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First heat?


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Right, so I am waiting till a little after a year (maybe a year and a half) to spay Rush (after reading up on how it effects their growth). I suspect she will go into her first, maybe even her second heat by then, but what do I look for?

 

I have never owned a dog through their first heat. I adopted, and spayed my first dog around 6 months (shes a big breed). Rush turns 6 months in a week and 4 days ( :rolleyes: ). I have read that it usually happens after 6 months or so. I am not looking for an answer on when, just what to look for?

 

I want to get her a doggie diaper(or make one?) to protect our carpets...

 

Also is there any behavior change? I know how us girls sometimes get at that time of the month :D

 

Any comments(advice) to help in that area would be great, thank you!

 

Diane:)

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We just went through this. Although you are not planning to breed, many of your questions about heats are addressed directly or indirectly (in the link Eileen posted) in that thread - check it out. Feel free to disregard all the "do not breed your dog" vitriol and just look for the information you need.
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I'd spay quickly. Had no regrets. My female lived to be 17 1/2. The one I DID not spay, died to a mammary tumor after I spayed her at 12 years old. Most vet recommend spaying before first heat. JMO. You know what they are like............

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Normally I would just refer you back to older posts, like Alaska did, but you have to dig through a lot to get to a description of the signs (assuming there are any) of a bitch being in heat. Just remember that anything you read is not "written in stone," that is, all dogs differ and some may exhibit all the classical signs, some may exhibit few or none, and the rest will fall somewhere in between.

 

Generally the first signs you'll notice will be a bloody discharge and the vulva will swell. Some bitches are very clean and you may never see evidence of blood; in others it will be obvious. You may see your bitch licking herself a lot and she may urinate more often than normal. Likewise the swelling may be slight or quite distinctive. If you have another dog in the household, your bitch in heat may mount the other dog. During the period when the bitch is receptive to mating, the discharge will usually be a clear yellowish color (or may just be a little less blood-tinged). Her nipples may also swell (not necessarily like those of a lactating bitch, but they will become more prominent).

 

Her personality may change during this time (or not, every bitch is different).

 

Also, six months is not a magic age in that the first heat can appear anytime after six months, but your dog might not have her first heat until she is much older. The rule of thumb (this is a general rule and and varies by breed and among individuals in a breed) is that the heat cycle lasts 21 days--7 days coming in, 7 days when she is receptive to the male, and 7 days going out. To be safe, it's best to keep your bitch away from male dogs for the full three-week heat cycle (note 7 days is the average, but each part could be as short as 4 days or as long as 9 days, so that's why it's best to keep your dog away from all males for the full time).

 

I think part of the reluctance in people saying "this is how you'll know" is simply because individual dogs will have very individual heat cycles. Then there's also silent heat, in which the bitch is in heat but showing no obvious outward signs.

 

Sometimes the best indicator of a bitch coming into heat or being in heat is a male dog (even neutered). They will unfailingly know.

 

J.

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Thank you Julie for that very informative post. That is the information I've been looking for, all in one post and nicely explained.

 

I have a little girl that is a year old that I would like to wait til she is 2 to spay since she is going to be a serious sport dog and I would like for her to grow into herself fully. She has shown no signs at all and I'm beginning to wonder if I should worry. She is very lean and athletic though so maybe that has something to do with it...kind of like the gymnastic girls that stop menstruating?

 

I'm prepared with a crate in a back bedroom to crate her in to stay away from the other dogs. I've walked my fence several times to check the security (not that she would ever be out there unsupervised anyhow) and am now just tapping my foot and waiting.

 

Olivia

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Olivia,

Border collies can be slow maturing. I believe that if there were a "rule" it would be that smaller breeds generally come into their first heat sooner and larger breeds come in later, but there are probably plenty of exceptions to that. Lark didn't have her first heat until she was 16 months old and then didn't have a sedond heat till a year later. She is small with no fat, basically, and I think that has played a part in her cycle. Phoebe had her first heat at about a year old and then not again until about a month ago, so nearly a year after the first. If I remember correctly, Twist was around 8 months when she first came into heat. My bitches are (were) all on an 8-month heat cycle as well. The interesting thing is that when one comes in, the others usually will follow, so if you have multiple bitches, that three weeks can draaag out. I don't know if dominance hierarchy has anything to do with it or not. Twist used to always come in first, followed by Kat. After Twist was spayed, we started having these longer heat cycles, and this last time, Lark came in first, followed by Phoebe, then Kat (poor Pip spent a lot of time in his crate).

 

I know you say she's not outside unsupervised, but just remember that dogs (male and female) have been known to do heroic things to try and get to one of the opposite gender when a female is in heat. And breedings can take place through wire barriers.

 

J.

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I'm adding a question to this discussion.

