My bitch had her pups on Monday - 8 in total - and all doing well - but mum seems unhappy about having the vet bed in the whelping box and is constantly trying to scratch it up aand move it away from the pups - has anyone ever known this and any suggetions as to what I can do ? - only slept for around 2 hours last night due to her constant re-arragning of the vet bed and newspaper and Im also worried that she may inadvertently hurt the pups when she does this

Yvonne

She will continue to scratch due to pain.  Perfectly normal, and it's normal for us to stay awake to ensure the safety of pups. Your 2 hours sleep is normal too!  :-)

Welcome to zombie world!  Everything sounds as it should be to me.

I've never tried this Yvonne but always meant to -a non ruck vet bed for whelping boxes:
http://www.newdog.co.uk/Shop/Whelping-Mats.aspx

Hi Yvonne,

It doesn't look super pretty but I put the grey gas tape right around the edge of my vet bed so the a puppy doesn't get underneath. Works well.

The newdog whelping mats are brilliant.  My bitch is always constantly rearranging her bedding even when not pregnant so I knew I had to find a solution before she had her litter.  These are practically impossible to rearrange, are easy to wash and get dry.  Quite expensive as I found I needed three to allow for washing/drying time but even after dozens of washes they will be fine for my next litter. 

> non ruck vet bed for whelping boxes

Yes we've used this; it really works, washes well and can be used again next time round. I think the company changed hands recently but they always used to be very quick to respond and would send out orders ASAP.

I use these and they are excellent

Thanks for the replies - she's stopped doing this so much so I guess it was just her reaction to the after pains - she's wonderfuly relaxed with her babes now, producing lots of milk and even though it's her first litter she's proving to be a very calm gentle mum.

they are a week old tomorrow - unbelievable !!

Yvonne

Also it may be too warm in the whelping box for her and pups.

Last year I had no bedding in the box other than shredded paper as the pups were hot.