I Have An 8 1/2 Month Old, 6 Pound, Miniature Dachshund. About 8 Days Ago…
I have an 8 1/2 month old, 6 pound, miniature dachshund. About 8 days ago, I noticed her nipples were slightly bigger than normal. I was planning on taking her to the vet to see if she was ready to be fixed (my vet recommended waiting until she was 8 months old to give all her baby teeth time to fall out) but the night before I was to take her, I noticed her vulva was swollen and protruding. I wiped her and a brownish color appeared. I was still not 100% she was in heat due to the color.
The next morning I checked her again – her vulva was even more swollen and the discharge had now changed to bright red blood. It has now been 3 days since I first noticed the swelling and discharge/blood.
I did a lot of research online but have gotten conflicting information about almost everything that has to do with a dog in heat, including how many stages there are in the heat cycle, what happens in each cycle, what color the discharge/blood changes and when, when she would be most fertile, etc. I read that one way to know for sure she was in heat was to scratch the top of her butt right before her tail and if she moves her tail to the side she is definitely in heat. THEN I read that means she is already in the 2nd stage of the heat cycle. I’ve also read conflicting timelines of cycle from 2 weeks to 4.
I’m so lost and confused and hesitant to go to the vet. I don’t know if it is safe to take her because of the possibility of the presence of male dogs. I don’t want to be the idiot first time pet parent who will just get told ‘all dogs are different. there’s no way to know anything’.
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I Have A Two Year Old Male Cat Fixed Happy Loveable And Seems Completely Healthy…
I have a two year old male cat fixed happy loveable and seems completely healthy eating fine drinking fine but is urinating blood in my bathroom sink i am on social security with no cash at this time what could it be and what can I do.
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Anonymous unfortunately, urinating blood means he may have crystals or a blockage and this can be life threatening. can you contact your vet and work out a payment plan, or maybe look into Care Credit? this is something that needs to be resolved immediately, with no delays.
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Cheryl Cornell He is urinating a real good amount to. I live in Rhode Island do you know of any organizations or vets that might be able to help?
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Anonymous well, i would call YOUR vet first and discuss the problem. they’re the ones who have a working knowledge of your cat (they DO see your cat annually, right?) and are the best place to start.
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Cheryl Cornell I have his vet in Warwick but they well not see him on an IOU
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Anonymous ask them for suggestions on where else you can go, or organizations that can help with cost deferral…and seriously, investigate Care Credit. it’s basically a credit card, and the first year is interest-free.
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Cheryl Cornell Will do thank you
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Cheryl Cornell So I just went online and applied for care credit and contacted the aspca waiting to be contacted hope they call soon don’t want anything bad happening to my baby
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Anonymous good luck, Cheryl. i hope you can get him help.
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Cheryl Cornell Ty
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Cheryl Cornell He was diagnosed with a UTI and given amoxicillin and luckily he didn’t have any blockage they said he was pretty empty that he was urinating enough but that if he isn’t better soon they would like to do blood work its a shame how much money vets want just to walk in the door.
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Anonymous i’m so glad you took him in, and i’m so glad you got a diagnosis!
Is Tail Trauma In Cats Instant Or Does It Take Days To Notice?
Is tail trauma in cats instant or does it take days to notice?
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Ripley Has A Lick Sore With Broken Skin On Her Rear Leg. She Already…
Ripley has a lick sore with broken skin on her rear leg. She already has a routine vet visit scheduled for Friday, and we would like to avoid moving that up if possible. Wondering what I can do in the interim to prevent her from chewing on it more. It is not bleeding at the moment.
I have bitter apple on hand but with the broken skin I’m afraid of irritating it further.
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Emily Herbel I’m not a vet, but have you tried putting a cone on her? You can get one at any pet supply store and they are pretty inexpensive. It will make it harder for her to get her mouth to her leg.
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Laura Post author There was a small bump on it earlier today…i would compare it to a pressure sore from lying on a hard surface, but she hasn’t been on any hard surfaces lately.
She DOES have an allregy to something in the yard and we battled hives most of the summer as a result. Vet had her on a steroid, antihistamine, and antibiotic. She hasn’t been itchy since.
What worries me is she has been displaying some OCD behavior lately – suckling, digging, and the licking may be her way of replacing the suckling after I removed her blanket.
Her paternal grandmother is a suckler, so I anticipated some suckling. I just wish it wouldn’t escalate to destructive chewing.
Maybe i need to step up the training regimen to manage the OCD behavior. Will be discussing that with my trainer.
Anyway…what do you think i could do to manage the irritation until Friday? I am not against giving her benadryl – vet has approved our use – I just don’t know if this is a histamine reaction.
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Laura Post author Sadly, it’s a bit late to get to the stores – they all closed about 2 hours ago. It’s a good idea, though, and I may pick one up tomorrow.
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Laura Post author Shall do! At least she pills easily. 🙂
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Laura Post author i may be jumping the gun, but that seemed to work – she didn’t touch her leg after i pilled her. thanks for kicking me in the buns on that one!
