What's on the bottom of your whelping box? HipDys Vs sanitation

[~WelshStump~]

Posted this on another forum, but this one is more active so thought I'd ask here too. This is in regards to the "Corgi cam" which has it's own thread else where if you want to watch it yourself.

So, this discussion came up on The Daily Corgi facebook page, it was in regards to a new "puppy cam" on YouTube where Pem puppies are being highlighted, and the author mentioned how they didn't like the lack of a blanket in the bottom of the area. This is something that I was quite upset with to, you can see the pups strain now at around 3 weeks as they try to walk but can't and just end up sliding, it looks awful. Anyway, after reading this article and from what I've heard from other breeders/owners/vets over the years about how slick floors can worsen hip dysplasia, I see this as a bad situation for the puppies. So, the owner of these dogs reason for not allowing the pups a secure surface to toddle on?

Q: Why don't the puppies have soft blankets to lie down on?
A: Cloth can hold harmful bacteria. At this early stage, the puppies' immune systems aren't fully developed, so a hard clean surface is safe.

So, breeders, puppy raiser, what's on the bottom of you whelping boxes? Why? What are your thoughts on this subject?
And...GO!

[Dizzy]

Considering dogs raise puppies in slums, holes in the ground, during storms, in barns, sheds, comfy houses, posh whelping boxes, grass, mud, ice, snow, sand......

I really wouldn't be all that concerned :/

But I am not a breeder, and that's probably why

[AdrianneIsabel]

Well that's purely because if you do it right your litter will fail, if you're a byb your litter will thrive.

In all seriousness though the breeders I worked for used newspaper and varying height cardboard boxes and shavings. They didn't use fabric from what I remember probably because of the cleaning factor but I could be wrong.

[YodelDogs]

I use a blanket, folded flat not wadded up, while they are very young. The dam cleans the pups so there is no smell and barely any soiling. I change out the blanket daily. Sanitation is no issue.

When the pups are up and walking, they have numerous play sessions daily in my kitchen. The floor is vinyl. The surface is a bit slippery to toddling babies but it has never caused any problems.

[~WelshStump~]

Originally Posted by YodelDogs

I use a blanket, folded flat not wadded up, while they are very young. The dam cleans the pups so there is no smell and barely any soiling. I change out the blanket daily. Sanitation is no issue.

When the pups are up and walking, they have numerous play sessions daily in my kitchen. The floor is vinyl. The surface is a bit slippery to toddling babies but it has never caused any problems.

So they're not on it 24/7 though?

And what of grass and going outside? I was on youtube some time ago and saw a video of 3-4 week old puppies playing outside in the grass, more natural surface if you ask me, but as to the argument of germs, hmm...?

[YodelDogs]

Originally Posted by ~WelshStump~

So they're not on it 24/7 though?

When they are awake they spend most of their time running around the kitchen. I litterbox train them as soon as they are toddling about so cleanliness isn't a big deal. They go back into the puppy pen (also located in the kitchen) for naps and overnight. A quick mopping after each play session keeps everything clean and fresh smelling.

And what of grass and going outside? I was on youtube some time ago and saw a video of 3-4 week old puppies playing outside in the grass, more natural surface if you ask me, but as to the argument of germs, hmm...?

Basenji puppies are born in the winter so their time outside is restricted by the weather. If it isn't too cold I will put little homemade sweaters on them and let them play a while in my yard.

[AdrianneIsabel]

Unless its a public park frequented by dogs I wouldn't worry.

[Aleron]

Originally Posted by AdrianneIsabel

Unless its a public park frequented by dogs I wouldn't worry.

I'm not sure I could allow unvaccinated puppies outside on surfaces that can't be sanitized ever again. My litter that got Parvo never left our property but were outside a great deal, as they were mid-summer puppies. Pravo is not solely a concern of places where people take dogs, it's found in most environments. I've become rather paranoid about Parvo after those puppies got it. My puppies are now kept indoors or allowed outside only in an expen on the deck, after the deck has been bleached and covered with a blanket. Every person who comes into the house spays their shoes with bleach, takes them off and leaves them at the door, washes their hands and arms and depending on where they came from changes clothes before interacting with the puppies - every time.

My puppies have all been born in plastic wading pools. I always offered blankets at first but my girls never like them in the pool with the pups, so after the first day or so I just stop offering them. Never had an issue with the surface but then, by 3 weeks they're usually out of the box and have to be moved to a puppy room:

[release the hounds]

i really grow tired of the "Germ" argument for everything. Don't throw your puppies in a pile of ****, don't drink sewer water and don't worry about everything so much. You're not going to avoid germs, ever.

[speedydogs]

We use a washable "whelping pad" when they are very young - absorbent, soft, waterproof on the bottom - good traction for puppies. Then when they get older we use fleece (changed twice daily) with a newspaper layer underneath. Once they're three weeks old or so they're out frequently for playtime in the kitchen (linoleum) or outside in the fenced in yard. By the time they're eight weeks old they spend a good deal of time outside, if the weather's nice enough. I'd never keep them on a hard surface 24/7.

I also dislike the "germ" argument. Obviously you have to be careful about communicable disease, so we have visitors wash hands and take off shoes, wash the older dogs' feet if we take them anywhere, etc. But I think it's a bad idea to raise puppies in a totally sterile environment; just like kids, they need a chance to let their immune systems develop.