What is the Right Temperature for My Puppy?

Do you have a reference chart for the right temperature for a puppy by age?

The short answer is “no.”  The long answer follows: As much as we would like to provide a simpler answer, your ability to save puppies is much better if you assess them individually. We often call this “being in tune with your puppies.”  Understanding your puppy’s condition and specific needs are essential components of saving each unique puppy.. The behavior of a puppy inside the incubator is generally the determinant to fine tune the required incubator temperature.

We learn a lot from first time users of our products and people who borrow an incubator.  If you are lending a Puppywarmer incubator to someone, please take a moment to share how it has changed the way you care for neonatal puppies.  Your story will help you understand the product better. Please also ensure your Puppywarmer incubator is set for 88°F–or a temperature appropriate for the condition of the puppies.

The Basics

Puppywamer incubators ship preset to 88°F, a general-purpose temperature that benefits most puppies. Some people never change the set temperature from the original setting of 88°F. Most neonatal puppies regulate their temperature to 11°F above ambient temperature. The standard setting will help most puppies achieve an internal body temperature of 99°F.

We encourage you to continue reading.  Over the course of time a deeper understanding will help you save the puppies you don’t expect to save.

A Deeper Understanding

C-Section puppies are generally kept at 90°F until warm, dry, and fed. Many breeders do the same with naturally delivered puppies.  In the case of most breeders, for most puppies, the incubator temperature is returned to 88°F after the last puppy is warm, dry, and fed.

Conditions to identify that likely indicate your puppy should be in a Puppywarmer incubator:

  • Small for Gestational Age (SGA) - Small for Gestational Age can be defined as roughly 50% or less of a normal birth weight for the breed. Almost all SGA Puppies have difficulty regulating internal temperature due to the appearance of little or no body fat and a smaller overall body mass.  Often, puppies in this condition need to start out at 90°F Puppywarmer incubator set temperature.
  • Premature - Premature puppies also have significant difficulty maintaining internal body temperature.  Often, they need a Puppywarmer Incubator setpoint of 90 degrees F for the first three days of life--but all puppies improve at their own unique pace.
  • Breed - Some breeds, such as Bulldogs and French Bulldogs, are kept in the incubator longer. They are often kept at 90°F for the first few hours and 88°F for the next few days. From there, the incubator temperature is lowered based on the puppy's behavior.
  • Canine Herpes Virus - If your puppy or puppies have been diagnosed with Canine Herpes Virus, a treatment exists to elevate the environmental temperature to 92-95°F in the Puppywarmer incubator for several hours.  This treatment raises the internal body temperature of a puppy so that the virus cannot replicate and some of the virus is killed off.  We strongly recommend working out the treatment protocol with your veterinarian.
  • Cleft Palate - Often, cleft palate puppies do well at 88°F. In some cases, the cleft palate puppy has trouble putting on weight and may need to be at 90°F for several days.

While the above examples are common reasons that a puppy would find itself in an incubator, our experience is that all puppies are not alike. Something about their specific condition could require more fine-tuning of the environmental temperature.

While all puppies are not alike, almost all puppies behave similarly in response to internal body temperature. When you look for these behaviors, you better understand your puppy’s needs.

  • Curled in a “C”
    • A puppy curls in a “C” to preserve as much body temperature as possible.  Essentially, the puppy is actively limiting the amount of surface area exposed to the air to reduce heat loss.  If this is a primary behavior the environmental temperature is too cold.
  • Puppy Pile
    • Puppy piles are another behavior to reduce the amount of surface area exposed to the air.  The environmental temperature is too cold.
  • Pressed Against the Glass
    • The puppy spends the majority of the time pressed against the glass. To reduce internal temperature, the puppy maximizes the amount of skin surface against a cooler object (glass exposed to room temperature). This puppy is too warm.
  • "Laying Out Long"
    • In this case, the puppy is at a comfortable internal temperature and is adjusting its body position to expose more surface area to the infrared wavelengths emitted by the Puppywarmer heater. A puppy can “lay out long” on its stomach, side, or back.
  • “Laying On Back”
    • Take a photo of your very comfy pup. Your environmental conditions are just right for this moment in time.
  • Moving Between the Center and Glass
    • The puppy is actively fine-tuning its internal body temperature, which helps it get stronger sooner.

Puppies lie on their sides. Neonates will often orient themselves in a position where the head is closer to the glass, and the body is closer to the center of the incubator—a full incubator at the right temperature without a puppy pile.

This is a very comfy puppy.

To change the temperature of an incubator:

Puppywarmer has a private Facebook page called “Team Puppywarmer,” where users of Puppywarmer systems help each other save puppies.  Rescues, Breeders, and Vet Techs offer insights to one another. Topics can go beyond the operation of the incubator and oxygen concentrator.  It has proven to be an excellent resource.

If you are reading this page, you were probably hoping for a simpler answer. Neonatal puppies are fascinating. Understanding your specific puppy's behavior is key to fine-tuning its environmental temperature. Once you are better able to identify the behaviors, your puppy-saving skills become stronger.

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