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Heat Cycle Timing

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • Ellie had her first heat cycle towards the end of last November (end of Autumn UK) and then a half cycle at the end of May (end of Spring) I am wondering how soon to expect the next one. Do they tend to come during the same month each year or is there variation with the same dog?

  • Typically they will be 12 (ish) months apart.... so if she was in heat end of November, you can expect her to come in almost any time starting in beginning of November. There can be variation but typically they follow the pattern.

  • @tanza has the right of it. A Basenji on its own will follow a more or less regular pattern. When you have a pack it can differ. My five tended to follow the first one so normally within a couple of weeks all five of them were in full flood. Except for one year. Four of them all at once, which was easy. But then, once they had all dried up, little Hope suddenly said, oh dear, I forgot it was time - and came in. The boys were relegated to the outside kennel for another month.

  • @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.

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    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.
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    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>
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    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.
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    @Buddys: all those male dogs at your front door! I mentioned to my brother who is a first time girl puppy owner, and he laughed when I told him to look out for the male dogs. The other day, a blind dog who never goes outside ended up sniffing at his front door from down the street!!!! talk about a sex drive! Exactly, most people do not believe you when you tell them that male dogs will do most anything to get at a bitch in season. Years ago when I had 3 bitches in season at one time, there was a very old in-tact Lab that lived 4 blocks away… He had to be at least 14. But as soon as the girls were "ripe" and ready, there he would be walking back and forth in front of the house.... never saw that dog any other time
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    And many of them that have spring seasons are in a false season too. I had that happen with Mickii, many bitches will have a "puppy" season 4 to 6 months after whelping, Maggii did and Mickii followed her in, we tried to bred Mickii that spring and it was a false season. She came back in October and was bred.
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    Just a word about pyo….the ones that are the most deadly are called a 'closed pyometra'...meaning the infection is sealed in the uterus...nothing comes out..the dog just crashes. When their is fluid leaking you can catch it, and treat it. I think it is unlikely that Jazzy has a pyo, because her activity, and appetite are still relatively normal. A lot of bitches change a little during estrous...some get more crabby, some more clingy. Then when the added change of bringing in a boy, I would imagine she is just subdued :)