Canine Heat Cycle

"Dog whelping"

Dog health and the canine heat cycle

The canine heat cycle can be a nuisance and very hard on your pet. If you are not a professional breeder, I recommend you get your female dog spayed or your male dog neutered as soon as she/he is old enough.

You  must consider the responsibility even if you plan on just breeding her once. You will want to think of what might happen to her and what will happen to the puppies.

I admit, I had thought about breeding Hanna but when she went into her first heat she was so sick, I just couldn't do it. She threw up was lethargic and in total misery. I decided than that I would never put her threw that again and had her spayed as soon as she was ready.

Pregnacy symptoms

The canine heat cycle will occur every six months or so for the life of the dog. It will usually last three weeks.  She will bleed or spot and this can become quite a mess. Some signs to watch for.

The symptoms that the female is coming into heat:

1- She will clean herself more than usual

2- Her vulva will become swollen

3- She will begin to spot blood

<4- As it progresses she will curve her tail over to the side

5- She will urinate often to spread the word that she is ready

You must keep her confined if you don't want her to mate with any male dog within a mile her. When she goes into heat, they will come. 

To avoid her spotting all over the house, you may want to get some training panties for her or disposable diapers. You will need to cut a hole in them for her tail. Also there are many fine products on the market today.

Pregnancy cycle, dogs giving birth

False pregnacy signs

My daughter wanted a Laso Apso for her graduation present. This was back before we knew anything about dogs. We found my daughter an adorable 4-month-old puppy and she named her Tappy because she was the color of Tapioca pudding.

As the time approached, Tappy started acting strange. She claimed this one stuff toy and wouldn't let Misty near it. She carried it around day and night.

She was never away from it and always watchful of who came near. She claimed a spot for her and her new baby and protected it from any unwanted visitors, namely Misty.  Her teats swelled up and began to leak milky fluid. We took her to the vet and he explained she was having a false pregnancy. We had to just wait it out. We had to wait till this was over to get her spayed.

Some signs of a possible false pregnancy:

1- She will began nesting, preparing a special place

2- May have weight gain

3- Vaginal discharge

4- Abdominal swelling

5- Very possessive of a toy or object

It is wise to have your vet check out your pet even if you do suspect a false pregnancy. These symptoms could also be signs of an illness.

If she does go into a false pregnancy, it will not interfere with her being bred later or any future pregnancies.

Canine heat cycle to Health