Maybe going into heat?

[Jarena]

Lettie is 11 months old. We *think* we might be seeing signs of her going into heat. This is going to be both of our first experiences with a dog in heat. We are also “those” people, crazy about our girl and hyper-sensitive to any changes with her.... so it might just be in our heads . I have googled the symptoms but I know from being on this forum that you people are the ones with the real-world knowledge. Are we crazy? Does anyone else have little signs that appear before the heat cycle?

We think her vulva might be a tiny bit swollen. Her nipples have always been tiny, flat and hard to find. They are now getting harder and a little bigger? She is licking herself more the last couple days. I have also noticed a little white discharge from her vulva. She has also been a little more whiney and clingy.

She has a recessed vulva and she is prone to UTIs. So we are planning on NOT using the doggy diapers. We are going to get her some men’s boxers and put them on backwards. Our house is carpeted and I’m wondering if anyone has suggestions on how to keep it clean? We really don’t want to keep her locked up in the kitchen if we don’t have to

 

[Bailey's Mom]

It sounds to me like you are on the money with this diagnosis. Yes, whining and clinging and licking and a little frantic look in the eyes. Hard to describe, but you'll always remember it.

As for the carpets, get all the blankets and towels and sheets you can muster and cover everything, especially any chairs, beds or sofas that she really likes. We found that if we jumped up when she stood up and dabbed right away, we got the worst of it without the need for diapers or boxer shorts. She always looked so embarrassed and kept looking at me pleadingly: "Mommy, why me?"

Walks were weird because she became shy and retreating instead of her usual self. Except! When she was ready she showed it to two boy dogs (shameful hussy), and turned around into them flipping her tail over (Where do they learn such things?) Luckily, the first boy-dog had been snipped a few months earlier, and though he was interested, he wasn't capable. The second one was gung ho, and she'd have let him, but Mommy was on the job.

Don't let them out even in a fenced back yard without parental supervision because the guys can leap tall fences when they have a good reason. And obviously, hunker down because you have about three weeks of watching, waiting and cleaning up, but if you are diligent, it won't be as bad as you've heard. Just help her with her cleaning and she'll be much happier.

 

[Jarena]

Well apparently we ARE crazy. She still hasn’t gone into heat. She will be 11 months old in 2 days. We are just anxious to get this over with I guess.

 

[Jarena]

She is starting to get swollen!

 

[April Nicole]

Once you notice the bleeding, mark the date. She will be her most fertile between 9- 14 days after you see the first sight of blood. When our gal goes into heat we have males hanging out under vehicles and coming from everywhere!

 

[Jarena]

Once you notice the bleeding, mark the date. She will be her most fertile between 9- 14 days after you see the first sight of blood. When our gal goes into heat we have males hanging out under vehicles and coming from everywhere!

Ok, thanks for the tip! I keep hearing about these crazy boys

 

[Jarena]

My boyfriends mom keeps telling us to be super careful with her when she’s in heat. When we got Lettie we installed a 6 foot wooden privacy fence, and she says even to be careful in the fenced yard. I keep reading all these stories about crazy males doing anything to get to a female in heat. So we plan on being super careful with her. We won’t be taking her on walks and when we let her out to potty we are going to put her on the 20 foot leash even in the fence. If we go anywhere in the car I’m sure my boyfriend, Matt, will be armed with a baseball bat. I always think I’m a crazy dog mom but I’m nothing compared to Matt. I can’t imagine what he will be like if we ever have a human baby haha.

 

[April Nicole]

Yes. Better safe than sorry! She will try to get to them too. We had dogs coming in droves. I don't even know where they came from. And some would stay. We would run them off and they would come right back. We had this one really ugly brown dog, He would NOT leave for days. He wasn't eating or drinking. I started actually feeling sorry for him.

 

[April Nicole]

So.... did Lettie ever go into heat? Inquiring minds want to know....

 

[Jarena]

No!! I still swear her vulva is swollen, but just a little. She’s now one year and one week old. I know one of her sisters had her first heat and one didn’t, I don’t know about the other 4. This wait is killing me lol, I just want to get it over with!

 

[Jarena]

This is her laying down. You used to never be able to see her vulva when she laid like this. It was very tucked in.

