# Cocker Spaniel Vulva



## Becca08 (Jul 18, 2014)

Hi,
We bought an 11 month old cocker spaniel a few days ago.
She's brilliantly well behaved but since she's been here she hasn't had much of an appetite, and a quick google search suggested she may be in season. I can't tell whether or not her attitude has changed because we have only had her a few days but she is quite affectionate.
I'm really unsure - I'm just a bit worried.
She hasn't been spayed and everything online suggested her vulva would be swollen and bleeding.
It looks swollen to me (but I'm not entirely sure how it should look normally) but there is no bleeding as of yet. 
I'm going to try and include a photo and hope you can tell me what you think?
I just want to be sure she's healthy. Going to be taking her to the vets next week to register her and have a check up but my mind won't rest until then.
Thanks in advance, and any further advice would be much appreciated.


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## Tillystar (Jan 30, 2013)

Becca08 said:


> Hi,
> We bought an 11 month old cocker spaniel a few days ago.
> She's brilliantly well behaved but since she's been here she hasn't had much of an appetite, and a quick google search suggested she may be in season. I can't tell whether or not her attitude has changed because we have only had her a few days but she is quite affectionate.
> I'm really unsure - I'm just a bit worried.
> ...


Hi I'm no expert but to me it looks swollen so would say very possible she's in season especially at 11 months. U said she more affectionate my dog became more affectionate n I just thought she wanted a cuddle more but she was having a phantom pregnancy. If u gently squeeze her teats does any white/milky discharge appear?


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## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

Becca08 said:


> Hi,
> We bought an 11 month old cocker spaniel a few days ago.
> She's brilliantly well behaved but since she's been here she hasn't had much of an appetite, and a quick google search suggested she may be in season. I can't tell whether or not her attitude has changed because we have only had her a few days but she is quite affectionate.
> I'm really unsure - I'm just a bit worried.
> ...


She does look swollen.

I know you haven't seen any blood, but you do need to be very careful, as there is usually only blood loss in the first part of a season, and once that dries up, the bitch is in her fertile, receptive time.

Have you spoken to the previous owners about whether they had noticed she was in season?


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## lostbear (May 29, 2013)

She looks in season - depending what stage she is at, she may not bleed - swelling begins before bleeding, and doesn't subside until a week or two after (and her "ladyparts" will never go down to be quite as neat as in her pre-heat days.

Keep her in and away from the opposite sex until yo can be certain that she isn't fertile. Your vet will be able to tell you when it will be best to spay her. You will need to wait until her uterus is back to normal size and unengorged.


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## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

lostbear said:


> She looks in season - depending what stage she is at, she may not bleed - swelling begins before bleeding, and doesn't subside until a week or two after (*and her "ladyparts" will never go down to be quite as neat as in her pre-heat days.*
> 
> Keep her in and away from the opposite sex until yo can be certain that she isn't fertile. Your vet will be able to tell you when it will be best to spay her. You will need to wait until her uterus is back to normal size and unengorged.


Really? Ziggy had at least one season before I got her, probably 2 or more given that she was over 2 years old, I had her spayed and her vulva is tiny. Once I asked the vet if she might have had puppies before she came to me, he said it wasn't possible to tell.


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## lostbear (May 29, 2013)

All of mine have larger vulvae post-season than they did before their first heat. Perhaps your dog had particularly dainty lady bits to start off with.


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## BeauNoir (Sep 16, 2012)

Burrowzig said:


> Really? Ziggy had at least one season before I got her, probably 2 or more given that she was over 2 years old, I had her spayed and her vulva is tiny. Once I asked the vet if she might have had puppies before she came to me, he said it wasn't possible to tell.


I have to agree with this, no difference in Pixie's before and after 2 seasons.

Looks like a swollen season vulva to me (i always think they look a bit painful!), just keep an eye on her to make sure it goes down normally so isn't phantom pregnancy or, real pregnancy!

If she has been with someone else and in season, you don't know if she has been with the boys and could be really pregnant if things don't go down.

Keep an eye for a week or 2, if bleeding starts, you should get bleeding for about 2 weeks then 1-2 weeks for it to go down. If the bleeding has passed, it should go down in a week or two.

I'd recommend that if she doesn't start bleeding and it doesn't go down either within 2 weeks, take her to the vet to check.


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## wee man (Apr 8, 2012)

We have a household full of cocker spaniel girls.

It looks to me as if your girl is definately either in season or maybe just starting. She looks typically swollen! 
This swelling can start a few days before the bleeding actually starts to show. 

If she was late in her season this amount of swelling would have subsided, but at this stage she would be nice and smelly for the male dogs and ready for mating! 

Get a piece of white tissue and gently wipe her vulva (maybe just a little inside if possible) if you see any colour or blood then you have your answer!


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## lostbear (May 29, 2013)

BeauNoir said:


> *I have to agree with this, no difference in Pixie's before and after 2 seasons*.


Mmm - must br my lot, then, That seems strange. :confused1:


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## BeauNoir (Sep 16, 2012)

lostbear said:


> Mmm - must br my lot, then, That seems strange. :confused1:


I'm lucky to have lots of pictures due to the sighthound love of roaching. No shame. 

Could be a breed thing i suppose?


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## Fluffster (Aug 26, 2013)

Daisy's ladybits and nipples have never gone down to their pre-season size either!


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## Hanwombat (Sep 5, 2013)

Io is currently just over a week in her second season at just 12 month - she is bleeding like a trooper but her vulva never really swells. She does become more affectionate though.


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## Fluffster (Aug 26, 2013)

Hanwombat said:


> Io is currently just over a week in her second season at just 12 month - she is bleeding like a trooper but her vulva never really swells. She does become more affectionate though.


Blimey Io's had two seasons in the time Daisy took to have one!

I didn't notice much in the way of behavioural changes with Daisy except humping!!!! Which continued occasionally post season up until a couple of weeks ago when it suddenly stopped thank goodness. I wiped her with a piece of toilet paper every so often and that's how I saw the discharge. Daisy bled most of the way through her heat but I know lots of dogs don't. She wasn't overly fussed about keeping herself clean but some dogs can be meticulous so watch for her cleaning herself a lot down there as that could be a sign too.


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## Hanwombat (Sep 5, 2013)

Fluffster said:


> Blimey Io's had two seasons in the time Daisy took to have one!
> 
> I didn't notice much in the way of behavioural changes with Daisy except humping!!!! Which continued occasionally post season up until a couple of weeks ago when it suddenly stopped thank goodness. I wiped her with a piece of toilet paper every so often and that's how I saw the discharge. Daisy bled most of the way through her heat but I know lots of dogs don't. She wasn't overly fussed about keeping herself clean but some dogs can be meticulous so watch for her cleaning herself a lot down there as that could be a sign too.


I know! crazy! She had her first at 7 months and the second at 12 months :scared:

Io hasn't actually humped at all. Io is def bleeding more this season it seems or she just isn't as fussed with cleaning herself as she was with her first.


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