"But… but… I just let her outside for a minute!" "Didn’t have your shoes on, did ya?"
There is no telling how many times that little conversation has played out. They knew the dog was in "heat" (estrum), but they underestimated the sex drive, which is a mistake. If the boys don’t dig in, the girls may dig out. [It’s a powerful force in nature. If Bill Clinton couldn’t resist it, how do you expect the dogs to show more self-control than a President?]
Of course, there are definitely folks who just don’t understand what’s going on in the first place. Maybe you’re one of them. If so, stay tuned.
Most female dogs have two estrous cycles yearly. That might make you think their cycles are six months long, but they’re not. They have two cycles that last about a month, about six months apart. For ten months out of the year, the average female dog’s ovaries are pretty much shut down. As far as female hormones go, they aren’t producing any more than a neutered male dog during these quite periods. That’s why dogs who have had complete ovario-hysterectomies (complete removal of ovaries and uterus) are not likely to need hormone replacment therapy.
Each cycle consists of three parts: the "coming-in", the "being-in", and the "going-out", also known as pro-estrus, estrus and metestrus. Each part lasts about seven to nine days on average. The female is fertile and receptive to the male only during the middle part or estrus, despite the fact that she is attractive to the male throughout the entire cycle. Boy, is she attractive. They can smell her pheromones (hormone-like scent chemicals) for miles — literally. You may see a motley crowd of mutts assembling, even if your nearest neighbor is in the next county.
During pro-estrus, the vulva (outside female parts) begins to swell, and a bloody discharge develops. The males are surely getting interested at this point, but the female is far from ready. Unfortunately, many inexperienced owners equate this bloody discharge phase with the entire cycle. They mistakenly assume that once the bleeding stops the cycle is over and it’s safe to let the dogs return to their normal living arrangements. Whoops! That’s the time when the female is becoming receptive and fertile, so this is the best time to get pregnant.
If day 1 is the first day of bloody discharge ("showing color", as the breeders say), then day 9 is the day to get prospective parents together. If you don’t want to raise puppies, this is the time to keep the possible parents separated. Better yet, keep them separated for an additional two weeks.
The whole business is going to take three or four weeks. Maintain constant vigilance. Don’t under-estimate the sex drive. Don’t let her out unless you’ve got your shoes on and are ready to defend her honor.
I have a German Shorthair and she is inconsistent with her heat cycles. I want to breed her around the end of February but she will not be ready then. Is there a way to force her into heat so she can be bred at that time?
She is 3+ years old and has had one litter of pups. I am planning to get her fixed after her next litter, and also want her in shape for the hunting season.
My dog has been in heat since Dec 18th and her female part is not up in her yet is this ok is this normal its Jan 21 when will she be done
Hello, Annette,
This is a little long. Most dogs finish their cycle in 3 to 4 weeks. If she doesn’t get back to normal within the next few days, I would see your veterinarian just to be sure everything is okay.
Is that 3-4 weeks from first swell? My girl has been swollen for 5-6 days and no blood yet. This is her 3rd heat and we bred her on her 2nd heat. She had a healthy litter.
Hello, Lydia,
The average length of the cycle from first swelling is 3 to 4 weeks. Each of the three phases usually lasts 7 to 9 days. HOWEVER, some dogs last much longer, some much shorter.
This is our girls first time breeding. We also have a neutered male in the home. We had 3 successful ties with the stud on days 9, 11 and 13 but she is still flagging my neutered male and they have been getting tied on days 15 and 16. My question is, Does this mean she has not ovulated yet and should I try to get a 4th try in with our stud on day 17?
Hello, Maureen,
She may or may not have ovulated. If she is still willing to accept the male, I’d go for it.
I have a female yorkie and she has a big growth near her vagina what can it be
Hello, Vevica,
There is nothing normal that would do that. The things that come to mind are a perineal hernia (rare) or some type of tumor. You really need to take her to your veterinarian.
My dog started to bleed last Friday and it is now Monday and the bleeding has stopped. She is pretty consistent with short cycles and is hard to breed because of this unpredictability. I have her scheduled for a progesterone test Thursday. Should I move it earlier?
Hello, Lauren,
I am no expert in this field. I am told that you start testing when the vaginal cytology shows 50% or more superficial cells, and then you are looking for the initial rise in progesterone of above 2 ng/ml, and then plan to breed on days 3 and 5, or 4 and 6, after that. Many check another progesterone 2 days after the initial 2ng/ml finding to confirm the rise.
So, a vaginal cytology would be the key as to when to start checking the progesterone. I hasten to repeat, I am no expert in this field.
Good morning Doc. I have a female in heat and two males going crazy with whining and not eating .
If they were to hump a pillow or something will they be able to release that feeling and calm down a little bit?
It’s going to cost me about a $1000 to fix the boys and I don’t have it. Is there anything I can do to calm them down with chews or how do I teach them how to hum a stuffed animal lol or blanket?
I’d check for a local spay/neuter clinic which only provides those services, usually at a reduced rate. Ask your local shelter. They usually have that information.
Hello,
We are trying to mate Labradoodle female with Golden doodle male. First time for both. Female is almost 3 years old. Male is almost 2 years old. Today is 11th day of her cycle. Yesterday she was still dripping blood , today – not. Vulva is swollen. Our male Golden doodle is trying to mate her multiple times during last days. But as soon as he touched, she is screaming and nothing happened. She is raising her tail and moving to sides.What can we do? Female dog is in our territory.
Hello, Anna,
The females are not usually receptive to the male before the bleeding stops. Letting him mount her multiple times before she was ready has possibly changed her attitude toward this particular male. You should let our veterinarian examine her to confirm state of heat cycle. If necessary, he might prescribe a tranquilizer to help with accepting the male.
Good morning Doc. I have a female in heat and two males going crazy with whining and not eating .
If they were to hump a pillow or something will they be able to release that feeling and calm down a little bit?
It’s going to cost me about a $1000 to fix the boys and I don’t have it. Is there anything I can do to calm them down with chews or how do I teach them how to hum a stuffed animal lol or blanket? Please help me
Hello, Meggie,
I really don’t have a good suggestion for you. I will relay this to a specialist and see if we can get some advice.
Hello, again, Meggie,
I put the question up to a behavior specialist and a reproductive specialist.
They say that the normal male attraction to a bitch is estrus is not at all lessened by masturbation. Some males are just very affected by the presence of a female.
People have tried all sorts of remedies to counteract the smell of the girl in heat: chlorophyll, menthol sprays, etc. These are unlikely work reliably. Some boys just won’t eat/sleep/stop howling when a girl in season is in their midst.
You can consider moving the males or the female to a friend’s home for a bit or some such arrangement. You can’t get far enough away in the same household.
There are lots of ideas online about products and arrangements to consider.
The idea to neuter the males is a good one, if they’re not intended for breeding. Or you could spay the female. They do say, however, that some neutered dogs will still carry on (pining for the good ol’ days,so to speak), so even neutering is no absolute guarantee to relieve the household upset if you have a bitch in heat on the premises.
My female is not wanting the male around but her vulva is soft and ready for the mating my male dog is being right up to her like Velcro and is whining and trying to mount her but she’s not having it what am I doing wrong ???? she’s 3 years old and so is the male dog her bleeding began on July 11th and today is the 18 I’m just wondering did I miss the mark again
Hello, Julie,
Sorry to be late replying, but the blog got hacked and we had to do some house-cleaning.
I would recommend working with your veterinarian, at least getting vaginal cytology done a few times during the cycle (if not hormone managaement).
That can give you a better idea when to start breeding.
I’m having same situation with my doberman, im literally ready to pull my hair out, I also have male chawawa inside and he now won’t eat ???? im so ready for those be over
I have a 3 yr old Dobie she is in her 4th day of heat has very little blood but dark brownish in color is this normal. No fever, eating, acting well.
Hello, Dolores,
If there’s any doubt, your veterinarian can perform a vaginal cytology examination to see if there is anything besides the normal blood that we expect to be present.
My female Rottweiler started bleeding nov 2 , she tied the 9th and the 11th of nov , but she is still not swollen . And she is extremely tight .
Is this normal to except a male and be that tight ?
Hello, Marcia,
If she accepted the male, then I would suppose that her vulva was relaxed enough. We typically see an enlarged vulva when in heat. I can’t say that I’ve ever assessed it for “tightness”.
My 4 1/2 yr old Chihuahua is in heat & Ive Noticed little black looking bugs are her nipples & vagina. What could this be?
Hello Cheyenne,
Little black bugs on a dog are usually fleas. Take a look with a magnifying glass and compare to photos of fleas.
Hi I have a lasaspa she is on day 12 now .we have put her with a male lasapsa and he tail is to the side .there is a lot of sniffing going on but is not trying to mount her .they are both 4years old and never bread before.is there something we should be doing to try to help the process please
Hello, Marilyn,
With both dogs being inexperienced, you may have some problems. It usually works best to take the female to the male’s territory. She is more likely to allow his advances if she doesn’t feel like she has to defend her home ground.
If you don’t have success, I would look for an experienced male who has successfully produced puppies in the past.
I have a female that has fairly normal and regular heat cycles. She is an AKC cream Golden Retriever, (OFA, PennHIP and DNA tested) and has been bred twice. Last breeding resulted in 1 pup (first litter was 8) but we did not progesterone test and she bled for about 3 weeks straight with no noticable change in color… She did flag around day 10, as she always does, and so we bred her on our typical schedule of day 11, 13 and 15. We suspect we bred her too late last time despite the pup being a female. Pup was born naturally at 65 days after first AI (done by stud owner, not vet)
Now she seems to be in heat again, about 4 days earlier than expected (236 days after her last heat began.) However I would have never noticed the bleeding had I just been watching for blood spots on the floor like normal. Instead I have been dabbing her with toilet paper once a day. Yesterday I noticed a brownish red mark on the toilet paper but wasn’t sure if it was melted dirty snow because of the color and how little it was. She was not swollen.
This morning, after peeing there was definitely a diluted red tinged drip on her but then I worried it could be a UTI as there was still no swelling and it was after peeing. However, later today I dabbed her and there was definitely a red mark on the toilet paper but she is still not dripping or swelling. Usually she bleeds heavily during a heat and swells a LOT.
I should mention that she does have other symptoms of heat: being extra needy, a bit depressed seeming, and went off food 3 days ago.
There is no smell to the blood and her temp is not elevated.
Tonight there was no drip but if I spread her slightly (using gloves, do not want to induce an infection) there is thick dark blood collecting just inside her vulva.
Did I just catch her heat super early? I am used to her bleeding quite heavily and it not being as dark or thick as it is this evening. She may have some slight swelling but if so it is very very slight.
I do plan to progesterone test her this time but hoping to just do days 7, 9 and 11. I am just not sure what day to count as day 1, if this is even a real heat seeing as how she isn’t terribly swollen and isn’t dripping blood. She is also not cleaning the area herself so it’s very minimal discharge.
Hello, Laura,
Since this is an unusual presentation for her, I would go ahead with your plan for the progesterone testing. It is possible that you are catching it early, but you may want to consult with your veterinarian on this.
