of the check-in to go back and fill in a missed day.
Only litters with Status set to Born appear. Open the litter, click Edit Details on the Details tab, set Status to Born, make sure the Date of Birth is filled in, and save. If you don’t see the Neonatal Check-In section on your Dashboard at all, turn it on: click the sliders icon near the top of the Dashboard, tick Neonatal Check-In, and click Save changes.
No — each section (Weight, ESI, ENS) has a Skip checkbox for the days you can’t get to it. Saved records show a checkmark so you know what’s logged.
Each check-in is attached to the specific puppy in the litter. They’re saved with the puppy’s record and stay with that dog for life.

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Still Have Questions?

We’re here to help. If something isn’t working the way you expect, or you’d like to have a discussion around a certain topic, please reach out to us anytime through the chat in the bottom right corner of your screen. Thank you.