Whelping Box Review: EZwhelp

Review of the Large EZwhelp Whelping Box found online at http://www.ezwhelp.com/.

The EZwhelp box is made of corrugated plastic walls that are clipped together with white plastic channels. Optional parts include PVC pig rails, extension walls for a puppy playpen, and fitted liner pads. It is one of the more economical commercially available plastic boxes at $200 for a large box with pig rails.

I was looking for a box that was easy to clean and made of a non-absorbent material; therefore plastic was the obvious choice over wood. I feared that even with a linoleum liner, liquids could seep into the wood from the corners, screw holes, or outside the box. The last thing I wanted was for my whelping box to retain puppy fluids from one usage to the next!

Setup was simple. Insert the walls into the floor channels, stand them up, and stick little black plastic things into the holes. Takedown is also easy, and the whole box stores flat. We kept the cardboard box it was shipped in for off-season storage. The only issue I had with setup is that although the door is a changeable height, the piece that sits on top of it to turn it into a wall is a pain in the ass to put on or take off. So I just left it on permanently.

The corrugated plastic floor and walls of the EZwhelp do the job great. I wipe them down with a clean towel and Clorox Bleach "Clean Up" solution and they're as good as new. In that respect, the EZwhelp is exactly what I was looking for.

The pig rail it came with is also effective. I originally wanted a larger pipe but the small PVC worked fine. They included wooden dowels to slide into the PVC pipes giving them extra strength. There are fitted notches in the bottom of the framework to slide the pig rail into and hold it secure. The notches keep the railing in, but its not snug enough to hold down a blanket or pad under it if the bitch is determined to dig up her bedding.

The whelping pad it comes with fits in the box nicely at least until you wash it. It shrunk a little in the laundry and no longer goes all the way to the edge of the box. We got three pads so we could have a clean one in the box while the others were being washed. The pad wicks moisture away and is very absorbent, a good buy. My bitch managed to scratch one of the pads but they are for the most part very durable, too. My only regret was not having two more pads.

I elected not to get the extension walls, which looked flimsy and ineffective. Also, the extension had no floor. I felt using some cheap linoleum and an ex-pen was easier when the puppies got to that age.

However, the plastic channels that hold the walls together is a huge disappointment. The material is identical to plastic trellis frames you can buy at a hardware store. It is sturdy but it has a textured surface which attracts and holds every particle of dirt or poo that gets near it. No amount of scrubbing can get the trim white and clean again. Even worse, build up occurs in the cracks where the walls are joined to each other and to the floor. There is no way to clean out these cracks without disassembling the box. The plastic pieces are easy to mar and have been thoroughly chewed up by my bitch (of course, the dents her teeth put in it are even more impossible to clean). The 45 degree corner pieces may be effective for giving the box strength, but they are ugly, poorly fit, and very attractive for the dogs to chew on. In short the framework is terrible!

Because of the poor framework I probably will not use this box for another litter. My dog caused a lot of cosmetic damage to the corner pieces and door, but more importantly I do not feel that I can get the plastic channels clean enough to store and reuse. It is extremely aggravating that it must be disassembled to properly clean out the cracks between the walls and floor, a task I don't want to do until its time to disassemble and put the box away. I am glad it was one of the cheaper plastic box options because I really would have expected more than one use out of it.

I will be looking for another whelping box which consists of a single solid piece for the floor and 4" - 6" lip. It must be plastic or possibly metal -- no wood. If anyone knows of one, please let me know.