Thank you. Today she stopped bleeding entirely and seems not swollen at all when I thought yesterday she might be. It’s very strange. Hope I didn’t miss it and hope nothing it wrong. I have an appt for her Friday.
My dogs last heat when we bred her was end of April 2021 had 10 puppies c section.
She still hasn’t come in heat again, has a tiny bit of discharge and humps everything
Hello, Carolyn,
I would suggest that you get the discharge checked by microscopic exam of the cells (infected versus a “normal” cycle), along with an ultrasound of the uterus. Your veterinarian may also want to check some hormone levels.
I have a pit bull she has salon under her tummy crys a lot and it’s tender to the touch she tryst biting us. Now she’s bleeding want walk without help. What is going on
Hello, Linda,
I would like to try to advise you, but your message is difficult to understand. You aren’t paying much attention to spelling or punctuation.
I am guessing that you are saying her abdomen is swollen and that she is sensitive when you touch it, crying and trying to bite to get you to leave it alone. Is it her whole belly? A lump on her belly?
You don’t say where the bleeding is coming from. Is it from a lump on her belly? From her vagina?
I have a German Shorthair and she is inconsistent with her heat cycles. I want to breed her around the end of February but she will not be ready then. Is there a way to force her into heat so she can be bred at that time?
She is 3+ years old and has had one litter of pups. I am planning to get her fixed after her next litter, and also want her in shape for the hunting season.
Yeah! My dads two German shepherds have been bleeding on and off since December. It’s been stressful. My dad quickly passed pf cancer in 7 quick months and just passed 2/5 a lot of new people in and out since.
Hoping that’s why! If it happens to me I assume it can happen to them LOL!
I have a personal question, my dog is 1 years old and about 2 months on top of that year haha. And the other day she got locked up with a male outside of my neighborhood. I didn’t know and its been 2 days now I just want to know if its safe? She wasn’t bleeding at all but she was in heat im sure she let the dog do it without noone forcing it. I just don’t want her to get hurt or is there something I can feed her to kill off any offspring its been 2 days only since the occurring
Incident
Hello, Ricardo,
The female usually becomes receptive to the male (and fertile) after the bleeding stops. There isn’t a good way to abort the possible pregnancy at this stage. If you don’t ever want to have puppies, I would schedule her to get spayed in 2 weeks. Even if pregnant, the pregnancy shouldn’t be large enough to increase her risks in surgery. If you do plan to have puppies later, then I would schedule her for an ultrasound four weeks after the breeding. If she proves to be pregnant at that time, the pregnancy can be terminated with a series of prostaglandin injections. That procedure does require veterinary supervision, as there are potential side effects.
Kill of any offspring..Really your the idiot who let it happen and you want to kill an innocent life of her babies..no let her have her babies you have to take responsibility for your mistake..she doesn’t know better you should have or you shouldn’t own a dog..shame on you
The most commonly used drug is cabergoline. This
works by “stopping the lack of heat cycle”, rather
than by “starting a new cycle”. When the dog is out
of heat, there are certain hormones being produced to
keep her in that quiet phase of the cycle. Cabergoline
can (but does not always) stop that situation,
allowing a new heat cycle to begin.
If it has been at least four months since the last
heat cycle, cabergoline has a good chance of working
for you. You should consult with your regular
veterinarian on this. The reproductive specialists
tell me that they give it daily until the dog shows
signs of coming into heat, up to 25 days. If it hasn’t
worked in 25 days, it probably is not going to.
I hope this is helpful to you. Thanks for reading and
writing.
My one year old pitbull puppy just had her first cycle I see spots of blood on the floor it is a private places I would like to know can I get her pregnant her first cycle it really be safe
Hello, Murrand,
I do like to wait until the dog is fully mature herself. At one year, that should be okay. Personally, I would wait until her second cycle.
If your a real vet doc you should know better 2 years old best age AFTER THE parents are hip and elbow and heart,and eye tested for OFA and paw print genetics for breed spacific genetic diseases..1 year is way to young for motherhood their bones are fully grown you may end up with a 3,000 c-section or worse all dead pups or mom too.their growth plate close at 18 month or longer..emotionaly a 1 yr old dog isnt emotionaly mature to be a mom and could act erratic or even kill her pups,this happened to my friend dog at a age of 3 due to low calcium levels..do your home work..
Hello, Linsey,
In an ideal world, everybody would do that before breeding their dogs. Alas, you aren’t going to get that done with most people. Serious breeders, yes. The average person, not so much.
In Germany, I understand that you can’t register the offspring unless both parents have obedience degrees and conformation titles. The AKC will never require that.
Hi, I have 2 small dogs and I was wondering how many times while she is in estrus can she be takin.
I am not sure that I understand your question. If you are asking how many times she could be bred during her heat, I can’t give you an exact number. When we are trying to get a female pregnant, we usually start on day 9 (if day 1 was the first day of bleeding), take her to the male and breed every other day until she refuses the male. With a household where the male is present constantly, he might mate with her twice a day every day during her fertile period.
As far as getting pregnant, once is enough if it’s at the right time.
I hope this helps to answer your question.
Thanks for reading and writing.
hi.. i have a pitbull, and she is 2 and 1/2 years old… i want to breed her, so i hired a dog to mate with my dog… but unfortunately, my dog did not became pregnant.. so i think that the male dog is impotent, so i tried it on other dog but it turn out to be the same.. my dog did not became pregnant.. although her mamary glands swells for a period of time after her mate in male dogs…
what should i do??
my dog is impotent?
No you could be breeding her on the wrong day. Breed her on the ninth and 11th day or 12 th day of heat. Sounds like she had a false pregnancy.
I’m so upset my male got my girl shes only 10mths I heard her yelp and rushed outside they were together. I shouted at my male and they parted. His bits went back in straight away. She hasn’t anything dripping out. Shes on day 9/10 of her first season. I can home from work was on the phone and it just slipped my mind and I let them both out. Which I havent been doing . Do you think shes pregnant? I’m praying shes not.
The timing does make it possible. I would recommend an ultrasound at 28 days post-breeding. It is possible to abort the pregnancy with prostaglandin injections. If you were considering having her spayed, it would be fine to do so in the first few weeks post-breeding.
The male you intend to use (or have already used) should have a semen evaluation. If this is normal, and no pregnancy results, then the female should be evaluated. It is possible that she is not being bred at the correct time. It is also possible that she has fertility problems related to her hormone levels, or even an abnormality of her uterus. You need some direct help from a veterinarian in your area who works with reproductive problems.
Good luck.
Hey doc I want to ask my dog started to spot abit of brown blood on the 10th February but it was just a few spots but I think by Friday the bleeding went to a dark red colour and she was bleeding alot more by I think friday I tried to mate her on Saturday the 20th February she kept snapping at the male it was meant to be her 10th day her vluva wasn’t all that swollen either but today the 24th February it looks alot more swollen then before but we went to a K9 place to get a progesterone test done Monday 22nd and it was 0.75 the women said she’s in season but she’s at the bottom and to come back on Friday for another test I said she kept snapping at the male and she said it’s because she’s not ready do you think her levels should be higher by then I hope it is. she’s still bleeding but it’s gotten abit watery and light red might turn pinkish she’s a Staffordshire bull terrier
Hello, Tia,
Still bleeding usually means not ready yet. Also, it generally helps to take the female to the male’s territory so that she doesn’t feel that she should be defending her territory. If the dogs usually live together, and usually get along well, then she will probably be more receptive after a few more days.
I HAVE 2 AMERICAN BULLDOGS, HE’S 9/M & SHE’S 11/M. THEY ARE VERY YOUNG !THE FEMALE WENT INTO HEAT ON JAN.1/2008.I SEPARATED THEM UNTIL JAN.14/08 THE MALE GETS LOOSE DURING FEEDING.IN UNDER 3 MINUTES THEIR STUCK.IS SHE PREGNANT ? IT’S FEB.1/08 CAN THEY PLAY NOW & IF SHE IS CAN THEY PLAY AT ALL OR FOR HOW LONG ?
I have a 14 month female Chihuahua named Halo. She’s been having extreme heat cycles about every two months. She aggressively raped my furry housecoat for long periods. But what I’m terrified about is sometimes, like now, her pelvic area contracts inward, her belly swollen knotted, weak, refuses food r water. I give her sugar water with dropper and massage carefully her contracted belly and pelvis. She cries out in pain sometimes plz help
Hello, Janet,
That is not normal behavior for a heat cycle. This dog needs to see a veterinarian in person, not over the internet.
Hello, Steve,
If the male bred her two weeks ago, then she is probably about out of “heat” by now. However, I’d wait another week before letting them get together. At 28 days post-breeding, you need to get an ultrasound done to see whether or not she is pregnant.
Thanks for reading and writing,
Hey Steve,
I have let my beagal get with her boyfriend during the middle heat cycle. It has ben a day and we are going to try again. Can this definetly mean she will have pups? My beagal is 3 years old and has never been bread before she has had heat cycles and they have appeared normal. Oh yea how many do you think she will have ?
thanks della
Hello, Della,
As with people, there is no guarantee of a pregnancy, even if the breeding takes place at the “right time”. Your odds of conception will be increased by continuing to allow the dogs to breed every one or two days until the female no longer accepts the male.
Three years old should be fine for her first litter. Average litter size is six pups, but you can have as few as one or as many as ten, or even more.
At about four weeks post-breeding, she should be checked by your regular veterinarian. An ultrasound examination can detect pregnancy at that time. He or she can also give you more instructions on how to handle the birthing. At that time your dog will also need to begin eating a puppy growth formula food (like Puppy Chow or Science Diet Puppy). She will need extra nutrition for the developing puppies during the second half of pregnancy, and also through the nursing period. The puppy food is the easiest way to do that.
Good luck, and thanks for reading and writing.
I have a toy poodle who is eight i believe she just went into heat is it safe for her to have puppies at this age.
Hello, Ashley,
Dr. Joni Freshman in Colorado Springs is a reproductive specialist and she says:
“Bitches over the age of 6 years who have never been bred are at increased risk for complications during gestation and delivery. For these bitches, run a complete panel before breeding; check glucose [blood sugar]and calcium levels prior to whelping, and be on the lookout for indications for c-section.”
Here is a link to a breeding article on Veterinary Partner.com, which can also be accessed through the pet libary section of the http://www.kennettvet.com website.
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2084&EVetID=3001962
Generally speaking, I think dogs this age should be spayed to avoid the risk of female trouble as they get older. Here’s a link to a previous post:
http://www.yourpetsbestfriend.com/your_pets_best_friend/2007/03/you_should_spay.html
Thanks for reading and writing.
Hi:
I have a beagle and she came into heat about two weeks ago. My kids let her out at about 9 or 10 days into her heat cycle. She is still bleeding and it’s been 5 days since so I picked up the pug I was going to breed her to and she is still very receptive. Do you think there is a chance she didn’t get pregnant before? Thanks
Hello, Dan,
I’m wondering how old your dog is. Very young dogs are more likely to have irregular heat cycles.
