In The Whelping Box

[Sayly]

Other than Vet Beds, what are good options for the bottom of the whelping box?

What do you use?

[ellz]

Copious amounts of newspaper and polar fleece.

Editing to add: Some of the discount shops have large polarfleece blankets/panels for a very cheap price. I found these great between wash days and when the puppies were very young and were finding the dry bed confusing (trying to snuggle in to nurse from it). They're easy to wash and like dry bed, have the effect of wicking away moisture so that the fleece was staying relatively dry but the newspaper underneat was saturated.

Edited February 15, 2010 by ellz

[spot]

Foam cut to the exact size of the box, (Clark Rubber will do it for you) covered by a slip cover, cotton on the bottom, polar fleece on top, that can be easily removed for washing. Dry bed can be put over that if needed.

[oakway]

Really large quantity of news papers. When she goes into labour I put towels down with news paper.

As the towels become wet I remove them and replace them with dry ones.

When the bitch is finished I clean out everything put a fresh lot of paper down and cover with vet bed and then she decides to have another one!!!!!!!!!! so I repeat the procedure ;)

[Sandra777]

Newspaper and sheets - you can get sheets very cheaply from Salvos. Only problem with sheets is they can be a little slippery which isn't ideal, but mine have always coped. Older pups - 10 days onwards, polar fleece or if you really get lucky, those cotton blankets that are cheap in Salvos but really expensive to buy new

[WreckitWhippet]

Carpet on the bottom for the first three weeks. I change it to a new piece each week. On top of that either dry bed or big sheets of sherpa.

When they are on their feet the carpet goes and they get polarfleece, sherpa or dry bed up one end and the newspaper down the front and out into the pen

[Ozstar]

Once the pups have all been born I put in egg cup foam cut to size and placed inside a quilt cover (can normally wrapped it around a couple times. Quilt covers can be picked up cheap from op shops. In winter time I put a layer of sherpa on top but I seem to always have summer babies

I have 2 peices of foam, 1 full size of box and 1 half size of box for when the pups are a few weeks old and they then get half bedding and half newspaper.

Leanne

Edited February 15, 2010 by Ozstar Kennels

[sandgrubber]

Towels, piled a few layers thick in summer, sometimes with an old blanket or two or vet-bed equivalent underneath. The absorbent bed covers they use in convalescent homes (very similar to vet bed) in winter. No newspaper. It's slippery when wet and slows down the pups' learning of motor skills. I hate handling it; and it reminds me of pet shops. If you use cloth stuff it helps to have a 9 kg washing machine.

Edited February 16, 2010 by sandgrubber

[Miranda]

What don't you like about vet bed Lyndsay? Personally I wouldn't use anything else, I think it's wonderful. I put newpaper underneath and the puppies stay dry and warm, it's easily washed and dries quickly. I love it!

[Sayly]

Thaks everyone.

Nothing wrong with vet beds except the price! Was just interested in what others use, and what might be suitable without the price tag.

[Aziah]

If you like the vetbed just start purchasing pieces from now and you'll have ample by the time your litter(s) arrive

[The Ark]

We used HEAPS of newspaper with marine carpet up one end covered with polar fleece/sherpa. I'm going to throw the carpet out (I had 2 pieces) as I just can't get all the Aussie hair off it! I was going to throw the polar fleece/sherpa (not sure which it is) as well, but decided to have a go at washing it and after it went through the dryer it came out almost like new. Mind you, the filter on the dryer was absolutely clogged with hair and brown fluff, but the blanket came up well!

I think that the fleece was actually a bit hot for our lot as Viviane kept digging it up, so in the end the pups were on the newspaper most of the time (the weather was really warming up by then).

The biggest mistake we made was that the puppies came to think of newspaper as bedding, and not toileting substrate so they weren't paper trained. Every time they'd get off the newspaper onto the slate floor they would wee! Our fault entirely, so I'd like to know how others who use newspaper as bedding avoid that. I guess making sure that the newspaper is only down one end of the box, and that they have something else to sleep on would help - which is what we did with the carpet/fleece until they kept ripping it up and then just flopping on the newspaper.

[WreckitWhippet]

Thaks everyone.

Nothing wrong with vet beds except the price! Was just interested in what others use, and what might be suitable without the price tag.

Try spotlight if you have one near you or order the sherpa online. It's about $14.95 per meter, buy and cut it bigger than your box, as it will shrink a bit with washing and going in the clothes dryer.

It's not as good as vet bed but it's still OK

[Sayly]

Thanks everyone.

We probably will end up going with the vet bed, there doesn't seem to be anything as good. Will look into the sherpa though.

[Aziah]

We used HEAPS of newspaper with marine carpet up one end covered with polar fleece/sherpa. I'm going to throw the carpet out (I had 2 pieces) as I just can't get all the Aussie hair off it! I was going to throw the polar fleece/sherpa (not sure which it is) as well, but decided to have a go at washing it and after it went through the dryer it came out almost like new. Mind you, the filter on the dryer was absolutely clogged with hair and brown fluff, but the blanket came up well!

I think that the fleece was actually a bit hot for our lot as Viviane kept digging it up, so in the end the pups were on the newspaper most of the time (the weather was really warming up by then).

The biggest mistake we made was that the puppies came to think of newspaper as bedding, and not toileting substrate so they weren't paper trained. Every time they'd get off the newspaper onto the slate floor they would wee! Our fault entirely, so I'd like to know how others who use newspaper as bedding avoid that. I guess making sure that the newspaper is only down one end of the box, and that they have something else to sleep on would help - which is what we did with the carpet/fleece until they kept ripping it up and then just flopping on the newspaper.

At just over 2 weeks my most recent babies were escaping the box so we removed that and had a piece of marine carpet in one area with bedding on top and another area with newspaper and the remainder was left as bare lino.

While I was spending time with them and once I started to wean I made sure that everytime I was there and they woke up I moved them to the newspaper. As they grew and had time outside, they were fed out on the grass and toileting soon after. If the weather was poor I'd feed them inside, wait a few minutes and doa quick trip out to the grass and they'd all go and we'd race back inside

At 8 weeks of age they were very rarely toileting overnight and if they did it was on the newspaper and first thing in the morning I'd open the pen door and they'd run down the hall and out front and toilet on the grass. Not a bad effort for 8 week old babies.

Edited February 16, 2010 by Aziah

[TrinaJ]

Just curious, how much does vet bed actually cost?

[Aziah]

The cheapest I've found is $45 per meter (1.5m wide) from Peperone Pet Supplies

[Sayly]

That's the cheapest I've been able to find too.

For 4 vet beds the right size, I'm looking at $162 plus about $25 for postage.

[Aziah]

That's the cheapest I've been able to find too.

For 4 vet beds the right size, I'm looking at $162 plus about $25 for postage.

Nooooooo you're doing it all wrong don't buy them all at once, just buy one bit at a time and never add up the total in the end

[Sayly]

But postage will likely be more!