Update on our girl…

[KangasMom]

I'm not sure where to talk about general things, so please move this if it needs to be, mods.

Well, about two or three days after I posted our introduction on this forum, our brand spanking new Basenji girl went…

INTO HEAT.

Yup. Ick. Man, I've never had a dog in heat before- never wanted one, either!

It's made things a bit trickier- she doesn't like wearing britches, she doesn't like being in her crate (she goes- but very relunctantly) and without britches on, I don't want her loose in the house, but I also don't want her out in the yard! ACK!

Anyways, we are surviving though. She is stubborn, but I absolutely cannot fathom why she went through two homes before she ended up in our home! She isn't destructive- well, we haven't tempted fate and left her loose in a room of electronics or anything, but that's common puppy sense. She was supposedly not house trained, but accidents have been few and far between. She is loving- she'll jump on the couch and cuddle. She doesn't really terrorize the cats, she's good with our other dogs.

So anyways, Kanga is doing great. We are waiting for this heat cycle to be complete and then she'll go in to be spayed. Poor little girl- so much happening to her at once! (Yes, I know to be careful so she is not bred by any random stray, but I really would prefer to have her fixed after her heat since she's already in the middle of it).

[lvoss]

Have you been counting days since she went in?

Also, Walmart has $4 fleece throw blankets that you can use on your furniture for her to lay on as a compromise to britches. If you are really lucky you may be able to find them at Big Lots for as low as $2.50

[AJs Human]

It sounds like she needed the right family for her. Your fit seems perfect for everyone. I'm so happy Kanga has found her forever family! HURRAY for you and for her!:):):) This is very happy news.:)

[KangasMom]

Well, she started bleeding on the 16th and since then, it is slowly tapering off. How long before it's completely finished? I've just never let a girl get old enough to go into heat before having her spayed!

[lvoss]

For basenjis it is usually 28 days.

[sharronhurlbut]

Glad your going to be careful with her and get her fixed after her heat.
The breeders on this list can give you a guestmate when she will be done

[KangasMom]

Do you guys think I should get her fixed NOW or wait this heat cycle out? I have always read that spays while in heat are a bit more tricky and therefore, waiting would be best, but never had to make this choice!

[lvoss]

If you are managing her heat alright then it is better to wait until she is out. When they are in season there is a much higher blood flow to the uterus and the surgery is more complicated with a higher risk for complications including bleeding out.

[Basenjimamma]

I am glad to hear that things are going well with Kanga, even with the bump in the road.
We had our little mutt Luna spayed, after her first heat, or so we thought..she actually was going through a false pregnancy type heat, or at least that is what the vet called it, so while she was getting spayed, she lost some serious amounts of blood..I would wait until she is done. It was scary to see her so weak after her spay, for several days, she came around though and is fancy nancy now, but I never would've put her through that had I known she was still in heat. All her signs were "back to normal" so we thought she was done..

[lvoss]

@Basenjimamma:

she actually was going through a false pregnancy type heat, or at least that is what the vet called it, so while she was getting spayed, she lost some serious amounts of blood.

This is another good point. Even though the heat cycle only lasts 28 days, dogs go through the same homone cycle whether the are pregnant or not which is why they experience false pregnancy symptoms. It is best to wait 63 days after their heat cycle is over to schedule the spay. Since basenjis, in general, come into season only once a year, you do not have to worry about her coming into season again before you get the surgery scheduled.

[AJs Human]

Ivoss, a quick semi-related question: I took a 3-year-old bitch from Michigan to my gramma in Oregon last year, around June. Her breasts seemed a little swollen, but the previous owner didn't say anything about her having been in heat. I asked the previous owner about this next time I saw her and she suggested it may have been a false pregnancy. Can they do that without a recent heat?

[lvoss]

Pregnancy takes 63 days in dogs so if she was in heat in the last 2 months or so it is possible that it was a false pregnancy. My girl Sophie goes so far as to get milk with her false pregnancies and so she really isn't fully out of her false pregnancy for closer to 3 month after her heat cycle ends.

[Elysium]

When your little girl has started bleeding on the 16th and now the blood becomes less, watch out! She now comes into the "hot-phase" (don't know the english word for it, sorry) when she could (and want to) be bred.
After a few days she will start bleeding more again and than it should soon be over.

Sorry - if you known this Just wanted to mention it.
But I think, you are on the watch

[Rita Jean]

We had a chihuahua when I was a kid and she always had false pregnancy's she would steal my small stuffed animals. Mitz would treat the animals like they were her puppies she would bite you if you tried to touch them.

Rita Jean

[Basenjimamma]

Our Luna, had her heat about two months before we scheduled her spay..we all thought she was done, her breast tissue was not swollen anymore (she did have some milk too, by the way),and her genitals were down in size too..still, when the Vet opened her up for the spay she was in full swing on the inside..

I would wait as long as I could, it would make for an easier spay, I would think.
Of course Luna, being a Min. Schnauzer/Yorkie mix, is little in size, so maybe it was harder because of that.

I have never had a girl dog before in our household, that have all been boys, and I have never had such a pathetic looking dog in my care after a neuter…pi--ed off maybe, but not weak and not even walking for two days..it was rough..

I wish you best of luck, it will be done soon...

[renaultf1]

@Basenjimamma:

I have never had a girl dog before in our household, that have all been boys, and I have never had such a pathetic looking dog in my care after a neuter…pi--ed off maybe, but not weak and not even walking for two days..it was rough..

I wonder if the difficulty was due to her size.

When Ruby was spayed, the next day she tried to jump up on the couch :eek:. I didn't give Ruby pain meds as I wanted her to let pain be her guide but I ended up crating her (with kongs & marrow bones) most of that day because I wanted her to take it easy and because I was concerned about Brando trying to get after her. The next day she was out and about and you wouldn't have known she had had surgery - except she was a little cranky with Brando.

[Basenjimamma]

I wonder if the difficulty was due to her size.

I don't know, but it very well could've been, She is all of 10lbs, soaking wet.
I had her in our extra large crate, with her bed in the back and her food and water with her in there too, so the other dogs wouldn't bother her, she didn't move off her bed for the first 24 hours..after that I took her out so she had to move, and she moved back to the bed and laid there once again for 20+ hours… I squirted water into her mouth, just to hydrate her at least, but she was not interested in anything else..poor girl..now she is making up for it, by being a terror, teaching Otis a thing or two..not good.
She did loose a lot of blood, they ended up giving her some, during the surgery, so that might be why she was so lethargic..?
My males have been very good at dealing with it..mad, feelings hurt, but not as out of it, or in so much pain..

[renaultf1]

@lvoss:

Have you been counting days since she went in?

Also, Walmart has $4 fleece throw blankets that you can use on your furniture for her to lay on as a compromise to britches. If you are really lucky you may be able to find them at Big Lots for as low as $2.50

I'd second what lvoss says about fleece - my pup is in heat as well although we're 10 days further in (Liyah started on the 8th) than you are :D. I found a bolt of fleece in Walmart's remnants section this week - cut 3 throws from it - actually thicker than the pre-made throws. The bolt cost 2.84 - quite a deal!