# first heat??????



## tazruby (Jan 2, 2006)

Ruby has been doing some things that make me think she may be geting ready for her first heat. She is licking her private area like a mad woman all the time every day, she is very, very agressive torwards Taz especially when he gets near Oliver. She is very sweet to Oliver letting him eat b4 her and getting out of her bed to let Oliver lay down first, the she will go back and lay down with Oliver in the same bed. Also usually when Taz tries to hump her she would run off, but the other day she let him hump on her and she even hupmed back. ( Taz is fixed). Iam not sure if this is because of Oliver joining the family, or if it is her heat coming. She did start this behavior a little before Oliver came home but it has gotten a bit worse aaround the same time Oliver got home. Is this the signs of a female going in to heat, namely her first heat???? Oh she is about 9 1/2 months old. I have not noticed any major change in her girly area, just a bit of a pink color.


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## bails007 (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi,

I think i have the same issue, honey is bleeding a little every now and then and she's also licking like mad on her girlie bits
Does anyone know how long the bleeding will last? Its not alot but im just concerned it isnt her "in heat" ??
Sarah


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## OrchardLane (Aug 30, 2008)

There are different stages to the heat cycle in dogs.

Proestrus: The female's body is getting ready for a potential breeding. This stage can last anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks but is usually about 10 days for the average female. In this stage the vulva will swell and there will be a bloody discharge BUT if your female is cleaning her vulva area frequently it can be easy to miss the discharge (it is best to lift her tail a few times per day to see if you can spot any). This stage is when the males are starting to become interested in your female BUT she is not interested in them.

Estrus: In this stage, the female is ready to breed. She will show interest in males and stand for them or Flag them (standing with her tail erect or off to the side enticing the male). The discharge will be a straw-like/yellowish color now. While this stage can last up to 9/10 days it is often 7 days with the optimal conception period being only 2-4 days in the middle. 

Diestrus/Metestrus and Anestrus: Are hormone/ovarian activity stages that show little outward signs.


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## Rosiesmum (Oct 14, 2007)

It sounds very much like it. Who is Oliver? Is he another Chihuahua?


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## tazruby (Jan 2, 2006)

Rosiesmum said:


> It sounds very much like it. Who is Oliver? Is he another Chihuahua?


Oliver is my new lil blue merle chihuahua.


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## loopy (Sep 9, 2008)

OrchardLane said:


> There are different stages to the heat cycle in dogs.
> 
> Proestrus: The female's body is getting ready for a potential breeding. This stage can last anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks but is usually about 10 days for the average female. In this stage the vulva will swell and there will be a bloody discharge BUT if your female is cleaning her vulva area frequently it can be easy to miss the discharge (it is best to lift her tail a few times per day to see if you can spot any). This stage is when the males are starting to become interested in your female BUT she is not interested in them.
> 
> ...


eeeww, i did not know they did all of that.


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## OrchardLane (Aug 30, 2008)

loopy said:


> eeeww, i did not know they did all of that.


Probably didn't want to know that either huh? but I hope that tazruby did  

It is important for owner's of female dogs to understand the heat cycle (as unappealing as they are) so that they can recognize the stages of it so that unwanted pregnancies can be avoided.


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## tazruby (Jan 2, 2006)

thanks everyone iam making an appointment to have her spayed this next week. I need to wait till my hubby got his paycheck as money is really tight right now.
( had to pay taxes)I want to get it done b4 she starts bleeding so its not as dangerous and expensive.


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## OrchardLane (Aug 30, 2008)

tazruby said:


> thanks everyone iam making an appointment to have her spayed this next week. I need to wait till my hubby got his paycheck as money is really tight right now.
> ( had to pay taxes)I want to get it done b4 she starts bleeding so its not as dangerous and expensive.


Most vets do not do spays on female dogs that are in heat (regardless of the stage). Chances are since Ruby is licking like crazy she has already started to bleed but it is not noticeable as she is cleaning it immediately.

It is recommended to spay a female 4 weeks after she has finished her heat cycle. 

The reason is that the ovaries and uterus are swollen and full of blood - this puts the female at an unnecessary risk of hemorrhaging.

Most vets that I have dealt with will prefer to not do the surgery while the female is in heat but if pressed they will but there is usually an added cost associated with it (similar to if you got a spay done while the female was pregnant).


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