# Need help! First heat?!



## adrino

Hi all! Today we got a real shock! Elza is not even 7 months old but she seems to be having her first season. ???
It's been a while since I had my last dog in season so I need some advice on how long it will last and when do we have to be careful not to let her out. 
Couldn't have come at a worse time... :-\
We will be on holiday in two weeks and I'm just hoping it will be done by then... 
We texted our breeder but she hasn't replied yet, we might call her later just to find out when was Elza's mother's first season.

Does this mean she will mature early? Will she behave differently in the next few weeks? I know she might get snappy around other dogs at the beginning... Until today we had no indication she's coming to season.


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## redbirddog

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2009/12/female-vizsla-heat-cycle-explained.html 

Hope this is of some assistance. Good luck.

RBD


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## texasred

You need to know where she is 24/7. Don't let her exercise in a fenced area without you being present. Every male dog in your area will know she is in heat, so there is no reason to take chances. Some females have even tried to escape their yards when they are ready to stand to a stud.
I had 3 intact females and one intact male in the house before he was neutered. I just keep them separated until positively sure the cycle was over. I even invested in a outdoor run with concrete floor and a welded wire top. I didn't want mine breeding and I surly didn't want to breed with a dog that dug under my fence.


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## flynnandlunasmom

Congratulations - I think? . My Luna just started her first heat Monday May 28. She's 2 weeks shy of her 1st birthday. It hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be (yet?). She won't wear the bloomers (she chews them off) but she isn't really bleeding much so we just keep her limited to certain areas and have covered every surface she frequents - not the hardwood floors but her bed, sofa, chairs etc.

The hardest part has been not letting her out in the fenced in yard alone without us out there. We have 2 v's (the other is a neutered male) and they love to play together in the yard. Neither are jumpers and it was nice to sometimes just let them run wild and watch from a window inside. We can't do that now. So far she has not tried to escape nor have any male dogs come around but it's only been a couple of days and apparently she's not exactly fertile yet (even though we're not taking any chances).

This is our first experience with a female dog in heat. We plan to have her spayed once the vet says she's ready. I know you have to wait a few months after the heat cycle to make sure there's no residual hormones/swelling.

Good luck to you!


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## threefsh

Riley just started bleeding yesterday! We thought she went through her first heat without bleeding, but I guess she was swollen for a long time. She was very moody at first. Now she is very needy and clingy. The poor neighbor dogs are going nuts (most are male - fixed, thankfully) and she's been flirting with them at the fence. We keep a very close eye on her when she goes outside. Our breeder says to keep the females isolated for 30 days (from day 1 of bleeding) to guarantee you will not end up with an unwanted pregnancy.


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## adrino

Thanks for the replies so far. 

RBD yes that did help a bit, right now I'm a bit stressed about this situation. I think she's way to young for it. But hey I can't change it no matter what. 
We leave in a flat on the 3rd floor so I don't have to worry about unwanted males turning up in the garden but that also means Elza has to go outside somehow to do her business. Never mind the exercise.  :-[
We will not spay her until she's fully grown but don't want any accident puppies either. 

Seems like its that time of the year when many bitches having their season coming on. Met with a V in the park just yesterday and the owner told me she's having hers too. ??? 

Any more suggestions on how long will last would be much appreciated. :-\


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## adrino

Little update on Elza. 

This is her 3-4th day in heat. She seems a bit different than usual. She barks a lot actually which normally she doesn't do and also sleeps a lot. She still need the excercise; we went to the woods today and let her off leash a bit for some run time and put her back on it if there was a dog near by. Surprisingly she didn't protest as she normally would.

I'm a bit puzzled, we met 5 dogs in total and none of them gave any indication that they interested in Elza. It's good for us but also makes me wonder why... They didn't even sniffed at her. 
Yesterday she didn't bleed at all, today she had a few spots on her pillow and that's it. 
Does any of you noticed the same? When will it get stronger?


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## flynnandlunasmom

Elza, I don't think they give off that "come hither" scent until next week. 

Luna is on day 5 and no neighborhood dogs have been sniffing around the fence yet. Though he's neutered, our male V isn't very interested in her "in that way" either, and I have heard he would be (even though nothing can happen, I have heard he will likely still try to hump her). So, I'm guessing that will happen next week too.

Luna stopped bleeding 2 days ago I think and even before then didn't bleed much. I think she kept herself pretty clean with licking. 

She is definitely out of it though and much more tired than usual.


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## adrino

How are the girls doing in heat? 
Elza is a nightmare!  Although she sleeps a lot she still requires a lot of exercise which she cannot have. Off leash walks now off limit, she gets her walk but protests against the leash every time. Try to chew it to get some free run. ??? 
Surprisingly other dogs still don't seem to be too bothered about her. This is her 10th day and the blood still dark. 