 

[April Nicole]

She is swollen. When Sophie had her first heat, she barely bled. But she is a small dog , and her first heat was around 7 months old. Maybe she will be soon. Have you notice a change in her demeanor. They sometimes get really clingy. They also seem to sleep more. And can go off of food, or be ravenous. They seem to suffer the same woes as we do with cramps and all. If you notice male dogs knocking on your door, that would be a good indication

 

[Jarena]

She is swollen. When Sophie had her first heat, she barely bled. But she is a small dog , and her first heat was around 7 months old. Maybe she will be soon. Have you notice a change in her demeanor. They sometimes get really clingy. They also seem to sleep more. And can go off of food, or be ravenous. They seem to suffer the same woes as we do with cramps and all. If you notice male dogs knocking on your door, that would be a good indication

She’s always been a very good eater. I swear she’s been sweeter and a little more cuddly than usual for about a month now. She’s also going through another phase where she is testing us. Really thinking about it before she does what we tell her. So far no males hanging around. Also, she’s not usually a humper but in the last 3 days she’s tried to hump me 3 times.

 

[Jarena]

OMG we were right!! Haha I just woke up and found drops of blood on the carpet!!!! I wrote it on the calendar . I was expecting her to swell more than that I guess. Also I thought it was going to be more sudden so I figured I must have been wrong. She started slowly swelling about 2 months ago. Ahhh I’m so relieved lol. We started trying to put boxers on her about 4 months ago to get her used to it.. she wanted NOTHING to do with all that so now I get to do blood patrol

 

[April Nicole]

Yay!! Your pup is officially an adult now . You may want to confine her to certain areas to deal with the blood. Big dogs usually bleed a lot. She will begin to start marking outside to spread her scent.

 

[Boxergirl]

Jarena, when are you planning to spay her? She's more recessed than I remember. Does she pop out more when she's standing now that she's swollen or is everything still pretty much tucked under that flap of skin? My advice it to be extra diligent while she's in heat and step up the wiping. Also be cautious with diapers, if you plan to use them and give her as much out of diaper time as you can. You want all the air flow there that you can get.

As for what to expect ... Ella was incredibly messy her first heat. She was just learning the ropes and didn't seem to know what exactly was happening. She also swelled enough that she leaked urine when she stood up after sleeping. She was devastated because she has never peed in the house.

 

[Jarena]

I’m still undecided on when to spay her. I don’t know if I should do it after this heat or wait for the next one. Any advice on that is appreciated.

We bought so floor covering stuff (kinda like a sealed cardboard). I think I’ll lay that down in the living room after work today. Matt wants to use doggy diapers but I’m standing firm on not using them. If we do have to, it will be for very short periods of time. She is in her crate while we are at work and at night so I’m not worried about that.

Thanks for the tips on wiping her more often, I will make sure to ramp up the baby wipes. All of the advice and “what to expect” is very welcome. This is my first time with a female in heat so I’m completely new at this.

The pictures I posted of her laying down is pretty much how it looks all the time, even when standing. And I am noticing her squatting to pee more outside. Instead of her usual one time, it’s more like 3.

Poor Ella, I can just see that sweet embaresssd face. I’ll keep an eye out for any leaking with Lettie. Thank you all so much!!

 

[Boxergirl]

I would cautiously suggest waiting for one more heat. If there are no problems with this cycle, and I don't expect there to be, then a second heat may help everything pop out a bit more. Unfortunately it didn't help Ella. I wish I would have had the episioplasty done when Ella was spayed. That might be something else you ask about when you get a quote for her spay and gastropexy (if you choose to do that). And a dental. Have them quote that too. I try to get everything I can get done at one time so they don't have to be anesthetized too frequently. Remember that a quote is just that. It doesn't lock you into any procedures, it just gives you an idea of what you can afford at one time. Or how many things you have to sell to pay for it, lol.

 

[Boxergirl]

Oh yeah. The smell. I don't know if it was because Ella was so recessed and things got trapped, but she just smelled awful. Not like infection or anything. Just like period smell. The frequent wiping helps with that too.

 

[Jarena]

Ohh great idea about the dental! Matt asked the receptionist at the vet about gastroplexi and she said they don’t do that at our vet. I think I’m going to call and ask though, I have a feeling the receptionist doesn’t actually know for sure. My vet is known for also being a surgery center so I bet they do it.

Right now I’m leaning toward no on the episioplasty. She hasn’t had a UTI since we started her on “cranimals”. We also don’t wipe her very often, just when she’s been playing outside in dirt. Maybe I’m totally wrong here but I feel like she might have grown out of it a little? Or maybe she will start getting them again and I’ll regret it? Either way, I think you’ve suggested before that the episoplasty should not be done at the same time as her spay. So we would have time to make that decision later if needed.

And I’ll have to start making a list of items I can sell to pay for all this lol