# Really prolonged first heat?



## Lilith (Sep 29, 2010)

At the very end of January, I took my spoo in for a suspected UTI. The vet told me her cervix was dialated and she was soon to start her first heat. She got antibiotics for the UTI and we went home.

To this moment, I'm not completely sure she ever went into heat. There was never any reddish or brown discharge, and the only clear discharge I saw could have been dribbles of urine during meds for UTI. More telling, we've had no dogs coming about - and there are plenty of intact strays around.

Yet during this entire time - 5 weeks now - she has looked rather swollen around her vulva, been licking herself incessantly, and has all sorts of odd behaviors (excessive fear at everything, increased aggression and barking, *serious* attachment to me, and weird pseudo-humping of a particular pillow). I assume all this bizarre behavior is hormonal-related, and I CANNOT WAIT to have her spayed and be done with this forever. 

I guess the thing I'd like to know, though, is how long can/does a first heat last? The vet actually took a look at her cervix and told me she was about to start heat, but that was 5 weeks ago. Could this have been some strange prolonged pre-heat? Have any of you had this when your dog went through puberty? My 2 main concerns are - if this was not heat then I would be worried about the dilated cervix thing being 5 weeks along (thinking of infections); and if this is still the lead-up to heat I need to warn my friends and maybe make new arrangements this month for Lili (I am traveling for 3 weeks in March and Lili is set to stay with friends - except they have an intact male dog inside their apartment compound). Ack!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I had something similar with Poppy - when she was about 8 months she spent weeks on the verge, without ever seeming to come into season properly. She eventually had a more or less classic season at 18 months. My suspicion was that while she was producing the hormones, she was not producing them at a level sufficient to bring her fully into season. There is also the split season phenomenon - she could be about to enter the full blown stage. And the range of what is considered normal for the length of a heat period is very wide.

I would be tempted to check again with the vet, and at the very least to make sure she is supplied with "bitch knickers" if she goes to your friends. Lord knows what that would do to their reputation locally, though!


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## Lilith (Sep 29, 2010)

That theory that hormones are surging but maybe not enough for a full heat makes a lot of sense. 

The longer this drags on the more worrisome (and tiresome) it becomes. Especially with her behavior where it is - my lovely, calm, friendly puppy has actually _lunged_ at a person that took her by surprise and snarled and jumped on her little maltese poodle friend who came for a visit. In both cases Lilith took a second then settled down and, in the case of the maltese, got over it and commenced friendly play. But still. I'm also ready to be able to walk her again without her either sitting down on the pavement in absolute terror of whatever or pulling at the leash like mad (a behavior we had seemingly eliminated 3 months ago) with her back legs bent and shaking in fear. At nothing. At her street. 

Ugh. Anyway, thanks fjm for sharing about Poppy. I've got the doggie diapers on standby for my friends and a back-up plan if they can't keep her. My first weekend back in country -assuming she doesn't pick that exact moment to be in full heat - we're going to the vet and ending this problem forever!!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

It could be coinciding with a late fear period - I remember my own teenage angst, and strive for patience (not always successfully ...).


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## neVar (Dec 25, 2009)

Bella is just finishing up her first heat. Usually there's about a week of swelling tiney bit discharge, then you get into the bloody portion of it then they are instanding heat. 

So we're on week 5. she's just finishing up the bloody discharge it took her 4 weeks to get to that point. BUt man she was in HEAT. (i've got an ex intact boy in my house who likes to hump- no clue what he's doing but boy he's good for telling you when them girls are in heat) 

Meanwhile this has thrown my aussie into a FALSE heat 1 month early. Swollen- bit of discharge... my boy hasn't been paying her a lick of attention and now NOTHING> *Sigh*


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