piper Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 For my last litter I used vet bed and still have it here for this litter but I am also interested in other things people use for a couple of reasons. I found washing it quite difficulty, my mashing machine didn't cope with it that well at all and I found it really difficult to get properly clean. 1 piece is better than the other but neither are great.. And the other thing I found is it is quite a warm surface and given this litter will be an early summer litter rather than an early winter litter I am thinking it may not be the best option for encouraging Jazz to lay in there with her pups. I would be interested in hearing what other solutions people have come up with that keeps pups clean and dry but is easy to clean and not too warm for the mother. If vet bed is the best option then I will continue with that but I'm always open to things I hadn't considered :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dante Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 I have used polar fleece - it washes and dries very quickly. But if it is a bit too warm for that, a towel works quite well. I will usually place some newspaper underneath whatever it is I am using. I found the polar fleece is the best though, and very cheap as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piper Posted November 3, 2012 Author Share Posted November 3, 2012 Yes I always have newspaper underneath. I think normal polar fleece would be cooler than the vet bed just because it is not so thick and heavy. Does it slip too much though and can the pups get good traction on it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PomsNZ Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 newspaper, and vet bed /dry bed. I found the front loading machines clean them much better, ours used to do them perfectly, now we got a normal top loader, and it just doesnt wash the same. Soon as I can convince hubby, im going back to front loader again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbreedlover Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 (edited) Newspaper is always a must. We use baby bedding(from the op shops) older fleece sheets(also op shops)on top of the newspaper. Depending on the whelping box we use. Very very young babies are always seperated after feeds and cleanups from Mum. As they get older they still have this bedding of which we have lots of. Always at least 4 changes on hand. We dont use vet beds and if they need warmth we use heating pads and heat lamps. Newspaper and sheets are way more easier to keep things clean. We have never found that the pups do not have traction. Also keeping their nails trimmed means they dont catch their nails on the bedding to add we also have rubber sheeting/waterproof plastic under the bedding Edited November 3, 2012 by Bullbreedlover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakway Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Only ever use vet bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piper Posted November 3, 2012 Author Share Posted November 3, 2012 newspaper, and vet bed /dry bed. I found the front loading machines clean them much better, ours used to do them perfectly, now we got a normal top loader, and it just doesnt wash the same. Soon as I can convince hubby, im going back to front loader again. We have a front loader but I am just not happy with how they come up from it. I think the pieces might be too big for our machine but I like having just a single piece so don't really want to cut them down. Might go have a look at spotlight tomorrow and see what else I can find. Polar fleece might even be cheap given it is no longer winter.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 I always use vetbed but not the rubber backed one which is a lot harder to wash and dry and warmer to lie on. For my heatwave litter I put flat frozen cooler packs (the sort you can wrap around a bottle) in the box, wrapped in towels and the puppies could lie on them if they wanted to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winpara Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 I have never had any luck with drybed for my newborns - my bitches hate it and scrunch it up in a corner and pups spend all their time searching for nipples in it! Once they are up on their feet and moved from whelping box to puppy pen it is great for defining "bed" area from "toilet" area tho. I use outdoor/marine carpet you buy from Bunnings - synthetic type mat (comes on the big rolls) about .4mm thick, no backing. The one I get is a grass green colour. Cut to fit whelping box exactly - I line with news paper underneath too. It is great stuff not cold but doesn't get hot either, fairly stiff so not easy for the bitch to dig up and pups can't get rolled up in it, great traction for the pups, wont hold liquids. To clean I just take it outside and hose it off (use a little dishwashing detergent if it is really grotty), 20 mins hanging in the sun and it is dry. When they are very young you will actually be able to just flip it over and use the reverse side before you need to clean