Any difference in your Vs? :


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## threefsh

Riley is on day 9 and she has started barking like a crazed lunatic at all the neighbor dogs (through the fence) every time she is let out. Oh, and her recall has gone from 90% to about 50%.  We haven't ever had to physically drag her back in the house, but I've been tempted.... haha! She still has a super sweet temperament. I'm loving all the neediness! She was getting very independent for a while. Now she's back to wanting cuddles and snuggles when she's tired. <3 We've started buying bully sticks in bulk from Costco. She goes through 1 per day because she isn't getting any off-leash hikes. I think it's definitely helped to keep her occupied.

The blood is still dark for her as well. I've been watching very closely and the color hasn't changed yet. I've noticed her nipples have gotten very swollen over the past few days and she's started putting her tail to the side when we scratch her rear ("flagging"?), so I think she's very close to her "fertile" time. 

I just found this link online for the canine estrous cycle and it was very informative!

http://www.vetmed.lsu.edu/eiltslotus/theriogenology-5361/the_normal_canine.htm


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## flynnandlunasmom

threfsh, Not sure how many bully's you can get at Costo or what the price is, but we order ours online in bulk (www.bestbullystick.com) if you want to compare prices.

Thanks for the link and glad to hear Riley and Elza are doing ok. 

Luna is doing ok. Today is day 10. Still no real incidents with other dogs but we don't have many dogs near us. We went to training class the other night with 2 other males in class and only one of them noticed her scent, and even then he just sniffed. They're all puppies though. We weren't going to take her to class since she is in heat but the trainer asked us to. She's very responsible and would never let anything happen. 

Luna is definitely more needy but she's also a bit feisty, though not towards us, but towards Flynn. She growled at him last night and it's the first time I've ever seen her growl at him. She was cuddling on the sofa and he came over and was smelling and trying to lick her (which lately she seems to be welcoming). Well, I guess she didn't want him to this time so she gave a tiny growl and he retreated. It was a new dynamic. He's definitely the boss but he totally respected her dismissal. 

She also barked at one of the male dogs in training class when he tried to get in the way of her treat. This is something she has never done. I'm sure she's just irritable but I'm glad she's taking it out on them and not me. 


I'm sure it's all in my head but I swear when I look at her face she looks more mature and grown up to me. Her blood is still on the dark side too but I think it's getting lighter. There's so little of it, it's hard to say.


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## threefsh

flynnandlunasmom said:


> threfsh, Not sure how many bully's you can get at Costo or what the price is, but we order ours online in bulk (www.bestbullystick.com) if you want to compare prices.
> 
> I'm sure it's all in my head but I swear when I look at her face she looks more mature and grown up to me. Her blood is still on the dark side too but I think it's getting lighter. There's so little of it, it's hard to say.


The prices are about the same at Costco (US). It's something like $20 for a pack of 10. I wonder if the "low-odor" are better than the ones we have - they reek!

Riley definitely looks more mature since she's gone into heat. We've all noticed an obvious change in her chest girth and also how she carries herself. It's been an interesting experience so far!


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## adrino

I'm glad you all coping well. 

Elza managed to get some off leash run late afternoon with my partner in the woods. The weather here in London quite bad so we got lucky (no other people would go out right now!) and she could enjoy herself a bit. After they came home she's got crazy with her soft giraffe and "killed" it numerous times! ;D 
Then they played tug and war - which we never do but right now it was a good energy draining exercise. She's out like a light at this moment. : 

Elza is barking a lot too, but rather just at us or noises or people outside. She hasn't done it before. It seems like a protective bark actually. ??? 



threefsh said:


> The blood is still dark for her as well. I've been watching very closely and the color hasn't changed yet. I've noticed her nipples have gotten very swollen over the past few days and she's started putting her tail to the side when we scratch her rear ("flagging"?), so I think she's very close to her "fertile" time.


Elza's nipples only changed a tiny bit so far. I also scratch her rear to see if she moves her tail but nothing so far. I remembered that from my first dog. I'm just hoping she won't be the 30 days heat cycle girl. :-\


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## flynnandlunasmom

When I got home last night my husband said "I think it's starting. Luna tried to hump my leg tonight." 

PS - We buy the stinky bully sticks too. They smell awful!


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## adrino

Elza refused to eat her food tonight. :-\
Did any of your Vs had similar thing? Are they eating ok?
My partner said she was funny with the food at lunch too but eventually she ate the whole. 
I'm not going to make a big fuss about it since she still had 2/3 of her daily intake. I was just wondering...