Ordinarily, the bleeding stops by day 9 or 10 and ovulation will soon occur. Just “playing the numbers”, one would expect that she might be pregnant from the first breeding and no longer receptive. On the other hand, it’s unusual for the dog to be receptive while she’s still bleeding in the first place. This is not a 100% reliable indicator, unfortunately.
The best test of whether or not she’s still in a fertile period is whether or not she will still accept the male. I’d try it.
As to whether she is already pregnant, it’s hard to say. As with people, you don’t always get pregnant on the first date, and thank goodness for that.
With five days or more between breedings, it is not likely that you will have pups from both fathers. [That would be possible if she were bred by both dogs in a 24-hour period.]
Thanks for reading and writing.
i have a toy poodle that just had a pup on nov 25 2007..she should not come into heat again for 6 months but i just found out she is in heat again already..it has only been a little of 3month since she had her pup..is this normal and could she be fertial..my male is going crazy for her like she is ready and she is flagin alot
thanks
tracey
If you will add the nine weeks of her pregnancy to the time that has elapsed since birth of the puppy, you will find that it has been at least 5&1/2 months since her last heat cycle: pretty close to six months.
So, yes, she is probably having a normal, fertile heat cycle. Time for birth control or planned pregnancy. You pays your money and you takes your choice.
Thanks for reading and writing.
My black lab just went into heat. Is it safe to have her fixed. Even know she is a pure bread we don’t want puppies. When should we have her fixed
Hello, Sandra,
The surgery can be done any time. While they are in heat, it is more complicated, more bleeding, usually a bigger incision. Ideally I’d wait until two weeks after she goes out of heat. If she were to get bred, the pregnancy would be very small and not present much of a problem with the surgery.
Hello! Hope all is well!
If you could help me, I’d really appreciate it. My schnauzer went into heat last month. It’s been almost three weeks since she’s been off it. My issue is, since then, she seems depressed & unmotivated. All she wants to do is lay and be held. She no longer has interest with toys or playing with other dogs. She’s usually a crazy little dog running around everywhere, so it’s very concerning seeing her this way. Thanks !
Hello, Alondra,
I believe that I would want to get her a checkup and a complete blood count. It is possible that this is just hormonal aftermath, but in rare cases, dog’s develop uterine infections in this time frame. If her physical exam and blood tests are normal, then I wouldn’t be very worried. It will probably work itself out with time. But I WOULD get the checkup.
I have a german shorthair female who is 11 mo’s old and has never gone into heat. I keep hearing that they can go into heat as late as 14 mo, is that right? She’s healthy as a horse, or so it seems, and is on a good diet, so I don’t know if it’s something we could possibly be doing wrong, or if she’s just late. We want to breed her, not quite yet, but we do want to be sure that she is able to be bred, or we’ll get her fixed. Is there anything I can do to bring on a heat cycle?
Hello, Emily,
I’d say to just be patient at the moment. She isn’t even a year old yet. My Rottweiler had her first cycle at sixteen months (though that is exceptionally late). I wouldn’t monkey with her hormones at this early date.
Thanks for reading and writing.
I have a yorkiepoo that will be 2 in June. She started her 3rd heat cycle on March 5. She was with the male on day 12. Will female dogs still act interested in males if they got pregnant? yesterday was day 14 and she still put her rear in the air and moved her tail over.
Female dogs are receptive to the male for several days before ovulation, and often remain receptive to the male until several days after ovulation has taken place. It is possible that she has already conceived. It is also possible that she has not. For best results, allow the dogs to continue mating at least every 48 hours until the female is no longer receptive.
Thanks for reading and writing.
My golden just turned two in November, and cycled March 10th. I have been charting her for the last few years. She cycled @ 10 months in September of ’06, and has been a March/Sept. girl. By calculation she should have been all but done by the 31st (or 21 days). I plan to have her OFA clearance done before her Sept. cycle and breed her then.
However, despite the fact that we should have been in the free and clear two days ago, she is swollen and spotting again. It is a bright red discharge at this time. Do heat cycles “piggyback” like this? Our last female never had this happen.
Hello, Jacqueline,
This is not a normal situation. Young bitches often have “false starts” on their first heat cycle, but usually NOT at this age, and not after prevous regular cycles. Average cycles last 21 to 28 days. However, after 21 days, you’d expect to be winding down, rather than starting bloody discharge anew.
I would suggest that you contact your veterinarian. It is possible that the dog is having an irregular cycle and has not ovulated yet. This may not be a disease process, but just a funky cycle. Vaginal cytology examination, white blood cell count, and progesterone levels would be things to look at in order to look for evidence of a long cycle or possible infection.
Thanks for reading and writing.
This is less a need for advice and more just out of my own curiosity.
Why is it that when female humans go through this process, that means they CANNOT get pregnant whereas when female dogs (and other animals) go through it it means they CAN get pregnant.
Is the blood discharged by dogs and other animals caused by a different reason than it is in humans?
The bleeding in dogs and in humans, while associated with the estrous cycle in both, does in fact come from totally different sources.
In humans, each month uterus prepares anew for the implantation of an embryo. The menstrual discharge is the sloughing of the uterine lining that has been prepared to nourish the new embryo. If no new embryo arrives, the body sees no need to maintain all that extra uterine lining, so it basically gets flushed.
In dogs, the process is different. Twice yearly, they have a 3 to 4 week cycle to prepare,produce, and nourish embryos (should conception occur). For the five months between cycles, their ovaries aren’t doing anything, and there will be no sexual activity. Therefore, the lining of the vagina need not be tough. During this period, the tissue is no tougher than the inside of the eyelid. When the ovaries become active, the vaginal lining changes, toughening up to withstand the trauma of mating. During this time, there is increased blood supply, and initially there is a bloody discharge from the vagina. Once the vaginal lining has grown a tougher layer, there is no more bleeding, and the bitch is in her fertile period.
Totall different situations.
Thanks for reading and writing.
My boyfriend recently moved in with me and he brought his 7 yr old female lab. She gets along great with my 5 yr old male coonhound but we’re having a new problem. To preface, the male was neutered as a puppy but she is not altered, and neither dog has mated before. Anyways, she went into heat maybe a week or two ago and since then my dog has been mounting her. (unsuccessfully). A couple days ago they were outside and we heard her yelp and she was bleeding again from her vagina, much more than before. She was also frantically pursuing the male and he was trying to hide from her. In the 2 days since then, she has been obsessed with following him around and licking him. (She is not bleeding). He shows no interest in her. We’re having to separate them in the house bc she won’t let him sleep! What exactly is going on? Will it ever end?
Hello, Alison,
I must say that I am by no means a behavior expert.
The flowing hormones certainly complicate the picture. In absence of the heat cycle, it would not be uncommon for the resident dog to attempt to assert dominance over the newcomer. This can take the form of mounting behavior that has nothing to do with sex. You may see this with two spayed females in a similar situation.
Even dogs that are well and truly neutered may still secrete some testosterone elsewhere in the body (as do female dogs). I have certaily seen neutered males who had erections. So, it’s possible that there is some sexual behavior going on.
For the most part, I suspect that the two dogs are in the throes of thrashing out the dominance hierarchy (“pecking order”). If you start to get a feeling for which dog is becoming “top dog”, then try to reinforce that, rather than “rooting for the underdog”. Greet that dog first, give its treat first, etc. This helps to have fewer challenges for dominance.
Good luck, and thanks for reading and writing.
HI,
I bred my female last September for the first time she was an amazing mom and she had 4 puppies. I would like to get her on the cycle of having puppies in the summer so I would like to breed her again without having a heat cycle that she is not bred on and then give her a break is that a good idea?
Hello, Nicki,
A lot of that depends on how well recovered she is from raising the last litter. If she has gained all her weight back, and looks and feels good, she will probably do okay. Puppy mills (commercial kennels that raise dogs the way farmers raise pigs) do this all the time. Of course, unlike the pig farmer, they aren’t planning to make bacon out of the dog when her productivity slows down.
Most serious breeders who are trying to raise the quality of their bloodline usually give the bitch a cycle off, raising only one litter per year.
Thanks for reading and writing.
I have a 9mo. old female yellow labrador retriever. She began bleeding today. How many days does the bleeding usually occur?
Also, is discharge from the nipples one of the many signs that she is entering proestrus?
Thanks! Nicole
Hello, Nicole,
Bleeding usually lasts from 7 to 9 days, after which the dog is entering the most fertile portion of her cycle. On a first cycle, things can be irregular, so watch the dog, not the calendar. Even so, I’d be sure she was protected from the males for at least four weeks.
If the nipple just has a bit of clear fluid, with no swelling, tenderness, or discoloration, I wouldn’t worry about it. If the discharge is thick, or you DO have swelling, tenderness or discoloration, take your dog to her veterinarian to get things checked.
Thanks for reading and writing.
Our brindle English Mastiff had her 3rd heat cycle Oct 1st, 07 & had her 1st litter New Years Eve. Our fawn English Mastiff had her 3rd heat cycle Feb 28th this year. Both were put with our male English Mastiff. Our fawn didn’t get pregnant & she only has had her heat cycle every 8 months where as our brindle has hers every 6 months. Our brindle isn’t showing any signs that she’s going into heat again yet. Could having her 1st litter alter her timing on her heat cycle? Also we were really hoping for puppies from our fawn but now it looks like we’ll have to wait 8 months before trying again. Would it be possible to force her heat cycle sooner? If so, what would be the best way & when would we be able to, time wise? Thanks so much!
Hello, Pam,
In your situation I believe you would be best served by consulting directly with a veterinarian who does a lot of reproductive work. It is possible that having had a litter may have changed the heat-cycle timing, but it usually does not. “Forcing” a heat cycle can be done, but really needs to be overseen by an expert in using the hormones and drugs involved. This is not something that I can counsel you through long-distance.
Good luck.
Hi-I have an 8 mo. old gold. retriever in her 1st heat. I feel like a failure of a mother-I didn’t realize the Aust. Shep. down the road wasn’t fixed, and naively was not as vigilant as I could be in watching her. They “hooked up” and I am extremely concerned about the danger to her with her young age. I also researched “Alizin” to terminate the pregnancy. Is that an approved drug in the US? How concerned should I be about the trama to her body?
Hello, Andrea,
I would not be concerned about your dog having been traumatized by the breeding. This is very unlikely.
Pregnancy on the first heat is not desirable, simply because the dog hasn’t finished her OWN development. It is analagous to 13-years-old girls having babies. It happens, but it’s not the best situation.
Alizin is not available in the United States, and there really is no perfect option here. Your best bet is to get an ultrasound at 30 days post-breeding to see if she is actually pregnant (she may not be). Also, protect her from further exposure to males until she is completely out of her cycle.
If she is pregnant at 30 days, prostaglandins are the most often used drug to terminate the pregnancy. Of course, you could just take the puppy works out and be done with it (have her spayed). Here is a brief discussion of the options:
Clin Tech Small Anim Pract. 2002 Aug;17(3):116-23.
Pregnancy termination in the bitch and queen.
Eilts BE.
