Can I skip whelping box rails? Are they truly needed for puppies?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You can start tracking her temperature rectally with a digital thermometer. Take it once a day at the same time. They usually with go in to stage 1 labor after the temperature drops below 99. You should start watching her more closely around day 58. Newspaper is the best bedding for whelping boxes. She will be fine and it's impossible to control everything. I've attached a hand out on stages of labor and when to be concerned. I hope this helps and I wish you and Soska the best! Whelping and When to be Concerned Stages of Labor: -Stage 1 tends to start 10-24 hours after temperature drop (usually below 99 F). -Stage 1: nesting. Can persist for 3-24 hours before abdominal contractions begin -Stage 2: Visible abdominal contractions. FIRST PUPPY SHOULD ARRIVE WITH IN 1-2 HOURS. -Stage 3: passage of placenta. Usually occurs within 15 mins of passing puppy. If it does not happen, don’t worry. When to worry/Call: -Strong contractions > 45-60 mins without birth of a puppy -Weak and infrequent contractions >4-6 hours without birth of puppy ->4-5 hours between puppies (after birth of first puppy without birth of the next puppy). On average a puppy is born every 45-60 mins. HOWEVER, the mother can often rest for several hours between puppies. This rest period is NOT associated with contractions and usually doesn’t exceed 4-6 hours. -If one puppy is born and she is having VISIBLE contractions for >2 hours without 2nd puppy. Recommend calling around 1 hour mark to talk to someone. -Failure to enter active labor (contractions) 24-36 hours after rectal temp falls below 99 F -Mother is in obvious pain: biting at vulva, crying) -No puppy within 2 hours of seeing green vaginal discharge -No puppy within 1 hour of seeing clear fluid from vulva (rupture of allantochorion) -No puppy within 1 hour of seeing a clear/water filled balloon at vulvar lips (puppy is in birth canal)

You can put four screws with eyeholes in the box . . . one in each corner. Then get some yards of felt and cut them the size of the box floor. Sew little elastic loops at each corner, and put your newspapers down in the box. Cover them with a piece of felt, which you secure to the screw in each corner by looping the elastic over the eyehole. I usually do this once the bitch is done nursing the puppies. If you want a fluffier base, buy some thick (fake) sheepskin and do the same as above with it. You won;t need newspapers underneath. Both the felt and the sheepskin are machine washable and drable, so you can change them every time they're soiled and put fresh ones down.

You may have to keep the puppies in a warm box next to her that she can't fit into and give them to her a few at a time every few hours to nurse. Once they get a little bigger, they should have no trouble staying out of her way. I'd be more worried that these puppies are sick or not nursing enough or not thriving in some way, and not actually getting squashed by mom. (This is common in pigs, not dogs). Make sure the pups are gaining a few ounces every day in weight and they should be ok.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! The first thing is to be sure that Soska is up to date on all her vaccinations, is heartworm negative, in on heartworm prevention and has been dewormed. You can discuss monitoring her progesterone levels and vaginal cytology to optimize the correct breeding dates with your Vet. I will attach a handout on stages of pregnancy and when to worry during labor. Be sure to have a bulb syringe, hemostat, thread to tie umbilical chords and scissors. Here is a good website for whelping boxes:https://gordonsetterexpert.org/2015/10/29/design-yourself-the-perfect-whelping-box-set-up/ Whelping and When to be Concerned Stages of Labor: -Stage 1 tends to start 10-24 hours after temperature drop (usually below 99 F). -Stage 1: nesting. Can persist for 3-24 hours before abdominal contractions begin -Stage 2: Visible abdominal contractions. FIRST PUPPY SHOULD ARRIVE WITH IN 1-2 HOURS. -Stage 3: passage of placenta. Usually occurs within 15 mins of passing puppy. If it does not happen, don’t worry. When to worry/Call: -Strong contractions > 45-60 mins without birth of a puppy -Weak and infrequent contractions >4-6 hours without birth of puppy ->4-5 hours between puppies (after birth of first puppy without birth of the next puppy). On average a puppy is born every 45-60 mins. HOWEVER, the mother can often rest for several hours between puppies. This rest period is NOT associated with contractions and usually doesn’t exceed 4-6 hours. -If one puppy is born and she is having VISIBLE contractions for >2 hours without 2nd puppy. Recommend calling around 1 hour mark to talk to someone. -Failure to enter active labor (contractions) 24-36 hours after rectal temp falls below 99 F -Mother is in obvious pain: biting at vulva, crying) -No puppy within 2 hours of seeing green vaginal discharge -No puppy within 1 hour of seeing clear fluid from vulva (rupture of allantochorion) -No puppy within 1 hour of seeing a clear/water filled balloon at vulvar lips (puppy is in birth canal) I hope this helps and I wish you the best!

I would allow some freedom to Charlotte outside of her whelping box. She may be feeling anxious and need to move around or use the bathroom. It is ok for her to be away from the puppies for short periods of time. Watch the the pups closely and make sure she is still allowing them to nurse. If she is not, she may be painful from a mammary gland infection or she may just be a disinterested mother. If you find that she is not allowing the pups to nurse at all then you will need to bottle feed them every 2-3 hours with puppy milk replacer. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck with your new litter!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Beds are fine in crates as long as they are not chewed up and/or pieces aren’t swallowed that would cause an obstruction. If Jasper chews the bed then he shouldn’t have a bed in his crate. I hope this helps!

Hello and thanks for your question about Belle. I would start off by recommending an examination by Belle's vet to be sure she is healthy/her pregnancy is going well, and she also may need to have some deworming done. In terms of setting things up at home, we normally recommend setting up a comfortable private area for whelping the puppies. A cage may not be best since it may be hard for you to be able to see/access the puppies if needed when she is giving birth. I have seen many people use a small child's swimming pool lined with cozy blankets as this is waterproof (floor won't get dirty) is easily cleaned, and has a high enough edge the pups can't get away but low enough mom can get in and out. Putting it in a quiet area of your house is best. You can also construct an open box yourself. You can read more about pregnant dog care at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A