Good luck threefsh and f&lmum!!! This is the time when you have to be extra cautious. Elza still doesn't show any sign of flagging and I barely saw her bleeding today. Wonder if this could be cos of her young age?! Her nipples are bigger then yesterday though. 
Just seems she's slowing down a bit. I just want to get over with!


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## Jan

hi just wondering how your girls' seasons are going?
kutya is having her first season (she's 9 months old) and is now on day 12. She is extremely swollen but haven't seen any signs of 'flagging' yet. Her nipples are also really swollen. She is still bleeding a lot which I am surprised at because I thought the bleeding lasted 7-10 days and then changed to a clearer substance ?!
I wondered whether this is 'normal' as I haven't ever been through this before, and whether your girls are all the same/similar?
thanks


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## flynnandlunasmom

Not sure what "flagging" is but we had a wild weekend. Today is Luna's 14th day. Flynn is almost 7 (neutered male) and he has gone absolutely crazy for miss Luna. At first there was just licking which we felt was pretty harmless. But then, he
started trying to mount her, though we kept stopping it. When not in heat, if he ever tried to do this to her, she would stop him. Not now though! She's good and ready, moving her tail to the side etc. 

So last night, I ran out to the store and my husband was making dinner. The dogs were playing in the fenced in yard and he could watch them from the window. Well, Flynn made contact! Since he's neutered, we know he can't impregnate her but we never thought he would actually try to penetrate her. My husband ran outside, tried to calm them down - and he knew better than to try to force them apart. Luna was crying and trying to get away. Eventually, they untied themselves and there was some blood. From Flynn. 

We read after that it can be a dangerous situation, so we are glad to say they're both ok. I'm still pretty traumatized by the whole thing and I'm glad I wasn't home when it happened. 

Today, while we're both at work, they're separated in the house (they are normally together). The dog walker will be coming to take them for a couple of on-leash walks. They usually go together but I told him to use his judgement and maybe take them separately if Flynn tries to mount her again.

I can't wait for this to be over!

PS - adrino, Luna hasn't been eating as much lately either.
PS - Jan, I think Luna's blood just started to turn clear this weekend so it's probably any day now for kutya.


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## dmp

^^ That is WILD. wow. 

(yes, that's the best technical well-learned response I can muster. sorry  )


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## Jan

OMG - that sounds really traumatic for you all !! 
I thought it was bad enough just worrying kutya - that sounds awful ! I guess that instinct takes over even flynn is neutered ! It shows how easy it is to let your guard down doesn't it - and that's why we're all so worried about letting them out.
i read somewhere that 'flagging' is pretty much what you described Luna as doing - that if you rubbed their back they would move their tail to the side because they were ready!!
I am glad to hear that there is end in sight for the bleeding to end - it is driving me mad!!


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## threefsh

Hi all! We are on day 14 as well and it's actually been getting much better for us. Riley is definitely in her "fertile" period... the bleeding has slowed up and has turned to a very light red, almost pink color. She's been trying to escape the backyard to go see the neighbor dogs. We have to go out with her every time now. Her appetite has decreased significantly - we've been supplementing her kibble with hamburger, green beans, or something else that will get her to eat! The swelling has gone down a bit in her lady parts, so I think we're nearing the end (hopefully). My hubby and I have gotten so out of shape with the combo of her leg injury & then her being in heat! I'm ready for some more hikes!


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## adrino

Hi everyone! It's good to hear I'm not the only one struggling with a vizsla girl in heat. :

OMG! About Luna, I wish I would have suggested it for you to keep them separated at all times once Luna is in the second part. Unfortunately just cause of Flynn "balls" (sorry!!!) have been chopped of he would still want to mate. That is an instinct that will not go away with neutering. Those males can hurt your girls by just jumping on them and trying or actually mating with them. 
I just had an incident today morning with a guy with two neutered dogs and when I told him my dog is in heat and it's still dangerous he says no its ok it's ok. I KNOW it's not ok!  I just pulled Elza away from them. 
Some of you seems to be more lucky than us with Elza. Her blood only just started to turn reddish. She sniffs about a lot and trying to rip my arm out pulling on the lead!!! :-[ 
Still funny with the food but we started to soften her kibbles up with warm water and just leave it to her and she will eat it after a few minutes. Lucky though she doesn't bleed a lot. 
We are at day 13-14 and I just want her to get over with. :-[

Is that selfish of me? :-\


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## flynnandlunasmom

thanks adrino, I wish we had done our research. It's just that up until this weekend Flynn hadn't seemed very interested. Boy was I wrong. 

