Warmth
The puppies will need a warm environment to keep healthy, and there are a number of ways to do this.
A newborn pup's temperature should be 95 degrees. Prolonged temperature above 96 is too hot, below 95... too cold, both are dangerous.
Mom's temperature is about 101 degrees. As she will be nursing and cleaning her puppies, she will automatically be keeping them at the correct temperature most of the time.
We keep our house temperature at 72 - 74 degrees, so there is a need to add heat to the whelping area.
Some people turn up their home thermostat to 80 degrees. This works (but too warm for me, and I suspect mother dog as well!)
We keep a heating pad underneath the Whelping Box.
If a puppy gets cold, they will crawl to the warmer area. If a puppy gets too warm, they'll crawl to a cooler area. A whelping box's interior temperature should be 95 degrees for the first 2 weeks. We check the puppies, the temperature and their weight regularly.
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Page last updated 7/07/08