Hi Denise,
I wrote a whole long reply then received a phone call and was logged off....so I will
start again (with less enthusiasm.)
I will answer your questions and then tell you what my regime is.
Question 1: Since the nest forms a depression about three inches deep, how do the pups
get up to mom to nurse, since the surface is a slippery plastic (I
assume that you cannot cover the nest since the pups must be in direct contact with
it)?
* I use no covering whatsoever. You will be suprised to see that the mom never leaves
the nest and lies with the babies curled around her. The pups easily manage to get
around with no problem. The pups never leave the nest for the first few weeks.
Question 2: What do you cover the rest of the surface of the whelping box with (i.e.,
the surface that mom will be resting on? Since the whelping nest covers a significant
area of the box, and leaves an irregular space to cover, how do you arrange fluffies
(lambskin pads) so mom is comfortable?
*I use no pads or pillow in the box at all. You don't want the mother to have
anything to dig in or to be able to bury a baby....or have a baby crawl under some
bedding and then be sat upon.
Question 3: Is it necessary to have any other heat source to use in conjunction with
the whelping nest, other than to ensuring that it is protected from drafts?
*The nest is sufficient. It is recommended that the room be kept at 70 degrees. I
remember when I first started talking about the nest I was accused of "cooking" the
puppies. I had to respond that since the nest is kept at temperatures between 94 and
96 degrees it is even cooler than if a puppy were on your bare skin...at 98.6 degrees.
This is what I do.....
The first week or two I use nothing at all and just wipe the nest off with water and a
little bit of natural orange cleaner. I also put a bowl of water inside the box since
I have noticed my mothers are even reluctant to leave to drink water. (I remove the
water bowl as soon as the puppies are crawling around.)
Around the end of the 2nd week I take an old, thin lambskin pad (fake) and wrap it
over and around the nest. I lift the nest up and tuck the ends into the hole in the
box and let them hang down. There are now no open ends for a puppy to crawl under the
fabric.
Around the end of the 3rd week, when they are starting to attempt to walk I put a
thick vetbed (the type from England that are heavy and won't slide) over the entire
bottom. I also add a small tray (like from McDonalds) with a wee wee pad wrapped
around (and taped with scotch tape on the under-side so it won't be able to be pulled
off)and place it in the corner. You would be amazed at how quickly they learn to
hobble over to the pad to do their thing. If you wait til they are up and running
they will be more likely to tear at the pad, but when you start so young they get used
to it being there and don't treat it like a chew toy (I do throw toys in there at
about 3 weeks also.)
I've probably forgotten something.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Phyllis Lasser
=========================================================
"Magic Commands":
to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email:
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL
to start it up gain click here:
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL
E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance.
Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html
All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 1999 by its original author.
