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Whelping supplies checklist

A Whelping Supplies Checklist

 

Whelping Supplies

Whelping Box

A recent Whelping Supplies questionnaire reveals that the Goyo pets Whelping Box comes highly recommended. Even when the disposable whelping box starts showing signs of wear and tear it still keeps going until the end. Positive consideration to purchasing this item should be given.

Whelping Fleece Mat

You might get away with just using blankets or towels, but the Washable Whelping & Puppy Pads from Goyo pets are very useful that we purchased from them its the favourite option for us. We liked them so much; we just purchased a second set so that we could make the process of cleaning easier.

Digital thermometer Whelping Supplies

A digital thermometer should be used to begin taking the mother’s temperature 10 to 14 days before the due date that is predicted. When the temperature dips to between 98 and 99 degrees, prepare ready for pups.

Pet Heat Pad

A heat pad is necessary for newborn pups since they are unable to properly control their body temperature. The year before, Pepper stayed with her puppies, and her puppies huddled close to her for warmth. This year, however, we purchased a heat lamp to assist in keeping our puppies warm. We prefer the heat lamps that come with a clip and attach them to the side of our whelping box to keep them in place. As I’ve already indicated, newborns are unable to control their own body temperature, so it’s important to make sure they have a means to cool off if it gets too warm for them.

Whelping Supplies Puppy Scales

The Puppy Scales is useful for determining whether or not your puppies are putting on weight. Starting on day one, each of our puppies is weighed each and every day. Goyo Pets is where we got this wonderful Puppy Scale that we use and recommend.

Thermometer should be in your Whelping Supplies

A thermometer that can be used indoors and outside will allow you to keep an eye on the temperature within the whelping box.

Optional Whelping Supplies

Within the puppy room is a portable air conditioning and heating unit. This will enable you to have a greater degree of control over the temperature within the space. As was noted before, puppies are unable to manage the temperature of their own bodies, thus it is important that the environment in the room where they live is neither too hot nor too cold.

Whelping Supplies

Head lamp

One of the things that we did not utilize was a head lamp because there was enough of light available to us when we started giving birth to our first puppy in the late morning (about 10 am) and concluded in the early afternoon (around 2pm). On the other hand, if you use a headlamp, you can keep both of your hands free while still illuminating all of the dark corners and crevices that you need to see.

Aspiration bulb

With the use of the aspiration bulb, you may suction the puppy’s mouth, nose, and throat. When our puppies first started breathing on their own, we would assist them by clearing up their airways.

Hemostat

The umbilical cord can be clamped with the help of a hemostat. After severing the chord, we kept ours clamped for a significant amount of time in order to give the blood enough time to coagulate and stop the bleeding.

Medical scissors with your Whelping Supplies

Scissors designed for medical use are what are needed to cut the umbilical cord.

Unwaxed dental floss

Dental floss that has not been waxed can be used to tie off the umbilical cord.

Tail wraps

Tail Wraps are designed to prevent fluids from draining from the tails of dogs. We did not use with Pepper’s first litter, but it is included in the basic whelping package, which is the package that I would recommend you purchase if this is your first time whelping a litter of pups. If this is your first time whelping a litter of puppies, I would recommend you acquire.

Vaseline or Lub Gel

Vaseline, in case one of the puppies becomes entombed or for measuring a rectal temperature.

Keeping thing clean

If you have these things, it will be easier to keep your dog, its mother, and the whelping box a little bit more organized. On the other hand, our whelping room ended up being rather dirty.

Just so you know, you might want to put on some clothing that you won’t mind being soiled to the point of being a little bit filthy.

  • Antibacterial Hand Wipes will leave your hands spotless and germ-free. We make a concerted effort to maintain the cleanliness of both ourselves and the surrounding surroundings.
  • Alcohol Prep Pads – In keeping with the spirit of cleanliness, use these pads to wipe off the hemostat and scissors after each time they are used.
  • Iodine Prep Pads should be applied to the region where the umbilical cords have been severed in order to ensure that the area stays as clean as possible.
  • Utilize these receiving cloths to hold and pat dry each individual puppy.

