The washing machine is running in the background as I type, and it will get lots of wear and tear over the next couple of months. The morning routine is mostly cleaning and making sure everyone is okay. Everyone has their own idea on how to set up a whelping box etc, but this worked well for us with Chili's litter several years ago. Here's the "photo pictorial":The Weigh In.
The whelping box gets emptied out 'til all you see is the bedroom carpet and the heating pad. We keep this under the center of the box on medium heat. The pups will seek heat and move toward the pad and Stoker can lay around the outside of the box where it is cooler.
Next, we put in a freshly washed rug. The cord for the heating pad runs under the rubber backed rug and the control is outside the box
The "pig rail", which prevents the Momma dog from squishing a puppy between her body and the side of the box by accident, goes back in next.
Finally, the thermometer to make sure things are nice and toasty for the pups, but not TOO hot for Ms. Stokey.
Stoker waiting not-so-patiently for us to restore order! You can see the end of the futon to the left and some stored artwork (this is the back bedroom which doubles as a storage room, after all) to the right.
Renovation is complete and order is restored.
Grandma Chili checks to make sure we haven't left any puppies behind and that we've completed the procedure correctly.
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