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PK Dennis Laura,
Have you gotten all the grain out of her diet? Including treats? In the long run being grain-free will help her system while it tries to heal itself.
The three things I do to help a dog that is itching (other than treating them for whatever caused the itch in the first place) are:
1. Rinsing the area or the entire dog with cider vinegar and water (1/3 vinegar, 2/3 water – I like organic vinegar. If the dog is white you may want to use a white vinegar cause the cider can stain the coat). Do not rinse this out, let it dry in the coat and make sure the mix gets all the way to the skin.
2. On raw hot spots I use witch hazel with aloe. You can find this in any drug store. Just pat it on with a cotton pad and allow to dry.
3. Use a generic form of Zyrtec instead of the Benadryl — it seems to work better for most dogs.
Good luck!
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Laura Post author i am 99.999% certain this is not diet-related. she eats Wellness CORE and has since coming home at 10 weeks. i frequently change the formulation and will throw in a different brand from time to time, but i stick to higher end foods with no grains. i believe i’ve said this a few times in the past. 😉 i’m working on researching a few food options that have lower carb content, however, as i’m not much a fan of the high amount of potatoes and peas.
prior to making this post on Sunday, i used a diluted white vinegar wash – the same wash i use on her coat prior to a show. that made her more prone to licking, to the point of running off so she could lick it off. i believe it stung a bit.
we already use witch hazel in conjunction with her other allergy – which was, as i mentioned, a contact allergy and not food related. we determined this with an elimination diet and had her on a venison-based raw diet for about 2 months. the witch hazel in conjunction with the benadryl has kept her from chewing.
benadryl has worked fine.
My Lab Is 9 Years Old And Weighs Approximately 82 Pounds.
My lab is 9 years old and weighs approximately 82 pounds.
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Anonymous what’s he eating currently? i’d look at a food or environmental allergy. resolve that, you resolve the itching.
I Got This 1.5 Months Old Persian Female Kitten Yesterday.
1- She Only Took Cows…
1- She Only Took Cows…
I got this 1.5 months old persian female kitten yesterday.
1- She only took cows milk for the first time during day and did vomit at night.
2- Today she took nothing, except water (only small quantity) and did not go to litter box whole day.
3- She is very slow and almost sleeping whole day.
4- I tried to force feed her milk and cat food, she immediately did vomit.
What should i do now? Its public holiday next 3 days no vet is open.
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Lilly Bounds I hate to be the one to tell you this, but cow’s milk is REALLY BAD for cats of all ages. Most cats are lactose intolerant, and I’d say the same for your kitten. Don’t try to force feed her, take her to the vet ASAP. I really hope she feels better, though.
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julie brader You need to take her to an emergency Vet without delay, your kitten sounds to be very ill. Cows milk is not good for kittens of this age she needs kitten milk. Shes also too young at 1.5 months to be away from her mum. Please stop force feeding her cows milk and food it may be that causing her to be ill….take her to an emergency Vet.
My Cat Threw Up A Small Amount Of White Foam And Then Had Some Kind…
My cat threw up a small amount of white foam and then had some kind of seizure and fell over. Then started twitching. What could be wrong with him?
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My Ten Year Old English Golden Retriever Has Developed Open Holes By Her Front Knee…
My ten year old English Golden Retriever has developed open holes by her front knee area and they weap and nothing seems to help heal them up.
Can anyone give me help with this?
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Bob Johnson Thanks Krista, I will call my vet.
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Bob Johnson Yes, these are on her front elbos and used to be dry callus.
What’s The Best Way To Stop A 1 1/2 Year Pit Bull From Playing To…
What’s the best way to stop a 1 1/2 year pit bull from playing to rough?
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I Also Looked At Him And He Seems To Have Dry Flaky Skin Now…
i also looked at him and he seems to have dry flaky skin now ..we also changed his food about a week ago i dont know if that may be the problem or if it was the bath please help i want my baby to have relief what should i do?
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Dawn Ferara, DVM I’m confused, why did u bathe him in dishwashing liquid? Did he have fleas?
The dishwashing liquid will or has seriously dried out his skin. I would recommend taking him to a vet to get his skin examined especially if he has open sores.
Good Luck
Ashley,
I would recommend calling your vet to see if they will spay a dog in heat. It is riskier to spay a dog in heat because of the excess blood in the uterus during this period of time and the fact the tissues can be more fragile.
In answer to your question, dogs cycles last about 6 months. This time period can vary from dog to dog and in different breeds. However of the 4 phases, the 1st 3 phases are the ones that are going to concern you the most. The 1st stage last 7-9 days, during this period the vulva is swollen and the discharge tends to be bloody. During this phase the female will not allow the male to mount her. After this phase, starting around day 8-10 and lasting for about 2 weeks is actually standing heat. At this point she will allow the male to mount her and she can become pregnant. The 3rd phase can last up to 60 days. During this time the female will slowly begin to return to normal or if bred the puppies will grow. All dogs go through a false pregnancy during this phase.
I’m trying to not get to involved in the phases so that you understand but aren’t overwhelmed by the information.
I hope this answers your questions and you get your baby spayed before you have any unwanted puppies.