Behavior during heat cycle?
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Jazzy has entered a Spring heat cycle, she is currently bleeding.
She also seems "depressed" and her appetite is not great. She smells her food, wanders off, and eventually..when the mood hits will go eat her food.
Could this be the heat cycle? Could it be because she's not happy that Keoki is here?{I KNOW she doesn't like it when he's sleeping in my lap when she wants to be there} Could it be that she's getting low fat food and she smells his puppy chow?
Or something else? Her other behavior – she's playful with the other dogs, does her Basenji 500 daily, etc. --- is normal.
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Known as the "blue funk"… very common for bitches in season.... and not uncommon for them to continue the blues until after the time that they would have had pups... along with thinking that they are "preggers"..... She is most likely also still adjusting to another pup in the house... and still learning to share. Remember that she was there first and she should receive "first status"... first petted, first fed, etc.... so that she understands that Keoki is not replacing her.. just joining her....
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If this is not normal please get her checked out by the vet just to be on the safe side. When we first got Topaz I thought she was going into heat AGAIN (I thought weird?) and she was acting the same way. When I took her to the vet turned out she had an infection and she had to get spayed right away.
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Everything I'm reading about Pyometra says that it typically occurs shortly after a heat cycle and there is a foul smelling discharge present, along with vomiting and excess thirst.
It has been several months since her last heat cycle, There's nothing bad smelling about Jazzy, just the typical looking blood droplets. She's not drinking more than usual, and there's been no vomiting at all.
Jazzy has had two cycles for both of the two years of her life. Her first one was when she was only about 5 mos old; I was told it may have been a "false" or very light cycle. Then she had one that Fall, the next Spring, Last Fall, and now. This is the earliest, though ;it's usually later in May.
It doesn't sound like Pyometra….. Maybe to be safe I'll call the vet and ask what he thinks, though. I am inclined to believe it's a combo of heat and the puppy.
I think her lack of appetite -- because she still wants treats -- may be the food. She really wants his puppy chow, LOL. I can't blame her; she gets low-fat food, and if low-fat dog food is anything like low-fat people food: ugh. LOL. This morning I had my daughter put a few pieces of puppy food in with Jazzy's dog food, just to see if that would get her started.
It was soo funny -- she immediately began picking out the tiny pieces of puppy food, placing each piece of low-fat on the floor. She ate until she'd picked out each piece of puppy food, and the other stuff was still there. LOL -
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 :)
