whelping question? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

Debbie Jaynes · 01-07-2008, 08:10 AM

How warm do you guys keep your room where your girls whelp? Abby is due any day now and am having trouble trying to figure out how warm the room should be. I have her whelping box in my bathroom which is fairly large, and it is a quiet room that I can keep warmer than the rest of the house. We usually keep our house fairly cool and was trying to figure how warm do I need to keep that room. Thanks for all the replies in advance.

Also, what do you feed your new mama's once the babies are here. Do you give cottage cheese to increase their calcium intake? Thanks Deb

BamaFan121s · 01-07-2008, 08:24 AM

It *seems* like I keep the room around 76 (that would be my guess...I really just walk in there and see how it feels and judge from there) for mom and pups. Also, I make sure that whelping box they stay in is draft free.

After whelp, I have mom on a high protein puppy food and cottage cheese, with some chicken mixed with the food.

Sugar's Mom · 01-07-2008, 08:27 AM

I keep my room at 70 and if it is really cold, I turn it up to about 722 or so and I keep the door to that room closed at all times.

ladie2bug7 · 01-07-2008, 08:32 AM

Hello,

My princess Chloe just had her puppies on New Years. I was so nervous and scared because it was her 1s liter.
Any how, she had 3 girls but need a c-section last minute.
So be prepared, google whelping box for yorkie and you get mostly everything you need.
One things for sure is they need to be in 85f. and it is still cold you will need to put a heating pad and towels over it to maintain them warm.
I have her in my room next to my bed inside her crate ( i have a flat bed) so i can monitor her through out the night. The puppies are 6 days today and God willing they continue to grow healthy. Also ask the vet. for more information and for calcium pills for her.
Hope this helps

& good luck

LazyDaisy · 01-07-2008, 09:09 AM

I kept my room at 80. I have a heater that would kick on when the temp went down and then shut off when it was warm enough. I got it at walmart. I also kept a thermometer on the wall of the whelping box to keep an eye on it. Molly could also get away if she got too warm. I also had small scraps of fleece fabric that mom could shuffle around for a nest perse and pups could crawl under. they were small so I didn't feel that they would smother. I didn't like the idea of a heating pad. I noticed also my Little Bit who was the smallest would cuddle up with the biggest boy Moose. Oh and I gave my Molly one tums per day.

ace611 · 01-07-2008, 09:43 AM

i used a space heater and kept it on 75 the first 2 weeks, and also used a heating blanket on one side of the box. They are 4 weeks now and i still keep the space heater on about 70 and they are doing awesome

Debbie Jaynes · 01-07-2008, 09:59 AM

Thank you sooooo much. I have a space heater in the room and was keeping it at 78, but inside her whelping box the temp. was always at around 78 on one end and 74 at the other. I have the heater setting on the floor and ocillating as the floor is tile and colder than carpet. I have the whelping box on two bath carpets off the floor for insulation and a heating pad at the warmer end of the box. I have all my supplies ready and we are just waiting. This is our first yorkie litter and am so excited I can't hardly wait. I will keep everone posted. Deb

BamaFan121s · 01-07-2008, 10:01 AM

Good luck Deb! I'm sure you must be on pins and needles! You and momma will both do just fine, I'm sure. Keep us updated.

LazyDaisy · 01-07-2008, 10:37 AM

Do you know how many puppies she may have? When we were told that Molly was going to have 7 I thought the vet was nuts...Nope she had 7

Debbie Jaynes · 01-07-2008, 10:53 AM

I had abby x-rayed last wed. and we saw 4 puppies. The first xray you could see 3 and the 4th was just a shadow under her ribs, so the vet took another of abby on her side and you could see all 4 easily. I can't wait. congrats on you 7 that is a huge litter. Are they doing well? Deb

LazyDaisy · 01-07-2008, 12:28 PM

We lost one little boy a few hours after he was born due to his intestines being on the outside The vet thought it was his umbilical cord but there was no way! That was hard, then my Little Bit had to be bottle fed for most of his feedings but he is doing great now. They are 11 weeks now and all are wonderful. Molly is large and I think that is why she handled 7 without any difficulty. For the most part everything went smooth. She started he labor around 10:50 and had the last pup before 3pm. I was so busy that day that I didn't get my morning coffee until 4pm! I think if we stay calm then so will the mom to be.

Debbie Jaynes · 01-07-2008, 02:18 PM

I think you are right. They seem to take their que from us. Abby was 6.6 lbs. before pg. So I think she will handle the birthing fine, but have vets number just in case there are problems that I don't foresee. Abby's mom is about abby's size and her first litter was 5 and she did well all by herself. So if daughter takes after mom we should be fine.

