Where to purchase whelping supplies
Revival Animal Health is an online store that carries a myriad of items breeders want to have on hand. Oral Cal for whelping mamas, SafeGuard and Pyrantel Pamoate dewormers, Nutri-Drops for newborn puppies, whelping box liners, and breeding supplements are just a few of the many products Revival Animal Health offers. Order supplies ahead of time so you will have them ready to go when whelping day arrives.
The Puppy Whelping Checklist
- A warm, quiet room
- A whelping box with pig rail (more about different types of whelping boxes below)
- Washable incontinence pads
- Large washable, absorbable cloth such as a sheet or mattress cover – in case your mama decides she’d rather give birth outside of the whelping box
- Small cloths or towels to dry puppies
- Bulb suction
- Pen and whelping records sheet (weight for each puppy, time of birth, color assigned, gender, etc.)
- Oral Cal (from Revival Animal) to give mama AFTER she’s birthed the first puppy (learn more about calcium during whelping here)
- Colored rick rack or other means to identify puppies (break free puppy collars are too large for mini puppies to use until about 2-3 weeks of age)
- Infant scale
- Pet Nutri-drops (from Revival Animal) and dropper for struggling puppies
- Warming pad for struggling puppies
- Cornstarch or styptic powder to stop a bleeding umbilical cord
- Hemostats in case an umbilical cord is bleeding significantly – keep puppy secure so it isn’t wiggling while hemostats are in place to avoid causing an umbilical hernia
- Dental floss to die off an umbilical cord that is bleeding significantly
- Surgical scissors in case mama doesn’t sever an umbilical cord and you need to
- Disposable gloves and vaseline in case you need to help a stuck puppy
- Broth and cottage cheese, vanilla ice cream, plain yogurt as hydration & snacks for mama
- Doc Roy’s Health Bones Tablets (from Revival Animal) to give mama in the upcoming days so nursing puppies don’t deplete her calcium stores
Whelping Boxes
Set up the whelping box about a week before those precious puppies are due to make their grand appearance. Since our mamas and puppies are small, we use a kiddie pool as our whelping box with a pool noodle pig rail zip tied around it. Many breeders use Dura Whelp boxes or Jonart Whelping Boxes and rave about them. Still others purchase 4×4 raised garden boxes which they use as whelping boxes. If you have the funds available, a whelping den mimics nature’s puppy raising ideals.
Whelping Box Liners
We’ve found that washable incontinence pads work well for the bottom of the whelping box. We tuck the corners under the pool noodle pig rail, so the incontinence pad lines the bottom of the whelping box and doesn’t move around. This provides good traction, allowing the puppies can move around. The incontinence pads are also washable, which makes it easy to clean the whelping box regularly without needing chemical cleaners. Other breeders rave about using EZ Whelp Pads with a piece of green backed Vetfleece covering part of the whelping box floor (off brands tend to shed a lot). Revival Animal Health also has whelping box liners available that many breeders choose to use.
Disclaimer: this information is not intended as veterinarian advice. Please consult a licensed practicing veterinarian experienced in reproduction.