DRAMIŃSKI - Heat dog

The detector is a portable device that helps determining the optimal time for mating.

The detector is a small, portable and very versatile instrument which is powered by a common 9V battery. It gives readouts of electrical resistance of vaginal mucus which undergoes characteristic changes during the course of heat.

The detector for dogs enables:

* exclusion of multiple mating of the bitch

* identification of so called “false heat”

* elimination of problems associated with disorders during heat

* time saving

* great reduction in financial costs of multiple mating

The Ovulation Detector for dogs has given favourably results in tests at the Obstetrics Department. of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Agriculture and Technology, Olsztyn, Poland. The advantages of using the detector have also been confirmed by research carried out at the university in Giessen, Germany.

There are also available versions of Ovulation Detector for pigs, ewes, cows and mares.

• Step1 Sterilize your pooch if you are not going to breed her. Not only will it prevent unwanted puppies but also it may prolong her lifespan.
• Step2 Keep her inside and close the windows. Male dogs are attracted by the scent of a female in heat up to three miles away. Minimize the effect by keeping the windows shut.
• Step3 Keep an eye on your fence. Even if your female dog can’t jump out, male dogs may be able to jump in. Chain link fences are easy for some dogs to climb and owners report that even cedar fences won’t always deter a dog seeking romance.
• Step4 Apply a little menthol rub to a spot just under the female dog’s tail to thwart would-be suitors. Some veterinarians also recommend a little dab on a male’s nose to mask the female’s scent.
• Step5 Give her some chlorophyll tablets. Dog owners use these with varying success in an attempt to mask a female’s odor during her heat cycle. Ask your vet for the recommended dosage based upon your dog’s weight.
• Step6 Keep your pooch calm. She’s anxious during this time and needs attention. Schedule extra time to pet and brush her and play some soft classical music to sooth her nerves. Avoid allowing youngsters to frolic and get her excited.
• Step7 Dress her in a pair of protective doggy panties to protect your floor and furniture from discharge stains. Available in pet stores, these pull-on diapers have a hole for her tail to stick out. Keep enough on hand to last for the first two weeks of her three-week cycle.

There is risk in any surgery. Without knowing specifics, you will not know why the death occurred. Thousands of spays are performed daily around the country. In a rare few there may be complications leading to death. Again, this is rare. Complications from not being spayed are more of a concern than the operation itself. Now this does not help ease the pain for those whose dogs die during a spay. However, there are many factors that can lead to death during surgery. Ask for preoperative bloods to be done to check for problems that could lead to complications. Ask what type of anaesthesia is used and note that some breeds may need milder anaesthetics. However, the health risks of being intact far outweigh the small risks of surgery.

Having a litter is not healthier than being spayed before a first heat. First, a dog should not be bred her first cycle – she is too immature mentally and often physically. Make the analogy of a teenager having a child at fifteen – is she ready? A dog should be bred at the earliest 18 months of age. Hips cannot be certified (OFA – Orthopedic Foundation of America) if she is younger than 24 months and many recommend waiting until hips can be certified before breeding.

You want her to be physically and mentally mature before breeding. In addition, there are complications that can arise during pregnancy and delivery and even post-partum. These complications can be life threatening. A litter of puppies is stressing to her entire system. Spaying eliminates this.

Having a litter is more dangerous than spaying in the long run. Moreover, the longer a female goes unspayed, the greater chance of her developing other health problems. A female should be spayed before her first cycle ideally – though spaying at any age has more benefits than not spaying.

Let’s break down a few things and see how much spaying costs as compared to the costs of other things that can happen in an intact female. A spay depending on the size of the dog and the clinic (and what types of testing is done prior to, what anaesthesia is used, etc) can range from as low as $50 to $175 or more. You can spend many times more than this to treat a pyometra or remove mammary tumors.

Blood spots on a carpet can cost a couple hundred dollars to remove if you call in a carpet cleaning company. In addition, of you cannot get the stains out, how much will replacing the carpet cost? A litter of puppies from birth to eight weeks can cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars in food, supplies and inoculations combined. If there are medical complications, this expense can grow.These expenses do not even include pre and post natal care for the mother. Spaying is cheaper than not.

The average heat cycle for a dog is approximately 3 weeks and since this an an average, some heats are shorter (as little as 7-10 days), others are longer (4 weeks or more).

Average times between heat periods is seven months but some dogs can cycle as early as every 4 months, some once a year.

Lengths of heat cycles and intervals between cycles are different for each dog but most dogs hit somewhere close to the averages.

The first part of heat you will notice bleeding from the vulva, swelling of the vulva, possible increase in urination and the most noticeable, male dogs hanging around the house. During this period (proestrus), females will not allow the males to breed with them although the males will be very persistent.

The second part or estrus is the time in which the female will allow the male to breed her and this can last anywhere from 4-21 days. A female, most of the time, will allow most any male to breed during this time. As the female starts to go out of heat or enter diestrus, she will be less willing to breed.

Again this stage can last 4-14 days but averages approximately 7 days. The next cycle usually begins about 7 months from the start of the last heat cycle, not the end of that cycle but again this varies from dog to dog. The interval stays the same even if she becomes pregnant.

If you do not intend to breed her, you really should consider spaying her. There are many health benefits associated with spaying such as decreased chance of mammary tumors and you will not have to worry about pyometra, metritis or unwanted litters (overpopulation is a big problem - just take a trip to a humane shelter).

If you elect to spay her, this can be done during heat but it may be best to wait until the heat cycle is over to decrease the chance of complications.

Intact female dogs will normally come into heat (estrus) once every 4 ý to 12 months with the average for most breeds being once every 6 months. You will probably notice some bloody discharge from the vagina and a swollen vulva when your dog is in heat. You may notice “mounting” behavior, also.

The heat period can last from 8 to 30 days with an average of about 20 days. Most female dogs will be willing to stand for a male dog and permit breeding around 10 to 16 days after the beginning of their heat period. Some females will be a little more aggressive during their heat period, but most show no change in behavior and interaction with their owners.

Having puppies is great if you want the puppies or if you’re trying to develop a special line of dogs. But there is no behavioral benefit in letting the female have a litter before spaying.

The normal canine companion will benefit greatly from being spayed at an early age before she has her first heat cycle. Problems that can develop later in life, such as mammary cancer and uterine infections, are virtually eliminated if an ovariohysterectomy (spay) is performed before she experiences her first heat cycle.

The answer to that one has changed continually over the
25-years I’ve been in the dog business. People used to be told to let their dog go through at least one cycle or let them have one litter.

Today, veterinarians are doing it much earlier. Some vets spay as early as 6-weeks of age! Talk to your veterinarian about your dog and the vet’s preferences. The state of veterinary medicine also is much improved over the past 25-years.

10. If I don’t have her spayed, will she go through menopause.

No. Her fertility may decline but she will not go through menopause comparable to a human’s. She won’t lose her ability to become pregnant even as a senior so if you don’t want to her to have any (or more) litters, she must be spayed.

Yes with care. She has no problem with the exercise but she’s a walking magnet for male dogs.

Even the best trained and behaved female dog will succumb to hormones. You can’t trust her off a leash or out of your control. Never let her outside by herself even in a fenced yard if there is any possibility of male dogs nearby.

For walks, if there are male dogs in your neighborhood, it’s a good idea to take your dog in your car and drive to a remote area. Take her for the walk there and drive back home. Otherwise, the scent of her urine and vaginal discharge will blaze a trail to your home.

Yes. However, responsible breeders generally would not breed a dog that early. For one thing, you need to do genetic testing and some serious problems such as hip conditions do not show up until a dog is approximately 2-years of age.