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Expert: - 10/15/2011


Question
my dog lulu started her cycle about a week or 2 ago. and when she did i figured she wouldn't bleed no more because its a sign that it started. if im wrong and she also bleeds for a sign that her cycle is coming to an end.
But my neighbor has a chihuahua sort of dog but much larger, and lulu is a pit bull but small in height about the other dogs height but a bit bigger. and her dog i don't know how. would be at my backyard with her and i hope that lulu isn't pregnant by this dog nor the cause of lulu bleeding she is having now.
so i would like to know:
*is she bleeding because her cycle coming to an end?
*or bleeding from doing it with a dog since its her first time?

Answer
A dog's heat (estrus) cycle is 21 days long, give or take a day or so. They start to bleed at the end of the second week- or around day 14-17. This is the optimal time for them to breed and get pregnant. They do not normally bleed from breeding but are bleeding already. Then they gradually stop bleeding and the swelling goes down and they are then out of heat for another 4-6 months, unless they are bred.

If she is two weeks into her heat that is why she is bleeding. They will bleed for another week or so then it will stop, whether or not she is pregnant.

Chances are that she IS pregnant. You can stop this pregnancy when she is out of heat in another week and get her spayed. A male dog can smell a bitch in heat from 3 miles away.

Call your vet tomorrow and make an appointment to get her in for spaying in another week.  

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

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Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

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Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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