Whelping Room Temperatures...

[jerojath]

I was speaking to a number of people at some shows on the weekend about maintaining temperatures

in a whelping room during whelping and after (say, the first seven days) and got quite varied opinions.

Besides most using a heat-pad, what temperature do others maintain in their whelping rooms?

[ellz]

I don't bother so much about the temperature of the whelping room, it is a lot harder to maintain a consistent room temp, than it is to maintain the whelping box temperature.

As long as it is comfortable for me, I worry more about the box.

That said, if it is hot I will have a fan going (no air con here), if it is cold then the woodheater will be going.

[dancinbcs]

My repro specialist vet says that you should be comfortable sitting in the room in short sleeves, so about 23 -25 degrees, for the first couple of weeks.

She also recommends covering the whelping box and adding a heating pad in one corner, in cold weather, to create a warm cave.

Much depends on the breed, because if a coated bitch is too hot she will not stay with the puppies, so a balance is needed between keeping the puppies warm enough and not having the bitch too hot. If the bitch is panting, it is too hot.

One of my summer litters on the other hand where so hot (despite air con at the other end of the house), that I had to put ice packs in the whelping box. The temperature in the room with the puppies was generally around 28 - 30 degrees when it was 40 - 45 outside but it was still too hot for them. They were really big fat puppies with thick coats and would scream if they didn't have cold packs to lie on. I used the flat, flexible ones and wrapped them well in towels and they were in the box from day two, when I worked out what the babies where screaming about. They would have huge feed, crawl across the box, lie belly down on the cold packs, let out a sigh and fall asleep.

[Donna]

your puppies are the best indication of suitable temps, they will let you know if they are too cold or too hot through their behaviour, a heating pad is a must so they will crawl on and off as they need to. If they are too hot they will be spread out and crying, if they are cold they will all huddle together and cry. We always maintain (and the secret is in maintaining a good temp) because if they get too cold they can't feed and may succumb to nasties like CHV

Donna

[WreckitWhippet]

My heater is set to 24 degrees in winter and stays on 24/7 for the first three weeks. The whelping box has a leat lamp, that the pups can move under or away from as they need to.

I turn off the heating when they reach about 3 weeks and when I move back to the bedroom and they have their heat lamp until they are 6 weeks or so.

[ellz]

I use a whelping "pen". It is in a draft free area so isn't directly affected by actual room temperature as such, unless it is particularly hot or cold. Because the pen is pretty much a little "community" of its own, the temperature within can be controlled quite easily.

I have a heat pad underneath and an infra-red lamp over the top. BUT, they are only used at the same time for the first week to 10 days or so. After that, they are alternated according to the temperature around the pen. If it is particularly cold, the heat pad is on. If it is relatively warm, the lamp is on, but it is raised a fair way above the pen so it is just a gentle radiant glow over the puppies.

The pen is large enough that mum can get away from both the heat pad AND the lamp, but can still lay down to feed and the puppies can still remain in contact with either heat source.

I've been using this setup now for a few years and it has been excellent. I had one winter litter and my fears of chilling were unfounded and my latest litter of Stafford puppies were born in November and I had no overheating issues for dam or puppies and I really did think it would be more difficult to regulate the temp with 9 puppies but it was surprisingly easy.

[jerojath]

Hmmmm, some interesting responses relating to maintaining temperatures.

I have always set the thermostat at 25 degrees for the room and don't use a heat pad.

I used to use the split-system but found the room would cool too much before it kicked in again.

Now I use an oil column heated near the box which maintains the room temp more accurately.

Even without the heat pad I've found that at times the litter will separate and spread out around

the whelping box to keep cool, but will pile up when they need the warmth.

I was mainly curious because I spoke to a breeder who keeps the whelping kennel at 30 degrees

as well as using a heat pad and has never had a problem with pups overheating.

But as Donna said, the pups and Dam are the best indicators if things are not ideal.

[ellz]

Overheating is nowhere near as dangerous to neonates as chilling is. Obviously you don't want them to overheat, because you don't want them to dehydrate, but if they chill, you are 100% more likely to lose them.

This is my pen setup in daylight. As you can see, the dam has taken herself away from the puppies for some time out. It was September here then and not an overly warm September.

This setup enables me to close it all in and make it cosier if necessary, or open it up to cool things down if the need occurs, as it did with my November 22 litter.

[dancinbcs]

Hmmmm, some interesting responses relating to maintaining temperatures.

I have always set the thermostat at 25 degrees for the room and don't use a heat pad.

I used to use the split-system but found the room would cool too much before it kicked in again.

Now I use an oil column heated near the box which maintains the room temp more accurately.

Even without the heat pad I've found that at times the litter will separate and spread out around

the whelping box to keep cool, but will pile up when they need the warmth.

I was mainly curious because I spoke to a breeder who keeps the whelping kennel at 30 degrees

as well as using a heat pad and has never had a problem with pups overheating.

But as Donna said, the pups and Dam are the best indicators if things are not ideal.

Very much dependant on the breed. If you have breed that like lying near the fire in winter it is going to need to be kept a lot warmer than a breed like mine that tend to clear out of a heated room and even like to play in snow if they get a chance. The puppies still need to be kept warm as babies but really dense coats keep them a lot warmer than breeds with fine coats.

[Sandra777]

Room temperature wouldn't matter to me as much as the temperature in the whelping box at puppy level.

A covered whelping box with or without heating (depending on breed and outside temperature) has always been the go for me coming from NZ, where keeping them warm was the priority not keeping them cool

[badboyz]

Agree with everyone on the whelping box temperature being important rather than room temperature. Living in Qld I have never owned a heat pad. My whelping box is covered, set in a corner under a bench, with blankets draped around, from benchtop to floor, to block any drafts and to keep any heat in, like a tent. At night I keep a light bulb/heat lamp overhead (it is attached to a hook under the bench) for heat, and will also use this during the day in winter, if needed. In summer I will usually turn the lamp off during the day. I use the puppies temperature and behaviour as my guide also.