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Skip Bertman Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
Mismate or pregnancy termination is one of the most common “reproductive” requests from dog and cat owners. Ovariohysterectomy [spay] is the best alternative for those clients who do not really have a valid reason for keeping a reproductively intact animal. If the animal is a potential breeder, drugs are available that can prevent or terminate pregnancy. The use of these drugs must be based on the safety, efficacy, convenience, compliance in treatment, and cost of the drug. Drugs that can be given during estrus to prevent pregnancy include estrogens and tamoxifen. However, because most dogs presented for mismate are not truly pregnant, a pregnancy examination should be performed before any drug is given to terminate pregnancy. If a dog is known to be pregnant, multiple doses of natural or synthetic prostaglandins can be used throughout pregnancy, whereas multiple doses of prolactin inhibitors (cabergoline, bromocriptine, metergoline) or dexamethasone can be used in the second half of pregnancy. Combined protocols of prostaglandin and prolactin inhibitors are also effective at terminating pregnancy. Progesterone blockers such as mifepristone and aglepristone are effective, but very expensive [and not available in U.S]. Other drugs, such as the isoquinolones and progesterone synthesis inhibitor epostane are available outside of the United States and appear to be very effective at terminating pregnancy. No drug, however, meets all the following criteria of a perfect mismate drug: possible to give at any stage of estrus or pregnancy, 100% effective, causes no vaginal discharge, has no side effects, does not impair future fertility, is readily available, and is inexpensive.
Call your regular veterinarian and discuss the options with him/her.
Thanks for reading and writing.
I have two min pins and the older one (2 yrs) just finished her heat cycle in February and the younger one (9 months) just started her heat cycle. My older min pin is showing signs of being in heat. Is this normal? I have never had two female dogs at the same time so I would appreciate some information regarding this issue.
Hi my jack russel went into heat 31st january and done it with male 8th feb and again 15th feb but they never stuck dont think but she was yelping we left them in spare room do you think shes pregnant
Hello, Kelly,
It doesn’t require a “tie” for conception to occur. You can get an ultrasound to check for pregnancy 28 days after the last breeding.
Hi Doc, hoping you could please answer my question about my dachshund in her first heat. It’s now day 18 and we have separated her from our male since day 9 when she was receptive, unless supervised. He was wild for her on day 13, 14, and 15. On day 17 she started sitting down when he was interested so I thought she was no longer receptive, however her behaviour is mixed, still sitting down, but also raising her tail and wiggling her bottom and humping him (a lot). There’s a mixture of behaviour so I’m not sure. He’s now less interested in mounting her and just wanting to hang out with her as usual. Is her mixed behaviour just because she still has hormones in her system or can she still get pregnant?!!! She is also still leaving a small spot of blood on bedding occasionally. Thanks for your answer.
Hello, Merey, The cycle lasts (on average) 21 to 28 days. At Day 18, you should be about past the fertile part, but I’d certainly keep them separated for 21 days. There are still hormones hanging around but you should be well past ovulation by then. Safest would be to go the full 28.
Hello,Doreen,
It is unusual for a dog to cycle three months after her last estrum. However, it is not uncommon for females housed together to begin cycling together. The mechanism that causes this to happen is not understood. If your dog seems okay otherwise, I would not be too concerned. If the cycle does not proceed as it usually does for her, or if there are other signs of illness, then you should have her examined by your veterinarian.
Also, if her cycles continue to be unusually frequent, she may be having an ovary problem. Again, you should consult your veterinarian if that occurs.
Thanks for reading and writing.
My year and a half female german shepherd was in heat this past March, now she is bleeding again. Is this something i should consult a Vet about? She hasn’t been acting any different, she still has energy and is eating well. What should I do?
Hello, Mel,
I would have your veterinarian check out your dog. It would be unusual for her to have another cycle so quickly. A vaginal cytology examination (plus possibly a complete blood count) should differentiate between a weird heat cycle and some type of “female trouble” that could be causing a vaginal discharge.
Thanks for reading and writing.
I have a female Chihuahua that went into heat for the first time at 8 months old. She was bred accidentally and had four puppies. She ended up having to have a c-section as the puppies were too big. The mom and dad were both 4 lbs. She got pregnant on October 2nd and the puppies were delivered on December 4th, 2007 Mom and babies all did fantastic. Anyway, I have been waiting for her to come into heat again and there is no sign of it. I have another female that is pregnant right now and is due on July 1st. Do you think that the c-section could be holding her back or do you think it could be something else? The only thing she does even remotely sexual is to hump my arm every night!
Hello, Susan,
Heat cycles early in the dog’s life are often irregular in timing. Some dogs have cycles every 8 months instead of every six months (they can’t read the book). I doubt that the C-section had anything to with he current lack of cycling, unless they also removed her ovaries and uterus (and I’m sure that they would have told you about that).
If she continues to not cycle, you could have her hormone levels checked to see what’s going on. You may need to seek out a veterinarian with a special interest in reproductive issues.
Thanks for reading and writing.
I have a toy poodle that I got from a breeder. she’s been bred before, and she isn’t spayed. I also have a rat terrier male here who isn’t neutered. I want to have puppies, but I just want to know when it’s normal for her to have her heat cycles. Will I know she’s in heat when she wants to be around him more? She hates other dogs with a capital H, she’s so spoiled she thinks she’s human. When she lets him come near her without trying to rip his head off, is that when I know she’s ready?
Hello, Shayla,
Given what you say about her attitude, she may or may not ever get all that receptive toward the male.
In her heat cycle, her vulva (female parts) will normally become significatly larger or swollen for one or two days before the bloody discharge starts. You should make a habit of checking her a couple of times a week. That way you’ll know what she normally looks like down there, plus you’ll catch it when she’s beginning to change in her cycle.
With a dominant, aggressive female, you sometimes have to take them to the male’s territory on another premises. Otherwise they feel that they should be defending their territory, rather than allowing the male to dominate them (at least for the mating act).
Thanks for reading and writing.
My fox terrier is 3 yrs old this is her third heat cycle. for the last three cycles, of which she has only seemed to have consistently one per year at the same time every year. Last year’s cycle mirrored this years in that it lasted for a few days of bleeding then ten days later the male was very interested. He is slightly smaller and seemed to have some difficulty linking up, so I’m not sure they were successful. However like last year she bleed again, much brighter red, about two weeks after the first show.
I believe that your best bet will be to work with your veterinarian to check her vaginal cytology regularly, and also her hormone levels to see when she is ovulating. This will make it easier to time the breeding and be sure nothing is wrong.
Normally you can relay on the dogs to figure out “the right time”, but if her cycle is irregular, this may not work for you.
You should consult your regular veterinarian about this.
Thanks for reading and writing.
I have a male and a female collie. I have put them alone for a few days. My male is now no longer interested in the female. Do they do that after they mate?
Lynnette,
Generally, the male remains interested even after the female ovulates and quits being receptive. Her pheromones are still present, and she remains attractive to the male, even though she will not be receptive to his advances.
If the female was aggressive towards him when he tried to mate, that can definitely cause him to lose interest. This is especially true for a young male who has no previous breeding experience.
In general, take the female to the male’s territory, starting on day 9 of her cycle (where day 1 is first day of bloody discharge).
Ideally, let the male’s first experience be with a more experienced, receptive female.
I hope this helps.
Thanks for reading and writing.
i have a dachshund puppy, she will be a year in november and she is starting her second heat. is that normal? it doesn’t seem that long since her last heat most likely 4months. not exectly sure that it was 4 months ago. thanks
brandy
I have a female maltese/poodle mix and a male springer spaniel. I recently caught them “tied”. Im concerned that he’s too big for her and that perhaps the puppies might be too big to come out of her. Being that she only weighs about 6 pounds and he weighs about 30. Also due to my lack of responsibility, they were tied twice in two days. Is this unhealthy for her? And today she was vomiting frequently. The tying happened 4 days ago. What do i expect?
hey, I have an Akita/LAB mix she is about less then 11 months old (her estimated birthday is in late August)and she is acting a little abnormal than usual, does this mean her first heat is coming?
Thanks
~D.
Hello, Brandy,
It is very common for the first heat cycle or two to be irregular. Her cycles may start to come at six-month intervals as she matures. If they do not, you should consult your veterinarian. Chances are, things will settle out on their own and you really don’t have a problem.
Thanks for reading and writing.
Hello, Ashley,
The size of the puppies at birth is governed by the size of the mother and the number she conceives. If she has several puppies, they should be small enough to deliver. If she only conceives one pup, he will be a big rascal, and it is very likely she would have trouble delivering the puppy.
At 30 days, an ultrasound can detect pregnancy, but is not so great for counting the puppies. Their skeletons have enough calcium to show up on an X-ray during the last 10 days or so of pregnancy, and you can count them and evaluate their size (compared to mom’s birth canal) at that time.
The vomiting is not a normal part of the process. If she is having continuing problems with this, you should absolutely take her to see your veterinarian.
She should have a prenatal checkup at 4 to 5 weeks post-breeding.
Thanks for reading and writing.
Hello, D,
I wish I could give you an accurate answer to your question. If she is beginning her heat cycle, you will most likely soon see swelling of the vulva and the onset of bloody discharge.
If she continues to “act funny”, get her to her veterinarian for a checkup. I once had a German Shepherd patient who developed a terrible uterine infection before she was even one year old. She had never been bred, and had to have a hysterectomy on an emergency basis. She had been “acting funny” for a few days, then developed a vaginal discharge of heavy pus.
Thanks for reading and writing.
his is highly knowledgeable and benifisial to reed you.specialy in country where canine vets are not advanced.Congradulations.My question is can we crossbreed Dog with HINA.Hope to get answar by e mail
I have a Maltese she went threw her bleeding cycle about 7 days on day 9-12 I took her to the male to breed they got together about 9 times. A week later I have noticed a straw color blood coming out what could that be? Thanks
Hello, Rebecca,
I am having a hard time visualizing the discharge you describe. A vaginal discharge at this time would be unusual. I would suggest that you let yo veterinarian perform a vaginal cytology examination to evaluate this.
Thanks for reading and writing.
Okay i have a Female 2 Year Old Brindle Pit Bull, I Wanna Breed Her Wit A 12 Month Old Blue Pit, The Females Next Heat Should come in Nov. is There anyway she could be forced in 2 heat sooner??
Hello, Mista T,
Man, it’s been a long time since “The A-Team”.
If you’ll check about the third comment on that post, you’ll see a note about using cabergoline. My personal opinion is that it will be a lot of extra trouble, but it’s your money. For best resutls, find a veterinarian who is doing breeding work on a regular basis.
Thanks for reading and writing.
Would you please let me know what the dosage would be for a Pekingese about 13 pounds
if I were to use Cabergoline
to cycle her.
I have heard very good things about this drug for dog’s that don’t cycle
Thank you
Sandy
Hello, Sandy,
To answer your question, no. BECAUSE…
A. I’d have to look it up, and I’m lazy.
B. I’ve never seen your pet and so I can’t prescribe for her.
C. It’s a prescription medicine and you shouldn’t be able to buy it without a prescription from a veterinarian who sees your pet regularly so that you have the FDA-prescribed doctor-client-patient relationship.
D. You need a doctor experienced with using the stuff to advise you, and that doctor needs to be seeing your dog.
SO, get off the internet and go see your veterinarian.
