Period

[Midget]

I have a 5moth old puppy and i have no idea about her period? When does it come? how long it lasts? what should i do?
Only thing i ve heard is it comes every 6 months.

Any information will be appreciated! Thanks!!

[Nettle]

It can happen at any time from six months onward. Some breeds start a lot later. Many breeds only cycle once a year, but every six months is normal for others.


First you will see she needs to pee more and she pee-marks out on walks. Her coat may get very soft and her mind may go scatty.
Then you will notice some spots of red fluid coming from her ladybits. This is called "showing colour". Note the date.

Then after a few days her ladybits will swell up huge. The fluid may become less, may change colour to light yellow or may stay the same.

After approximately 3 weeks her lady bits will return to normal size.

Dogs normally ovulate between 10-14 days but I strongly advise you keep her away from male dogs for four weeks from the start of seeing colour. DO NOT TAKE ANY RISKS.

Appx two months after the season she will enter a "false pregnancy". This is natural and normal, no matter what some people might tell you. She may become secretive and want to hide away, she may gather up soft toys and make a nest, she may come into milk, she may put on weight, or she may do none of these things. However it is important to keep her privacy at this time as she might be hormonal and not happy with people invading her space.

After three or four weeks, the false pregnancy finishes and you have your b itch back to normal again.

If she gets uncomfortably milky, homeopathic Pulsatilla is brilliant to treat that.

The first season is not necessarily a pointer to how subsequent seasons will be. Like young girls, until her hormones settle, her seasons can be very different.

[Midget]

Thank you very much! your answer is more than i expected!

So its like having a teenager in the house.. yikes!

[sj96skittles]

Dogs have periods??????

[Nettle]

Not the same way we do. They come into season/oestrus/heat as it is called. We go out of season. We are the only mammals that work that way round. But I knew what OP meant so I answered.

[sj96skittles]

WHOA!!! I never knew that!!! Do only females have them?

[Nettle]

Only females come on heat, but in some mammals eg elephants, ferrets, camels, the male has a fertile time and an infertile time too. In other mammals the male can always mate but the female always has to come into season.

[sj96skittles]

What if thery're spayed? Both of my dogs are spayed. I've never seen either of them have it.

[Leigha]

They won't go into heat if they're spayed.

[sj96skittles]

Ohhh. Is it only the unsaid dogs who are pregnant or any unspaid dog?

[***Melissa***]

If a dog is spayed or neutured it has the same effect as when a human is sterilised. No cycles, no pregnancies, nothing.

[Nettle]

Spaying is the removal of uterus (womb) and ovaries, so there are no heat cycles and pregnancy is impossible.

Neutered (castrated) male dogs have their testicles removed so they are infertile, but some of them can still mate if they find a ***** in season.

[DinosaurHolly]

Ohhh. Is it only the unsaid dogs who are pregnant or any unspaid dog?

This is one of the big reasons you get a female dog spayed Only unspayed dogs go into heat, can get pregnant, etc.