Is my dog in heat?

My bitch seems to be in heat, what is happening in her body now?

A bitch is a female dog and she comes in heat once or twice a year, every 7 months on average. Unlike women, who are less fertile when they have their periods, bitches become extra fertile during their periods. For a bitch, heat is the period when the body and especially the uterus are getting ready to be fertilised (mated) by changes in hormone levels. Although the body is getting ready to be mated, she is not ready to be mated right at the start of heat.

Pregnancy what happens physically to your dog during these weeks?

A bitch's entire heat lasts around 3 weeks, but it varies from bitch to bitch. During this period, she is (fortunately) really not fertile all the time. Actually, heat consists of two phases, pre-estrus and oestrus.

Pro-estrus (phase 1)

This period is the body's preparatory phase, in which it prepares for a fertile period. Under the influence of hormones, the vulva (uterus) of the bitch will start to swell, in some bitches this can become as big as half a tennis ball. In the ovaries, ova start maturing and the uterus also prepares for pregnancy. Due to the changes in the uterus and the extra blood flow, the bitch will have bloody discharge.

Oestrus (phase 2)

After about nine days, the swelling of the vulva will decrease again, which might make you think, so it's done: But this is precisely the phase to watch out for! When the swelling of the vulva subsides and the bloody discharge becomes a little lighter, then the phase in which she is really fertile begins, as well as the phase in which she is willing to be mated by an interested male. Through scent secretion of hormones and urine, males know she is fertile. They will smell her and then when she starts holding her tail to the side, pay very close attention. This is the time when she is receptive for a male to mate. If you want to breed a litter, this is obviously the time to try to get her pregnant. If you especially don't want this, then don't give the male a chance to mate, so don't let him jump on the back of your bitch. This is because once dogs start mating, they are 'stuck' (males mate with the bitch because the penis swells), it is very important not to separate the bitch and the male then to prevent damage to the male. So once the male has started mating, you will have to wait for 5 to 30 minutes before the male is released. If your dog has been mated unwanted, the vet can abort any pregnancy to prevent puppies from being born. Do get in touch early and don't wait.

After heat, always hormonal sham pregnancy.

When the bitch is no longer breeding (the bitch is ready to mate), there will still be a small amount of light effusion for a few days. The hormone progesterone is still very high, making the bitch's body think she is pregnant (gestating). So all bitches are hormonally sham pregnant after their heat. Fortunately, the apparent pregnancy does not cause complaints in all bitches. As the hormones decrease, the body will normally return to the resting phase in anticipation of a new heat. If you suspect that your dog does suffer a lot from phantom pregnancy, it is always wise to contact your vet.

Sterilisation of your bitch after the first heat

. After sterilisation, your dog no longer has ovaries, making it impossible for her to become pregnant (pregnant) any longer. If you have the bitch neutered right after the first heat, the risk of mammary gland tumours (chance of cancer in and around the nipples) is lower than if the dog is not neutered or is neutered later. This is due to the influence of hormones. As described above, all dogs in heat are in heat after heat and there are bitches that suffer a lot from this in terms of behaviour but also by developing uterine infections. Repeated miscarriages or the development of pyometra are also absolute reasons to prevent the bitch from coming back into heat.

-This is an automated translation-