Thanks for reading and writing.
I have a jack russell female who is about 1 1/2 old and has yet to come into heat, just wanted to know if this is normal or not. Have had one before and had no problem coming into heat.
Hello, Christina,
Eighteen months is pretty old for a first heat cycle, but she may still come in on her own. One of my own dogs was sixteen months before she had her first noticeable cycle. Sometimes the very first cycle isn’t very noticeable, a so-called “silent heat”. There are some bitches that just don’t crank out much hormone level.
If she doesn’t cycle on her own, my personal preference would be to spay her. A reproductive specialist may be able to sort out why she isn’t cycling and help you to successfully breed her. On the other hand, the purpose of breeding is to produce fitter, healthier dogs. If a dog can’t reproduce without a medical specialist, maybe she’s not the best candidate for breeding.
Look at the English Bulldogs: most are conceived only by artificial insemination and delivered only by C-section. This is a bizarre situation, and hardly good for the breed.
Thanks for reading and writing.
Hello I have a Great Dane that is on her 13th day of bleeding and it is still very very heavy. She can lay down and within 10 mins. there is a puddle. This is her 3rd heat cycle and she did this in her last heat. Can you please help me out? I tried to breed her last heat cycle but the male couldnt tie with her. He kept coming out for some unknown reason and she is still not wanting the male to touch her at this time but like I said it is her 13th day. Thanks For your help.
Hello, Pamela,
I’m thinking you need to talk to your veterinarian about measuring this dog’s hormone levels during her cycle so that you can predict her time of ovulation. Vaginal cytology should be monitored also. She obviously doesn’t have a “typical” heat cycle and if neither you nor the male dog can get the right time pinned down, it’s going to take a little more work to get things done.
I’m no reproductive specialist, but I’ll bet your regular veterinarian knows how to get a consultation with one.
Thanks for reading and writing.
i got a 18 month old sheltie 11 days ago and she was bleeding and seems to be in heat. She had pups on june 19 2008. She has been bleeding since we got her. Her vagina is not swelling. Is this normal? My male is paying some attention to her but not a massive amount. She is happy and seems to be healthy. should i be concerned. We want to breed her but dont know if her not swelling is normal. Thank You
Hello, Brenda,
Most dogs cycle at six-month intervals. If she whelped on June 19, that would put her previous cycle about two months before that. Therefore, you wouldn’t expect her to have another cycle before October. If she has been bleeding continuously since you got her, I would suspect either a uterine/vaginal infection that occurred post-birth, or uterine sub-involution.
Uterine sub-involution means that the uterus just fails to go back to its normal non-pregnant state. It stays a little enlarged, and keeps secreting nutrient material. Some dogs will discharge all the way until their next cycle with no problem.
This dog needs to go to you veterinarian for a vaginal cytology exam, complete blood count, +/- an ultrasound exam to rule out infection. This does not sound like a normal heat cycle.
Thanks for reading and writing.
I’m trying to mate my male and female she is in heat and it’s been few days since the bleeding day started he mounts her but keeps humping air he’s not finding the hole is there anything I can do to help or just keep letting them try
Hello, Michael,
Unlike the female, the male is ALWAYS ready thinks everyone else should be, too. The female usually will not accept the male until 7 to 9 days after the bleeding started (and the bleeding should be about stopped by then, as well). So you’re probably too soon. If you aren’t sure how far along she is in her cycle, then you can have your veterinarian perform a vaginal cytology exam to see. If she is truly into the fertile period when she should be accepting the male, your veterinarian can possibly provide some tranquilizers to make the female more cooperative.
Hi,
I have a female and male that are 3 years and my female is not in heat but the male keeps trying to mate. The male got ahold of her even though she is not in heat and my female is now bleeding alittle I was wondering if this is normal or should I take he to the vet and keep them apart until she goes into heat so he doesnt try to breed her again. They are both Chihuahua’s.
Hello, Kari,
It is not uncommon for dogs to mount one another as a dominance display, but NOT with actual penetration.
I would suggest that you have your female examined by your veterinarian to evaluate any trauma that may have occurred. Also, females who are not in heat may be attractive to males if they have some other type of vaginal odor. Urinary tract infections, vaginal infections and so forth should be checked for and ruled out.
If the male is just too enthusiastic, you may indeed need to separate them.
Thanks for reading and writing.
Can you help me,I have a Stit zu who is 3yrs old.She had one pup in Oct 07,she did come into heat in Feb with very little blood discharge,she appeared to come into Heat in August this yr but no blood discharge.Can you give me some advice as I want to mate her again.
I am attempting to breed my beagles. The problem is that my female absolutely refuses to mate with my male. She will come in the house and does all that she could to mate with my male basenji. She will also attempt to mate with my female basenji when they are outside together. When put with our beagle, she will aggressively chase him away. Any advice most welcomed!
Hello, Helen,
Ask you veterinarian about monitoring the dog’s vaginal cytology and hormone levels during her next cycle. This will help you to pinpoint her time of ovulation. If she will not stand for the male at that time, you can consider artificial insemination.
Hello, Susan,
It sounds like there is a social hierarchy problem here. When two dogs are not pen-mates, we usually recommend taking the female to the male’s territory. If you have a dominant female, and you take the male to HER territory, she may get caught up defending her turf instead of listening to her hormones.
It sounds like she is used to bossing this male, so when he makes advances she is treating it as a challenge to her place in the pecking order.
You might consider taking her to another male. If you really want this particular mating, you might ask you veterinarian for a sedative for the female. You might have to muzzle her and restrain her.
Good luck.
hi, I have a female lab and she came on heat early this season(on july 8th she started spotting) we had an unexpected mating on 24th July (oops) but we tended to think this was too late? since then she is quite big, her teats have swollen- but has no milk to be expressed, today sept 4th she is digging and has a few clear fluid drips from her vulva. her temp has dropped from 28.3 to 37.7. im thinking is she further than we think (Expected 25th Sept from late mating on 24th) but now would be only 58 days from the first day of bleeding- is it possible to be fertile before the bleeding?
Hello, Cas,
It would certainly be unusual to be fertile prior to onset of pro-estrual bleeding. It is possible that your dog is undergoing false pregnancy phenomena, but it would be best to get an ultrasound exam (at six weeks there probably isn’t enough calcium in the puppy skeletons to show up on X-rays).
hi
i bought a 15 month old english bulldog girl about two weeks ago. i think the previous owner said she had a season at about 11/12 months of age. a week ago she started to bleed and then today she has stopped bleeding. is it normal for her to have such a short period of time in between this season and the last and also is the bleeding lasting for only a week normal. thanks if theres any answers you can give me
take care.
Hello, Stephanie,
A young dog’s first cycles are often irregular, so the short period of time between cycles (three months versus the average of six months)is not unusual at this age.
The cycle typically has three phases, remember, the coming-in, the being-in (the fertile period), and the going-out. Each of these last seven to nine days on average. Therefore, seven days of bleeding during pro-estrum (the coming-in). It is after the bleeding stops that you enter the fertile period.
Most English Bulldogs are not able to mate with natural service. The male’s front end is too large and heavy to enable him to mount properly. This is why most are bred with artificial insemination. The large head and tiny pelvis also usually render the female unable to give birth without a C-section. This means that timing of ovulation is really important so that you can pinpoint the day for the C-section.
You need to get with your veterinarian to talk about hormone monitoring and so forth when you actually get ready to breed her.
I’d probably skip this cycle since she really isn’t mature yet. Don’t let the Chihuahua jump her bones, though, because she certainly COULD get pregnant. Keep her safely chaste for the next two weeks anyway.
If you’re planning to breed this dog, you need to develop a good working relationship with your veterinarian ahead of time.
Thanks for reading and writing.
I am breeding mini aussies and my own mini aussie is in heat and I have a customer dog that is here and in heat also. I have been leaving the male in with both because they get
along well. is this ok, will he mate both as they are ready?
thanks
denise
Hello, Denise,
I would have two concerns.
If the client dog were carrying any disease, this would be a perfect way to infect both of your own dogs. If she has been tested negative for Brucella and has a clean bill of health otherwise, then this is a non-issue.
The second concern would be that if the male is servicing even one dog every day (much less two), the concentration of sperm may drop a little. Thus your conception rate might be a little lower than if he were breeding one bitch every 48 hours. This may not be much of a problem, but is something to consider.
Thanks for reading and writing.
Is there such a thing as a dog having a “Silent Heat” and is it safe to breed the dog during this time
Hello, Brenda,
“Silent heat” means that the dog is cycling and ovulating and is fertile, but you don’t notice anything outwardly. She doesn’t spot, doesn’t swell, doesn’t change her behavior.
If the male dog can figure out that she’s ready (and she IS ready), then it should be safe to breed her at this time.
The difficulty is in identifying when a silent heat is occurring. Dogs in this situation often require hormone level monitoring, or the induction of heat using cabergoline so that you will know when she is ovulating.
Good luck.
My female English Bulldog had her last heat cycle Nov. 2007. She had a healthy litter of puppies in January 2008. After delivery, we found out she had a small heartworm infection and underwent the IV treatment. It is now almost one year since her last heat cycle. Pups whelped in January, IV treatment in February..would that have “thrown off” her cycle? ALSO, let this be fair warning to all dog/cat owners..my female only missed two months of Heartgard in the summer of 2007..that is all it took for her to get an infestation…that was a very unfortunate, yet valuable (both financially and emotionally for us), lesson. DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO REMEMBER TO ADMINISTER HEARTWORM PREVENTATIVE TO YOUR PETS!!
Hello, Sue,
Usually the immiticide treatment doesn’t disrupt things, but any kind of major stress could disrupt the ovarian cycle. I would suggest contacting your veterinarian for help in finding a reproductive specialist who can suggest a protocol for assessing your dog’s hormone situation.
As to your missing a dose of heartworm preventive, I feel your pain. We are seeing quite a few large-breed, outside dogs who have gotten a small number of heartworms, even though they have never missed a dose (including my own dog).
Thanks for reading and writing.
Why do pups eat their own fecies or others and what can i do to break them of this habit
Hello, Brenda,
Coprophagia is the “scientific” term for the eating of feces. It is a common vice of puppies, which most fortunately grow out of.
As with any other undesirable behavior, scolding (or any type of punishment)is useless unless you catch them in the act.
There is a commercial product called “For-bid” that can be mixed with the food. Adolph’s meat tenderizer can also be used. For some dogs, this will make their feces unpalatable enough to discourage the coprophagia.
You may just have to invest in a toothbrush.
Thanks for reading and writing.
i think my 3 and a half lb female chihuahua bred to my 3and a half pound male. This is her first heat and was a accidental breeding (not for sure). My worry is she too little and to young to have been bred. What is the chance that she would have trouble having the pups.
Hello, Brenda,
Very small dogs are more likely to have trouble giving birth, regardless of their age and maturity. The birth canal is very small, so it’s a tight squeeze and mom may not be able to push hard enough.
In the Chihuahua, the puppies often have big round heads, and this makes it more difficult to get through the birth canal.