LazyDaisy · 01-07-2008, 05:23 PM

When Molly's first pup arrived she had trouble chewing the cord so I clamped it and cut it myself, and everyone after that as well. But I remember at first I was shaking so bad and I was alone but then I told myself to get it together and all at once I stopped shaking and got the job done. You never know what to expect until it happens. I had the vet on the phone at different times so that was a help.

Sunnie · 01-07-2008, 07:39 PM

Here is what I found in my research prior to Sunshines's babies being born
85 degrees for 1-2 weeks, 80 degrees the 3rd week, 75 degrees after that, then temperature the same as is comfortable for you. BIGGER puppies can handle less heat. Newborns need to stay a lot warmer than we do. A chilled puppy can die very quickly and will not eat. I kept a thermometer right inside the x pen where I had the whelping box set up. I also kept the whelping box covered with a blanket at all times and wrapped blankets all around the xpen and over the top at night. Putting the blanket over the entire x-pen at night really helped to keep the warmth in for the babies. I kept a heating pad on low under 1/2 of the whelping box to help maintain the heat. Mom could move to the side where the heating pad was NOT if she got too warm. Also, since the whelping box and x-pen were set up in one corner of my bedroom, by covering it at night, I was able to use a fan in the room aimed away from the pen and towards the bed so we were also comfortable without comprimizing the babies.
Good luck

trisha94 · 01-08-2008, 09:21 PM

a puppy cannot keep his internal temp above 12 degrees of the outside temp. He also must be at least 96 degrees in his body for him to nurse or he could die, so it only goes to figure that his environment must be 84 degrees. Of course you do not have to keep the actual room 84 degrees. You can use heating pad/heat lamp. You also have the mother's body heat...

01-07-2008, 08:10 AM	#1
Debbie Jaynes Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2005 Location: Northern, CA Posts: 120	whelping question? How warm do you guys keep your room where your girls whelp? Abby is due any day now and am having trouble trying to figure out how warm the room should be. I have her whelping box in my bathroom which is fairly large, and it is a quiet room that I can keep warmer than the rest of the house. We usually keep our house fairly cool and was trying to figure how warm do I need to keep that room. Thanks for all the replies in advance. Also, what do you feed your new mama's once the babies are here. Do you give cottage cheese to increase their calcium intake? Thanks Deb __________________ Abbie's mom

01-07-2008, 08:32 AM	#4
ladie2bug7 Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: texas Posts: 11	Answer Hello, My princess Chloe just had her puppies on New Years. I was so nervous and scared because it was her 1s liter. Any how, she had 3 girls but need a c-section last minute. So be prepared, google whelping box for yorkie and you get mostly everything you need. One things for sure is they need to be in 85f. and it is still cold you will need to put a heating pad and towels over it to maintain them warm. I have her in my room next to my bed inside her crate ( i have a flat bed) so i can monitor her through out the night. The puppies are 6 days today and God willing they continue to grow healthy. Also ask the vet. for more information and for calcium pills for her. Hope this helps & good luck __________________ Kobe

01-07-2008, 09:43 AM	#6
ace611 YT Addict Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: So. IL Posts: 496	i used a space heater and kept it on 75 the first 2 weeks, and also used a heating blanket on one side of the box. They are 4 weeks now and i still keep the space heater on about 70 and they are doing awesome __________________ Bella-Boo member of the Pink Club-Spoiled Rotten Club-Lil Heartbreaker Club TEAM EMMA

01-07-2008, 09:59 AM	#7
Debbie Jaynes Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2005 Location: Northern, CA Posts: 120	Thank you sooooo much. I have a space heater in the room and was keeping it at 78, but inside her whelping box the temp. was always at around 78 on one end and 74 at the other. I have the heater setting on the floor and ocillating as the floor is tile and colder than carpet. I have the whelping box on two bath carpets off the floor for insulation and a heating pad at the warmer end of the box. I have all my supplies ready and we are just waiting. This is our first yorkie litter and am so excited I can't hardly wait. I will keep everone posted. Deb __________________ Abbie's mom

01-07-2008, 10:53 AM	#10
Debbie Jaynes Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2005 Location: Northern, CA Posts: 120	I had abby x-rayed last wed. and we saw 4 puppies. The first xray you could see 3 and the 4th was just a shadow under her ribs, so the vet took another of abby on her side and you could see all 4 easily. I can't wait. congrats on you 7 that is a huge litter. Are they doing well? Deb __________________ Abbie's mom

01-07-2008, 08:24 AM	#2
BamaFan121s Donating YT 10K Club Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Alabama Posts: 11,432	It seems like I keep the room around 76 (that would be my guess...I really just walk in there and see how it feels and judge from there) for mom and pups. Also, I make sure that whelping box they stay in is draft free. After whelp, I have mom on a high protein puppy food and cottage cheese, with some chicken mixed with the food.

