Dog in heat questions....

[Celesteina]

This is my first Yorkie and I have tons of questions. She is 5 months. At what age would she go into heat? If we get her fixed, does that mean she would not have any bleeding? What should I do to prepare for her going into heat? How would she act?

[HillbillyBelle]

Congrats on your first furbaby. As to the questions you asked--females usually go into heat between 6-12 months. I have had a bezillion Yorkies and no two are alike. Yes, if she is spayed her uterus and ovaries will be removed and there will not be any heat cycles, thus no bleeding.
There is no real prep for a heat cycle. THe female vulva will turn light pink, then deepen to a red and swell a great deal. Then she will start her period...She can be in heat for up to 3 weeks and it is not easy to manage them sometimes. Especially, if there are any males in the neighborhood that are intact. An accidental pregnancy can occur in the blink of an eye. Please, go ahead and discuss with your vet the earliest date you can have her spayed and have her dentals done at the same time. It is an old wives tale that it is better for a female to go thru one heat cycle before spaying. There is no scientific evidence to back that idea up so, go ahead and start making your plans for spaying.
This topic is fresh on my mind. I met a woman in a Costa Rica airport last week and we were discussing this very thing. She had a cute girl, everyone loved her and wanted a puppy. Mom never found a suitor so the little girl grew to be 7 years old and still intact. Long story and short is-she has had 2 radical mastectomies for breast cancer and a hysterectomy; bouts of chemo and her life expectancy is fairly short.
So, we really do need to take this spaying and neutering seriously.

[auddoc06]

Maybelline went into her first heat on Saturday. Will she bleed for 21 days or is it just for a few days during the 21 days? It seems she has really bled a lot for being her first heat.

[Patti]

Mine that have come into heat have come into heat at 8 months and I wish I had gotten them spayed before. The heat cycle can be hard on them.

[Ladymom]

It is best to get her spayed right at six months, before she ever has a heat cycle. By doing so you eliminate her chance of ever getting mammary cancer. If you wait until after she has her first heat, her risk of cancer goes up to 8%. After her second heat, her risk goes up to 25%.

[mscat]

Suzi is 7 months old, andI have not observed her in heat yet. Do the females just lick themselves so it is not aparent they are in heat?
i remember growing up we had a family dog. She was A pom and went in her first heat. there was bleeding, but not much .Pom's are A toy breed as well, so I am assuming that Suzi will experience it in A similar fashion. I want to have her spayed too, but have not scheduled it yet.