The size of the pups at birth depends more on the size of mom and the number she conceives, rather than on the influence of the father.
If she has 3 or 4 pups, they are usually small and not too hard to deliver. If she just has one or two, then they get all the nutrition for a whole litter, and may be too large to come through the birth canal.
About four weeks after the mating, you should take her to your regular veterinarian for a prenatal checkup (ultrasound can detect the pregnancy very accurately by then, though it’s not so good for counting the puppies).
Another checkup about 8 weeks after mating is needed. At this time, the puppies will show up on X-rays. You can count them, as well as get a feeling for how big they are in relation to the birth canal.
This second checkup will give your veterinarian a chance to review the birth process, signs of trouble, and what to do.
Thanks for reading and writing.
I have a chow dog, she had her first litter of pups on New Years Eve and her 2nd litter in August and she is already in heat again, is that ok? I thought it was way too soon. She was actually stuck with the male today which is how i know she is for sure in heat. Can someone tell me is this ok and is it safe?
Hello, April,
If you count the months, you will see that your dog is cycling about every six months, which is normal. Two months of gestation means that she was in heat in June for the August litter. June plus six months is December, and here we are.
Is it good for her to have a litter every six months? This depends on her general condition and how difficult it is for her to raise the puppies. Personally, I’d give her some time off.
Thanks for reading and writing.
Hi there,
I am attempting to breed my male with a friends female. They are both first-timers.
Her owners are unsure of the first day of her heat, but it seemed as though she had stopped bleeding yesterday.
She was very unreceptive the day before yesterday and last night she accepted him.
I had her spend the night last night and I am pretty sure they tied twice. Today however, they are courting, and he humps her but I don’t think there is penetration.
Also I noticed she had a small amount of bloody discharge this morning. I was under the impression that she would not be ready untill the bleeding stopped. Would she have accepted him if she wasn’t “ready”? Also, is there anything I can do to help them tie, or should I just let them be? What do you think the chances are that she is already pregnant?
Thanks so much!
Hello, Kym,
All of the things that we list as general rules about the heat cycle are just that: general rules. Individual dogs may vary.
You are correct in that most dogs enter their fertile (and receptive) period about the time that the pro-estrual bleeding stops. It is possible that she accepted the male a little early. It is also possible that the discharge is due to a mild breeding-related trauma.
If the dogs are getting along okay, I would let them handle things on their own as much as possible. The “tie” is desirable, but not 100% necessary for conception.
Since you have not been following the vaginal cytology with your veterinarian, it is hard to tell where she is in her heat cycle.
As with people, you don’t always get pregnant “the first time”, but sometimes you do. Ideally you would let them mate at least every other day until she is no longer receptive.
I hope this is helpful to you.
Thanks for reading and writing.
I have an 19 month old boxer bitch, who I am actively campaigning to her AKC championship. The first day of showing color for her second season was 10/18/08. This afternoon, while relaxing on the bed with her, I noticed swollen nipples and low and behold she has milk – and not just a drop. She apparently had a false pregnancy and the timing is right that she would have had her puppies within the last week. I know that this will clear up on its own but she is due to be shown in 2 weeks. I will be taking her to the vet on Monday but I’m impatient and was wondering about the safety of cabrgoline in the treatment of false pregnancy/production of milk. I do not want to do anything that is not safe. I do not want to adversely affect her health, nor her future breedings. She hasn’t nested nor has she ‘adopted’ any ‘puppies’ – just this darn milk production.
My Italian Greyhound is in her third heat. It is approx the 12th day I believe. For the last few days, we have been trying to get she and our male to mate, but she is not receptive to him. There was another dog the other night around the backyard and she moved her tail to the side for him. Could she just be refusing our male?
Hello, Sue,
I’m no expert on the efficacy of cabergoline in resolving the lactation issue. I do think it is safe, though.
Hello, Jen,
It is possible that the female doesn’t find her yard-mate attractive. It is also possible that there are other issues, such as which of them is higher in the dominance hierarchy.
If she is accustomed to being the boss dog, allowing the male to mount her would be contrary to that. A male who is not part of the everyday social order might not have that drawback.
Generally speaking, we have better results taking the female to the male’s territory, rather than vice versa. SO, if your yard is HER territory, this can be a problem.
It’s possible that she just isn’t ready yet, so I would ask your veterinarian to check a vaginal cytology to help evaluate that.
You might have to take her to another male.
I’m in the process of of breeding my 2&1/2 with a 4 yr. old Rottie. the problem with the male Rottie, is that he humps on her gor a little, and then stops. Is that normal?
My Rottie is mating with a 4 yr. old Rottie. He humps , and then stops. Is that normal?
Hello, Sherry,
Has the male successfully been used for breeding before?
If not, you need to find him a super-cooperative female for his first outing. The bitch you are working with may not be standing well for him. You want a bitch who is really standing well, a successful breeder, and not particular about her boyfriends.
It is also possible that he has some anatomical difficulty, so he should have a good physical examination if he has not had one already.
It is also important to be sure that the bitch is fully in estrum, and actually ready to stand for breeding. Your veterinarian can help you determine this with a vaginal cytology exam and/or hormone tests.
Good luck.
how do i recognize a cleft pallett in a chihuahua new born puppy. I have one that is about 24 hours old and she seams not to be able to close her mouth and her tounge seems to stay up to the top of her mouth, she weighs 1 3/4 oz. What is the best way to treat this puppy. Thank You
Hello, Brenda,
Cleft palate means that there is a hole in the roof of the mouth. It may be small or it may look like a “slot” running lengthwise in the roof of the mouth. The problem it creates is that when the puppy nurses, milk goes into the nasal passages through this hole.
Get a good light and just take a look at the roof of the mouth.
Surgical correction is possible, but unlikely to be successful in such a young, and tiny, pup.
I really cannot advise you about this pup’s condition long-distance. If it is possible to save it, you will need to see your veterinarian in person.
Thanks for reading and writing, and good luck.
Hi,
I have a 14 month old bitch who’s had a very difficult to interpret 1st heat cycle to stay the least (vulvar swelling for 7-10 days, followed by 3 days of VERY light spotting, followed by nothing.) I also have a 7 month old male. He has occasionally acted interested and tried to mouunt her (usually in the wrong place.) Several people have told me it’s not possible for a 7 month old male to impregnate her. Is that true? (We are now assuming she’s truly in heat in despite o the above because a 5 year old dog attempted to breed her when we took her out today.)
Thanks.
Hello, Jennifer,
The first cycle is often irregular, so keep a close eye on her for another two weeks, at least.
A seven-month old male may indeed be fertile. He may need a more experienced female for HIS first experience, but don’t count on his age as your sole method of birth control.
Thanks for reading and writing.
I have a boxer female she just had puppies 10 of them 6 months ago shes in heat again is it ok to breed her 6 months after having puppies or should i wait untill her next cycle
Hello, Jennifer,
A lot depends on the physical condition of your dog. If she had no trouble nursing the pups, has gained all her weight back, and looks and feels great, then you shouldn’t have a problem.
If her condition is not back 100%, then it would be best to give her a rest, skipping a cycle, so that she has one litter per year, rather than two.
There are commercial breeders for whom “pups are money”, therefore they breed as often as possible. There are “serious breeders” (read “hobby breeders”) who don’t want to wear their dog out, so wouldn’t even consider breeding twice yearly.
A lot depends on the condition of the dog, as I said. It’s a judgment call.
Thanks for reading and writing.
I am interested in breeding my beagle. She is 3 years old and has never been in heat. Is there anything I can do to bring her in heat?
Hello, Curt,
Scroll down through the comments and read the stuff about Cabergoline.
I must say that a dog who has never come in heat in three years would have to be classified as a “problem breeder”.
You are going to need the services of a veterinarian who has a special interest in this sort of thing. It may be necessary to follow the dog’s hormone levels regularly for some months to determine what (if anything) her ovaries are doing.
Sorry I can’t fix this one over the phone.
Thanks for reading and writing.
hi i have a 2 year old lab she came in to heat 10jan 09. we mated her on 20th jan two days after the bleeding had stopped. it now been a week since mating took place and iv noticed she is bleeding again. is this normal. she is fine in herselfbut im a bit worried the stud dog may have done some damage while mating. (although she never made any noise while intercourse or tried took place)
thanks emma
Hello, Emma,
If the bleeding doesn’t stop in a day or two, then I would have your dog examined by your veterinarian. Trauma at breeding is relatively rare, but it can sure happen.
Good luck.
I have a male that is 10yrs old and has never been fixed or exposed to a female in heat, can he still be bred and will he know what to do? If he doesn’t respond to her is there something we could do to help?
If you are determined to save this guy’s genetic material, you will need an experienced and cooperative female.
His fertility is uncertain and he may have a low sperm count.
It is possible that you will need to collect semen and perform artificial insemination, as he may just not be able to figure it out at this late stage of life.
I would advise you to seek the help of a veterinarian who deals regularly with breeding issues.
Good luck
I have a beagle that is 18 months old. She seemed that she was starting her heat cycles @ 5 months old. I took her to a vet and he told me that it was not a true heat cycle. Well on July 8, 2008 she had her first real cycle. I took her to the vet again for confirmation and he agreed. She has had a complete workup of tests and is a healthy, breedable dog. We were wanting to breed her during this next cycle, but for some reason it’s now 7 months past the last heat cycle and she hasn’t went into heat again. Why is that? What can we do? We already have the stud lined up and ready to go.
Hello, Janell,
Many young dogs have irregular heat cycles. The “every six months” thing is not written in stone. Since she has had one normal cycle after one that was weird I would be pretty confident that she will soon have a normal cycle.
If not, you may want to talk to your veterinarian about having her hormone levels checked. I wouldn’t get too worried about it at this point. It may be another month or so and be perfectly normal.
Good luck.
Hello,
My dog was in heat a few weeks ago and we tried to keep her seperated from our male dog but lo and behold they got together somehow. They mated and tied only once during her cycle but we’re not sure how many days into it, and we don’t want her to have puppies but we have no way of telling if she’s pregnant. We’d take her to the vet if we could but we seriously can’t afford the cost of it at the current financial state we’re in. So other than giving me advice on what to do, can you also answer another question. This would be her third litter in a row unfortunately, only the first of them being planned, and I’ve heard that if an animal continues to get pregnant and give birth so quickly like this that she and her offspring are at a high risk of dying. Is this true? Please let me know, I’m really worried, and like I said, I can’t even have anything done about it because of our financial situation. If I could, I would have had the male neutered long ago.
I have an 8 month old mini Dachshund that just went into heat. Is it possible for her to have gotten pregnant by a lab/pointer mix?
Hello, Angela,
It’s not easy to tell for sure whether the female is pregnant in the early stages. We don’t even consider ultrasound reliable until 28 days post-breeding.
As to the dangers of having one litter after another, it’s more along the lines of the mother getting debilitated. When pregnant or nursing, she will sacrifice her own body to nourish the puppies. It’s not uncommon to see nursing bitches who are VERY thin by the time the pups are weaned.
This can be largely avoided by feeding a high-quality, name-brand, puppy food during the last two to three weeks of pregnancy, and throughout the period when she is nursing heavily.
