[thatchman]

Hi,
I just made the appt this morning for getting Mercedes spayed. We've had her for a month now, she is 14 months old and we really don't want to deal with her being in heat. The appt is for next Thursday.

Then.... yup, you guessed it. Came home to find a big wet spot on the couch, and splotches in various places around the house. Arghh. This is my first time dealing with it. I called my friend at the pet store and she had me come down for some "panty" thing. So we are now dealing with taking it off and on everytime we send her out.

ADVICE NEEDED!!! SOON!!! PLEASE HELP!!!! ARGHHHH!!!!

Plus, I'm a guy!!!
Good thing my wife and 2 teenage daughters are around. They just put their arms around Mercedes and hug her and look at her knowingly. I'm like....... Well... I'm like just unnerved.....

HELP!!!

 

[southerngirls]

so not to sound clueless but what help are you actually needing??

I would talk to the vet and see if they will still spay if she is in heat. some do, and some dont. Heat cycles last typically 3 weeks. 1 wk coming in, 1 week of bleeding, 1 week going out. So if she is bleeding already then she may possibly be in her second wk, but some dogs bleed/spot all three wks...some two wks. All dogs are different. If you kennel her then she doesnt have to wear the panties or diapers or whatever you are using...if the bleeding isnt too heavy she should keep herself clean. uhhh...i dont know if i am leaving anything out, my girl just came off her heat cycle but it wasnt too bad...she didnt have to wear undies. Also if you DONT kennel then you have to take the panties or whatnot off for a few hours everyday...if you kennel then keep them off when she is in the kennel...ok i think that is all this time

 

[thatchman]

Hi,
I think I'm just looking for general advice, etc...

When you have her in the kennel do you not have pad in there? I have a pad and I'm assuming she will get that all dirty so I'll just take that out. That will help quite a bit.

I guess general advice like you're offering is helpful. Just shocked me. I'll talk to the vet and see if they will do the spay when she is in heat. I heard from another owner that they don't do that.

Thanks

 

[southerngirls]

i dont have any kind of bedding or pad in my girls kennel b/c she would pee on it :roll: she is 11 months so you would think she would do that...but as long as there is NO blanket/bedding/pad in the kennel she is fine...i dunno she is weird :wink: I have seen a dog get spayed during heat, but i think most vets wont do it. hopefully she is in her second week and she will be coming out of the cycle soon. have you noticed her little private area swollen at all in the past week or so?? that is a tell-tell sign of heat

 

[Mastray]

I had to deal with Nikki's heat cycle but since she's a chihuahua it wasn't that bad... well as bad as a large boxer lol

We just put the panty on her with the disposable pads and though it was annoying she only spotted for a week. I think hers was about 3 wks. 1 wk going in, 2nd wk of spotting and then the 3rd wk, no spotting but MASSIVE FLIRTING WITH ODIN! She was being SUCH a hussy... that drove me more crazy then messing with her panty pads!! LOL

Good luck... you'll most likely have to reschedule the spaying but at least you'll get to do it! Nikki's 12 yrs old and I'm afraid she won't live through it... and I don't want to be responsible for that.

 

[Newcastle]

I would not spay a bitch in season unless it was a medical emergency - there's a much higher risk of hemorrhage, plus the hormones are way out of whack which is not always best for recovery.  You really want to wait for a few months after she comes out of season, too, to let things get back to normal; I'd say sometime in April would be good.

If she's leaving big wet spots (and you're sure it's blood, not urine), I wouldn't take the crate pad out of her crate - then she'll just be lying in the blood and getting it all over her.  Most crate pads are washable, and if yours isn't, use some old blankets (or pick up some cheap ones on the clearance rack or a Salvation Army-type store - I got a bunch at K-Mart once, two for $5).  Have at least three - one in use, one in the wash, and one ready to go into the crate - and just keep rotating them.  (I do the same with the panties, but I wouldn't suggest that kind of investment if you're going to have her spayed!  You could buy a cheap pack of boy's underwear and use them with pads (boy's because you put them on backward and the tail goes through the flap in the front ).

It probably goes without saying, but just in case - she needs to be kept under close watch while she's in season; leashed for walks, supervised out in the yard, etc.  Dogs can and will dig under, climb over, and chew through fences to get to a bitch in season; they can breed through chain link; and the smell of a bitch in season travels up to a mile and will attract loose dogs from all around (it's also courteous to carry a jug of water with you when you walk her, and saturate the areas where she urinates - this will help minimize the scent left behind).  You typically have her on 'lock-down' three weeks from the first day you see blood, and an additional week after she stops bleeding just to be safe.