BY CHARLOTTE M. DICKINSON, MPA
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Leonard was born to me on Jan. 4, 2023, in my bathroom with his three other siblings, and the only one that came out fluffy, curly, with a laid-back personality.
Leonard is 125 lbs. of love and kindness. His favorite pastime is to shake and have you hold his paw.
He comes from an unplanned pregnancy. I outsmarted myself concerning the heat cycle in which Miss Malloy, my AKC Great Pyrenees, would become pregnant.
It can happen to anyone and more humbling coming from an expert in the Vet field – failure to spay in a timely manner and a miscalculation in math.
Female dogs usually go into heat twice a year, about every six months. Dogs can be in heat up to an average for 14-21 days.
A female dog’s reproductive cycle is called an estrous cycle and has three phases, and we will be discussing the first two-proestrus and estrus.
Proestrus is the beginning of the heat cycle, and it’s characterized by swelling of the vulva and a blood-tinged vaginal discharge.
Female dogs will not allow mating to occur in this phase and it can last anywhere from a few days to four weeks.
This is the phase where the pet owner is disgusted by the discharge that is going to be present on bedding, floors, and pet parents themselves.
I understand that people do put diapers on their pets, but this is not a good solution because it may cause skin problems, infections, urinary tract infections, personal pet hygiene problems, and may also generate pet behavior problems with regards to stress.
The estrus phase is also known as being in “heat” and this is the time when the female dog will allow mating to occur.
This phase of the cycle lasts anywhere from three to 21 days.
This is the phase that will get you into trouble as it did me.
The moral of the story – spay your female dog.
– Charlotte