it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 I find it strange you have problems washing the vet bed, I have lots of it and it all washes well (except the rubber back one tends to shed rubber in the wash so goes into a wash bag). Some of the pieces I have would be big enough for a litter of BCs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alyosha Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Sheets, preferably flannelette, over a soft blanket or two on top of a layer of thick newspaper. The size of my breed makes vetbed pieces very large which equals expensive to buy and hard to get clean. The blankets are a pain to get dry, but they do wick moisture away into the newspaper layer well and provide some cushioning for a heavier mum. And they fit in the washing machine better than equivalent pieces of vet or dry bed. I like the marine carpet idea, and will likely try that one next time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piper Posted November 3, 2012 Author Share Posted November 3, 2012 I have never had any luck with drybed for my newborns - my bitches hate it and scrunch it up in a corner and pups spend all their time searching for nipples in it! Once they are up on their feet and moved from whelping box to puppy pen it is great for defining "bed" area from "toilet" area tho. I use outdoor/marine carpet you buy from Bunnings - synthetic type mat (comes on the big rolls) about .4mm thick, no backing. The one I get is a grass green colour. Cut to fit whelping box exactly - I line with news paper underneath too. It is great stuff not cold but doesn't get hot either, fairly stiff so not easy for the bitch to dig up and pups can't get rolled up in it, great traction for the pups, wont hold liquids. To clean I just take it outside and hose it off (use a little dishwashing detergent if it is really grotty), 20 mins hanging in the sun and it is dry. When they are very young you will actually be able to just flip it over and use the reverse side before you need to clean it. I had seen that in some of your pics Winpara and wondered how you went with cleaning it. I might go and look into that. With the heat we get in Adelaide, I don't want something that Jazz will be too hot on and I have the heat lamp I can use in 1 corner for the pups if needed (mind you with 36 degrees here today, I doubt it!) Becks - I think the issue is we don;' have a huge washing machine. If the pieces were smaller I think they would wash fine. My whelping box is about 1.2m x 1.2m. Bigger than it needs to be but it was a second hand 1 and I can say with 9 pups last time I was glad of the "extra" space. Only a small litter expected this time so it will probably look huge. LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piper Posted November 3, 2012 Author Share Posted November 3, 2012 (edited) edit. gremlins - double post. Edited November 3, 2012 by piper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptolomy Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 I too have problems fitting my vet bed in my front loading machine. I can get it in but it doesn't wash very well and yes the non rubber backed stuff I find is better. My last litter I had vet bed in the whelping box but when the pups started moving outside the box I had the rubber matting you put on kids high chairs to stop the bowls from moving around on the newspaper. The pups were able to get a grip as they moved around. I had 2 different sorts - one was tablecloth size $10 and the other lot was a thicker rubber material also from Red Dot and it was slightly bigger and $20. I know you can also get this stuff from Clark Rubber. Cleaning is just a matter of throwing it in the washing machine or taking it outside and hosing it off - it dries really quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fordogs Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 My whelping box is 1.20 x 1.50 and I use 1 large piece of vet bed, definitely won't fit in the washing machine so I just hose it on the concrete and hang on the line, dries quickly. Last litter I also used the marine carpet, it was great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piper Posted November 4, 2012 Author Share Posted November 4, 2012 Does the marine carpet allow liquids to drain through? That is what I like about the vet bed is that it stays dry to touch and lets liquids through it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jr_inoz Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 I use outdoor/marine carpet you buy from Bunnings - synthetic type mat (comes on the big rolls) about .4mm thick, no backing. The one I get is a grass green colour. Cut to fit whelping box exactly - I line with news paper underneath too. It is great stuff not cold but doesn't get hot either, fairly stiff so not easy for the bitch to dig up and pups can't get rolled up in it, great traction for the pups, wont hold liquids. To clean I just take it outside and hose it off (use a little dishwashing detergent if it is really grotty), 20 mins hanging in the sun and it is dry. When they are very young you will actually be able to just flip it over and use the