Whelping box

I got the whelping box set up. I took her temperature this morning and it was 98.3 but I don't think she stood still long enough to get a good reading so I'll take it again when I have someone to help hold her. I just threw some treats on the floor to occupy her while I tried to take her temp but she scarfed them up pretty quickly. Her appetite is still good so I'm thinking maybe not so quickly.

The orangy thing under the whelping box is an old (sanitized) office chair mat. I was trying to think of something besides a tarp to protect the carpet. The living room is the only room that I can block off and that is also open to the rest of the house so she is still part of the family. I'm going to let her have access to the kitchen, I think, once I get an exercise pen to block off one opening.

For bedding, I put down a layer of towels, then a bunch of layers of newspapers, then a piece of a mattress pad (I was able to get 4 pads from a king sized mattress pad). My husband made the bottom as a tray so that we can put the top pad under it all the way around so that puppies can't get tangled up. I've got some chux type pads and tons of towels which I may add as well.

There's a little "door" that slides into the front cut out to keep puppies in when they get bigger:-)

So, without further ado... the whelping box...