Heated Puppy Beds

Heated Puppy Beds for newborn puppies are among one of the best products available for the cutest, most adorable creatures you will ever lay eyes on. But make no mistake, these fluffy little furballs are delicate creatures and their bodies are not developed enough to withstand harsh environments.

They may need extra warmth during winters. If you have heated floors in your home and a warm ambient temperature, you should have no trouble maintaining the health of a litter.

If not, you may need pet care products like heated puppy beds also known as heated pad beds, to keep your newborn puppies warm, especially during cold nights.

A good heated pet bed can keep your newborn puppy warm, comfy, and cozy during cold winter nights, allowing them to sleep easy. Unlike adult dogs, who can curl up next to you for body heat or seek warm spots in your home, newborn puppies do not know how to find heat sources.

Their only source of heat after birth is the warm body heat of their mothers, if the mother isn’t around, they absolutely need a substitute heat source. So using a heated pet bed makes complete sense to keep them warm and comfy in the night.

But you must take some precautions when using these heated pads and similar pet care products for newborn puppies.

Here are 5 precautions you must take:

1.        Understand the Product

Pet care products, including heated pad beds, come in all shapes and sizes, with a wide range of applications and features. Manufacturers take extra precautions and design these products with pets and pet behaviour in mind.

Complex, electric pet care products like heated puppy beds may seem like simple items, but they are not your typical consumer electronic product. There are things you may not expect or realize, and they may not make sense to you, but they are there for your pets.

For example, some heated pads for pets come with automatic cut-offs that cut the heating at certain temperatures or time intervals. If you don’t know this, you may think your product is broken.

Or if your particular model doesn’t have this feature when you expect it to, you may end up harming yourself or your newborn puppy.

This is why it is important to always start by understanding a product and how it works when taking precautions for newborn puppies. Read all the instructions on the box and user manual before you set up or use the product.

If you have any questions, seek the manufacturer’s contact or helpline to consult them. Of course, your vet is also a treasure trove of useful information, so it always helps to consult them first.

You should also check out online forums and reviews of the product to get a better idea of things. You never know what you may find, and someone else’s mishap, accident, or poor experience may help you learn how to take better precautions and what not to do.

2.        Supervise Constantly

A crucial thing to ensure under any circumstance is that you are constantly supervising your puppy when using a heated pet bed. At least for the entire time that it is plugged in. This is an important precaution to take when using heating pet beds for newborn puppies, and there is no way around it.

If you are not available, make sure there is another adult in the room supervising the situation and the newborn. While these pet care products are generally pretty safe, you can never be too cautious about what may happen when a newborn puppy is involved.

3.        Set the Right Temperature

Dogs have a higher internal body temperature than humans, which means they require more energy to regain heat loss in cold temperatures. This is one of the main reasons they need the extra heat from a heated pad bed.

But it does not mean that they feel less heat than humans. On the contrary, what may feel comfortably hot to you, is likely a little too hot for dogs. The same applies to newborn puppies, but the heat threshold is much lower, because they are more sensitive creatures.

This is why the temperature setting for puppies on a regular heated pet bed should be kept at a low or medium warm setting. Anything more and you risk uncomfortable or dangerous heating.

Typically, when using these products indoors, you want to set them at the lowest heat setting. Whereas if you are using them outdoors, especially during winters, you may set it at medium heat for puppies, depending on the ambient temperature.

Put your palm flat on the bed surface to test the heat. If it’s too hot for you, it can never be good for your newborn puppy. The bed surface should feel comfortably warm and relaxing to touch, but not too warm.

If the lowest temperature setting feels too warm, cover the heated surface of the pet bed with an extra layer of thick, soft fabric. Check again to feel if the heat is still too warm and add layers accordingly until it feels right.

4.        Don’t Keep It Running

When you place your newborn pet on the heated pad bed, make sure they are not in direct contact with the heating pad. Most heated puppy beds come with a thick and comfortable padding, but as mentioned, you may add more layers as needed.

That being said, it is also important that you do not keep the heat active and running for too long when you place newborn puppies on pet beds. Your new fluffy friend needs time to acclimate to the new heat source.

Start with 20 to 30 minutes of active heating exposure, and then turn off the heating. Gradually increase the time intervals as the puppy becomes used to the heat. If they seem uncomfortable or if it feels too warm, cut off the heat and note the duration of active heat exposure and the room temperature.

You will know not to reach this time duration with that particular heat setting, at that particular ambient temperature.

5.        Routine Checks on Heated Puppy Beds

You must routinely check the pet bed for excess heat, especially on longer duration active heating. This is simply because active heating tends to build up over time. You may not even realize when the bed surface becomes uncomfortably warm for the newborn puppy.

Unless your model has a built-in temperature regulator, the bed will continue to heat up after you first place your little furry friend in it. Although it is important to note that most modern heated puppy beds come with a reliable built-in regulator.

Still, routine checks are crucial because firstly, you never know when the regulator may stop functioning. And secondly, unlike a grown pup or adult dog, a newborn puppy may not be able to remove themselves from the bed if it gets uncomfortably hot.

The only sign you may get from a newborn is that they may start to make noises to call for help. So make sure you are always present, constantly supervising, and routinely checking the temperature of the bed surface, especially when the heating is plugged in and active.

Final Thoughts on Heated Puppy Beds

Heated puppy beds are incredibly useful and sometimes necessary for newborn puppies. They provide the warmth and comfort a pup needs, especially if their mother isn’t around to provide it herself.

However, you must be extra careful when using such pet care products for newborn pups, and take necessary precautions to ensure their safety. You should also consider consulting your vet before using such products.

We highly recommend opting for high-quality and feature-rich heated puppy beds and pet care products for puppies from a trusted provider like PetNap in the UK.

Never use home-made or low-quality alternatives, because they may lead to unfortunate events.

If you are interested in buying a heated pet bed in the UK, Petnap provides an excellent range, including pet beds that come with a base compartment to insert a heating pad. The great thing about such high-quality pet beds is that you can use them all year round.

Visit our website now to discover our extensive range of safe, high-quality heated pad beds, pet beds, heating pads, and other pet care products.