Keeping a puppy warm in a crate archived

I'm fostering a skinny puppy who spends the night in a wire crate. I keep my house pretty cold, and I'm trying to figure out how to keep her warm at night in the crate. I have a heating pad, but I don't want to put it under her bed since she shreds the newspapers every morning and I'm worried she'd attack the heating pad. I was thinking maybe I could put the hot pad on top of the crate and then drape the crate with towels to hold the heat in. Or would the heat rise and not warm the crate? Could I put the heating pad under the plastic tray underneath the crate? It's pretty thick; I'm not sure the heat would penetrate. Any better ideas?

I wouldn't put a heating pad anywhere near the crate for fear of the puppy chewing. How old is the puppy and how small? I keep my house cool at night as well (62) and when I got my puppy last December she was fine at night I just kept a blanket draped over the crate. Maybe you could move the crate near a radiator or add a few extra blankets to the crate.

If she'll tolerate it, a big blanket for her to wrap up in can help. What we do for Keegan:

He's got a bed with a fleece wrap in it inside his crate.
The crate is backed up to a floor radiator in the kitchen.
We have an old blanket draped over it to make a sort of cave. It covers the sides and the top. The warm air can come in from the back but it can also escape from the front.

Does he use it? I dunno. I think he prefers his puffball in the middle of the tile floor. Doofus.

Hi Chillout! Thanks again for rescuing our little doofus!

for our dogs, in the cold house during the day, we have these plastic discs filled with gel that you can microwave. i pop them in the micro for 10 mins in the morning and then slip them under their dog beds on the couch.
they stay warm all day.

A warm bed, blankets, and a snuggie! Seriously I think I saw a snuggie for dogs in CVS. We keep our house warm but both dogs still love to sleep under the blankets.

Bikefixed,
Keegan looks so healthy and happy now, he is a lucky dog!

I also have a little foster puppy in a crate at night.

She's small and frail (but getting better every day). I have 2 towels below her and a fuzzy throw I bought at Home goods for $19.99 that seems to hold body heat. She curls herself up in that. She doesn't chew her bedding at all. We also cover the crate--she likes it.

I thought many times about getting her a sweater from Petsmart, but I always worry she'd get caught up in the crate wires, so I don't.

She's been fine with her fuzzy throw. It's really cute because she is all tan, and the throw is leopard, tan, and fuzzy print. When she's curled up in it, she looks adorable!

The best thing for a puppy is an old fashioned hot water bottle. The gel in the microwavable packs may be toxic ( and a real mess) if needle like puppy teeth come in contact with it. Electrical cords near a puppy is a recipe for disaster. If the puppy chews the hot water bottle you will only have a wet crate. You may want to run a couple of old towels through the dryer right before you put him in for the night, and wrap the hot waterbottle in them. He'll snuggle down in them and make a nest.

Posted By: calliopegel in the microwavable packs may be toxic


calli, totally understand what you're saying but at least in the ones we have, there is NO WAY a puppy or small dog could chew thru the plastic and get into the gel. it is really really rigid plastic.

Posted By: bikefixedDoes he use it? I dunno.


He does. That's where he was when we went to visit him last week. :wink:

kthnry, tell us more about the foster pup! skinny, huh? I just offered to foster two emaciated 6 month olds... I guess we will be cooking chicken soup for a few weeks!
I'm so happy you are fostering; it does the needy ones a world of good! Pics, please?

You could just break down and turn the heat up to a reasonable temperature. Small underweight dogs do not do well at retaining body heat, so if you want to take good care of it be a sport.

Or perhaps a space heater a few feet away from the crate?

I was going to say the same thing as mannymoe...when I have a young kitten I suck it up for a few weeks and crank the heat up...

This is Betty. I'm fostering her for the JAC. She's about five months old, and seems to be some sort of shepherd/hound/lab mix, although she's small, only about 23 pounds.

She and her sister, Wilma, were brought up from one of those puppy-mill southern states. They were loaded with hookworms and other parasites. They were so sick that her sister died at the vet; couldn't overcome the anemia. Betty's hearty appetite helped her pull through, and her hematocrit is now right where it should be. She was a bag of bones when I brought her home, but she's filling out nicely.

She's got a skin condition that we're treating with antibiotics, antifungals, and daily baths. The vet thinks it's been resistant because her immune system is not yet at 100%.

I think we turned a corner today, health-wise. When I first brought her home, she just moped around and plodded by my side when we took walks. She's been getting increasingly active. Tonight, for the first time, she did doggy sprints, running big excited laps through the house. She's starting to act like a normal, healthy puppy.

She's a great little dog, very smart and trainable, gets along well with other dogs, no interest in cats, adapts well to new situations. (I take her with me on all kinds of outings.) Once I'm sure she's in good health, I'll work with the JAC to find a permanent home for her.

Another picture of Betty, looking very shepherd-esque. In fact, as she fills out, I can see a very strong resemblance in the shape of her body to my shepherd.

She is very sweet (and very sheppy!)
How did you finally decide to keep her warm?

Here they are, butt-to-butt. Her skin condition has really improved in just a few days.

Posted By: calliopeHow did you finally decide to keep her warm?
I borrowed a space heater for the room. Once it gets seriously cold outside, my boiler kicks in and keeps the house nice and warm, but it doesn't do much during this semi-cold weather we've been having lately with the warm days. I think I will get her a fleece blanket, now that we've established that she doesn't go to the bathroom in her crate.

Space heater sounds like an excellent solution. And what a sweet little face! My first thought when I saw her was "I didn't know German Shepherds came in a tortoiseshell color!"

I'm very glad her health and energy are improving. :clap:

kthnry, I whispered you!

Actually,Peggy there is a coat color called Sable that can give that brindled effect, and keeps changing until the dog is 3 or 4. But it looks like this little girl has a good dose of some other breed (Retriever? Setter? Border Collie?) mixed in, which gives her her distinctive look.
She's a real Heinz Hound!
She looks very sweet. I hope once she fills out and is 100% her new family will find her.

what a pretty dog. love her markings

What a beauty - shepherd collie?


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