Adult dog foods have indigestible filler added to them. Puppy foods have more calories, more protein, more calcium and so forth. The bowl of puppy food may have up to 50% more nutrition than the same size bowl of the same company’s adult formula food.
Feeding the puppy food helps avoid some of the nutritional stress on the mom.
I hope this is helpful to you.
Hello, Nicole,
While this seems unlikely, I don’t rule out anything in that department in any more.
I have seen the offspring of a Dachshund/Collie mating where the Collie was the mother. Nobody saw the action, but I’m sure it would have gone viral on You-Tube.
If she JUST came into heat, then it is unlikely that she would allow mating, and she wouldn’t be fertile yet. She would not ovulate until at least a week after the blood discharge started (as a general rule).
Protect her from those tramp dogs.
Good luck
Hi! We have a male Rottweiler and he is 1 year and 5 months old. We recently were contacted by someone who has a female Rottweiler and wanted to use our dog as the stud. (We never used our dog for breeding before) We had him bring his dog over (she has had several litters already) the first time they were together our male wasn’t real interested, it took him awhile until he finally got it, but then they didn’t tie, he pulled out and “went” on the ground for about 5 min. What would cause him to do this? Should I take him to a vet and have him checked out or is this common at all? We decided to try again 2 days later, I took him to their place this time but he just wasn’t interested in her at all really, he just wanted to play. He did eventually mount her after we kinda had to pick his paws up and show him how to get on her but nothing more than that (“it” didn’t come out at all) We tried for about 1 1/2 hours, but he just doesn’t seem real interested, still would rather just play or nosey around at everything.. Do you think it might be because he’s too young yet, or maybe she’s not ready enough?? When we had him over there this last time the female did have a little real red blood that came out of her. Any advice I’d really appreciate, our dog is a great dog and we’d love to see him pass on his great genetics! Thanks!!
Hello, Kayla,
It would be worthwhile to have your veterinarian check out your dog to rule out medical problems.
It is possible that he still is just a bit too much of a puppy and will show more interest as he matures.
Generally speaking, it works better to bring the female to the male’s territory, rather than the other way around.
It is also important to be sure that the female is in the receptive phase of her cycle. Your veterinarian can help with this by checking vaginal cyctology and/or hormone levels. Alternatively (if that service is not available) you can use the “average numbers”. If you count the first day of “spotting” as day #1, then one would begin breeding on day 9, breeding every other day while the female remains receptive.
In the event that your male never gets things figured out, then his genes may not be as fabulous as we might like them to be. You could consider artificial insemination at that point.
Thanks for reading and writing.
Hello,
My name is sarah,I have a female frenchbulldog who is 2 years old she is in her 3 heat cycle,she stop bleeding on the 11 and 12th day and now she is bleeding again I also have a male french bulldog Im wondering if he got on her and caused some damnage.Please help I real worried.
Hello, Sarah,
It is very unusual for the act of breeding to cause damage to the female, but it is possible. It is also possible that she is having an irregular heat cycle.
Has she been bred before? It is also possible that she has something abnormal in her vaginal canal that makes breeding difficult.
You really need to let your veterinarian perform a vaginoscopic exam.
Good luck.
hi, i have a staffy she is 9 months old and had her first heat a month ago, she was put on the drug OVARID to stop her from falling pregnant because i could not seperate her from my other dog.it has only been 5 weeks and she is back on heat. i know this is not normal. the vet does not no how this is possible either.
Hello, Jess,
Ovarid is megestrol acetate. In the United States this was marketed under the trade name Ovaban.
We used to utilize this a lot in our practice, but not so much these days.
This is a synthetic analog of the hormone progesterone, which maintains pregnancy. One of its effects is to stop the ovaries from cycling, which is why you give it.
With Ovaban, we used it in one of two ways. If the dog was just beginning its estrus cycle (first or second day of swelling and blood spotting), the drug was given once daily for 8 days. If the dog was not cycling, we used 1/4 the calculated dose, but gave it once daily for 32 days (same total dose).
In most female dogs, this would stop the estrus cycle. The dog would begin a new cycle in anywhere from two to twelve months later. While it was four to six months for most dogs, this was really not predictable.
The recommended use was to be when you wanted to postpone the cycle and breed next time, or postpone the cycle and have a hysterectomy performed when the dog was not “in heat”.
The drug was not recommended for repeated use. Indeed, repeated use predisposed the dog to developing “female trouble” (uterine problems).
The drug’s effects could not always be predicted for a particular dog. You are monkeying with the hormone system and it is not an exact science. First heat cycles are often irregular, even when no treatments are being used.
We urge our patients to either separate the dogs or have the female spayed (ovario-hysterectomy).
If breeding has already taken place, the use of megestrol acetate would not be indicated. It is primarily used before or at the very beginning of the heat cycle.
While I am no authority on either dog-breeding or pharmacology, this has been my experience using this drug over a number of years. Your veterinarian who is actually seeing your dog is always your best source of information.
Good luck.
I have a male & female Mini Schnauzer. The female is 3 1/2 and has had one litter. The male will be 2 in May and I am trying to breed them. The female is in heat and ready and the male (this is his first time) is really having a hard time getting to her. He is all over her expect where he should be. Is there something I can to do help him or will he figure it out?
If the cycle is past 9 days and the female is standing well for the male, you could try assisting him to get lined up.
Alternatively, he may indeed figure it out eventually, but perhaps not soon enough to sire puppies this time.
If he is unable to mate, even with help, and you feel that his genetic material is still what you want, talk to your veterinarian about artificial insemination.
Good luck.
Hi!
I have a 11 month old dog. She went into heat for the first time last month. i.e FEB. Unfortunately, the maid let her out and a nearby dog mated with her. She still continued to bleed for another 1 half week after the mating. And we made sure she did not mate again. (although it maght have happened again.) Its been nearly a month since she stopped bleeding. And for the past 5 days she has not been eating well and has been lazing around. Although she has always been a lazy dog! Her nipples are slightly pink but i cant seem to tell if they have grown.
We had consulted a Vet, who tested her urine 3 weeks after her cycle was done, and said she was not pregnant. But from what i see, I think she could be. As we live in Tanzania, we don`t have profesional vets and i cant get good answers to my questions. Please tell me what u think from the story i gave u.
Thanks much.
Bhavini.
Hello, Bhavini,
Female dogs go through the hormonal changes associated with pregnancy, even when they are not exposed to a male. This can result in changes that outwardly resemble pregnancy, such as swelling of the mammary glands. In extreme cases (called pseudocyesis or “false pregnancy”), the bitch’s abdomen may drop and she may develop milk in her udder. When the puppies do not arrive, she becomes distressed and adopts a toy or house-shoe or something as her “baby”.
Thus, some minor outward changes several weeks after breeding do not necessarily mean that she is pregnant. If your veterinarian has done lab work that says she is not pregnant, then that seems reasonable to me.
An ultrasound exam would give you further confirmation, if that were available.
Often we, as veterinarians, believe that we are doing a splendid job in explaining something, when in fact we are not. If my client will let me know that they still have questions, I am happy to try to spend more time. It can be difficult to explain something in five minutes that one has spent hours in studying.
Speak to your veterinarian about your concerns.
Good luck.
Hiya,
I have a mini poodle who is nearly 4 years old. She has been on heat 3 times so far, each time 5 months apart. She was due to come on heat again in early February, however she still has not come on. The problem is that we were planning on breeding with her this time and I’m now becoming quite anxious!
We have recently moved house – my Dad has told me that this could have caused her some “stress” which could be why she has been delayed in coming on. Is this true? Should I be doing anything?
Cheers, Kristy
I have a Shih Tzu that had puppies the 28th of December 2008. This was her first litter. Her heat cycle was around the 30th of October. If her heat cycles are normal when I should be expecting her to have her next heat cycle.
Hello, Kristy,
It is indeed possible that the stress of changing households has caused some irregularity in your dog’s hormone cycles.
While there are hormone and drug combinations to start a cycle, I would recommend that you just wait for nature to take its course. Since she has had several normal cycles already, it is likely that her cycles will resume.
I am a little troubled by your statement that she has had “3 cycles”. Ordinarily a 4-years old dog would have had six or more cycles (approximately every six months). Did she begin cycling late in life, or were you just referring to her last three cycles?
If she had been cycling normally up to now, I would be optimistic that heat cycles will resume on their own.
Good luck
Hello, Niki
Gestation in the dog is usually about 63 days – about two months or nine weeks. Heat cycles are usually about six months apart. Six minus two equals four, so about four months after whelping.
If she whelped on December 28th, then you’d expect her next cycle around the end of April.
If she’s in great shape after weaning her puppies, it’s okay to breed again. If she doesn’t seem to have fully recovered her weight and condition after nursing, it would probably be better to skip this cycle and breed on the next one.
Thanks for reading and writing.
My healthy, active 20 month old basset hound has never had an estrus cycle. I paid $680 for her and planned to breed her to my champion bloodline male. I called her breeder to share my concern over this. She told me this isn’t unusual and I should wait awhile longer. Am I being lied to?
Hello, Lisa,
I wouldn’t say that this is common, but certainly not unheard of. My own Rottweiler (about 25 years ago) was 16 months old before her first cycle. The first cycle can be irregular and dogs may experience a “silent heat”. This means that their ovaries crank up and make the hormones and ovulate, but at such a low level that you don’t see external swelling, no bloody discharge, and they are not receptive to the male.
I did a search on Veterinary Information Network and found a discussion where a reproductive expert had addressed this question. They don’t get excited unless the dog passes her 24 month birthday without an estrus.
If she still shows no sign of cycling, there isn’t just a single test that will help. There is a process of testing, that starts with a Minimum Database(UA, chem panel, CBC, thyroid profile) and a progesterone level. If all are normal, then progress to ultrasound exam of ovaries and uterus.
If these are all normal, then you can try karyotyping (looking for chromosome abnormalities, a blood sample is sent to Texas A&M, but this is unlikely to be where the problem is). You can also try to induce estrus. This would best be done by a veterinarian who does a lot of reproductive work.
So, you’ve still got a few months before panic sets in. Then you need to get in touch with a reproductive specialist (or a veterinarian with at least a special interest in reproduction medicine).
Good luck.
what are the risk of breeding during her first cycle, is it dangerous? why? I have a female lhasa apso thx
I have a to poodle ~10lbs that just started her first cycle. Today is day 4 since the bleeding started. Will the first time still be about 9 days? Also is it normal for her to be throwing up her food? Is there anything we can do to make this less stressful for her? We currently have her wearing pupsters.
Hello, Damian,
The first heat cycle is often irregular. Seven to nine days is the average amount of time for each of the three phases of the cycle. It could be shorter or longer. Remember, it’s the middle phase when she will be fertile.
Some dogs (rare)continue to be a little bloody even though they are ovulating, so don’t count on that as a “safe time”.
You really don’t want her to get bred on her first cycle when she isn’t fully mature her own self. Keep her isolated from the males for four weeks.
It is not normal for her to be throwing up her food. If she just vomits a little occasionally, it may just be a little nervous stomach. You could give her half a Pepsid AC once daily to control the excess acid. That’s pretty safe.