My biggest fear now is since she has sort of "fake-mated", I have read that this may increase her odds of having a phantom pregnancy. That will literally break my heart if I see her nesting and nurturing her toy in preparation for babies. I won't be able to stand it!


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## redbirddog

Luna and Flynn's Mom,

I heard it could happen but wondered if it would. Bailey in the last breeding with Sophie went up too early. Actually about 5 days early. He wasn't interested even though the female was in "heat." She wasn't all that interested either. They just kind of played but nothing beyond playing.

The breeder started to get worried that Sophie was going out of season and that we had missed the window. Well on day 6 the light turned on and the breeding took place easily for the next five days (every other day). Nature is funny that way that it knows what we only think we know.


From "Female heat cycle explained:
_"Neutered males are NOT immune from the allure of a bitch in season. You can still get a breeding tie, but won't get puppies. Injury can come to both male and female during the tie, so you need to protect your girl from even neutered males, and especially from inexperienced intact males. "_

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2009/12/female-vizsla-heat-cycle-explained.html

RBD


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## flynnandlunasmom

Redbirddog, I have been Googling "neutered dog ties with bitch in heat" all day and I know I should stop. The internet is a scary place! Now, aside from phantom pregnancy I am also concerned she could develop Pyometra - and the symptoms of both are apparently very similar though Pyometra can be very serious. Do you have any info on this? I hope I am just worrying myself over nothing.


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## adrino

F & L mom, please get off the net and don't search any more of these things. I used to do that to myself or my partner when we were sick and found horrible things and thought we are going to die in some stupid illness. :-[ :-\

Luna will be fine, and even if she has a phantom pregnancy it's not the end of the world. I had a pointer before who had a phantom pregnancy a few times and she didn't mate with any dog and she still had it. This is something you will have no control over. I guess you will spay her sometime in the future so really you may only have to do this once. I haven't looked up pyometra and I won't do it. I will deal with any upcoming thing when there is any sign of a change in Elza. But right now I enjoy my time with her and I don't want to worry about things that she doesn't even have and probably never will. 
I want to add I'm not being ignorant about it but I have done this so many times with my family that just made me sick thinking of these things. Things that could happen but they actually don't happen. 

All I can add to this now is not to let Flynn anywhere near to 
Luna in the next 5 days. He won't be able to try to mate with her again. That is the way to protect your girl. Forget the rest.


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## Jan

adrino said:


> We are at day 13-14 and I just want her to get over with. :-[
> 
> Is that selfish of me? :-\


I don't think its selfish of you at all.. I am getting as fed up as kutya now! I am missing the exercise and am desperate to get out and let her run about again. I am also wishing this month away!


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## threefsh

Day 16 and there doesn't seem to be any more discharge. The swelling has gone down significantly. It looks like she's almost done! 8) We're keeping her isolated for 30 days as our breeder recommended. That whole process was actually a lot easier than I had anticipated. I can deal with this every 6 months - no problem! 

How are all the rest of the girls doing?


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## adrino

I wish Elza would be over it too! :-[
It's day 15-16 and the blood is bright red now not pinky but quite light. She's not bleeding a lot but leaves little spots on her blankets or a few on the floor. At the park I keep her on a short leash now and get around the others as much as I can. But I see the males now being interested in her. I just warn everyone about it and carry on as fast as I can. 
Tomorrow morning or actually today morning is the beginning of our holiday and will be on the road for two days. For sure Elza will be safe in the car!!! :
Hopefully not more than 7 days and it's over.


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## flynnandlunasmom

Today is day 18. Flynn's interest in Luna has waned and her swelling has gone down a bit but there is still occasional blood. It's on the darker side too. We are also going to keep her isolated for 30 days total. she seems to have all of her energy back too. Her nipples are still swollen too. 

I admire you, threefsh. I have actually found this to be extremely challenging, but that may be because we have a male in the house. I am glad we let Luna go through this but we are planning to have her spayed in early September - so she can swim all summer before her surgery. 

Glad to hear all the girls are doing well. it will be over soon.


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## VictoriaW

http://www.pet-happy.com/female-dog-in-heat/

This looked like a helpful link. The article on how to tell if your girl's heat is over might be especially useful to those of you who are going through this right now.

Watching from the sidelines, it does NOT sound easy! I am going to hope that Gracie holds off for another 6 months or so!


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## adrino

Update on Elza. 

It's day 18-19 and she still has the occasional blood spot. Scratching her bum but not much flagging and the swelling is still there too. She seems to clean herself a lot more, like she's annoyed there a bit. :-\
It's a bit easier (and also a lot harder) for us right now cause we are at my parents house and they have a good garden where we can run her. NOT without supervision though!

