Opinions on the amount of heat needed varies widely; I'm not sure my method
is the right one, but it seems to work for me.
I do not routinely use heat after the first 48 hours or so; the dam usually
stays with them and keeps them warm. For the first week or two, I might
turn on some heat if the dam is away from the litter for an extended period,
like when they get their dewclaws done. But otherwise, I just let body heat
do the work. Room temp here is about 75 degrees. Like Phyllis, I do
sometimes put a small (vari-kennel junior) crate in the puppy pen at about 3
weeks, so they can all pile in there together if they wish. For smaller
dams, I also put a bed on top of the crate, so she can get up and away from
the pups as they get older, usually at about 3 weeks.
I use the same method with my Japanese Chin pups, which are generally even
smaller than cavalier pups, usuallly 3 or 4 ounces at birth. Right now I
have a litter of four here; they are about 4 weeks old and probably weigh
about a pound. They have had no heat source in the pen for at least a
couple weeks. They are in a pen next to the computer, and as I typed the
above paragraph, one of them just toddled out of the crate and went and used
the litterbox. (Chin puppies are the cutest thing in the world at this age;
they look like tiny panda bears.)
We probably overestimate the need for heat. I have told the story before
about my whelping accident. Once a cavalier bitch delivered two puppies in
my backyard in the middle of the night. I was out there with her, and
picked up one and took it inside, but didn't see the other one fall out as
she followed me back inside. That was at about 3 or 4 am, on a rainy night
in the summer, maybe 60 degrees outside. That was the last of what I
thought was six puppies so I went to bed, and didn't get up until 9 am.
Imagine my surprise to look out the kitchen window and see a puppy lying in
the grass. I was terrified, certain that it would be dead after spending 5
or 6 hours alone in the backyard in the rain. I rushed out, cut the cord
and tossed the placenta, put the puppy with mom and littermates, and it grew
up to be a normal cavalier. Not something I would repeat intentionally,
though......If I ever have another backyard delivery, I will keep one eye on
mom all the way back into the house!
Leanne
----- Original Message -----
> I have a question Leanne. At what age do your puppies no longer need a
heat
> source in the puppy pen?
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