The American Beagler Forum

I have a wooden puppy brooder, when the puppies are in it they lose their hair. I have washed it out several times with bleach, soap and water and the next litter has the same problem. Does anybody have a suggestion for my problem.

This may or may not be the right answer but here goes anyway. All my houses have plywood floors. I noticed a long time ago that if I didn't have hay or cedar chips on the floor the hair would rub off of them.

Tabbycat Elkins

With every solution, comes additional risks/problems. I use cedar chips and love them, but would not recommend them in a whelping box. Pups have been known to choke on them. Also, straw/hay will irritate the pups skin when wet and it will get wet with pups. The ammonia from their urine and the allergens from the straw will cause havok on their tender skin.
I suggest a small smooth walled plastic tub over a whelping heating pad. The smooth surface of the plastic lets the pups slide on it and is not abrasive to their coats. Also, very easy for you and the bitch to keep clean. Hope this helps.

I have heard the suggestion of putting a sheet of linoleum on the floor of the whelping box, has anyone tried this?

Big Dog

yea put linoleum down and on the side walls with shreaded paper if a pup was to digest it it would not be so hard for the pup to work it through the body the paper breaks down alot easyer for them un like straw it soaks up the urine to so al you do is remove the pups out of the box gather up the paper and put new down. hope this helps. be safe happy trailing

my pups are 3 weeks old now and for about the last two weeks i have kept them in a large pet taxi with a bare floor it works great and no hair loss whatsoever...good luck

We have had very good luck with a good size shipping crate line with newspaper which is changed regularly to keep dry and clean.

I personally can't think of anything better to line a puppy/whelping box with than newspaper. It's very useful during whelping, too. Just pick it up and replace with fresh. A totally slick floor will encourage "swimmer" pups. Those are the pups that can't seem to get their feet under them so they look like they're swimming on the floor. Newspaper provides just enough resistence for the pups to get up on their feet, too.

paint the inside of the box real good with abot 3 coats of paint,,,,big dog is right you need something in there that is slick the roughness will take the hair off,,,,,,