puppies first few days

Question
QUESTION: Hi there, My Shih-Tzu gave birth yesterday to 6 puppies they were on 57 days gestated. They all appear to be well but I just wondered if you could give me a bit of advice to give them the best start. We have put them in there box with mom and a hot water bottle and also have a heat bulb in the room instead of a normall one. We put the heat bulb in because of them been born quite early we were told they would probably die! We really dont want this to happen so we placed there box on the floor below the light, is this the right thing to do? I have read that they can also get too hot how can we tell what is right for them? I am going to purchase a room thermometer tomorrow what is the right temp for the room and what temp should the pups be? They have lovely pink feet and noses but sometimes there bellies look a little purplish, what does this mean?  I am taking mom to the vets tomorrow but have been told not to take the pups because of infection will they be okay for an hour just with the water bottle and light? I know that everyday is crucial for these pups but at what point can I breath a sigh of relief? Do you think with them been born at 57 days will affect there chances of surviving?
Sorry for all the questions.
many thanks for any advice you can give me

ANSWER: Hi Samantha

I would caution with the heat bulb as pups can't regulate their temperature so they can overheat and I've even seen some pups get burned.    You are better off with a heating pad set on the lowest setting under a couple of towels.  

Your female will be very anxious if you take her away from her pups.  What is the risk of infection?  Don't let anyone handle them and keep them in a shoe box or some such.  


If the dam is feeding, after about 72 hours you should be out of the woods.

Good luck


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Joyce, thank you ever so much for your reply. I turned the light off today as I think that is was causing mom to get too hot. They seem to be doing just fine they have all gained at least 3/4oz, the smallest is now 7oz and the heaviest is 9 1/4oz. I just wondered if you can tell me approx what temp the whelping box needs to be for them to maintain an even temp? Also do you have any ideas what I can safely use to disenfect the floor of the room they are in? I have been using johnsons dog safe spray to clean the whelping box and moms bowls is this okay? I make sure I rinse and wipe the solution off well before letting her use them.
many thanks again

Answer
A newborn pup should be about 94 - 96 degrees.  A pups internal thermostat doesn't start working until they are about 3 weeks old.  The mom is 101 - 102 degrees so a pup can keep it's heat from her.  

Ideal room temperature is 95 degrees.

Lysol wipes are good for disinfecting. The pups should not be on tile but towels or old sheets.  I prefer to use old bathmats, as they don't slip and go easily into the wash daily.

If you are using metal bowls (and you should be) they can go into the dishwasher daily for a good cleaning.