More Questions about my dog in heat.....

[hiki0921]

Hi,
I had originally posted about my puppy Nala going into her first heat but have a few new questions. Once again she is a 7month o ld lab/shepherd mix. About 4 days ago a stray dog who I used to see alot but would never let me get close to, started coming back around. Suprisingly this time the dog came right up to mine and wasnt shy (he is a unneutered shepherd). Well for the next 3 days the dog was outside just about everytime I was, at one point it got so bad he was sitting outside of my door for 3 hours straight. Everytime I was outside Nala was on a leash and I wouldnt let the other dog mount her (he tried numberous times). Now to my question......On Saturday night my roomate accidently left the door open for to long and she snuck out. She was out for about 5min before she was caught, and of course the other dog was outside waiting for her. I wasnt at home but nobody actually saw the other dog have intercourse with her, but I am still somewhat worried that he might of. How long is the sex process for dogs, would it be possible t hat she may have gotten pregnant. On Sunday the dog was still around and seemed more persistant on tryin to have sex with her. This made me think that they didnt do anything on saturday ngiht when she was out because he was still interested (would that be correct??). However, today the other dog was nowhere to be seen (I was planning on callin the SPCA to pick it up today). Nala is still on the bleeding part of her heat (alot less swollen tho), so do I have anything to worry about?? Another thing I have noticed is that her nipples are alot larger than they have ever been, is this normal with her being in heat?? If she woulda gotten pregnant how would I know?? Thanks alot!!

[rottnpagan]

Take her to the vet, ASAP, and have her spayed. Problem(s) solved.

[Julie]

Hi,
I had originally posted about my puppy Nala going into her first heat but have a few new questions. Once again she is a 7month o ld lab/shepherd mix. About 4 days ago a stray dog who I used to see alot but would never let me get close to, started coming back around. Suprisingly this time the dog came right up to mine and wasnt shy (he is a unneutered shepherd). Well for the next 3 days the dog was outside just about everytime I was, at one point it got so bad he was sitting outside of my door for 3 hours straight. Everytime I was outside Nala was on a leash and I wouldnt let the other dog mount her (he tried numberous times). Now to my question......On Saturday night my roomate accidently left the door open for to long and she snuck out. She was out for about 5min before she was caught, and of course the other dog was outside waiting for her. I wasnt at home but nobody actually saw the other dog have intercourse with her, but I am still somewhat worried that he might of. How long is the sex process for dogs, would it be possible t hat she may have gotten pregnant. On Sunday the dog was still around and seemed more persistant on tryin to have sex with her. This made me think that they didnt do anything on saturday ngiht when she was out because he was still interested (would that be correct??). However, today the other dog was nowhere to be seen (I was planning on callin the SPCA to pick it up today). Nala is still on the bleeding part of her heat (alot less swollen tho), so do I have anything to worry about?? Another thing I have noticed is that her nipples are alot larger than they have ever been, is this normal with her being in heat?? If she woulda gotten pregnant how would I know?? Thanks alot!!

It is normal for a dog in heat for nipples to get bigger.
It is not true a dog will only do it one time. They will go at it many times as long as the female is ready and willing.
Since Nala is still bleeding hopefully she isn't ready yet, my females are not receptive until bleeding stops. Somewhere during the second week of heat cycle. And no we are not breeding, we keep them seperated during heats. But you can definately tell from body language and desire to get to each other.
But then again it would be possible for the pregnancy, sperm can live for a while in the female. It takes alot of work and responsibility to keep intact dogs. The best (and easiest) thing really is to spay your dog.

I hope you get thru this without a pregnancy, and it probably will take several weeks to tell if it happened.

[wolfsoul]

If she was out for five minutes, you shouldn't have anything to worry about. When dogs mate, they "tie," usually for atleast a half hour. Alot of females will break it off in only a few seconds, but doing so is painful and unlikely. I've seen it happen myself, and I can tell you that the majority of dogs wouldn't do that (ouch!).

[bubbatd]

I agree about the tie, but what if your roomate is wrong about the 5 mins.?? Your pup is too young for a litter. Vet and fix time !! BTW... how many days was she into her heat ??

[hiki0921]

She is about 11 days into her heat now....so on saturday she was about 8 days. Should I take her to the vet now?? I had originally planned on gettin her spayed about 2 weeks ago but I had to cancel her appointment due to things that came up. I kno it can be alot more dangerous to spay during heat so I was plannin on waiting till the beggining of June (plus I can get it free in June from the DC humane society).

[lpollockandrsn]

Isn't there a pregnancy test out there now? It would be a lot easier on her to spay if she wasn't in heat BUT if she is pregnant, it wont be any easier than now.
I would imagine that your roommate may underestimate how long she was out. Seems to be human nature to cover ones own...tail.

[MomOf7]

hiki0921]Hi,
How long is the sex process for dogs,
Varies on experience of dogs. Some an hour, others five minutes! So off to the vet we go!

would it be possible t hat she may have gotten pregnant
Absolutely. I have heard of stranger circumstances.

. On Sunday the dog was still around and seemed more persistant on tryin to have sex with her. This made me think that they didnt do anything on saturday ngiht when she was out because he was still interested (would that be correct??).
Possibly yes and possibly no.

Another thing I have noticed is that her nipples are alot larger than they have ever been, is this normal with her being in heat??
Yes it is normal but could be a sign later on.
If she woulda gotten pregnant how would I know?? Thanks alot!!
They can do a pregnancy test earlier than they use to but they arent accurate enough for me. The best way to find out is at 55 days and get a xray so you can see how many are in there so you are better prepared for the size of the litter.

I wanted to ad that it would be a good idea to have her spayed right away. You will spend more money on having this litter than getting your girl spayed.
There are so many things that can happen that can compromise your girls life and the life of her pups. Its just not worth it!
I wish you the best!
Kris

[MomOf7]

pollockandrsn]Isn't there a pregnancy test out there now?
Yes there is a test but its not as accurate as the ones we use.
It would be a lot easier on her to spay if she wasn't in heat BUT if she is pregnant, it wont be any easier than now.
Its all the same. As long as you dont wait too long its the same proceedure. If you wait then its more difficult and more costly.

[lpollockandrsn]

It is actually not the same as a regular spay . Sorry if I misinterpreted your meaning Momof7. What I meant was that is much more difficult to spay a dog in heat than one that is not, so if she isn't pregnant it would be best to wait a month or three. However. If she is the procedure would only get more complicated and risky from here, that's why I asked about the test. I know I have seen them but none of the vets I worked with have carried them ...assuming because of said inaccuracy . Since it is difficult to tell, I would agree that spaying now is the best course.

I would warn that no matter what, If you have her spayed now, whether she is pregnant or not, you absolutely can't let that happen again. If a male tries to breed her after a surgery that is so critical he could do serious damage to her. There will be sutures in her cervix and if a male tries to breed her (because she will still 'smell' like she's in heat) he could rupture those sutures. That could be life threatening. Everthing is just as inflamed inside right now as it looks outside. Just make sure when you have her fixed that you can isolate her for at least 10 days while she heals.

[moe]

My bitch reaches her peak time from day 10 so she could have been receptive to the male dog, if your friend out of embarrassment for her not being responsible said she was out for 5 mins instead of the actual time of possibly 20 mins then yes there is a strong possibility your bitch was mated, you can go to the vets and have her injected with (for want of a better name) the morning after injection, I think this can be done up to 3 days after the mating, but you need to get a move on if you are doing it. and as soon as possible get her speyed.

Mo