Dogs in heat... I have a question...

[h2oratt]

All dogs go into a false pregnancy if not pregnant. About 9 weeks after heat they seem to smell like a heat again. It should go away soon. I have had the same problem wether or not if the dog is pregnant.

 

[dainerra]

All dogs go into a false pregnancy if not pregnant. About 9 weeks after heat they seem to smell like a heat again. It should go away soon. I have had the same problem wether or not if the dog is pregnant.

no, dogs shouldn't go into a false pregnancy. They do occur and aren't entirely uncommon but it's still not normal.
If a dog has a false pregnancy, they can even produce milk, try to nurse stuffed animals and many other signs of pregnancy and delivery. A dog with a history of false pregnancies should be spayed since it's a genetic tendency and can increase chances of pyrometria and other problems.

 

[dainerra]

The AVMA, ASPCA, AHA, and many others disagree with you and that one study quite a bit. But I do agree that responsible breeders avoid unwanted litters everyday. The question was from just a dog owner. Spaying her is the easiest safest way, she will be feeding her less as they do require less food without needing all the energy to go into hormones and reproduction. I have never bred dogs but we bred horses and the mares required proper nutrition that was different and MORE than the other horses.And fixing does help with behavior issues, but all dogs require training.

actually, vets have always been very split on the issue with many more now joining the "wait if you can" side. Females only require special nutrition if you are planning a breeding for that cycle. Otherwise, no. They eat the exact same thing. The only difference in diet is that some will switch to a puppy food (higher in calcium than most adult or all-life stages formula) either right before breeding, in the second half of pregnancy, or when the litter is born. Special diet stops when the pups are weaned. Non-breeding females and intact males all eat the same.

spay/neuter can actually make aggression issues worse. It helps with some issues FOR SOME DOGS but is by no means a cure-all. Roaming is an easily managed issue. Not having a female breed is an easily managed issue. Simply using a leash will prevent 99% of "issues" people complain of with intact dogs. Marking? entirely a training and personality issue. Roaming? Use a fence system and if necessary a leash.
The USA is the only country in the world that pushes early spay/neuter. In Europe, it's seen as a barbaric procedure and not done unless there is an emergency health reason - testicular cancer in males and pyometria in females. There have been numerous world-wide comparisons and there is simply less cancer found in European dogs.

 

[samantha LW]

Thanks! I rarely get to laugh that hard in the morning. My Veterinarian had a great time composing answers this morning. Then he pointed out that I was the only person in the world who could find a dog breeder to argue with on a chicken site. He is right. The American Veterinary Medicine Association says fix your dog. I would take the advise of a bunch of vets over others. I am now leaving this conversation. I can argue about dogs at work (groomer) , or on the nonprofit boards I am a part of (shelter and godogdays.org) but in 20 years of rescue the one thing I am sure of is fix the dog.

 

[h2oratt]

actually, vets have always been very split on the issue with many more now joining the "wait if you can" side.    Females only require special nutrition if you are planning a breeding for that cycle.   Otherwise, no.  They eat the exact same thing.   The only difference in diet is that some will switch to a puppy food (higher in calcium than most adult or all-life stages formula) either right before breeding, in the second half of pregnancy, or when the litter is born.   Special diet stops when the pups are weaned.    Non-breeding females and intact males all eat the same.

spay/neuter can actually make aggression issues worse.   It helps with some issues FOR SOME DOGS but is by no means a cure-all.     Roaming is an easily managed issue.    Not having a female breed is an easily managed issue.  Simply using a leash will prevent 99% of "issues" people complain of with intact dogs.    Marking?    entirely a training and personality issue.    Roaming?  Use a fence system and if necessary a leash.     
The USA is the only country in the world that pushes early spay/neuter.   In Europe, it's seen as a barbaric procedure and not done unless there is an emergency health reason - testicular cancer in males and pyometria in females.     There have been numerous world-wide comparisons and there is simply less cancer found in European dogs.   

Actually this person quoted above is very correct and I have been breeding dogs for 20 years. I am surprised by someone's comment that says " vets know it all follow their advise" yes spay and neuter your pets early if you can't be responsible but it is much healthier to wait. Research it yourself and make your own decision.

 

[cassie]

Actually this person quoted above is very correct and I have been breeding dogs for 20 years. I am surprised by someone's comment that says " vets know it all follow their advise" yes spay and neuter your pets early if you can't be responsible but it is much healthier to wait. Research it yourself and make your own decision.

I have read several studies that have found that spaying a female before her first heat greatly lessens her chances of getting breast cancer. I have found that to be true in my own dogs.

 

[Weehopper]

Take her so see a Vet.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I have read several studies that have found that spaying a female before her first heat greatly lessens her chances of getting breast cancer.  I have found that to be true in my own dogs.

This is absolutely true and there is generous research to support it. The benefit of spay for prevention of mammary cancer (which can be a huge deal in female dogs) decreases significantly with each estrus, and I believe by the second estrus, there is little to no benefit because the mammary tissue has already developed.

It's a hot topic for sure, but I am a fan of early spay and neuter for most pets, especially those owned by the average US owner. There is some evidence cropping up now that early spay can cause aggression and fear tendencies in females, but I'm not sure I think the risk of that outweighs the risk of other diseases.

I've also read some papers that show there is much less benefit to keeping males intact until they fully mature than we originally thought. Not to mention, the benefit of preventing disease (prostate disease, anal sac disease, etc) still is pretty significant when compared to the risks of sterilizing early.

It's also a lot easier to physically spay/neuter a pediatric animal, which means fewer physical complications from surgery. I will say that spaying a large female that has gone through estrus or has had a pregnancy is not a task for the feint of heart!

To each their own though. I'm certainly not going to argue with an owner if they still want to keep their dog intact after I have presented the benefits of early spay/neuter, and I think most responsible breeders (as opposed to the average pet owner, myself included) probably have more experience preventing unwanted pregnancies. I do think it's important to read the literature though, so people can at least make educated decisions.

(If I remember, I'll try to find some of the papers I like. You'll have to forgive me though, because I just started winter break and my mind is a bit like mush atm)

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

To address the food issue, the one poster is somewhat correct in that intact males and females technically have a higher kcal requirement than an altered animal at the same activity level, however, the coefficient is not terrible different. In reality, I'm not sure it makes a ton of difference if the pet is at a decent weight (and probably most people don't recognize the difference in kcal requirement unless the dog is overweight and must be put on a weight maintenance/loss program)

Here's a source that explains what I am talking about pretty clearly. It's a rough estimate and can change based on the individual dog, but it's a good starting point. I used it to calculate the amount of food I should feed my dog when I adopted her last year because I had never owned a dog on my own and frankly had no idea how much to feed her! It worked well for us.

http://vet.osu.edu/vmc/companion/our-services/nutrition-support-service/basic-calorie-calculator

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

All dogs go into a false pregnancy if not pregnant. About 9 weeks after heat they seem to smell like a heat again. It should go away soon. I have had the same problem wether or not if the dog is pregnant.

This is not true. A dog that does not get pregnant during estrus goes through about a two month or so diestrus (increased progesterone levels similar to pregnancy) and then a period of anestrus before the next estrus. However, dogs should not go into false pregnancy after every estrus cycle.