Whelping boxes?

katastrophykat

katastrophykat

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I'm off to stud with my BF's springer next week. He's abroad so she'll be whelping with me- I've attended Foalings, helped at one, helped with cat having kittens etc, and happy to do the gooey bits... but this is BF's prized gundog, all pups spoken for before we've even had her to the stud and I don't much fancy calling him in Dubai if it all goes wrong. I was planning to let her use my big dog crate (it fits a decent collie easily and she's a dinky springer) and block up the front, will that be good enough for her? Or do I actually need a whelping box? I've looked at the ones to hire, and am happy to do that, but then I'll need to swop them all into the crate anyway for travelling to the vets when they are being docked/dewclawed, and thought it would be less stress to move them in their 'usual' crate rather than swop them all over. She'll be indoors (he'll be paying me for a new floor I daresay!) as she's a house dog normally and will be due in march. Will i need a heatmat for them? Or is that a kennel dog thing as well?

I have a whelping kit all ready, and milk etc on order just in case. Poor dog only came into season today :D

Any hints and tips?!

Thanks in advance!
 
Unless it's a huge crate or you're very small, I really wouldn't like to use that sort of crate as it could be fiddly to get in or out if you need to reach them quickly, I would prefer something I could just lean over rather than have to bend down and crawl into if that makes sense. This is what we used for the bassets, it's an old hen box with a corner cut out so that the pups can crawl in and out easily plus the bitches didn't need to jump in either as they could have easily landed on a pup unintentionally.
boysandpups003.jpg


TBH, I would always plump for a home visit and get the vet out to you rather than risk them picking something up from the surgery or waiting room, it's cheap when you consider what you could pick up from there; I won't let anything off our property when I have young pups and certainly won't have anyone else's dogs come here then either. It might seem over the top but I'd rather be safe than sorry; too late when the pups have picked something up as they can fall like skittles if they do in spite of all the care you can give them.
You shouldn't need a heat pad but it all depends what the weather's like of course but I've always found the bitches move away from the pups if they get too hot; we've always preferred an over head lamp not too low, it just takes the chill off for them.
 
It's only five mins from here too but even if it were twenty, I'd still have a home visit, I even have them for their first jabs too, just not worth the risk IMV, I've known pups lost because of infections caught and the only difference has been that they've been to a surgery; only time I would take them is if they can be left in the car and the vet comes out to them.
 
I wouldn't use a crate for the same reasons as maesfen. I am hopefully having my first litter in 11 years :eek: and no longer have a whelping box, have looked at hiring one but one or 2 people have recommended the disposable ones. I have always had the vet come out to do dew claws, check the bitch over etc, imo its not worth the upset to the bitch or the risk of infection, vets are always happy to come .
 
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