If she is losing most of what she eats, then you need to take her to see her veterinarian. That is certainly not normal. Your veterinarian is the best person to check her over and advise you.
Good luck.
Hello,
My female dog is cuttently in heat. We also have a male dog who is cuttently going CRAZY for her. We keep him seperated in a different room. But he continously howls and barks. I know that this is normal but my question is. — In the first week of her cycle he did not act like this. He just started his behavior in the past few days. Will he continue t act this way until she is done? Or does it only last for the middle part of her cycle? Thanks!
I am curious to hear how long your male was interested. Mine is non stop howling, totally uncontrollable and did not start this until her middle cycle. He is 13 so perhaps a little slow. How much longer will I have to endure this for?
Hello, Stephanie,
The males tend to be interested long after the females have lost their interest. They usually remain interested until the cycle is fully over, so it could be another 2 weeks.
Hello, Cnu Gurl,
I guess I’m surprised that he wasn’t howling during the first week, too. I really can’t answer your question. I would expect him to continue to be “excited” until she is totally through with her cycle.
Send me an update when she finishes. I’m interested to know what happens.
Good luck.
Hello. I just wanted to thank you for your little article here. I found it to be concise yet thorough and easy to understand. I have an unspayed female who I plan to show, hence she is not spayed yet. We’re still fairly new to all this so I’m currently researching methods of prevention including hormonal prevention besides the basic “keep them separated” – what are your thoughts on this? I plan on speaking with our regular vet about this tomorrow.
Thanks for your insite. And thanks again for this article
Nichole
Hello, Nichole,
In years past we used LOTS of megestrol acetate (Ovaban).This is a synthetic analog of the hormone progesterone. Progesterone maintains pregnancy, and part of that is to stop the ovaries from cycling. Give 8 days in a row at first sign of estrum or 1/4 dose for 32 days when starting at a random time.
Mibolerone is a synthetic androgen (male type hormone) which can be given on a continuous basis to keep the dog out of heat. It should not be given to immature dogs as it can mess up their bone maturation process (the growth plates). It is not readily available commercially and must be obtained from a compounding pharmacy.
Reproductive specialists do not recommend screwing around with the dog’s hormones if you plan to use them for breeding later. They only use these medications to postpone the estrous cycle until a “better time” for spaying.
I am glad that you plan to discuss this with your veterinarian, as he/she is the best person to advise you.
Thanks for reading and writing.
Hi, I have a 3yr old female schnauzer and I don’t think she has gone into heat for over a year now. I would like to breed her and am wondering if i should take her to the vet for a check-up?
Hello, Tammy,
I think that getting your dog a good general check-up would be the way to start.
If she really has not been cycling for the past year, then the situation can be pretty complicated.
You start by measuring hormone levels, and probably getting a good luck at her uterus and ovaries with an abdominal ultrasound exam.
If no abnormalities are found, it may be possible to artificially stimulate an estrus cycle and ovulation. Your veterinarian can help you with this, or refer you to a specialist, if necessary.
Good luck.
Hi, my name is Brandy and I’m trying to breed my boston terrier male who is very small to a much larger female boston. I don’t know if they will be able to tie due to the height factor. If they dont tie does that mean that she cant pregnant?
Hello, Brandy,
It is not necessary for a “tie” to occur. As long as the sperm are delivered, conception can take place.
It is a little hard to predict how these things will turn out, but I have seen puppies that were a Collie mixed with Dachshund, and the Dachshund was the father. Nobody witnessed the mating, but the dogs were neighbors, and the puppies sure looked the part.
Good luck.
i have 2 english bull terriers my bitch is 3 and my male is just over 1 and he is not intrested in her but she is very keen she keeps mounting him is there somthing wrong with him?
Hello, Darren,
It sounds like your bitch is demonstrating social dominance by the mounting behavior. It is common for the “higher up” in the pack to mount the subordinate individuals in a display of social dominance. This is not really sexual behavior. It is often seen with spayed females, even.
With the bitch being three years old, and the male just now turning one, it is highly likely that she has been the “pack leader”. He may never summon the courage to mount her, even if she is in strong, standing heat.
At best, he may require some encouragement, and the female may have to be restrained.
One always has better luck taking the female to the male’s territory, where he feels confident and dominant. That isn’t as likely to happen in this situation.
Good luck.
hi i have a 2yo male boxer and my sister has two female boxers that are also 2yo and on thier 2nd heat cycle but my male isn’t showing very much interest in either of them, he sniffs them out and gets a little aroused but then just starts playing with them. is there any reason for this? the bitches are now on day 9-10 of their cycle.
Hi i have to ask about my small jack russell bitch. She was in heat last february and now is in heat again. Can a dog force herself into heat beacuse of another bitch in heat. A few weeks ago a neighbour brought their dog aorund and she was in heat and she could get the scents of our other dog and the other bitch at work. Any solution to this? my family is totally bewildered.
Hello, Suzanne,
If your dog was in heat in February, July is only a month early, based on the “every six months” average between cycles.
The onset of heat is not something that the dog has any conscious control over.
That being said, it is common for females housed together over a period of time to begin to cycle at the same time. In herd and pack animals, this makes sense. Everybody gets bred, delivers babies, and raises babies around the same time, so the babies are the same age. That way the herd/pack is not being slowed down by multiple various ages of offspring.
Oddly enough, it is also reported that human female room-mates often begin to cycle at the same time after living together for a few months.
It doesn’t sound like anything to be worried about.
Thanks for reading and writing.
Hi, my 2 and a half year old beagle went in to heat in July. My friend’s mom forgot about her and left her outside with their male dog. When she remembered she ran out there and when she saw them she said they were standing nose to nose. She left them out there for almost an hour. After that she still continued to want to breed with their male dog. Can you tell if they bred or not?
Hello, Taylor,
Your veterinarian can perform a vaginal cytology exam to determine if your dog is in the fertile stage of her heat cycle. If not, then breeding was unlikely.
If she is in the fertile and receptive stage, then you would to do the exam almost immediately after the act of breeding if you wished to detect the presence of sperm.
Next step: ultrasound exam at 28 days post-breeding (or possible breeding) to look for pregnancy.
If you do not wish puppies (ever), then this is a good time to schedule the spay operation to get rid of the puppy works and quit worrying about this.
Thanks for reading and writing.
My 8 month old husky is in her first heat….She is still bleeding… She went outside and found her stuck to a dog… Is it possible she is not pregnant since she is still bleeding????
Hello, Tonya,
Yes, it is possible that she has been bred so early in the cycle that she has not ovulated yet. The sperm can live in the female’s reproductive organs for several days, though, so pregnancy is still possible.
If she isn’t showing at 28 days, you could get an ultrasound examination to check for pregnancy.
If you are sure that you do not want to breed her later, you could arrange to have her spayed ( a complete hysterectomy ) even though she has been bred.
If you do wish to breed her later, and she does get pregnant, then you could ask your veterinarian about prostaglandin injections to abort the pregnancy. These are not dangerous, but they are not fun, either. The dog is treated twice daily for several days. After each injection, they usually urinate, have a bowel movement, and vomit. They feel okay afterwards, but it’s unpleasant.
For right now, you should work harder at keeping her away from the males. If she doesn’t get pregnant from this breeding, you don’t want additional breedings.
Good luck.
My 2 year old male yorkie has not breeded yet, we have a friend that has a female yorkie that now is ready to mate. She backs up to him and flags her tail to the side. He sniffs
her and seems to notice that something is different
about her, but hasn’t tried to mate with her. What do we do?
Hello, Debbie,
It is possible that the female is not fully into the receptive stage of estrum (heat), but it sounds as though she probably is.
That means that your male is slow figuring out what’s going on.
If you’re really set on getting puppies from this male, you may have to seek assistance from a veterinarian. The dog may figure things out in another day or so, but then again he may not. If the dog doesn’t “get it” on his own, your veterinarian can collect semen and artificially inseminate the female.
If you wait too many day, the female will pass her fertile time, though. We usually try to start the breeding on day 9 (counting day 1 as the first day you notice the bloody vaginal discharge). A few days later she will ovulate, and soon it will be too late to breed her on this heat cycle.
If the owner of the female is set on getting her bred this cycle, you may not have time to wait for your inexperienced male to figure things out. They may be better off to seek out a male with a proven track record.
I don’t think showing doggy porno movies will help.
Good luck.
Hello, I was wondering if it is ok to breed a female dog if it is her first heat cycle yet she is close to one year old. Or if I should wait for her second heat cycle. Thanks.
Hello, Brandy,
Ideally, you would wait until her second cycle. If she is less than one year old, she is not fully mature herself. She will be more likely to have a successful pregnancy and nursing if she is fully mature.
Lots of dogs get bred on their first cycle, but if you are planning this, you might as well plan for it to work out as well as possible.
Good luck.
My puppy is a 6 month old poodle yorkie mix. My vet does not spay dog until they are at least 7 months old. She went into heat at about 6 months. She didn’t bleed very much. She weighs about 8 pounds. I noticed the discharge September 19. She got out the cat door on September 10. It is now September 28 – Her “tits” are a bit swollen. Is it possible for her to get pregnant before she bleeds. Her behavior has not changed. She is an energetic puppy.
Hello, Kitty,
It is unlikely that your puppy was fertile at that time.
All female dogs go through the hormonal changes associated with pregnancy even when they do not get exposed to a male. This is usually not detectable without a blood test. In other words, they don’t usually “look pregnant”.
However, it is common for female dogs to have some breast enlargement after their heat cycle. Chances are that this is all you are seeing.
Even if she had been bred, you can schedule her surgery for the week after she has finished her cycle. Even if she were pregnant, the pregnancy would be very small and would not substantially affect the difficulty of doing the surgery.
If you intend to breed her later on, then you would wish to have an ultrasound exam done at day 28 post-breeding. If pregnancy were detected, it could be terminated with prostaglandin injections.
Thanks for reading and writing.
Hi, my question is my female has been in heat going out of her second week. the male has been mounting her but no tie has happened. Can she still get pregnant without there being a tie with them? My female is 3 yrs old and my male is 2 years old. he does mount her and preforms but it does not last for long only a few minutes.
thanks
Gene
Hello, Gene,
In fact, it it is not necessary for a “tie” to occur in order for the female to conceive.
We like to see a tie, as it makes us more sure that A: ejaculation has taken place, and B: the semen isn’t going to fall right out, since the dog is stuck in there like a cork.
As for the intromission not lasting very long, it doesn’t have to.
I’d get the female ultra-sounded at 28 days post-breeding.
Good luck.
HI,
thanks for the quick response to my question, I have another I am being told that the female private area stays swelled if she became pregnant during the mating. I am confused our last saint did not stay swelled in the private area and if she did it was not noticeable like when she is in heat at all.
we did breed our saint we talked about above with no actual tie between the two but looks like her private area is returning to normal size now. she is on her 20th day of her heat cycle now and will not even let the male mount her at all now. in fact she tries to mount him now.
She has always laid around but seems to me she is laying around even more now then before.
thanks for all your information.
Gene