Hope your girls are well and you all hang in there. It's almost over I know. :


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## flynnandlunasmom

Glad to hear Elza is doing well. Luna is on day 23 and is basically done, I think - though we are keeping her isolated until 30 days just to be safe. 

Her nipples still seem swollen and the bleeding has pretty much stopped though she's still sort of "hanging out" a bit. I was hoping her girly bits would go back in but I fear they may hang out a bit now permanently. Not that it's a big deal but I just wasn't expecting that. 

Luna seems to have gotten bolder as a result of this experience. She is challenging her big brother Flynn occasionally - and he is actually deferring which never happened in the past. Little things like her growling at him over a toy. It's not a problem but it's just interesting to see the dynamic. 

Also, I have noticed her whining lately. Not a ton but sort of a soft whine when she seems bored or wants attention or sometimes for no reason that I can tell. I'm hoping it's due to the fact that she's getting less exercise than normal during this cycle and I really hope it goes away soon. However, I do recall Flynn going through a whiney stage from about ages1-2, so it may be here for a while.


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## Jan

flynnandlunasmom said:


> Also, I have noticed her whining lately. Not a ton but sort of a soft whine when she seems bored or wants attention or sometimes for no reason that I can tell. I'm hoping it's due to the fact that she's getting less exercise than normal during this cycle and I really hope it goes away soon. However, I do recall Flynn going through a whiney stage from about ages1-2, so it may be here for a while.


Kutya is whining a lot too, and barking (which she never normally does) I was assuming it was due to lack of exercise and that she was bored. She tends to be ok most of the day, but at about 7pm really starts whining, then she's in and out (and us up and down!!) every 5 minutes until she falls asleep !! I am hoping that when she gets some proper exercise that she'll stop!!


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## adrino

You know what?! Elza exactly the same. She whines during the night which she never used to do and barks or rather woofs like mad at many things. Though I'm not sure that is not cause she's in a different environment and everything is new to her. ???
She's still swollen BUT a lot less then a few days ago! Hurray I can see the end of it! : ;D 
Her nipples are still swollen, don't know how long will that take to go down but I will update this post about that too for others to know. :
She seems to be a lot more happy and lively in the last two days and started to eat a bit more than in the last 5-7 days. 

Hope you all coped well during this "girls in heat" period, I'm glad we all kept the updates coming. It was a bit easier to know I'm not alone with her strange behaviour. 

All I'm thinking about now how many more times we have to go through this before we can spay her... :-\ :-[ 
For her own sake we just gotta wait until she's fully grown. 8)


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## Jan

this forum has been such a life-saver, I am not sure how I'd of got through it without it! it has been such a relief finding out that the things kutya is doing is completely normal.

like the whining and barking all night ! Kutya has slept with us from being really small and so has always slept really well, now though she is a pain ! She's up to go to the toilet at least once - which has never happened before and is up barking or yapping at the least little noise! 

I do feel like the end is in sight though! at least its only a week until she's done a full month and I cannot wait to get her out running free. 



adrino said:


> All I'm thinking about now how many more times we have to go through this before we can spay her... :-\ :-[
> For her own sake we just gotta wait until she's fully grown. 8)


I guess the one good thing for us is that kutya will be 1 in August so at least will be ok to have her spayed in October. I'm glad she's been through it so that we've done the right thing for her but I wouldn't really want to go through it all again in 6 months time. I feel for you


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## barretts87

My V girl is 15 months old and has not had her first heat yet. We live in a second floor apartment and our vet advised us to wait until after we move to a house to have her spayed so we didn't risk her opening the wound going up and down the stairs. Lately I've noticed that she will just walk around the house whining and her nipples have enlarged slightly. She doesn't have any spotting or bleeding, so I'm not sure if we are getting close to her having her first heat or what. Did your girls start acting strange right before they started?

Thanks!!


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## threefsh

Yup! Our first signs were moodiness & swollen nipples! Are her lady parts swollen as well?


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## barretts87

They don't look swollen, but she has been actively licking. Any ideas how long it might be before she actually starts her heat cycle?


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## threefsh

If she's actively licking then she's definitely going into heat. Our girl was swollen and moody for a good 2-3 weeks before she actually started bleeding.


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## adrino

New update on Elza! 

Today is day 31-32 and we had our first off leash walk in a month.  ****, she couldn't stop running! ;D

Her little 'backbit'  is a lot smaller than during heat but still larger than it was. I think it will never go back to the way it was as far as I know. Her nipples though are still quite large, even the area around it seems to be a bit swollen like there is a little milk in there. Haven't seen any milking though. 

