What should I expect when she's in heat?

[Cali Doll]

Recently, I was talking with Bella's breeder and he mentioned that he thinks she could show. He's always said that he thinks she is show quality, but he wants her to mature some more to be sure. So, I'm thinking it might be a fun thing to try out. I'd like to wait to spay Bella. She's exactly 6 months old today, so I know her cycle could come within a month or so. There are some things I understand about her going into heat, like her mood will change. I know it lasts for about 3 weeks and I'll need to get doggie pads.

I'm looking for personal tales from you guys.

What types of mood changes does your female go through? Any recommends for doggie pads, etc? I can't help but think that she'll tear off anything I put on her. Do you have any tips to prevent that? Are male dogs going to run up to us while we're outside? Will they gather at my doorstep? (There are LOTS of dogs in my neighborhood!)

Is there some aspect of this that I'm overlooking?

I know there are two schools of thought about when to spay and I don't know that I land firmly on either side. The idea of spaying her (surgery!) scares me anyway, so I'm not sure I'd have spayed her right away, regardless. I just want to know what to expect.

I already talked to her daycare/vet about it and they said that when she's in heat, they put up a sign on her pen and she will be the last dog walked. They already keep the dogs separated at this facility. They don't play with each other, so there are no worries there.

Thanks!

 

[boxorox]

My tip for dealing with it when it comes......be ready before it happens(11months for us). Though Ruby did have a "silent heat" at 5-1/2 months. (Hormones with no mess)

Before hand, fit her with boy toddler-sized underwear. Don't mess with any kind of diaper...not doggy or otherwise.
The toddler undies can be altered and better fitted with a few stitches here and there, or snugged up with ties(yarn)
Get them to fit good and slap in a pad. Have fresh pair ready, always, so you are not messing with the pads while under pressure.....

Have spares, because they come off and get destroyed.
Do this ahead of time....maybe you can acclimate her to them, however, if you do it to early, she will out grow the fit.

 

[Cali Doll]

Thank you!! How often do they have cycles? Also, why boy undies versus girl undies? (I'd think that having them tight would help keep things from moving around.)

 

[boxorox]

Thank you!! How often do they have cycles? Also, why boy undies versus girl undies? (I'd think that having them tight would help keep things from moving around.)

We found the boy undies had more depth to them than the girls....we tried both. The girls' seemed to not want to stay up no matter the alterations we made.
We found that the boys undies went up the waist further and we were able to keep them more snug around the waist. They also gave a little more tail room.

 

[Cali Doll]

Thank you!

 

[Davidh]

You have some good advise on the pants already. Their mood doesn't change that much usually, but they will pee more often. I would not take her on walks if you have a lot of dogs in your neighbor hood, and don't let her out of your site for one second. Never let her out in the back yard by herself either.

 

[Petra]

Boeboe got super grumpy when she was on heat, Bennie couldn't even go near her, she growled at him for even moving in the same room as her and he respected her even though he wasn't neutered, I guess we were lucky. Full bitch mood was on, lol. She didn't bleed much, it actually didn't bother me, I tried the pants thingy but it was more work to keep that on than to take a paper and wipe the little blood that dripped off. I just kept the carpets away during this time and she wasn't allowed on the couch unless it was covered with a towel. Some dogs even clean up themselves but since bulldogs are a bit round they can rarely reach

I didn't notice any change in the neighbors dogs where I lived then... I think they are used to females being on heat around them so they don't bother unless they come close enough to actually have a chance. However, when our neighbors dog across the street was in heat about a month ago I saw a dog roaming around outside their gate and the female kept pushing her butt against the fence so the male could reach. The owner was there but in my opinion he didn't make much effort to avoid the situation so I don't know how it ended. My parents in laws dog got pregnant with their neighbors dog, he was small and found a hole in the wall to get in... not good so be careful, don't leave her unattended anywhere. If they want to mate they will make a plan. Normally they go on heat twice a year.

Good luck

 

[Cali Doll]

Boeboe got super grumpy when she was on heat, Bennie couldn't even go near her, she growled at him for even moving in the same room as her and he respected her even though he wasn't neutered, I guess we were lucky. Full bitch mood was on, lol. She didn't bleed much, it actually didn't bother me, I tried the pants thingy but it was more work to keep that on than to take a paper and wipe the little blood that dripped off. I just kept the carpets away during this time and she wasn't allowed on the couch unless it was covered with a towel. Some dogs even clean up themselves but since bulldogs are a bit round they can rarely reach

I didn't notice any change in the neighbors dogs where I lived then... I think they are used to females being on heat around them so they don't bother unless they come close enough to actually have a chance. However, when our neighbors dog across the street was in heat about a month ago I saw a dog roaming around outside their gate and the female kept pushing her butt against the fence so the male could reach. The owner was there but in my opinion he didn't make much effort to avoid the situation so I don't know how it ended. My parents in laws dog got pregnant with their neighbors dog, he was small and found a hole in the wall to get in... not good so be careful, don't leave her unattended anywhere. If they want to mate they will make a plan. Normally they go on heat twice a year.

Good luck

Oh my gosh! Pregnant between the fence! Thanks for sharing...so much good info.

 

[minibull]

Buttercup is in heat right now -- as far as we know this is her first "messy" heat. She is 3 years old. Her last heat cycle was silent and no big deal, but this one has been messy and required a lot of kid diapers (~3/day) and Oxi-Clean. I like the idea of the boy shorts with a pad. We've been using Pull-Up style training pants with a shirt stay hooked to her harness (have seen others use mattress clips, which would be a lot easier). This keeps them from falling off. It would be way too messy without something to catch the discharge. Blood gave way to lower volume lighter colored brownish-pinkish secretions after ~15 days. We're on day 18 now.

Not sure if it is related, but based on her diaper contents her anal gland secretion seems to be more frequent. The last 3 nights she has also peed in her crate. Once on a night I gave her a break from the diaper and then twice in her diaper. Doesn't smell infected, so I'm not sure if it's related to her heat cycle or possibly a behavioral response to being shut in her crate (usually we leave the crate door open and just close our bedroom door).

The main reason I have heard to spay before the first heat is to reduce the risk of future breast cancer. Our vet told us there is no breast cancer prevention benefit if you wait until after the first heat. We missed that window as we adopted Buttercup at 2 years old, but spaying now would at least prevent future uterine infection.

Now my husband is concerned about risk of post-spay weight gain, although our vet assures us that if we control her food it will not be a problem. She said they gain weight because most spay surgeries are done around the same time their calorie requirements decrease. We would like to hear from folks who spayed their dogs during adulthood about whether they gained weight afterwards, but I haven't looked into it yet.