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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’.
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.
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.
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?
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.
I have his vet in Warwick but they well not see him on an IOU
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.
Will do thank you
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
good luck, Cheryl. i hope you can get him help.
Ty
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.
i’m so glad you took him in, and i’m so glad you got a diagnosis!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Shall do! At least she pills easily. 🙂
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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 of seizure and fell over. Then started twitching. What could be wrong with him?
Out walking last night. She went off into the woods where I live jumped the ditch and has come back lamb. can put weight on the left hind lag but unable to turn or jump, Some swelling round stiffel no pain when touching it but very uncoordinated at times when walking
i would have her on crate rest while indoors and limited low-energy leash time when outside until you can get her to the vet – her normal levels of exercise can exacerbate the problem. she IS in pain if she’s not using the leg, so a vet needs to be involved.
Thank you, gave her 1/2 teaspoon of infernt calpol till i can get her to the vest tomz
i have no idea what that is, but PLEASE do NOT give human-grade medicines. many of them can be toxic to pets.
the BEST thing you can do is keep her confined for now. seriously.
A vet frined of mine said i can give it as its safe in very low doses calpol os a liquid parateamol for babys and children
Its A uk medicen
mmm. gotcha.
Is good to keep your dogs separated when your not home so there’s no mishaps
I have 4 dogs and I keep them separated when not at home. It hasn’t changed the way they act towards each other when I am home. Pets in some ways are like people and like time to themselves. In my experience my pets don’t seem to mind having a little alone time. And it does prevent the more aggressive ones from bullying the others when I can’t supervise.
Hi my 8 year old cocker spainal bitch is weeing every hour. She has had bloods done there all normal x ray all clear urine tested showing nothing no infection no bacteria i do not know what to do next
Hi Zoe…Bit of a mystery! I assume bloods covered her kidneys; bladder, liver?
Have you taken a urine sample of testing?
Ia she drinking more than normal? Has she been tested for diabetes?
Has she been spayed? If not possible uterine infection?
Other than that I hope our Vet Krista answers!
Hope your Cocker recovers soon!
Hi julie she had full blood tests done all clear a full urine test sent away all came back clear
x ray done all clear.. she has been spayed she has been tested for kidney diabetes everything.. im really at a loss somtimes there is blood in her urine other times not she doesnt know if she wants a wee or poo or both sometimes but more recently she has started drinking water as soon as she has had a wee.. i think i may have to visit a different vet to get a second oppinion
as this needs resolving
Hi Zoe….right so all the tests are clear. Blood in the urine occasionally too? Somethings going on then….
This might sound silly but when you said she doesn’t know if she wants a wee or a pooh? That smacks of pressure somewhere to me…possibly her spine….but that doesn’t account for the blood in her urine does it. Are you sure the blood is in her urine and not coming from her bottom? Any blood in her pooh at all? Could it be a bowel problem? Is she in pain, back slightly hunched over? Shes moving and jumping on sofa with no problems?
Have you considered a referral to a specialist for an MRI scan? Might be the only way to find out whats wrong. Presume shes insured? Think I would try a different Vet anyway to be honest.
I have two Cockers by the way…..! I do hope you find out whats wrong, bless her….they are a worry aren’t they?
Hi went to see a different vet my dog has cancer ive just found out i cant understand why other vet didnt notice
Oh Zoe, I am so very sorry. What awful news for you…and I can’t believe the other Vet missed it either.He should have picked it up on her bloods. Is it treatable? I do hope you are ok. Please let us know how things go won’t you.
Hi julie they cant operate cancer in the urinetrack and bladder she is going on tablets for two week these shoud help i have been told incuresble and 6 to 12 months so who knows i am totaly hart broken
Thanks for your concerns and help
Honestlu Zoe I don’t know what to say, only that I know how I’d feel.if it was one mine. Shes not old at 8 years, what a tragedy. Please do let me know how you both are doing won’t you? I’m in the UK too…a lot of people on here are in the US..I’m here if you need to talk about anything Zoe…wish I could do more.
Thanks julie i will keep you updated
Please do Zoe. By the way I have Cockers too, mother and son….both Blue Roan.
Stay strong and I’ll be thinking about you.
Daisy is blue roan thanks julie
My cat was bitten by something about two days ago right under his chin now its swollen real bad an has a tiny hole in it he was sneezing an hacking a lot but its calm down now.
Hello Branden, your cat needs to be seen by a Vet. Whatever the bite was its now swollen and no doubt infected.
He needs Veterinary treatment to get the swelling and infection under control and heal.
I hope he recovers soon.
Thank you, I was really hoping for some home remedies though. My family and I just moved to a different state and we dont really have the funds to take him to see a vet right now unfortunately.
There really are no home remedies unfortunately. He probably needs antibiotics only available from a Vet.
It doesnt seem to hurt her and she is still eating though yesterday shes not eating as much.She has always eaten anything she can like bugs,spiders,pine cones you name it she will eat it.We cannot afford a vet please help.We have been giving her milk and that helps the swelling but not the lump
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.