Dog in heat...advice?

[Maddy McCall]

What do I do? Lucinda has come into her first heat. (She's a minischnauzer) What should I do?

I am keeping her inside but what do I do to keep her from making a mess?

Help!

[madmax]

1. Petco and places like that sell panties...

kinda like a baby's disposable diaper. Good Luck... :silly:

[DuctapeFatwa]

2. Lots of old towels for her, brandy for you

It will pass, and when it does, you can take her to the vet for her womanhood ritual.

[madmax]

3. Can you close her off somewhere?

Like the basement, bathroom, kitchen? Before I had my female Yorkie spayed I just kept her in the basement. It's semi-finished so it wasn't a major hardship for her.

[Maddy McCall]

4. She is in the bathroom but she is clawing at the door because

she is such a big baby and she wants to be on the couch with me, but, um, she's a mess.


I guess I will look into some doggie diapers.

[madmax]

6. My sister-in-law used them on her Boxer

Luckily the dog didn't mind wearing them. I was a bit embarrassed by the whole thing, lol.

[berner59]

5. Keep her gated in the kitchen if you can...

You can get "doggie napkins" but I'm not sure how easy it is... I had a Newfie in heat and she has a huge tail, which she kind of kept tucked down during this stage anyway - so I just cleaned up "the drips" - wasn't as bad as I thought... Had a neutered male at the time and she "wanted him...bad" after the bleeding stopped...week two is the horny stage...it was pretty funny... Her tail was constantly pushed to the side and she kept nudging him and licking him to get him going...poor doggies...I felt bad... It takes about 3-4 weeks for it all to be over (bleeding is only for 4-5 days)...are you having her spayed after??

[salinen]

7. My Mom would outfit our

dog with a pair of my underware. I hurt myself laughing.

[Maddy McCall]

9. How funny! Thongs or granny panties?

LOL :-)

[Maddy McCall]

8. Thanks for the advice...

Yes, I plan to have her spayed after this is over.

My kitchen and living room are open together so no way I can keep her off my WHITE (gasp) area rug in the living area. The bathroom opens to the living room too. Will baby gate it tomorrow.

I really want to try the diaper thing so that I don't have to confine her to the bathroom. She misses me and I miss her. Pitiful, huh?

Thanks for the advice! :-)

[Maddy McCall]

10. One more question.

She is tiny, and my weimy is BIG. When I let her out to tinkle, should I go with her every step of the way? Can a weimy, um, well, maneuver with a dog a fourth his size?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

11. YES!!!!

Do go out with her! He can figure it out.

And..as someone who has been spending quite a bit of time in Petco lately (it's Cocoa's favorite store) they have LOADS of appliances to help her and you with the mess.

And why not just set out some towels on everything and carry her to where you want her to be.

For tonight just take an old pair of undies with an old washcloth inside and pin them to fit her...she will look like an idiot but it's good for a laugh...and at least she will be comforted.

[Maddy McCall]

12. I'll do that...may make a photo for DUers.

But I live in a rural town. No petco here. :-(

[Scout]

15. would your vet have supplies, since no Petco is around?

.

[ajacobson]

13. Yes, definitely keep an eye on her

A bitch in heat will attract dogs in the area due to hormones in the urine. Canine lotharios looking for some action may start hanging around your yard, possibly.

[WillParkinson]

14. As soon as the cycle is over...

Get her fixed. It's better for her and her body if she is fixed.

[geniph]

16. First, be grateful she's not a cat

A bitch in heat is bad enough, but a CAT...!!!!!!! My Yankee surprised me by coming into heat before she was six months old, and she was miserable, we were miserable, the neighbors within a two-block radius were miserable - she was LOUD. And shameless! Some vets don't want to spay until the swelling goes down and the heat cycle ends, but don't let her go through multiple heat cycles. With cats, it can cause uterine dysfunction if they go through many hard heats unbred; I don't know if that happens with bitches, but I'd get her neutered as soon as the heat cycle ends.

The breeders I know who have bitches who aren't ready to be bred put them in little doggie-pants with a sanitary napkin. You can buy the panties and the replacement napkins at most pet stores, or you can manufacture one yourself with a pantiliner and a pair of little girls' panties. They do get messy, and a bit stinky.

Keep her away from natural daylight as much as possible to rotate her out of heat as soon as possible. Also keep her away from any male dogs; she'll likely rotate right back into heat if she smells a male, particularly an unneutered male.

And yes, a big dog can breed a small female, and can kill her in the process, so don't let her anywhere near your weimaraner. Even if the mating didn't harm her, small bitches shouldn't give birth to large halfbreeds.