# Signs of heat, enlarged vulva, age of 2nd heat???



## TaraMom22 (Mar 11, 2011)

We adopted (rescued) Molly 11 days ago. She is 11.5 months. Prior owner said she was in heat in November, which would be about 8 months old. Vet today said she has a somewhat enlarged vulva so she might be getting ready to go into heat, or might just have a larger vulva than average. 

We were planning to have her spayed soon, but vet wants to delay to give her more time to adjust and see if she is going into heat. If she is not in heat by beginning of April, they will spay her then, otherwise we need to wait 2 months after her heat ends.

Given separation anxiety and potty (re)training issues, I was a bit overwhelmed when I heard she may go into heat and I will have to deal with that too. Is that normal that a GR would go into heat 4-5 months after her first heat? Of course, no guarantee that the first owner would tell me the right info, but I can't think why they would lie about that.

All advice for a newbie GR owner is greatly appreciated.


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

My girls go into heat about every 6 months. Most girls go into heat at 8-11 months of age. In my opinion, if she was in "heat" at 6 months ago (November) then she is extremely precocious.


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## TaraMom22 (Mar 11, 2011)

Sally's Mom - actually if prior owner is to be believed it was only 4 months ago. I am really hoping that she does not go into heat before April 1. Molly is a dear, but with separation anxiety and the potty (re)training issues that has created, I would prefer to not have her in heat to add to my "new doggy mommy" learning curve.

What is the chance that she would be going into heat within 4-5 months of her first heat?


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## Svan (Mar 2, 2011)

Goldens typically come into heat closer to the 11 month mark than 8 months so I think the previous owner might have it wrong. Signs of heat is swollen vulva, bloody discharge, lots of licking and often behaviour changes too - like trying to mount other dogs (happens sometimes). They can become clingy or even grumpy. Hopefully it's nothing, but age wise your girl is on target for a first heat cycle. Good luck & don't stress too much GR are generally very clean about it and you should have minimum mess & fuss.


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## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

It may be possible, either the other owners didn't get it right or she cycles more often because she's young.

If she does come into heat, you will have to make sure you don't leave her at home in the backyard - start the crate training asap just in case, saves a lot of work.


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

OOps meant to say 4 months ago. My girls tend to have to urinate more around their heat cycles. Uggh... doesn't help with house training.


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## Ruby'smom (Feb 4, 2008)

Ruby came into season first time about 11 months then every 4/5 months and had split seasons of two weeks off for two weeks then in season again for two weeks till she was about 2 1/2 we were due to have her spayed before christmas but she didnt come into her usual heat cycle so we werent sure what was happening so we have waited for her to come into season again so we know where to count the 3 months our vet requires clear before we have her spayed and she has come into season yesterday /today so we now wait for her to finish then count the three months then have her done
we were told by her breeder that her mom had split seasons when she was young but then settled into the 8 month pattern of her other goldens, this seems to be what Ruby has done but as we have no plans of breeding her she will be spayed after this season


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## TaraMom22 (Mar 11, 2011)

*Why not in the fenced backyard if she goes into heat?*



Bender said:


> If she does come into heat, you will have to make sure you don't leave her at home in the backyard.


Why? 

See, I am completely dumb about this heat thing. We have a sturdy fence. Do you really think a male dog would try to get into our fenced yard? I never see dogs running free around here.


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## Selli-Belle (Jan 28, 2009)

TaraMom22 said:


> Why?
> 
> See, I am completely dumb about this heat thing. We have a sturdy fence. Do you really think a male dog would try to get into our fenced yard? I never see dogs running free around here.



It can happen. I would not keep an intact female outside in my yard anyhow, especially since you don't know her heat cycle yet. There is also something call a silent heat, where a female is in heat by shows no symptoms. Unless you are supervising her keep her inside.

My girl Selli has an abnormally large vulva, but there was a noticeable difference between when she was in heat and when she wasn't. When she was in heat the vulva was a brighter red color, puffy and moist (what a wonderful topic). It seemed to spread out when she was in heat.

Good luck


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## Svan (Mar 2, 2011)

TaraMom22 said:


> Why?
> 
> See, I am completely dumb about this heat thing. We have a sturdy fence. Do you really think a male dog would try to get into our fenced yard? I never see dogs running free around here.



Male dogs will climb fences, dig trenches, chew through wood and learn how to navigate door handles to get to a bitch. Remember too that mating can & does happen through chainlink fencing. The only safe place for a bitch in heat is indoors or in a double fenced kennel. I once had to look after my sisters' GR while my girl was in heat and only just in the nick of time realised he'd figured out how to leverage door handles to get to her. Never underestimate the ingenuity of a dog trying to get to a bitch in heat.

Also don't think just because you can't see dogs they won't come around, dogs can smell a bitch in heat from over 2 miles away. They will come with single-
bloody-minded intensity if she's in heat. 

The time I was looking after my sisters GR he was so obsessed with 
getting to the bitch that he cried night & day and wouldn't eat or sleep. I had a run attached to the back of the house with 8foot 
walls around, 2m of thick concrete running from outside the gate through to inside the run (to stop diggers) & a single self-closing gate (chainlink covered with corrugated metal sheets at the bottom. Around my entire property I had yet another fence. I lived 5km from my nearest 
neighbour (who didn't have a dog) and by day 2 there were 3 mutts slinking around IN my garden. The gate & fenced run stopped them but they drove us nuts with their whining - and the girl was just as bad.


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## Svan (Mar 2, 2011)

PS: there is a funny saying amongst breeders: "The uglier the mutt, the better the fence-jumper."


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## TaraMom22 (Mar 11, 2011)

Thanks Svan. I am happy to say that so far she is NOT in heat. We have to get through 11 more days before the vet will spay her. Cross your fingers for me that we can get through 11 days without her going into heat. 

We do have a 6 foot high wood fence, but we had the neighbor beagle (who since moved away) tunnel under it just for the fun of it, so I am sure that male dogs that desperate would find it a cakewalk to tunnel under it as well.

Funny story - I took her to the dog park. I was watching closely to see if the other dogs would take any particular interest in her and was ready to turn tail and run. Well a mid-sized mutt there was bound and determined to hump a *male* GR, over and over and over, but the mutt didn't even give Molly more than a quick sniff. I am sure hoping that is a sign that she isn't even near heat, but as I said, I am clueless about this.


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## Svan (Mar 2, 2011)

Sounds positive, males don't miss the signs of a bitch in heat so if they're not interested you are safe so far. Fingers crossed for the next 11 days.


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## TaraMom22 (Mar 11, 2011)

Svan - we made it! Molly got spayed yesterday. She didn't go into heat. YEA!!! So, the vet was wrong about signs of heat. All that worry for nothing.

Recovery from the spay surgery was a bit slower than I expected, but 36 hours later and she is almost back to her normal self.


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