This may be a very blonde question but I've heard people say they put these under vetbed. Is this with / without the cover as it says do not cover on the info sheet ? I used a heat lamp last litter but would prefer to use the heat pad this time.

I don't use mine under vetbed, I just use a lightweight fleece cover for it, as of the type they supply.

Thank you so much I'm debating getting the metal heat pad as I've heard it's better ?

hi
having used both I would suggest the metal one if you intend to use it on more than one occasion.

In my medium sized litter I had a puppy crawl under the vinyl pad and almost fainted when a head count showed one missing. I frantically looked again and saw that there was a slight lump under the heatpad and there he was.

The lightness of the vinyl pad does allow for movement and lifting, and over the course of the few weeks it was used, although scrubbed almost constantly, showed signs of staining.

The next litter I had I upgraded to the metal heatpad. It is fab. It looks pristine even after several uses, works incredibly well and is easy to keep clean.

I hope this helps you with your decision.

ps: make sure you have two covers: one to wear whilst one is washing x

Thank you :), off to order it now :)

My Mum made several covers for my heat pad out of Poundland dog fleece blankets,very cheap but does the job.

I have the metal one and its very good. You shouldnt put vetbed over it as it will overheat we use the supplied covers and got 2

Thanks both :)

Thanks both :)

I changed to the metal one years ago and can't recommend them enough.  I too use a fleece cover, but unlike some have said, I have always put it under the vetbed with no problems whatsoever.  And I have a breed that uses the heat pad 24/7 for 6 weeks sometimes.  Certainly, because they are so small, I've never had a litter who didn't use it at least until week 4.  It is turned on constantly.

I had a vinyl one about 20 years ago. I don't know if the design has changed but mine seemed to get too hot, and after time the pattern of the heating elements inside discoloured the upper vinyl. Didn't trust it any more so it was binned.

I already had a small metal one which I continued to use, and never had any issues with it. I lived in a draughty old Victorian house without central heating in those days, so it was left on 24/7 for my cats while I was out at work all day, and also used for litters of kittens later on.

I've got one out in the garage that hasn't been used for several years, bought second hand for £1 in a charity shop, but I have faith it will be fine if I ever decided to plug it in.