(False Alarm) Heat Cycle At 4 Months Old?

MnVMnV
edited November 2009 in Food, Nutrition, & Health
Aki just started her heat cycle this morning at 4 months old (born 07/13/2009).

I will call the Vet soon. Is it very uncommon to have such an early heat cycle?

She was cleaning her discharge overnight between 4 am to 7 am because when she was let out at 4 am for potty she was still normal.

We schedule to have her spayed at 6 months old. We did not expect Aki to be in heat so much sooner.

Update - The blood we found is actually from her gum. Looks like she's changing teeth. Sorry for the dumb false alarm.

To Admin - feel free to delete.

Comments

  • edited November -1
    I can't say about dogs, but I had it happen with a cat. She went into heat at only around 3 months old! It was crazy.
  • edited November -1
    Have you checked her temperature and is she swollen? But if it is heat for sure, well it's not common but Violet went in at 4 months and some weeks. I understand that some dogs just come into season really early and there is a genetic component. You might want to take her to the vet just in case (or call the vet, which is what we did and they told us not to bring her in since she just went into an early heat and there was nothing to be concerned about). The other thing that you might want to do is talk to the vet about when it would be appropriate to reschedule her spay. There is a possibility that she may go into a split heat because she's so young, and really you want to avoid that. You can also e-mail your breeder and let them know and ask about what their experience was with that particular line. Violet's line tended to come in on the early side, and Violet and her littermate just came in even earlier but were not that far off from her mom and sisters. Good luck and keep us updated.
  • MnVMnV
    edited November 2009
    Thanks for sharing.

    I've talked to the Vet whom we were scheduled for Aki's 3rd round of vaccination on next Monday the 16th.

    The Vet said no need to worry, just make sure she stays away from male dog. He reassured us that there is no need to push up the scheduled appointment. We'll just see him next Monday.

    We've ran out and bought her some diaper. She had some spotting this morning, but it has stopped for so far in the afternoon. Yes, I can see that she is swollen, but I haven't taken her temperature yet.

    As new Akita owners, we are just worried that we might have done something wrong to cause this early heat cycle.

    Update - Sorry for the false alarm. Will investigate more before posting again next time.
  • edited November -1
    You haven't done anything wrong. Nothing can make a female go into heat early other than her genetic composition. It is natural and normal, and she will be fine.
  • edited November -1
    Yes. I wouldn't really worry. If she starts to get really swollen but doesn't seem to be feeling poorly, she's probably in heat. Violet had a few spots here and there (that we thought we imagined) for a day or two before she started actually bleeding (unfortunately, all over Brian's pants). I only mention the temperature in case it's an infection of some sort but if she doesn't seem to be feeling poorly then it's not really necessary. If she really is in heat I would suggest discussing the scheduling of the spay with your vet though. Violet surprised us by having what seemed to be a full heat the first time and actually having a split heat (she went into season again 7 weeks after she finished the first one, 4 days before she was scheduled for her spay). You'd want to avoid that if possible.
  • edited November -1
    ha ha ha. Koda was playing with this all white husky puppy. They were both four months old, and Gummy's owner thought Koda had mamed Gummy. Turned out his gums just bled all over him.

    The Regularly White Gummy= Red Bloody Mess
  • MnVMnV
    edited November -1
    Yeah, we felt kinda stupid after alerting our vet, our trainer, friends and family that Aki was going in heat at 4 months...

    Can't believe we turned into paranoid freaked out easily parents now, LOL.
  • edited November -1
    Don't worry I am like that too sometimes too I guess it can be annoying for the vet and stuff, but at least your being a worried pup parent and making sure everything it alright.

    So I guess it's teething time huh? =)

    Be sure there's plenty of chew toys and frozen washcloth can help too.
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