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| A pregnant female dog. Dingo seems all prepared for another litter... (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
1. What is heat?
Heat is more properly called the estrous cycle. During this cycle, female dogs may get pregnant. It’s equivalent to human menstruation.
2. What are the symptoms?
Females bleed from the vagina sometimes with swelling of the vulva and increased urination. Don’t expect bleeding comparable to a human female.
For small dogs, it’s usually not much and you may need to pay close attention to your puppy to identify her first cycle. Other than the bleeding, the most noticeable symptom may be male dogs hanging around your house.
3. When does a dog come into heat?
The average female dog has her first cycle about six months of age. A few dogs start earlier and few dogs later, even as late as 14-months.
If you have a new female puppy, you should watch her and note when she has her first cycle. If she’s 14-months old and still hasn’t been in heat, you should take her to a veterinarian.
4. How long does the heat cycle last?
The average is three weeks or 21-days. In some dogs, it lasts only two weeks while others go four weeks.
5. How often will she be in heat?
Most female dogs have regular cycles usually every six to eight months. It’s quite typical to be in heat twice a year.
6. When can she get pregnant?
She can get pregnant only when in heat. Some breeders test for progesterone levels to identify the most fertile days but the rule-of-thumb is that the most fertile days are 11-15 of her cycle.
* Note: When she’s in heat, the average dog will permit any male dog to mount her. Few females, however, will accept a male when they’re not in heat.
7. Can she get pregnant her first cycle?
Yes. However, responsible breeders generally would not breed a dog that early. For one thing, you need to do genetic testing and some serious problems such as hip conditions do not show up until a dog is approximately 2-years of age.
8. Can I take her on walks during this cycle?
Yes with care. She has no problem with the exercise but she’s a walking magnet for male dogs.
Even the best trained and behaved female dog will succumb to hormones. You can’t trust her off a leash or out of your control. Never let her outside by herself even in a fenced yard if there is any possibility of male dogs nearby.
For walks, if there are male dogs in your neighborhood, it’s a good idea to take your dog in your car and drive to a remote area. Take her for the walk there and drive back home. Otherwise, the scent of her urine and vaginal discharge will blaze a trail to your home.
9. When I can have her spayed?
People used to be told to let their dog go through at least one cycle or let them have one litter.
Today, veterinarians are doing it much earlier. Some vets spay as early as 6-weeks of age! Talk to your veterinarian about your dog and the vet’s preferences. The state of veterinary medicine also is much improved over the past 25-years.
10. If I don’t have her spayed, will she go through menopause.
No. Her fertility may decline but she will not go through menopause comparable to a human’s. She won’t lose her ability to become pregnant even as a senior so if you don’t want to her to have any (or more) litters, she must be spayed.
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Around half of all reported cases of canine cancer are of the skin, twenty percent are of the mammary glands, and the others are of the lymphatic, alimentary, reproductive, etc. Cure for the animal varies depending on his specifics like breed, age, weight, and other health related concerns. Listed here are some alternative cancer treatments for dog that will guide you in making the best decision for your pet.
Cancers are generally defined by a growth of an abnormal tumor in a particular area of the animal. As you may have already known, there are two kinds of tumors: benign and malignant. Benign tumors are growths that have clear edges. As such, these tumors can be fairly easily removed through surgery. Malignant tumors have no defined edges and usually spread; therefore taking it out entirely through means of surgery is a lot more difficult, if not impossible.
Radiotherapy is the treatment wherein radiation is used to destroy the cancer cells in damaged tissues so they will not reproduce. The challenge is to give the correct dosage so that the radiation will only affect the cancer cells and not harm the normal cells. To manage this, radiation is given in lower quantities at regular intervals. This will ensure that the cancer cells are dealt with while the normal cells are allowed to recover effectively.
Unlike when done with people, radiation does not give the dog harmful side effects like nausea and vomiting; primarily because of the smaller quantity used. It is estimated to prolong the life of the animal for months instead of just weeks as previously believed. Hyperthermia, another treatment done to kill cancer cells through the employment of high temperature, is used alongside radiation.
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