Whelping Boxes

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     There are a number of different whelping boxes available on the market. These are manufactured in a wide range of different shapes and sizes. Whelping boxes are essential to provide the best conditions for your dog to give birth and raise small puppies.

Why You Need Whelping Boxes

It is very important to supervise the birthing process. Although dogs make very nurturing mothers they can accidentally crush or squash puppies if they do not have the right space available. A basic cardboard box is just not good enough for the birthing process and laundry baskets with their patterned lattice work designs are even worse. Puppies can get caught up and injured by these lattice patterns which can often have sharp edges on the cut away areas. Lattice patterns also allow cold drafts to penetrate the box which can make puppies sick and weak.

Whelping boxes are specifically designed to provide safe, nurturing environments for small puppies and their mothers. They are essential for multiple litter breeds and can be reused.

Rails

One way in which whelping boxes can help prevent puppies from getting injured is by using integral rails. These help to ensure that the mother does not accidentally crush or squash the puppies against the box wall during birth and when they are still very small. Whelping boxes make it much easier to keep puppies contained whilst still allowing the mother to come and go freely.

Lining

Newspaper makes the ideal lining for whelping boxes. It is warm and can be easily disposed of and replaced every day. Shred the newspaper to provide additional warmth and this will also give the puppies some traction as they start to learn to move around. You can also line the box with a warm soft blanket or fleece but this will need to be replaced every time you clean the box. Make sure you wash dog blankets on a high temperature to eradicate any bacteria.

Cleaning Whelping Boxes

Puppies are very vulnerable to certain harmful bacteria when they are young so you do need to make sure you clean and disinfect whelping boxes thoroughly. Although puppies do not leave the whelping box at first the mother will come and go and could bring the bacteria in with her. For example the parvovirus bacteria can be transmitted through infected faeces from one puppy to another. You can eradicate traces of this bacteria by using bleach solutions. As soon as the mother dog begins to leave the whelping box (after around a week) remove the puppies once a day and place them in a warm box whilst you thoroughly disinfect the whelping box. Spray on the bleach solution and leave for at least ten minutes to allow it to destroy any bacteria present. Make sure you thoroughly rinse away the bleach solution and then dry before putting in new lining. It is also a good idea to bleach the floor around the whelping box at the same time (you should have the box on an easy to clean hard surface). Now you can put the puppies back into the whelping box.