Petnap Whelping Supplies

  Are you a breeder? If so, you will know the importance of the stud dog for successful breeding. If you are new to breeding , then you must know selecting the correct stud dog is the most important part of breeding. The male dog used in breeding is known as the stud dog. When you have a female dog, you need to select the stud dog that will help you get the best results from breeding. You need to choose a dog with a good pedigree or having the traits you prefer. The process of selecting a stud dog can be daunting. After all, there are so many stud dogs to be found. To help you make an easy decision, we have some guidelines. They will help you objectively find the right stud dog for breeding. Guidelines on finding the correct stud dog   1) Decide about lineage   When you are breeding dogs, you may be concerned about the lineage. You would want to maintain a pedigree through the breeding. In such a case, you need to find out the pedigree of the stud dog bef...

A whelping box, also called a nesting box, is where new born  puppies  will spend the first 20 days of their life. Designing to protect puppies during birth (whelping), it keeps them safely contained, protects them from the cold, and ensures they aren't crushed by their mother. THE POINT OF A WHELPING BOX ? A whelping box or whelping  bed  is a secure zone for your dog to give birth. It is a safe and ideal place for your pregnant dog to give birth. From reusable plastic whelping boxes to cardboard options, there are lots to choose from. You will also need to keep the box warm, so it's advised to choose bedding materials that are soft, warm, have good traction, and are easily cleaned and disinfected. Avoid hay, straw or shavings that can cause eye and skin irritations.  Whelping Boxes

A  whelping box , also known as a  nesting box, whelping den ,  or  whelping pen , is designed to protect  puppies  during birth (whelping) and early life by keeping them safely contained, protected from cold, and safe from the danger of crushing or smothering by the mother. Whelping boxes vary from improvised cardboard boxes, durable high density corrugated plastic to purpose built equipment, typically made of plywood or plastic. Desirable features include ease of cleaning and sanitation, extendibility, and toughness. However, there can sometimes not be enough traction, and with the added factor of an unnaturally flat floor, often puppies can develop, and suffer from what is known as hip dysplasia. A good solution is actually a  whelping den , a new form of whelping that has struck the market for breeders that virtually erases the risk of hip dysplasia for usually less than the cost of losing a single pup. Whelping Dens are available in open, en...

When whelping puppies, it is very important to be prepared, having what you need on hand is essential for a successful and easy whelp. Whelping Kit   Things you should have prepared include the following:   Phone number for you vet and on call vet in case it is out of hours. It’s a good idea to a friend or other family member available to call on if required. If you do need to make a dash for the vets make sure you have some around for child care. Keep the car with plenty of fuel in the last thing you want to have to do is refuel on the way. ....That’s the emergency part out of the way although everyone hopes not to have to go down that route. What would you need in your whelping kit? Well typically one of these whelping kits from Petnap has everything you ever likely to require.   Contents: * 2oz bulb syringe / nasal aspirator * Scales (up to 5000g) (If purchased with) * LED Torch (inc batteries) * Scissors (sterile, nursing) * Stethosco...

  A  whelping box , also known as a birthing box,  whelping pen and nesting box is used in order to protect the puppies after the whelping process is completed and during the early stages of life when they are most vulnerable. The whelping box keeps them safely contained away from the cold, most whelping boxes also contain rails or poles around the lower edges of which we get asked all the time what these are for and the short answer is they stop the mother crushing the puppies up against the sides of the box which could cause the puppies to become suffocated as well as being crushed. At petnap we sell 2 types of nesting boxes, Disposable Cardboard and Reusable Plastic whelping boxes. Both of these boxes will cope with the duration of the whelping process normally around 6 to 8 weeks before they then move on to a more suitable environment like a play pen as they become ever more adventurous. We stock 5 sizes in both types giving you plenty of choice as als...

  Many cats and dogs just love curling up for a nap in the warmest spot they can find. A pet heat pad is the perfect way to guarantee there’s a cozy place for them, whatever the weather. This can be especially useful for older pets, or those with a litter of puppies or kittens.   These include a removable, washable cover. This pad is also thermostatically controlled, meaning it heats up to the body temperature of your pet, but won’t overheat above this.   Pet heating pads are for every four-legged friend that loves a toasty, cozy spot to nap in. Cats and dogs both!

Whelping Box – We went down the DIY route at the start as we couldn’t find anything online to suit our budget-this was our first mistake it sounds very straight forward making a  whelping box  from wood etc but by the time we actually finished buying all the wood and screws etc we definitely could of saved money buying a purpose made one that would of certainly done a better job also. Update: Our friends really like and have recommended the plastic whelping box from Petnap and this is the box I am likely to buy next time round. Whelping Heat Mat  – You could just use a hot water bottle or heat lamp of course but both options have many draw backs so this is something that we really didn’t mind shelling out a few quid on. You can pick a heat pad up on all the usual places like the online auction sites etc but we have had one in the past I can’t remember how long ago but I certainly can’t find it these days, that too was a  Petnap  heat pad although they d...

You will need important Whelping supplies to be ready if anything happens while your dam is giving birth. A good whelping supply list must be complete although there is a very slim chance for you to use it; you should actually wish not to use it. Yet, your  whelping supplies  have to be easily and quickly available at all times during your bitch’s end of pregnancy. While the dam is giving birth, you should stay well away to supervise the whole process. However, if anything requires your intervention, use gloves to be as sterile as possible. Do not manipulate and handle the puppies or the dam with bare hands, you could pass on your dirty microbes to them. If you read our post on how to give special care to new born puppies after birth, you will know to keep track of each puppy’s weight as the progression of weight must be noticeable and follow some pattern. Speak to your vet to get the breed’s “normal” weight for the first couple of weeks. You will need t...

Whether you are breeding your first litter or you are a professional breeder – as you approach the date your bitch is due to whelp you will be excited, anxious and vigilant! If you are planning to breed from your dog it is recommended to wait until they are a minimum of two years of age. A dam will have her first season around 6-9 months of age and this will repeat in a cycle every 6 months. After mating the bitch will carry the puppies for a gestation period of 63 days – you will notice during this time she becomes larger, her teats grow and towards the end she may start to “nest”. This is the process of making a bed she feels is safe to give birth to her puppies, it is an evolutionary response to the hormones caused by the pregnancy and is seen in wild dogs and wolves where they need to find a location away from predators and the elements. You can help your bitch chose a suitable area to whelp by providing a  whelping box  – this can be anything from a cardboard bo...

A  whelping box  is in short, a box of sort that is used for the bitch to give birth to her puppies in and is the puppies home for the first stage of their life. At around 7 weeks into pregnancy, we need to start thinking about the whelping box. Let’s have a look at an easy way to work out which size whelping box you’re going to need, remember you should be doing this at the 7 week point at the latest as ideally you should have the whelping box set 2 weeks prior to the due date. The advice we give when selecting the correct size whelping box is to measure from the nose to the base of tail add several inches for the incorporation of puppy rails and free room and then go for the next size whelping box up from this measurement. (This is advice only and is ultimately down to the customer to select the correct size) The puppies will remain in the whelping box usually around  4  to 6 week, this is when they become more animated and therefore need more space to get a...