Skip to content

Missing a heat?

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • Hello All,

    Just a quick query for Lycia. She is coming up on 5 years of age, and is an unspayed girl. Each year she has always come into season somewhere between July-September without fail. This year I have noticed the normal signs of a swollen vulva, moodiness etc, seeking out unneutered males for attention, for almost 2 months now. Therefore she has been kept on lead since the last few days of July…but unusually she has still not bled at all. Is this typical as they get older to bleed less, so much as I wouldn't notice? I have her booked in to see her vet next week because its bothered me so much, but I wanted to ask the experts. :D

  • I would take her in as she could have had a heat in July with little or no bleeding and have pyometra or other issue. Please post when your vet sees her. Five is certainly not old enough to be the issue.

  • I agree with Debra. She needs to be seen by a vet to check for pyometra (infection of the uterus). Pyometra is deadly so please don't delay. If she is negative, then she may have a problem with her thyroid or her hormones.

  • Lauren, how is Lycia ?

  • OK - well we went to the vet .. and of course she started her heat, that morning! Typical typical Basenji. :P Had a normal check up anyway and she it fit as a fiddle (but mummy needs to brush her teeth more, oops). All and all she is absolutely fine.

  • I swear by Plaque Off….. just add a small about to their food every day... Then I brush 2 or 3 times a week

  • I have some actually!! Just haven't been the best at remembering to put it in her bowl.. bad mummy. : /

  • So pleased that all is well - these non appearances as normal are such a worry.

  • Lauren, i'm glad Lycia is ok

  • I bought 2 bottles of Plaque Off, didn't help. Then I read their OWN RESEARCH that says helps for 5 wks then plaque increases. When their own research doesn't support it, cheap though it is, you have to wonder if it helps. But every vet site says none of the sprays, additives or anything helps more than minimal– brushing is critical. I should also add until I stopped feeding raw, I never had to brush a dog's teeth. Now even Cara at almost 3 has a bit of plaque so am now brushing HER teeth (though only 3 x a week, not every day like Arwen). :(

  • Certainly some have different results, mine have been on it for over 2 years and no plaque… used with brushing a few times a week.... And yes I agree, brushing is critical regardless of what else you use.

  • I REALLY wanted the plaque vaccine to pan out. When it came out, my vets (who are cautious) said to wait a couple of years. Well, it has been found safe, but they discontinued it as it doesn't work. I really need a miracle. Though the truth is, she is good about it now and heck, I spent more time grooming the chow 2x a week than I do brushing her teeth every night. I still have to get them cleaned every 3 mos though. My vet recommended trying a water pik. ROFLMAO, me and what army? Sigh. So we just keep getting them cleaned. For the record, she isn't forming tartar, it is the actual plaque her gums react to.

    http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/Breaking+News/Pfizer-discontinues-production-of-veterinary-perio/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/718560

Suggested Topics

  • Heat Cycle Timing

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    4
    0 Votes
    4 Posts
    436 Views
    tanzaT
    @zande - That is so true Zande, when you have a pack of bitches, the one "low" on the totem pole may be the last to come in heat in many cases... "want a be's" many times will come in first... depends on the pack.
  • Heat cycles

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    14
    0 Votes
    14 Posts
    1k Views
    ZandeZ
    She's very young. It does take some bitches a couple of years (cycles) before they settle into a routine - which is another reason not to neuter them until everything has really settled down !) I wouldn't worry too much, just keep a close eye on her. She was born 'out of season' - but will probably revert to one proper season a year in time.
  • not coming in heat

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    15
    0 Votes
    15 Posts
    3k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    I hate to disagree with your breeder, but I'm with Sally. I cannot come up with any reason to sedate to test fertility issues. Sure, if she was showing signs of pain, pyometra, something obvious. But risking anesthesia makes no sense. I really would ask her what she is thinking is wrong that would justify sedating.
  • Heat cycle

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    18
    0 Votes
    18 Posts
    6k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    I learned about bulldogs from my friends Norma and Frank Hugo of Hugo Bulls. They have over 150 specialty wins since 1967. I have seen the trauma of heart disease, cleft palates, and idiots who don't know they require c-sections until their bitch starts to whelp and crush the rib cages of their puppies.. or die because they can't deliver them. Breeding basenjis is a breeze compared to bulldogs. You say you have read for years, but I would bet I learned more from hanging with Norma over 30 yrs ago than you have. For the record, it is "bred" not "bread". <to self.. don't feed the trolls>
  • Early heat

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    14
    0 Votes
    14 Posts
    5k Views
    ColoradicalC
    We had Juniper spayed about a month ago at 8 months old. Everything went well and her scar is almost healed…thankfully she doesn't seem to have lost any of her zeal! The vet said her sex organs looked as developed as a 3 y/o dog and it was they were the most mature looking sex organs he'd ever seen in 20 years of spaying and neutering. Believe it or not she went into a false labor after the spaying; about a week after the surgery her teats swelled up and when we took her to the vet he apparently squeezed out some milk! She was acting fairly normal but it was just as odd as it sounds! The vet said its rare but it can happen after a spaying because the hormone changes are similar to that of post-delivery. I did some research online and apparently false labors are common among wild wolves where the non-pregnant females will go into a false labor to provide milk and nurturing for offspring in the pack that are not their own.
  • Bothered by heat

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    14
    0 Votes
    14 Posts
    4k Views
    BasenjimammaB
    Otis would actually want to be outside in the heat, and we have heat here in TX..sometimes he would pant others he didn't, and he would do B-500 in 98 degree weather..