01-07-2008, 08:27 AM	#3
Sugar's Mom BANNED! Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 9,248	I keep my room at 70 and if it is really cold, I turn it up to about 722 or so and I keep the door to that room closed at all times.

01-07-2008, 09:09 AM	#5
LazyDaisy Dainty Dawgs Donating Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Reno Posts: 784	I kept my room at 80. I have a heater that would kick on when the temp went down and then shut off when it was warm enough. I got it at walmart. I also kept a thermometer on the wall of the whelping box to keep an eye on it. Molly could also get away if she got too warm. I also had small scraps of fleece fabric that mom could shuffle around for a nest perse and pups could crawl under. they were small so I didn't feel that they would smother. I didn't like the idea of a heating pad. I noticed also my Little Bit who was the smallest would cuddle up with the biggest boy Moose. Oh and I gave my Molly one tums per day.

01-07-2008, 10:01 AM	#8
BamaFan121s Donating YT 10K Club Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Alabama Posts: 11,432	Good luck Deb! I'm sure you must be on pins and needles! You and momma will both do just fine, I'm sure. Keep us updated.

01-07-2008, 10:37 AM	#9
LazyDaisy Dainty Dawgs Donating Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Reno Posts: 784	Do you know how many puppies she may have? When we were told that Molly was going to have 7 I thought the vet was nuts...Nope she had 7

01-07-2008, 12:28 PM	#11
LazyDaisy Dainty Dawgs Donating Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Reno Posts: 784	We lost one little boy a few hours after he was born due to his intestines being on the outside The vet thought it was his umbilical cord but there was no way! That was hard, then my Little Bit had to be bottle fed for most of his feedings but he is doing great now. They are 11 weeks now and all are wonderful. Molly is large and I think that is why she handled 7 without any difficulty. For the most part everything went smooth. She started he labor around 10:50 and had the last pup before 3pm. I was so busy that day that I didn't get my morning coffee until 4pm! I think if we stay calm then so will the mom to be.

01-07-2008, 02:18 PM	#12
Debbie Jaynes Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2005 Location: Northern, CA Posts: 120	I think you are right. They seem to take their que from us. Abby was 6.6 lbs. before pg. So I think she will handle the birthing fine, but have vets number just in case there are problems that I don't foresee. Abby's mom is about abby's size and her first litter was 5 and she did well all by herself. So if daughter takes after mom we should be fine. __________________ Abbie's mom

01-07-2008, 05:23 PM	#13
LazyDaisy Dainty Dawgs Donating Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Reno Posts: 784	When Molly's first pup arrived she had trouble chewing the cord so I clamped it and cut it myself, and everyone after that as well. But I remember at first I was shaking so bad and I was alone but then I told myself to get it together and all at once I stopped shaking and got the job done. You never know what to expect until it happens. I had the vet on the phone at different times so that was a help.

01-07-2008, 07:39 PM	#14
Sunnie Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: So. California Posts: 4,057	Here is what I found in my research prior to Sunshines's babies being born 85 degrees for 1-2 weeks, 80 degrees the 3rd week, 75 degrees after that, then temperature the same as is comfortable for you. BIGGER puppies can handle less heat. Newborns need to stay a lot warmer than we do. A chilled puppy can die very quickly and will not eat. I kept a thermometer right inside the x pen where I had the whelping box set up. I also kept the whelping box covered with a blanket at all times and wrapped blankets all around the xpen and over the top at night. Putting the blanket over the entire x-pen at night really helped to keep the warmth in for the babies. I kept a heating pad on low under 1/2 of the whelping box to help maintain the heat. Mom could move to the side where the heating pad was NOT if she got too warm. Also, since the whelping box and x-pen were set up in one corner of my bedroom, by covering it at night, I was able to use a fan in the room aimed away from the pen and towards the bed so we were also comfortable without comprimizing the babies. Good luck __________________ Sonya, Owned by Ladybug, Tilly, Sunshine, Beamer, Rainbow, Sonny and Righteous RIP Sunnie (11/12/2003-7/31/2009)

01-08-2008, 09:21 PM	#15
trisha94 Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Illinois Posts: 76	a puppy cannot keep his internal temp above 12 degrees of the outside temp. He also must be at least 96 degrees in his body for him to nurse or he could die, so it only goes to figure that his environment must be 84 degrees. Of course you do not have to keep the actual room 84 degrees. You can use heating pad/heat lamp. You also have the mother's body heat...