Animals all go through a stage early in their lives of what is called estrus, which is similar to periods that teenage girls have. If you own a dog, you might have not expected estrus to happen with your dog, resulting in messy floors or babies that come out of nowhere.
Female dogs have their first cycle when they reach their teenage phase. In this phase, a female dog is capable of developing pregnancy when a male dog is present to partake in the reproduction process. With most breeds, estrus takes place at around every 6 months old of a dog’s life, until she reaches dog menopause. Estrus can last in a range of two to three weeks. One way to be sure that estrus is developing in a dog is an inflamed vulva, and discharge comes from the dog’s vaginal area. The estrus phase is gone when the vulva is back to normal and no more discharging occurs.
An inflamed vulva, however, may not be the most obvious sign. The discharging might be what happens first during estrus. Depending on the dog, there may be a little to a lot of discharging at once, or there will be a period of bleeding that will occur. If you have a dark-coated dog, you might not be able to tell if she has estrus until you notice a mess on your floor. This is when it is a good idea to put your dogs in diapers.
Over time, the color of the discharge will vary. During the first few days, it will be tinted red due to the bleeding that occurs, and then the discharging will be pinker. Dogs will estrus will pee more frequently, due to their urine having hormones that trigger the reproductive state of the dog.
The estrus can produce a strong odor, and other dogs are able to smell it from miles away. If a male dog smells it, he will try to find your dog and mate with her, so do not leave your dog alone when she is outside. Disposable diapers are available for dogs with estrus. Dogs in diapers will not make messes in your house, however they are not a valid alternative to spaying them. If you get your dog spayed, you will eliminate the risk of these conditions your dog may obtain later:
Pregnancy
Chances are, you don’t want to spend money on taking care of even more puppies, so this is where spaying your pet saves you money. Pregnancy can also cause life-changing conditions for older dogs.
Pyometra
When this occurs, pus is formed in the uterine cavity, this is caused by an increase in progesterone, which makes the lining thick and coarse when getting ready to become pregnant. If the dog does not get pregnant, infections can occur in the uterus due to the bacteria that is left unused. This can be life threatening if left untreated.
Mammary Cancer
This is a type of cancer that your dog could get if not spayed or neutered. This type of cancer can develop in one or more of their mammary glands.
False Pregnancy
False pregnancy can happen to a female dog at any age, regardless if she has mated previously. When progesterone is extracted from the corpus luteum, but does not go away after the estrus phase is over, the dog still shows signs of pregnancy, such as the production of milk, and mothering behaviors, even when newborns are not expected. There are no known life threatening conditions, however, clinical treatment may be necessary to relieve your dog’s pain.
Resource box:
To purchase dog heat pants, visit Delay Her Spay to prevent messes and decrease the risk of reproduction.
|