Continued

  • Pee Pads – In order to keep our whelping environment as clean as possible. When the puppies were being born, we utilized huge pee pads to place under the mother dog in order to capture any afterbirth.
  • Paper Towels – To maintain the highest possible level of cleanliness in the area surrounding your whelping box.
  • Use hand sanitizer and make an effort to maintain as high a level of personal hygiene as you can. Not only did we use hand sanitizer during the actual process of giving birth to the litter, but we continued to do so for the full eight weeks that they were with us.
  • Exam Gloves – Each time we worked with a new puppy, we utilized a new set of gloves in an effort to maintain the highest possible level of cleanliness.
  • Bag/can for trash at this time last year, we just had the bag for trash. This year, I’m planning to make it easier to dispose of waste by placing the trash can and bag right outside the whelping box.

Puppy’s identification in your Whelping Supplies

Although there was little colour diversity among Pepper’s puppies, it was still extremely challenging to identify each individual puppy in the litter.

Even while there is some difference in size between the puppies, it is still going to be quite challenging to tell one dog from the other without…

  • Beard Trimmer – When Pepper delivered her first litter, there were some minor variances in size and tone of colour amongst the newborn pups, but in general, it was difficult to tell the newborn puppies apart from one another. We shaved a spot on the back of each puppy immediately after it was born so that we could tell them apart. For instance, the left shoulder and the right shoulder, the left hip and the right hip, and so on. In addition to that, we’ve been told that you may mark the puppies with nail paint. A low-cost battery-powered beard trimmer quite comparable to this one is available from our company.
  • Puppy Collars

    Not your typical buckle collars made of nylon for your dog. You’re going to want anything far more compact for your newborn puppies. These Velcro Puppy ID bracelets from Goyo Pets Whelping Supplies are fantastic in our opinion.

Documents

You should prepare some papers to record the temperature of the mother dog. This assists in determining when the pups will be delivered. Paperwork should also be used to record the vital statistics of each new puppy when he or she is born.

  • Temperature Plotting Sheet Keeping an eye on Mama’s temperature and recording it three times a day on the temperature plotting sheet can help you estimate when the pups will be born.
  • Birth Documentation Chart.  After each of Pepper’s puppies was born. We made sure to chronicle their births in their own unique way. Marks, the colour of the collar, other distinctive traits, the time of birth, and so on.
  • Use a weight chart for our puppies so that we can monitor their daily growth and ensure that they are gaining weight. It will be much simpler for you to carry out this task on a regular basis if you have a chart within easy reach next to the whelping box or puppy scale and the rest of your Whelping Supplies.
  • Phone numbers for both regular vets and emergency vets.  Keep vital phone numbers close at hand. Include those for your regular veterinarian, an emergency veterinarian, and friends and family who may assist you. It is advisable to have them written down. In addition to having them entered in your phone. This is just in case another person who is assisting can make the call.

A Few Remarks Regarding the Process of Having a Litter of Puppies

Conversations with a few dog breeders and veterinarian in the past who have raised puppies.

Their recommendation is as follows:

  • It is fine for the mother to consume the placenta. However, she should limit herself to no more than two or three bites. She runs the risk of getting an upset stomach and diarrhea as a result. For the record, Pepper had three without any problems the last time.
  • Make sure the mother doesn’t bite through the umbilical cord! She has the tendency to chew things down too much, which can create problems at times. Instead, use the hemostat to crimp the umbilical and make the cut with your scissors. After that, use the unwaxed dental floss to tie off the cords.
  • You can clear up your airways by using your aspiration bulb to clean out your mouth, nose, and throat.
  • Make sure each puppy is still breathing before using a disposable cloth to swiftly dry him off. After that, hand the cleaning chores over to the mother.
  • The mother should not be pushing for more than half an hour with nothing happening. You should see your local veterinarian.