I've heard lots of mentions of "slient heats". Can someone explain why this might happen and what are the issues that might pop up with a silent heat.

I have a young bitch that has went through 2 normal heat cycles in her short 2 yr old life. I think she's in heat as we speak but it is one of those silent heats. She has all the signs of a reg. heat coming, but nothing is happening.

I still keep her right next to me and there are no dogs around here that can get to her, even with that plus on our side, she is never alone out side or alone with any male dog in sight. HEck I dont' let her out of my site at all! Accidents are not acceptalbe for me so I leave no room for them.

 

The symptoms are so much like a reg. heat that I've been watching her for the past month/+ like she's a ticking timebomb. I've begun to wonder if it might be a bladder infection except her vulva is ever so slightly swollen, and her nipples are a bit swollen. Something still tells me this is heat related. She does lick a bit more but not like she's in pain or it's driving her crazy. She is peeing or marking a bit more but not that much. I've watched very closely for her to start flagging but she's still in the "don't touch me" phase so I'm pretty sure she's not in the acceptance part of the heat. Will there be that part if it's a silent heat? She is a bit on the bitchy side but it's so hot and humid down here we are all acting like that!

 

TIA

Kristen

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I am planning to do sports competitions with Rush, so I have my reasons for not spaying her to early. I would prefer her develop like she would if I didnt spay her.

 

Thank you for the advice everyone. I dont have any male dogs, there are a few in my neighborhood, but they are all neutered. I realize she may not even go into heat before I spay her.

 

I have a 6' privacy fence, and Rush is supervised most of the time when she is outside (our backyard isnt that big :x). I am also not sure a male dog would get in our backyard without us knowing, since Bear is really aggressive towards people/dogs that come onto our property. I am still worried something might happen though.

 

Also, just wondering but are there any symptoms at all during a silent heat? maybe not discharge, but maybe a change in behavior, swelling? I just really want to try and prevent anything from happening :x

 

Thanks everyone for the advice and symptoms.

 

Diane

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5 years ago, I had 2 sisters come in heat in February. All was normal. Then in June we had a surprose litter of pups (bred) from the brother. There was no indication of a second, split, silent heat. They were a year old, and soon after all were neutered. Sooooo always be on the lookout when near other dogs, in public, and behind fences that could be dug out. The dogs don`t always follow the rules. Good luck.

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Keep on the look out for a "split," heat. We did not spay Ceana until we got the ok on her joints- about 15months- and she had a split heat.

 

Ceana went in at about 9 months old. One day we went hiking and the girl just couldn't keep up like normal, she was exhausted. Next thing I knew ( a few days later) there was blood on the carpet and swelling was an understatement. She went through the cycle, we were diligent she was always leashed and we wouldn't go any where we could even hear another dog through a fence. While she started to act normal and the bleeding stopped, we made sure to keep her away from other dogs just to be safe. It was a good thing too, because she started bleeding again a couple weeks later. LOL of course with my luck my first dog in heat would have a split cycle. Once we thought she was done and got the ok from the vet she was once again allowed to return to the world of dogs.

 

***Keep your vet in on your dog's progress. If you are like I was and have not seen a heat enough times to KNOW when something is wrong, make sure you have help. You may have to shell out more $$ but it will keep your girl safe. She won't wind up pregnant and she won't have any complications from the heat. ***

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Also, just wondering but are there any symptoms at all during a silent heat? maybe not discharge, but maybe a change in behavior, swelling? I just really want to try and prevent anything from happening :x

 

Diane: I did the same with Faith and did not spay her until she was about sixteen months old, at which point she'd had one heat. I just acted as though she could come into heat at any moment from the time she was four months old onwards. I never ever left her alone when I didn't have my eye on her, unless she was crated in a room with the door closed.

 

I didn't do this cause I was afraid of missing the signs. :D I used to help breed Irish Wolfhounds (y'all really don't want to know what all goes into that - suffice it to say that left to their own devices they'd be extinct), chows, whippets, etc., in my misspent youth hanging around the dog shows. And I have an intact male Lhasa Apso who lets me know days before anyone actually comes into season.

 

I was so scared reading about all these "silent heats" on this board that I had nightmares in which a litter of collie-Apso's were running around my house - sixteen of 'em, all with the temperament of a Lhasa and the speed and agility of a BC - that I wasn't about to take any chances! :D

 

But in the event, there was nothing silent at all about Faith's one and only heat. Those of you who know her will not be surprised at this. :rolleyes: She was trying to tempt Violet into acts nature never intended days before even the hateful little Lhasa had a clue what was going on.

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Diane- just cross your fingers like I am that our girls don't have a heat before they are ready to be spayed. Foxy is 9 months old and I am going to make her spay appointment before too long (2 month long wait here...lol) I have been planning on spaying her at a year. I just hope she doesn't come in before then!!

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