What I do want to mention is how much her behaviour changed. Today when we went out for the walk the first dog she met went after her and she did run away but then went straight back to this dog. Usually Elza is quite submissive... We just quickly carried on walking, that other dog was huge and I didnt want any trouble. Then literally just right after this we met another dog and Elza run to her/him (not sure), she was sort of submissive but this other dog was after the ball and seemed a bit aggressive. As it run away Elza run after him and he went to nip her on her side. Elza run but definitely got nipped and she run straight back to this dog barking and got nipped twice more!!! 
I could not believe this whole thing! In the first 15 mins she had 2 incidents all aggressive. I am not quite sure if it was Elza who caused this or it was just a coincidence... We met again with the first dog but by then it was all good and they didn't go after each other and this big dog came to Elza tail wagging. 

This does concern me a bit since she was always very submissive and most of the time would lay down in front of other dogs. She's also started to alert bark when she sees something odd looking or hear something strange. 

Does any of you have any similar experience? Ay change in behaviour? 

I do have to say that we have to go back again with her training too. Seems to be a bit less bang on than before heat. Maybe after a few days of excercise she will be back to herself?! It could be her age too, at almost 8 months old she will try to push her boundaries and see what she can get away with... Nothing if it's up to me! ???


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## flynnandlunasmom

adrino, I'm just seeing this now. Sorry to hear about Elza;s nipping incidents. 

I have not noticed Luna being more aggressive towards other dogs when she meets them, but she has started to bark at dogs walking by on the street (while she's in the yard) and the other day she barked at a man walking by the car (while she was in it with me). 

This is the kind of stuff her older brother does (he's 7) but it's totally new for her. I'm guess it's related to the heat. It has me a little concerned that my little 2 red-dog possie barks at dogs and people walking by our house. I've been correcting the behavior. I appreciate that she may feel this new sense of being protective and in some cases i would reward her for it, but not in this situation.

Also, we're on our 7th week since day 1 of heat and her lady parts are still swollen (though not as much as before0 and her nipples are swollen, with fluid as well. Am hoping that will end soon.


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## threefsh

It's funny, because Riley seems to also have gained a whole new level of confidence since her heat. She is definitely more protective of us and our house, although she seems to have a good innate sense of who is a threat and who isn't. I let her bark at all the creeps that walk by our house because I want them to know we have dog who could hurt them should they try to steal from us. She used to let any other dog take away what she had (toy, stick, etc.) but now she just stiffens up and gives them the stink eye! It was funny at the mini reunion we had over the past weekend. Riley didn't want to share her toys with anyone. I also noticed she didn't pay much attention to the puppies and had this air of superiority to her. It was really funny! Her lady parts are still a bit swollen as are her nipples and the surrounding areas, but it seems to be going down very slowly. It was interesting to compare her body structure with her sister who never went through a heat and was spayed at around 7 or 8 months. They talk about males' chests "filling out" but I saw the exact same thing in Riley when comparing to her spayed sister! Her sister is taller and longer than she is, but the owners were shocked to find out that Riley weighs exactly the same as she does. If you compared the two side-by-side, Riley had a much deeper chest and better developed muscles. She was also faster than her sister, although that could be due to conditioning.


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## adrino

That's ok. 

Oh actually it wasn't Elza the aggressive. It was the other two dogs who reacted to her differently. It's back to sort of normal now. She is just as submissive as ever.  More confident than before but she gets intimidated easily if it's 3 or more dogs coming to check her out. 

Elza's lady bits -I think - will stay the size they are now. Cannot see them going back any smaller now. Her nipples gone down quite a bit. Still swollen but the area around it is almost flat. 

Hopefully your Luna will be back to normal soon. We didn't have fluid luckily. Some say if you increase the excercise and decrease the food it will go back to normal faster. 

Anyway I'm glad it's over for now. Trying to get ready for the next one. 😒 We will spay her but not before she's ready for it. If it means we need to go through another one then we will. 

