Pups to be born...

[Unreal_tk]

I am going to have a litter coming this spring. I know you have to worm them and the bitch before birth and shots of course. Good warm dry bedding, going to have a good pen for them. Any other considerations I should take ?

[mondomuttruner]

I've found furniture moving blankets work better than any kind of bedding. Change it out every few days when they become damp. I know quite a few furniture movers so there readily available.

[henpeck]

I use a clean piece of carpet screwed down with just sheet rock screws.....bitches usually go to digging hard when they start into labor.....make sure to have a second piece and change out first piece once shes had them all..........to get them on a dry clean piece....keep cleaning and changing out as needed til welped ..I also keep plenty of feed & water for her....I also will feed the bitch twice a day, with plenty of warm liquids in it. To help her snap back and never get pulled down...first couple of days are critical of as most won't leave the pups....going to start using some Go Dog from Jeffers pet......hounds loved it after a hard hot race....even finicky ones.....keep a light going....and trim them toe nails at week two to prevent future problems....keep them fat and sassy, warm and wormed and enjoy

[twist]

Big whelping box use of blankets is not good female will ball them up smother or lay on pups. Just small amount of wood shavings or grass hay and you will be fine. Keep dry and out of wind. Andy

[al baldwin]

whelping box, important, 2x 4 around the interior of box to prevent female from laying on pups. I have found outdoor carpet works great after getting over the mess from birth. Before & a couple days after birth, found newspapers work well, need lots of it and change often. Once you start using the carpet will need a couple pieces, wash dry & change as needed. Pay attention to the sanitation of the box. Good luck Al just what worked best for me. After started using this lost very few pups. Will these be pure blue tick, shame on you.

[Unreal_tk]

Yes Al pure but not registered. Thanks for the tips and ideas. I'll use some of these ideas.

[david]

TK, if you can find this book: Breeding Better Dogs by Leon Witney DVM, get it. In it he has a pattern and design for a welping box. Every time I hear of lost puppies, it just rips me up, because so often it could have been prevented with a little elbow grease and a few bucks for the plywood. This box has four triangular peices of plywood for the floor. They are braced up along the edges by the walls, and fit perfectly together in the center, with a gentle slope toward the middle. Seal the seams with good tape. Dont use any bedding at all. There is no bedding that does not have potential negative side effects. Your female will be very comfortable in the depression which is much like the hole she would have dug for herself. The sealed edges make it very easy to clean. Make the opening up high enough that she can get out, but no way a puppy could. the only down side of this design is that puppies can not get away from each other very easily, so they must not get too hot. but keeping them together makes it easy for the mother never to lay on one, and this is the key.

[david]

If you cant find the book, mock up the floor with cardboard to make yourself a pattern. As I remember, the box was four feet square. seems like the floor at the walls was about 4 inches off the bottom, sloping to the bottom in the center.

[david]

Yes Al pure but not registered.

Pure bred blueticks with out papers. You lost me. what would be the reason for having blueticks if not for papers?

Bobcat hunters who have blueticks by free choice are much stronger than me. I mean, I had freckles and red hair and a last name that was way too close to "Pig tail" or "Pay toilet" so I just had to get used to all that razzing. You take the razzing by choice, and dont even have the papers to wipe your tears with. Dang, you are a tough one. If I need to pick a fight I am going elsewhere so I might have a chance of winning.

[Sthelensblue1]

If you want to go the cheap route buy a kiddy pool my last litter didnt lose a single pup and its real easy to clean.

[Unreal_tk]

Thanks David. I will see what I can come up with. I'm not that tough.... the dogs do the talking for me.... damn trashy sons of guns!!!