# First Heat Help and Advise



## Becky68 (Feb 4, 2014)

Hi all Anwen has just started her first heat at just 7 months, I noticed her starting to swell below a few days earlier and her nipples getting larger then on sunday she started do spot.
Anwen is otherwise very fit and healthy but she's our first Vizsla and the first dog we've decided to wait until she has at least one season before having her spayed, as we don't intend to breed her.
I've been taking her out for a run where I know there are very rarely other dogs to avoid a chance encounter and then kept her on leash walking with a walking stick just in case.
I have also bought age 6-7 years little girly pants and cut a hole for her tail and then lined with a panty liner to avoid any mess but so far very little and she is also keeping herself clean.
Just a few questions as to how long will she need to be kept safe?
When she does stop bleeding is there a further period of time I need to keep her safe?
Is this a normal age as I thought she is still so young?
Should we wait for a second heat before having her spayed?
Does anyone know of alternative procedures other than full removal of her uterus done in the UK?
Many thanks in anticipation and looking forward to replies as everyone is always very helpfull on the forum!
Becky


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## lyra (Nov 2, 2012)

There are quite a few posts about heats so I would search through the forums and you will probably get answers to most of your questions.

You will get varying opinions about spaying. You will be told by most vets to spay and spay earlier than later. Without wishing to speak for others, there are quite a few people here who recommend that you at least wait until she is fully grown (about two years old). Again, search the forum for 'spay' and you should find quite a few discussions about it.

There are alternatives to a full spay but you should make yourself aware of the pros and cons of each before making a decision. As well as a full spay, you can have just the ovaries removed - when people talk about having keyhole surgery this is usually what is actually being performed. The disadvantage of this procedure is that you don't remove the risk of pyometra (an infection of the uterus) but the surgery is less invasive. The other end of the spectrum is OSS (ovary sparing surgery) where the idea is to retain normal hormonal function by retaining at least one ovary. This can take the form of a tubal tie (the tubes from the ovaries are tied preventing eggs from passing to the uterus) or a normal full spay but leaving behind one or both ovaries (you only need one for a normal hormone level).

The reason for electing for OSS is that the dog maintains its normal hormone levels without any risk of pregnancy. There is a study that shows a decreased risk of cancers in Vizslas that retain hormonal function. It is only one study though so can't be considered conclusive (although there is a study in Labs and Retrievers that shows the same thing). There is also some suggestion that dogs behaviour may change if you remove the ovaries, particularly with reference to becoming more fearful. You also don't get spay incontinence (a fairly common problem with full spay) which is caused by a lack of female hormones. It is important to bear in mind that the bitch still has a cycle, including 'heats'. Obviously though they can't get pregnant and with OSS that just leaves the ovaries there is no bleeding as the uterus and cervix have been removed. 

We wanted OSS for Lyra (who is now two) but finding a vet that will perform OSS in the UK has been extremely difficult. When you ring them, the first thing that vets will tell you is that full spaying reduces the risk of mammary cancers. Bare in mind that 1) A systematic review of all the research into this has found the case unproven because most of the studies had bias, 2) Vizslas rarely get mammary tumours, 3) Most mammary tumours are slow growing, easily spotted if you check your dog and not difficult to treat. There is a facebook group for OSS that lists just one vet in Dorset (I rang them asking to confirm that they do OSS and the receptionist never came back to me). I did finally find a vet near Consett who will perform the operation for us and Lyra is booked in in October.


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

I recently joined the facebook group Ovary Sparing Spay and Vasectomy Info Group that Lyra mentioned. Here's the UK vet they list. 

Dr. Terry Girling 
Girling & Bowditch Veterinary Surgeons
Honeysuckle Veterinary Surgery
Tunnel Road
Beaminster, Dorset DT8 3HB
01308 862312
www.beaminstervets.co.uk

Heat cycles and their effects will vary dog to dog or even cycle to cycle. With her being young, though by no means worryingly so, you may find it differs from the "normal" cycle. Scout's first, was textbook, but is currently in an abnormal one. Generally, the cycle lasts 21 days. 9-12 days after first spotting they enter standing heat or estrus which is when they can get pregnant. This is marked by a yellowish-straw or pale pink discharge. They can also hold sperm for many days before this period, so you obviously want to avoid intact male dogs from the start. Estrus lasts for about 9 days. Eventually all the discharge stops, but it may take a couple months for her nipples and vulva to return to normal size. Scout had a hunt test 4 or 5 days after her last discharge and had absolutely no effect on the many intact males around her. So give her a couple days to verify that's she actually stopped because it may be very light and undetectable at the end. 
That's a very brief summation, but do check out some of these other threads as they are exhaustive and have pictures! Yay!


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