Threefsh it seems then this protectiveness comes after their season. Since its at least three of us who says the same thing. 😌 
About the early spaying, you see it's good that you could compare them. But in the meantime who knows how she would have looked like if she hasnt been spayed?! I do believe that spaying too early is not good for them. But each dog is different anyway and they cannot look the same. 👯 😜


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## Jan

Hi I've also only just seen this. I was thinking about how different kutya seems and then I all saw this!!
Again , the same body changes.. Her bits are still swollen though less so than when she finished her season . Definitely. Ore swollen than before though. Her nipples are still enlarged too. Slightly smaller but not significantly.
Her Behaviour is definitely changed, she is more responsive in a lot of ways , she responds better to training and is slightly calmer in that sense. She seems older .. I can't really define that s.. It's just that she seems more mature.
Also is doing a lot of high pitched yapping .. This is good When she is trying to tell us something like she wants to go out to the toilet (before she was silent) but she's taken to dng it for food too which is really annoying as she keeps this going for s long time!!
She has her normal deep wuff which she is using more as well when she is trying to save me from unknown predators (ie people randomly passing the car wearing a hat!!
So can only surmise from that this must be normal as you are all saying something similar and as you say thats now 4 of us!!!   :


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## adrino

Jan! It is indeed! 4 girls behaving similarly after their heat is no coincidence. 

Since Elza is younger than your girls she still has plenty time to fill out. She's just been weighed yesterday at 17kg. 

Isn't that strange that we are all from different places but our dogs behave so similarly? ???


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## Jan

It is very strange .. Though reassuring!!
Kutya is now 11 months and was weighed yesterday she's 18.5 kg. though she has quite a small frame! She had been about 17kg for 6 months !


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## roxy2011

here we go....roxy had her first watery blood spots yesterday (aug5th) she will be 18 months old on the 9th!!

so far weve had the swollen bits and licking...for about 2 weeks but now shes definately on heat 

her poor lady bits look huge and her bean has 'popped' shes sleeping alot and whiney but not following me any more than usual.

im having to walk her in the rain or really late so i can let her off as the on the extendable lead walks just werent enough for her.
She also weed alot more than usual 
im going to take her for a run with me and hope thats enough.

her nipples have now shown and she has about 6 so far. 

official day 2 i guess....her chest has deepened and she has become much broader too.

have read through you guys updates and want to say thanks...i will be keeping a close eye on her now in case she bolts!!


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## adrino

How lucky! 18 months old and she's just having her first! 

Now you only have 28 days to go! 

Let us know if you need more support!


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## roxy2011

thanks adrino

well we are ok so far...poor roxy though i dont think she understands anything thats happening. weve had a full 7 days of blood her lady bits are huge and shes sleeping alot more than usual 

very cwtchy (sorry cuddly...its a welsh thing ) she also crying for no reason when just laying now and again bless her

weve had a few off leash walks in secluded areas no dogs showing interest yet thankfully and shes still coming back but i have an extendable lead ready as im gathering from you guys' updates that day 10 plus is where she will become irresistable??


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## adrino

Yes, something like that. Every dog is different so you just have to be cautious of any dog approaching. 
We actually didn't really experience any dog being over friendly with Elza. Half way through of her heat we went for a holiday where she was only allowed in the garden. We decided if anything would happen we just pick her up. Luckily she's only 17kg. 

By the way she would want to run away too, it's not just the males coming your way but your little lady's interest in ANY male.


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## flynnandlunasmom

We didn't have much in the way of other dogs being interested (except our own neutered male). I had been under the impression dogs would be lining up outside the fence but luckily, no such thing.

For those of you who's girls were in heat around the same time as Luna (Elza, Kutya, Riley) I'm curious about how things are now physically? 

Luna has a long, drawn out process. She was in a "funk" for a few months. Whining, sleeping a lot, not eating, not as energetic, etc. She stopped bleeding and having any discharge by around 25 days or so, but her nipples were really swollen and her mammary glands filled up and stayed that way for a while. For at least a month after she stopped bleeding you could still see the outline of fluid build-up around her nipples, though she never lactated and did not exhibit any strange nesting behavior. 

For the most part there is no more fluid build up (except for the area closest to her girly parts). And, speaking of girly parts, she's nowhere near as swollen as she was, but she's still a little swollen there and her "bean" (to quote Roxy) is still hanging down a tiny bit. I guess I thought the nipples would shrink back up and everything else would neatly go back to the way it was, which is not the case. 

Is that the same for the rest of your girls?

Luna is full size now and we're planning to have her spayed in late September but I'm a little uneasy about the fact that she's still a bit swollen.


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## threefsh

flynnandlunasmom said:


> Luna has a long, drawn out process. She was in a "funk" for a few months. Whining, sleeping a lot, not eating, not as energetic, etc. She stopped bleeding and having any discharge by around 25 days or so, but her nipples were really swollen and her mammary glands filled up and stayed that way for a while. For at least a month after she stopped bleeding you could still see the outline of fluid build-up around her nipples, though she never lactated and did not exhibit any strange nesting behavior.
> 
> For the most part there is no more fluid build up (except for the area closest to her girly parts). And, speaking of girly parts, she's nowhere near as swollen as she was, but she's still a little swollen there and her "bean" (to quote Roxy) is still hanging down a tiny bit. I guess I thought the nipples would shrink back up and everything else would neatly go back to the way it was, which is not the case.


