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First Heat as a Spring Heat?

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • I think Peggy may be going into heat. She is 6.5 mos old (DOB: 10/23/2010).
    My neutered male has been trying to hump her for days, and today Corin (4.5 mos old) started trying to hump her. Katie, our spayed female, has also been trying to lick her vulva.

    Is it possible for her to be going into heat in the spring as a first heat?

    -Nicole

  • Yes, some will have a "puppy heat" at about 6 months of age.

  • Does this heat usually last as long as a "regular" heat? As I have not had an intact female, I don't know.

  • Yes, at least two of mine had heat just after six months…but she also might have a UTI or a little vaginitis. A lot of times the boys will start being interested/confused when the smell changes. My boys are never interested until a many days after the bleeding has started. And on their first heat, it seems like the girls bleed FOREVER until the boys take it seriously. But that has just been my experience...and not all that broad. If nothing changes, I would get her in to the vet for a UTI check.

  • What does the breeder say about the heat cycles of her dam or her line? If her breeder thinks this than is right on course with her dam/line then you'll just have to wait it out to see what transpires. If you notice a change in urination (frequency, pain) then a def. check with the vet to rule out UTI. As Andrea says, vaginitis can also be another rule in/out and can cause a lot of interest from the other dogs to her back side.

  • We haven't seen any blood yet, so we will make a vet appt.

    -Nicole

  • Please let us know what he/she says…

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    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.
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    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.
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    Most Vets will not recommend spay during season and unless there is a medical reason for doing it now, will recommend waiting till she is at least 3 to 4 weeks past the end of her season. I would also agree you should put it off and wait. Keep in mind however the neutered males can achieve a tie with a bitch in season, however considered "safe sex"… but since you have two males, this could present a problem, so something to keep an eye on
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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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    We used to have a dog that had seasonal allergies with hives, every year, for about 2 weeks. We never figured out what it was, but our vet had us give 25 mg benadryl every 8 hours for a week, then stop. If the hives came back, we started again. He was funny, I always took him into the kitchen to get his pills. One night he woke me up in the middle of the night, when I petted him I realized he was covered in hives, when I got up he ran to the kitchen and waited for me, he related his pills to his itching…and to it stopping too, I guess. Of course that night I was out of benadryl, so had to run to the all night drugstore at 3 am! Definitely start giving benadryl and keep it up for at least a week.
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    nomrbddgsN
    Both of mine came in again this year, but in my experience, if they are around another bitch basenji that is in season, it may bring the others in also. Mine showed no inclination to going into season, and yet, first one and then the other! They did go to a show where there was another bitch in season before this.