In The Whelping Box

[Aziah]

But postage will likely be more!

But you only know that because you added it all up, alternatively, stash $45 away every now and then, when the times comes and you're ready to order you'll have the money and only need to amount for postage

[SpikesPuppy]

LOVE the vetbed

SO EASY to wash. We don't have a dryer, so if the weather is too bad to hang it out on the line (preferred as it gets the sunshine on it to kill any bugs), I just put it on a spin cycle after it's been washed and then hang it over the shower frame. It's dry in about 10 minutes after that

I will be purchasing more soon as I would now like to use it in the dog's PP40s and home crates etc. Excellent product :D

[ellz]

I'd managed without Vetbed for many years. In fact, I only bought my first lot last year. It's certainly not an essential item. Handy...yes, essential.....nope.

[Sayly]

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.

We have enough polar fleece here that I may just try that instead of the vet bed for our first litter. If we aren't happy with it, then I'll get some vet beds. Thanks Ellz.

[whippets]

I put newspaper on the bottom and towels over the top. I just change the paper and wash the towels when they need a change. My whelping box is a 22 year old fibreglass 4foot x 4 foot and it is still just as good as the first day I got it. They are just so easy to clean. So I suggest if you can still get a fibreglass whelp box and plan to breed for a while then it would be a good investment.

Here is a pic

and you can remove the rails when the pups are a bit bigger

these bowls are good for weening

[Sayly]

Aww cute Whippet pups!

I am getting a hydrobath systems whelping box. One of my mentors has one and loves it.

[whippets]

Yeah I got mine from people who made the fibreglass hydrobaths ages ago. Mine still has the little plaque thing on it, made by "Naturopet". The owner bred Newfs (that's how I knew them) but the guy, and probably the company, is long since dead.

[SwaY]

Carpet

[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.

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 :D

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.

Okay, so basically I was lazy and didn't move them to the appropriate areas! Oh well, I'll follow your plan for the next lot! I think we might save up for some vetbed too - can you get Aussie hair off it easily?

[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. :D 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 :D

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.

Okay, so basically I was lazy and didn't move them to the appropriate areas! Oh well, I'll follow your plan for the next lot! I think we might save up for some vetbed too - can you get Aussie hair off it easily?

I think Pembroke hair is worse than Aussie hair so I reckon you'll have no drama

[Ozstar]

I prefer to have the foam incase mum steps on the pups getting in and out of the box (mine always seem to).

At least with the foam there is some give when the pups are step on.

My first litter I had newspaper and vet bed, mum stepped on a pup and broke its back leg, pup ended up with nerve damage in that leg. Never again.

Leanne

[whippets]

I prefer to have the foam incase mum steps on the pups getting in and out of the box (mine always seem to).

At least with the foam there is some give when the pups are step on.

My first litter I had newspaper and vet bed, mum stepped on a pup and broke its back leg, pup ended up with nerve damage in that leg. Never again.

Leanne

That's terrible

What sort of foam are you talking about? is it easy to clean? do you put anything over the top of it?

I have found my whippets and greys to be very gentle and cautious around their pups. When I had the Newfoundlands they were not so cautious and I couldn't leave the bitch with them as much. They could be suffocating a pup, by laying on it, and not even know it. I was forever doing head counts.

[Ozstar]

What sort of foam are you talking about? is it easy to clean? do you put anything over the top of it?

I use egg cup foam as it is good for the babies when learning to walk. I put it inside a queen sized quilt cover and wrap it over a few times.

I find that by wrapping it in the quilt cover the foam stays dry. Once the babies are walking I put a smaller piece of foam in the box for sleeping on and the rest is newspaper for doing their business on.

I clean the foam by soaking it in a delete solution and leaving it out to dry, only takes a few hours in this weather.

Leanne

[fbc]

What sort of foam are you talking about? is it easy to clean? do you put anything over the top of it?

I use egg cup foam as it is good for the babies when learning to walk. I put it inside a queen sized quilt cover and wrap it over a few times.

I find that by wrapping it in the quilt cover the foam stays dry. Once the babies are walking I put a smaller piece of foam in the box for sleeping on and the rest is newspaper for doing their business on.

I clean the foam by soaking it in a delete solution and leaving it out to dry, only takes a few hours in this weather.

Leanne

It should help with preventing flat chests and swimmer pups also :rolleyes:

[Lemonlime]

Re: Vet bedding.

I need to buy some more. The one I have im not happy with. The puppies stay pretty dry, however the bed comes up crappy after it is washed. It has thinned out after only a few washes and I cant get the dog hair off it for the life of me. Ive seen other vet beds that have lasted years with lots of wear and tear and they are still thick and wash up nicely.

Does anyone know where to buy GOOD quality vet bedding at a good price?

This vet bedding from memory was around $45 and I brought it off a DOLer.

EFS

Edited February 16, 2010 by groupfive

[Bilbo Baggins]

There isa price war going on at the momnet between two sellers at Vic Shows. This has ment that pieces of vet bed are down to $35.

This weeks Shows are Bulla Saturday and KCC Sunday.

[SpikesPuppy]

Must remember to get another lot this weekend

[Bilbo Baggins]

Have just acquired vet bed this litter and its the best thing since sliced bread.

For delivery I use newspaper and sheets. This mum is a b***&* for screwing up bedding and squashed a pup from a previous litter.

With the vet bed the pups are motoring around no problems.

Have not had them suck it.

I have paper underneath then the vet bed. Have washed it about every 3 days.

They are now 2 weeks and mum has started to pull the pin on toileting so may have to be daily wash. Have to get another bit I reckon.

As SP told me the rubber does take time to feel dry.

[hilaryo]

In the first couple of weeks we use heaps of layers. Newspaper, carpet, doona, blankets then vetbet, or in the case of the last litter cotton sheets as it was hot. Until the babies are weeing on their own you don't need to worry too much about wetness. We have had a swimmer puppy before so we don't want them laying on a hard surface.

As Leanne suggested the egg carton foam is fabulous and we have also used this.

When whelping lots of towels which we get from a second hand shop for next to nothing.

[Sayly]

Thanks for all the input guys! Very much appreciated. I think we will try without the vet bed for our first litter, or may get one and see what we think, and perhaps slowly purchase a few more vet beds.

Lots of 2nd hand towels, some old nappies and some cheap hand towels all set, I will get a few more though. Dad can get bucket loads of newspapers from work, so that's a bonus.

Edited February 17, 2010 by Lyndsay