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Missed Heat Cycle?
Dear Dr. Berg,
We have a female lab named Penny who is 15 months old, but
she doesn’t appear to have come into heat yet?
Is there something wrong or did we miss it? I thought she would bleed a lot. We were thinking of breeding her.
Many thanks. I love
your column.
R. J., Bear
Dear R. J.,
A normal female dog’s first estrus cycle, or “heat period”
as many refer to it, will usually appear at about 6-12 months of age, though it
may be as late as 1 ½ years in a few individuals. Many time, the first estrus cycle may be what
is referred to as a “silent heat’, where ovulation occurs, but the hormones are
not strong enough to cause obvious outward symptoms.
A normal heat period lasts about 3 weeks and the cycling of
hormones within the female body will cause changes in their behavior and
appearance. During a heat period, a
female may act differently towards her owners, becoming more or less
affectionate, may ask to go outside more often, may urinate more frequently (to
spread her heat scent around announcing that she is “available”), pr may not
have a normal appetite. Often male dogs
will be able to detect a female’s heat cycle with their sensitive noses before
symptoms of heat become apparent. Most
of the time, a female’s vulva will swell to 2-3 times its normal size, then a
discharge appears beginning first as clear but then changing over to what many
refer to as a “bloody show”. Often the
female dog in heat is not receptive to male dogs during the beginning stages,
but toward the end of the cycle, may stand very still at times with her hind
end raised, ready to mate.
Since your dog is 15 months old, it may be that she has
already gone through a “silent heat” that you were unaware of. But since there are medical conditions that
may cause a delay or absence of the normal heat cycling, I would recommend that
you take your dog to your veterinarian for a thorough medical check-up. This exam may include x-rays of the abdomen,
blood tests to check internal organs, and even an abdominal ultrasound. Medical conditions such as cystic follicles
or hypothyroidism can be the cause of irregular heat cycle patterns, and early
detection can aid in optimum treatment.
Breeding of your own dog is a very serious matter not to be
taken lightly. There are already plenty
of unwanted puppies in this world in need of good homes, and bringing another
litter in this world will only add to the problem. Most people who take breeding seriously
devote their lives to the particular breed not because it is an easy way to
make money (because it isn’t!), but because they are interested in perpetuating
healthy bloodlines for generations to come.
Good breeders usually have many years of experience with
their breed of choice and have done their homework. Not only are they knowledgeable of desirable
conformation qualities of the breed, but they also are aware of the genetic
problems that that particular breed may be prone to carry, such as hip
dysplasia, demodectic mange, or entropion.
Good breeders will also take the time to have important medical tests
done prior to breeding two dogs to minimize the spread of disease. They know what to look for when a dog may be
having problems and when to call the veterinarian for assistance. Some medical problems that may be encountered
during pregnancy or birthing require immediate attention and may be potentially
fatal to both the mother and the puppies.
Do you also realize that much of the time, there is often
very little profit in breeding and raising a new litter when all the costs of time
and materials are added up? There may be
breeding fees, vaccination fees, testing fees, advertising fees as well as the
cost of room and board for what can sometimes be a very large litter. Have you thought about where you are going
to keep a litter of 8-12 puppies and who is the volunteer that will clean up
all the stool and urine that will come out of those puppies many times a
day? Will you be able to find homes for
all the puppies, and what will you do if no one wants them? Having puppies may sound like fun, but it’s
usually much more work than most people realize.
Perhaps your are intending to breed your dog because you
love your own dog so much that you want others to share in your wonderful
experience? Please remember that each
new family that adopts a puppy is different and may not be able to provide time
or space that you have in your household.
The decision of what kind of puppy to get and, even more basic, whether
to get a puppy at all MUST be left for the family who intends to provide the
loving home. You must also try hard to
look beyond a puppy’s cuteness and realize that he will be a little puppy for
but a few months but a grown dog for many years thereafter.
Puppies and kittens make very poor surprise gifts; if the
recipient really doesn’t want a puppy at all it is, unfortunately, often the
puppy that ends up paying the ultimate price of being left for adoption or put
to sleep because there is no one to provide a home. If you’d like to surprise someone with a
puppy or kitten, wrap a STUFFED animal with a note on it that goes something
like this: “ We love our dog so much that we would like for you to also
experience how wonderful it is to share your life with a pet. We would be happy to finance, talk over, and
share our wonderful experience of what it is like to have a dog in your life,
but will totally understand if such a major change is not right for you. We also will gladly accompany you to the
local humane association to talk with the people there about adopting an
unwanted pet and perhaps save a life.”
A stuffed puppy or kitten can be taken back to the toy store
or tucked away in the attic; a real puppy or kitten is a true treasure from God
and deserves a good home and nothing less.
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