Heat Cycles

Woof!

Hello, now I'm not being so moody I'm going to have a deep look at the heat cycles of female puppy dogs, very important as Igaboo got all panicky this morning after seeing me covered in blood, and subsequently discovered all that is wrong was I was bleeding from my vulva as per a normal heat cycle, but going on Igaboo's advice, if in doubt, always go to your vet.

Puppies will normally hit their first heat cycle between 6-18 months of age, depending on the breed, I am nearly 7 months old, so its right on cue, you can have a bitch spayed as early as 4 months, but its best to let one cycle happen, then wait up to 90 days to get me spayed after. The regular heat cycle last about 3 weeks and contains many changes during this time. The first thing you'll notice is the vulva swelling slightly, and also my breasts/nipples swelling too, I may also look slightly bloated. Another sign is eating habits and sleeping patterns will alter slightly. You'll also notice male dogs taking an interest as they will be able to smell my heat cycle long before I display any signs of it.

The next stage happens 9-12 days in when you'll start to notice a bleeding discharge from my vulva, it will start off bright red, but gradually turn a pinky-tan colour as the eggs are released and I'm ready to be bred. At this point you'll notice I'll start flirting behavior with male dogs as I am ready in my heat cycle to mate. Igaboo doesn't want me having puppies tho, so is keeping an eye on me at all times whilst out walking and making sure I am kept away from male dogs! She wouldn't want to give my fur babies away so no pup puppies for me!

By the third week you'll begin to notice the blood will turn red again if no mating has occurred and this will trail off until the heat cycle has stopped, and that's it! Three weeks of hell every 6-12 months again depending on the breed. If you don't want puppies the best thing is to get spayed, which is a simple procedure and doesn't involve a long stay at the vets, in and out in a day. So if you have a female dog and worry about bleeding and change of behavior, then it's probably their heat cycle, but if in doubt always goto the vets!

I'm off now to munch some doggie chocolate and have a snooze, whilst Igaboo frets some more, have a lovely day folks!

Puppy Kisses and Love

Dexy Do Dah Dog

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