She's growing up :(

[JeannieCO]

Emma turned 8 months last week and just now she started her first heat. I'm so bummed, my little girl is growing up.

So how long does a heat last? You'd think I would have check that out.

 

[KMARINO]

8 MONTHS?!!!! OMG how time flies, she is just beautiful, I have no idea about heat length.

 

[JeannieCO]

Thanks Kelly. I need to weight her, I think she's has to be 35lbs now. Sure goes by fast!

 

[RiiSi]

Sweet girl she is always! Heat length can vary a lot and especially first heat. Guess around two weeks is normal.

 

[cali baker]

That's a great picture of Emma! yes, she's so getting big, and is that her tongue hanging out?

 

[JeannieCO]

1 week bleeding, then another week after that when she can still catch...@desertskybulldogs and @Davidh will explain it better I'm sure

I know what 'catch' is..... Two weeks! OMG

That's a great picture of Emma! yes, she's so getting big, and is that her tongue hanging out?

Thanks Henny. That's a piece of bark.

Sweet girl she is always! Heat length can vary a lot and especially first heat. Guess around two weeks is normal.

Dang it!

This could explain why out of the blue she went over and starting humping Jack last night, I nearly fell over laughing.

 

[JeannieCO]

OMG, she's humping him again!

 

[SUMOPUP]

I hate to throw this out there. But when Sumo went in heat, she was bleeding for almost a MONTH! i had sheets covering my entire house. loads of laundry every day. goodluck!

 

[agingermom]

1 week bleeding, then another week after that when she can still catch...@desertskybulldogs and @Davidh will explain it better I'm sure

I got caught 5 times, lol and still paying for it!! This may seem like a dumb question after reading [MENTION=2896]SUMOPUP[/MENTION] post but isn't there like a diaper or something you can put on them to minimize the mess? I am not looking forward to this!!

 

[Jack Daniels]

They grow up so fast... One day, you are spoon feeding them, the next day they are out in the doggy park not paying any attention to you. Pretty soon they'll stop writing or calling you...

 

[Twice]

Abby had hers last month. She bled for 2 weeks. Does Emma have the grown up bark yet? That was the saddest part for me, Abby losing her puppy sound.

 

[GatorRay]

Gypsy is in heat now. It lasts about 2 weeks. I bought the washable diapers from the pet store and they work great. I change them 2 to 3 times a day so it is nice to have a supply so I am not doing laundry every day. She won't like it at first, but she will get used to it. Just be sure to keep her on leash and in your sights at all times! No dog parks, day care, nothing. Basically house bound. I keep Gypsy at home for about 3 weeks to be certain because we DO NOT want her having puppies, no matter how cute they are lol.

Be prepared for her vulva to swell and her nipples to enlarge.

 

[Davidh]

Ya they can last 2 to 3 weeks, sometimes longer. We use the diapers. They work pretty well. There is some pants that have Velcro straps that we put the diaper in and that helps keep them on.

Also for you peeps that have the older bitches that are not spayed, when they come out of their heat cycle watch them closely for Pyometra, it can be deadly. BeBe got it when she was 5 and if I hadn't been paying attention, she could have died.

 

[bullmama]

The lenghth of time can vary-- it really depends on when they reach estrus. This is when they ovulate. Some dogs ovulate as early as day 6 while others can be as late as day 16 or longer!

Once the bleeding slows down they are starting the estrus phase. I think normal from start to finish is 2.5 to 3 weeks. The first heat is usuallydifferent then the ones that follow due to horomones.

I cant believe our little angel is 8 months old already. Where does the time go???

 

[GatorRay]

Also for you peeps that have the older bitches that are not spayed, when they come out of their heat cycle watch them closely for Pyometra, it can be deadly. BeBe got it when she was 5 and if I hadn't been paying attention, she could have died.

David, thank you for pointing that out. It is surely something to be careful with! We will be spaying Gypsy at some point I think since we are not planning on breeding her (and will never breed!). She is gorgeous and very healthy but I wouldn't even know where to begin so I am not willing to take on that responsibility.