Heat Cycle

[trish934]

hi,
   its my first time using this site and am very happy it's available. My dog "Lady" well.... she's in heat!  I've never had a female dog before, i only had three males in the past and all this "heat cycle" thing is really new to me. My problem is she's been bleeding quite frequently whole afternoon and i am worried. She's behaving normal but, am feeling very sad for her because i don't know if she's in pain or not? its quite frustrating!
Some information on dogs, especially this time of their innocent life will be very appreciated.  

[Jaybay]

Huge DITTO to what Ghilly said.  :-)  Spaying is not an expensive surgery - at least, it shouldn't be.  If money is tight, contact your local SPCA or Humane Society to see if they offer low cost spaying or know of someone who does in your area.  Call different veterinary clinics for pricing.  If your dog hasn't already seen a vet, it's time to establish a relationship with one.  :-)

[Ghilly]

Dogs are just like people, some bleed heavier than others.  As a rule, they usually leave blood drops around for about the first week, and then they stop.  However, once they stop, that's when they are most likely to allow a male to breed them, so don't relax at that point.  The heat cycle lasts an average of 21 days, but she's not in the clear as far as being able to get pregnant until all the swelling has gone down and her vulva has returned to its normal size.  Your main job with her now is to make sure she doesn't come into contact with any intact male dogs or recently neutered male dogs until she is out of season, because it takes about 30 days for a neutered male to no longer have viable sperm, therefore if a dog is newly neutered, there is still a chance he could impregnate her.  

Most of the time they act normal during their heat cycle.  She is feeling just fine, however it would be much healthier for her in general if you were to have her spayed as soon as she is over her heat cycle is over and her body returns to normal.  Dogs come into season twice a year, and it takes about a month for all the blood vessels in and around the uterus to return to their normal size after the cycle ends.  While the blood vessels are engorged during the heat cycle, there is a greater chance of bleeding during the surgery, making it more complicated and more expensive than if you wait and have her done a month or so down the road.

By having her spayed, you will greatly reduce her chances of developing mammary cancer as she gets older.  If you had had her done before her first heat, you would have almost completely removed the chances of mammary cancer, however, even though she went through the one heat cycle, there is still a 90% chance she will not get mammary cancer if she is spayed after this heat.

Also, by having her spayed, you COMPLETELY remove the chance that she will develop pyometra, which is a life-threatening infection of the uterus.  If she develops pyometra, the only sure way to save her life is to spay her, but the operation is a dangerous one, because all it takes is one little nick of the infected uterus during the surgery to cause the infected contents to get into the abdominal cavity, leading to a long and difficult recovery.  It is much easier and healthier for her and a lot less worrisome for you to have her spayed as soon as her body returns to normal after this heat cycle.

Ghilly