🐾 Whelping Kit Essentials 🐾

I have recently had a few questions on what my guide to a ‘getting ready for whelping’ list would look like. It took me much longer than I anticipated and I’m sure there will be things I’ve forgotten but I hope this helps someone who may just be missing that one thing…

• Strong Whelping Box - with plenty of space for sitting in with them if needed, pig rails to stop the mum from accidentally sitting on the puppies and squashing them and ideally one with wipe-down surfaces making it a much more hygienic environment

• Heat lamp - to keep the puppies warm and dry off when they are born

• At least 3x Vet Bedding - measured to fit your whelping box. 1 to be in use, 1 in the wash & 1 drying that has been washed. We would recommend changing your vet bed at least once a day to keep the smells and nasties away  

• Thermometer - to measure your bitches temperature and watch for any sudden drops or spikes. Usually, a drop of 2 degrees indicates your pups are imminent and we would recommend taking your girls temperature 7 days before she is due, 2-3 times per day. This way you can pick up a pattern and any abnormalities will indicate if your pups are on their way or if there could be a problem. A really important and useful piece of kit!  

• Lubricant Gel - an animal safe gel, for use with your thermometer and for helping to pull out any stuck puppies.  

• Puppy Pads/Newspaper - these are great for the early days of toilet training before they progress to outdoors. They are also brilliant underneath your vet bedding during birth to soak up anything that may come through the bedding.  

• Gloves - Sterile gloves are great during labour to help any stuck pups and are much more useful than using clean hands as they can provide extra grip. 

• Sanitiser - this is used from the time your bitch enters her whelping area to when your puppies leave, to stop any cross contamination of diseases that could be very easily transmitted to young pups.  

• Sterile Surgical Scissors - for cutting the pups umbilical cord if the mother isn’t too keen or a natural.  

• High Quality Feed - for great nutrition and fuel for your lactating bitch feeding the pups and to give your pups the best start in life.  

• Weenafeeda - great for ensuring all of your pups are eating the same amount and reducing the risk of any of them being pushed out during feeding times.

• FIDOPOLI App - this FREE app is absolutely fantastic, you can enter in litter information such as weights, photos, birth information and markings and will create a very clear graph and percentages of daily gains/losses. I swear by this app.  

• A Good Vet - research local vets to have on standby when your bitch goes into whelp. An emergency section in the early hours can be difficult to find if you don’t know where to look, so do your research before the time comes.

• Puppystim/Liver Water/ Life Drops - if you have a weak puppy that isn’t doing so great, it’s always best to ask your vet. But one of these simple solutions could save their life and are great to have ready for their arrival.  

• Dog Friendly Disinfectant - disinfecting should be done multiple times per day, to ensure your pups don’t pick up anything unwanted.  

• Calcium Support - particularly for bitches with big litters or that are struggling producing milk, Calcium support will give them the extra boost they need. I like to use whole goats milk for every day use, Fit & Fertile; pregnant & lactating bitch formula and Collo-Cal D for fast absorption.  

• Clean Towels - for drying off puppies when born. I like to use the DotDotPet disposable towels.

• Bulb Syringe - this has saved many puppies lives for me that have been born struggling to breathe due to having fluid in their airways. It’s so quick and simple as soon as they are born to give them a quick clean with this and could save their life

• Digital Weighing Scale - to weigh puppies and be able to record daily gains/losses.  

• Puppy Milk Powder & bottles - if your bitch is struggling to produce milk or doesn’t have enough you will have to start bottle feeding for them to get enough nutrition to survive.  

• Lastly…

         Food & Water - for yourself! Whelping can be a long process which you don’t want to have to nip to the shops for something you forgot!

Be prepared and ensure a safe and healthy start for your new arrivals!

We will have Ribblebrook Puppies due mid-April '24! For any information, please contact Holly 🐾😊