Symptoms of a Dog in Heat - Signs to Look Out For

Symptoms of a Dog in Heat – Signs to Look Out For

01 Aug 2008

1 Aug, 2008 Dog Pregnancy

It’s not always easy to recognize when your bitch is coming into season, and how often a bitch comes into heat can vary from breed to breed and then in each individual. Some bitches come into season every four months or so, but others – such as African breeds – may be in season only once a year. The average is somewhere in between, therefore every six or seven months. These cycles can be erratic and unlike humans, dogs do not go through a ‘menopause’ so may continue to have these cycles throughout their lives if un-neutered. Even though we tend to think in terms of a ‘menstrual cycle’, in actuality, dogs do not have menstrual cycles; rather they have an ‘estrus cycle’.

Usually, the first sign of your bitch imminently coming into season is a swelling of her vulva which is usually shortly followed by bleeding. This is Day 1, and is known as ‘proestrus’ period. It may begin as a watery, pink discharge before it becomes more pronounced bleeding. It’s at this time that male dogs may show more interest in the bitch.

This usually lasts around ten days, and at this time, you’ll notice the swelling of the bitch’s vulva reduces and the bleeding slows and eventually stops. The discharge will become more straw colored during the latter stages of this phase. This is known as estrus and is the time the bitch will be ovulating, so if you wish to breed from your bitch, this is the time to make preparations do so. You have a window of opportunity here from 4 to around 21 days when the bitch will allow mating. After both mating and the blood-like discharge are finished, the period of ‘diestrus’ starts.

Many dogs will now experience a false pregnancy or ‘pseudocyesis’ during this time. Often, this goes unnoticed by both bitch and owner, however sometimes, the bitch will believe she is pregnant and will begin ‘acting pregnant’ in preparation for the puppies she believes she is going to have. This is because the bitch is, hormonally speaking, pregnant, regardless of whether she is actually pregnant or not. If the bitch is not actually carrying young, nonetheless, all the pregnancy hormones are present; only the puppies are missing, so you can expect her to behave as though she is pregnant. Confirmation or exclusion of pregnancy is best confirmed by a visit to your veterinarian.

The author is the owner of DogSymptoms.org

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