Intriguing title, but I wanted to be delicate and comical at the same time.

Koda is in heat... My vet said to let her have one heat cycle before doing the surgery so she could fully mature. Well now I'm in wayyyy over my head and have no idea how to handle this. She wears diapers inside, and she's outside (I normally sit out there while she is out there on my computer) most of the evening. It started Thursday, October 1, so we are on day 13. My question is, how can I tell if she is in the first stage or the second? It's a lighter pink now and there is MUCH more of it. It's everywhere.... HELP

In hindsight, should have gotten her fixed before.

As husband says...hindsight is 20/20.

You have my sympathy. Unfortunately, its been way too long since I was privy to breeding dogs and can't remember anything except running around behind a laboring bitch with my hands underneath to catch the pup hanging down and hollering for my mother...

Oh gosh this is not funny but I'm still chuckling. Lo siento. It sounds like a mess. Our last doggy made it to her first cycle before she was fixed. It was a long time ago but I don't remember it being uncontrollably messy. Sorry I don't have that much experience.

Don't regret it. You did what your vet recommended. Nothing wrong with that.

Here's an article that goes over the different stages. http://www.askabreeder.com/Dog_Heat_Signs_and_Symptoms

Good luck!

We always go three weeks. A week coming, a week in, and a week going. Start counting when the blood starts. Be vigil until the blood stops.

Amy, I could NOT deal with breeding. There is no way...

Danielle, It's kind of funny watching her struggle bus in the diapers... Thanks for the article, it's the first one that said it could be pink instead of "straw colored".
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Jenn, so your telling me I have a whole week of this hell left?!?! I might die!

I also want to ask, will the heat make her tired? She's been being VERY lazy. We didn't go on a walk yesterday because it was raining, and she didn't seem to mind one bit.

It wouldn't surprise me if it did. If doggy heat is anything like human pms...lol.

That does suck though. Hopefully it won't last much longer!

She could be tired. She could also not eat as much. When my girl is in heat she hardly eats and just lays around all day trying to lick. It's a nightmare. She also has grumpy bouts the first week but that usually tapers off by week two a little bit.

Jenn and I have similar issues, and yes Koda may be sluggish, not eating as much. Another week or two and she should be done. Tyler, this is the best thing you can do for her. Most vets want to spay early. as long as you're a responsible pet owner, which YOU are, I also recommend waiting to spay until after their first heat. My vet insisted on spaying Miya at 5 months, since she was a big girl at around 55 pounds. One of her ovaries didn't form when they did surgery. Had we waited longer, I would not have a dog who goes into heat and false pregnancies, and yet she can't have puppies. It's devastating to watch, and consumed 6 months this year. So yes, kudos to you Tyler on waiting, and more importantly, great job on your vets part for waiting as well.

I'm glad I made the right decision, because the internet was NO help. Half say not to wait and the other half says to wait. It was a constant struggle, but I figured letting her fully mature before altering her body was worthwhile so I asked the vet and he confirmed I should wait.

I will say having a dog in heat is a STRUGGLE. I'm not able to count the times I've mopped the apartment on two hands anymore.

OMG dude, title of this thread made me lol a little I got no advice for you though, I had Mishka spayed at 6 months and Anuschka was spayed early as well. Kinda good in a way, none of those nipply things when I scratch her belly

Yeah, but they don't bother me too much. We had a schnauzer duo who had puppies (My family is COUNTRY, so they don't believe in paying money for a vet to do anything), but her's were GROSS. Reason #5821456980 Koda isn't having puppies ever.

I love that you titled this post that since I was saying over the weekend Cora is a forever puppy since she got spayed before her first heat! Good luck to you my friend, I couldn't imagine breeding either I have total respect for breeders.

So the way I understood it, her nipples would just grow a bit. Should she have some breast tissue? Like some fat around the nipples? I kept her pretty well guarded, but there was one instance my friend left his male neutered beagle in our bathroom. He got out of the bathroom and where Koda's crate is. He had his neutering surgery about a week ago. He wasn't showing any interest in her, and it was this week, so she was almost out of the heat anyway. She isn't sleepy anymore and is moving around a lot.
I'm a bit paranoid...

If she were pregnant, is there a way to kind of know?

She's getting fixed in December, (I have to wait 6 weeks after the heat) but I'm extremely worried. Could it be a false pregnancy? Would her nipples still grow in a false pregnancy?

Tyler, I am not sure about how you could tell. Did anyone watch them? Was Koda in her crate at the time? I have a hard time envisioning a beagle able to get up on a husky, maybe that's just me, but I do know that when Miya was ending her heat and playing with her BF, a husky, he was very interested, he is not neutered, and she kept yelling at him to back off, so I wonder if she would do the same. Also, I certainly would hope his neuter was successful and couldn't get her pregnant. Personally I think Koda is ok, and you shouldn't have to worry. When Miya goes into false pregnancy, she is similar acting to her heat at first, sluggish and not much of an appetite.

I don't think he would have been able to get up there either, and she was letting him know to back off. She was in her crate at the time. She had been around two other neutered males, but she was still in the first part of her heat, so I don't think she was ready, but either way neither cared. Besides that, I've never left her outside by herself for more than a minute without checking on her. I'm actually very positive those were her only engagements with other dogs.
I just REALLY don't want her pregonant.

Her stomach feels larger and her nipples have some fat around them. Her energy is normal (pre- heat normal) and her appetite is normal, and she isn't guarding or nesting. I'm hoping it's just a false pregnancy. If I took her to the vet, would they be able to tell?

I don't know how early they could tell, but they may be able to put your mind at ease. It does sound odd in your descriptions of he belly and nipples, and I had never noticed those two things with Miya when she is in false pregnancy. Also with the beagle, she was in her crate I just don't see that happening, and the other 2 times, it would take more than a minute or two for a male and female to tie up, so I just don't think she is, but having your vet double check her, will make you feel better, and not worry so much.

Called the vet. He said all of the stuff that was freaking me out was just her body growing after the first heat. Sometimes I can get a bit frantic... Thanks Renee, You helped calm me down a bit! You're always the voice of reason!

You're welcome Tyler. I just wish I could do the same for myself, haha. I worry just as bad, but I tend to rationalize everything that may be wrong and think it will take care of itself. with age, comes a little wisdom, lol, and that little bit of wisdom says, it's probably not as bad as we think it is. Glad to hear you're both doing better.

Oh I feel for you lol I'm sure shes done or almost done. I remember when Miya had her first heat I absolutely hated dealing with it then throw in an 80 pound intact male GSD in there..oh I'm not looking forward to dealing with that again lol.

You sound like you did everything right tho glad you survived