Same here! Riley didn't bleed for nearly as long, but she did have swollen nipples and lady bits for a really long time. I LOVE the fact that she has obvious nipples and a "bean" (cute way to put it) because she hasn't been referred to as a boy even ONCE since her heat!  It's nice not having people say "oh, he's so cute!" all the time. I have noticed a huge change in her chest depth since her first heat. She's also gained about 4-5 pounds and none of it is fat! It's interesting that both sisters we've met up with are taller, but thinner/leggier and have much narrower chests. They both weigh less than she does even though they *look* bigger. We're really happy that we waited. I think we will probably have her spayed after her 2nd heat when she is about 18 months.


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## roxy2011

thanks guys...its nice to know everyone has similar experiences. 

no dogs lining up outside but she hasnt held her food down well a couple of times .. im wondering if the extra warm weather and her season making her feel out of sorts is whats happened there.

she is becoming stubborn and not listening on occassion so im stepping up my game...

when does the bleeding generally stop? we are now on day 8 of it


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## adrino

Hello everyone! 

So far Elza's backside has gone down somewhat but nothing like its used to be. I'm getting used to the size of it now. Actually saw another vizsla and she was spayed before her first season  and her backside was tiny and sort of didn't match with the size of her. It didn't look right... Maybe it's ok for a puppy but not for a growing/grown vizsla IMO. The "bean" was totally inverted on that vizsla...  and just looked out of place... ???

Elza had the same thing too with her nipples and so far though there's no swollen glands anymore her nipples are still quite big. Well not big but bigger than I want them to be! : 

So far I don't really see a huge change in her body as a whole. I guess since Elza is the youngest to have her heat she still has a lot of time to grow and get deeper and wider chest and the rest...

Roxy2011, Elza was bleeding for quite a long time. At least 3 weeks. I think they all different so you just have to wait and see. Also don't worry about the food too much. Elza was barely eating for weeks. I know it's hard not to worry, I was trying to put all kinds of tasty thing in her food but she would still only eat half of her usual daily amount. It will be over before you know it!


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## Jan

Hi, nice to hear about your girls because I actually logged on because I was worried about her still very. Swollen nipples! So I guess they are normal! I had also thought like Luna's mum that they would shrink back to normal if she wasn't pregnant but I assume that is not the case?

Apart from that her 'besn' to coin a phrase is still sticking out! And I think that her chest seems larger. She is a fairly small girl though , only 18kg at 12 months old, amd is not particularly tall , but she seems a bit broader in her chest than before.

I think it took a while for her to settle down afterwards , whiney and grumpy, but I feel that she is now much more mature and settled.her appetite is not great, though never has been except for our food!! 

Roxy2011 , the bleeding lasted almost a month for us, much longer than I had anticipated. Bear with it though, it soon passes and then seems years ago! I cafe hardly remember it now!ngood luck


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## roxy2011

thanks everyone...loving that the bean has caught on ha ha ha 

we are day 13 tommo roxy is ready to stand and still bleeding.. 

no more off the lead walks for a bit and shes grumpy because of it ... good to hear the eating is natural ..well the lack of it

some days shes very restless others she sleeps for hours ... i feel for her bless her 

sad that people spay their girls before they have grow up time 

every visla owner says the same they get the right hormones if you wait!!!


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## roxy2011

day 17 now...the bleeding stopped on sunday ....now shes just wapping that tail straight up in the air and poking her bits at boys :-\

on the lead walking is seriously killing me...we are both having a lot less fun... please tell me the standing for boys doent last much longer???! :'(


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## flynnandlunasmom

Pretty sure the recommendation is to keep up the on-leash walks and no interacting with other dogs (male) until 30 days, so it's almost over!


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## roxy2011

thanks again...

on the lead is just so hard may take her running tomo somewhere quiet instead


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## flynnandlunasmom

we ended up doing that too - and we kept her on a long line (though we let it go) but we knew we could pull her in in case of emergency.


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## adrino

Almost over! 

I would be very cautious to let her off lead anywhere. She can just take off after any male scent she sniffs out in the air. Even if you do not see that dog. 

I hated that all on leash walks too, Elza was going crazy. I tried to do more leash walk training and more play in the house. 

Hang in there! :


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## roxy2011

day 20...swelling down slightly very cuddly and still sleepy but very vocal chatting away while she lays there or whining a little....

so missing our trecks ....

10 days to go ???


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## adrino

It will be over before you know it! 
The worst part is over anyway.


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