reverse side before you need to clean it. This is what I had ready for my girl as my mentor always uses this. Does the same method as winpara does. What size is your whelping box? I have two pieces here cut to exact size for the box I borrowed that you are welcome to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piper Posted November 4, 2012 Author Share Posted November 4, 2012 I use outdoor/marine carpet you buy from Bunnings - synthetic type mat (comes on the big rolls) about .4mm thick, no backing. The one I get is a grass green colour. Cut to fit whelping box exactly - I line with news paper underneath too. It is great stuff not cold but doesn't get hot either, fairly stiff so not easy for the bitch to dig up and pups can't get rolled up in it, great traction for the pups, wont hold liquids. To clean I just take it outside and hose it off (use a little dishwashing detergent if it is really grotty), 20 mins hanging in the sun and it is dry. When they are very young you will actually be able to just flip it over and use the reverse side before you need to clean it. This is what I had ready for my girl as my mentor always uses this. Does the same method as winpara does. What size is your whelping box? I have two pieces here cut to exact size for the box I borrowed that you are welcome to. Thanks jr :) My box is about 1.2 x 1.2m so probably bigger than yours. I was just in Bunnings have a look around and they had some mat type stuff similar to what Ptolomy described reduced to clear for $9.00 a linear metre. I think it was called camping mat, anyway at 1.5m wide and $9.00 a metre I bought enough for 2 pieces and will see how it goes. If no good for that it may get some use on the tiles when they first get access to them to prevent slipping on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jr_inoz Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 I use outdoor/marine carpet you buy from Bunnings - synthetic type mat (comes on the big rolls) about .4mm thick, no backing. The one I get is a grass green colour. Cut to fit whelping box exactly - I line with news paper underneath too. It is great stuff not cold but doesn't get hot either, fairly stiff so not easy for the bitch to dig up and pups can't get rolled up in it, great traction for the pups, wont hold liquids. To clean I just take it outside and hose it off (use a little dishwashing detergent if it is really grotty), 20 mins hanging in the sun and it is dry. When they are very young you will actually be able to just flip it over and use the reverse side before you need to clean it. This is what I had ready for my girl as my mentor always uses this. Does the same method as winpara does. What size is your whelping box? I have two pieces here cut to exact size for the box I borrowed that you are welcome to. Thanks jr :) My box is about 1.2 x 1.2m so probably bigger than yours. I was just in Bunnings have a look around and they had some mat type stuff similar to what Ptolomy described reduced to clear for $9.00 a linear metre. I think it was called camping mat, anyway at 1.5m wide and $9.00 a metre I bought enough for 2 pieces and will see how it goes. If no good for that it may get some use on the tiles when they first get access to them to prevent slipping on them. yep - bigger than mine - but not by alot. I think I got mine on special too - about this time of year as well - two years ago ready for Rommy's first litter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptolomy Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 I use outdoor/marine carpet you buy from Bunnings - synthetic type mat (comes on the big rolls) about .4mm thick, no backing. The one I get is a grass green colour. Cut to fit whelping box exactly - I line with news paper underneath too. It is great stuff not cold but doesn't get hot either, fairly stiff so not easy for the bitch to dig up and pups can't get rolled up in it, great traction for the pups, wont hold liquids. To clean I just take it outside and hose it off (use a little dishwashing detergent if it is really grotty), 20 mins hanging in the sun and it is dry. When they are very young you will actually be able to just flip it over and use the reverse side before you need to clean it. This is what I had ready for my girl as my mentor always uses this. Does the same method as winpara does. What size is your whelping box? I have two pieces here cut to exact size for the box I borrowed that you are welcome to. Thanks jr :) My box is about 1.2 x 1.2m so probably bigger than yours. I was just in Bunnings have a look around and they had some mat type stuff similar to what Ptolomy described reduced to clear for $9.00 a linear metre. I think it was called camping mat, anyway at 1.5m wide and $9.00 a metre I bought enough for 2 pieces and will see how it goes. If no good for that it may get some use on the tiles when they first get access to them to prevent slipping on them. Can you let me know how the Bunnings stuff goes. Hopefully I am having a litter in December and will happily pay $9 if it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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