# puppy coming into first season signs and other Q's :)



## claireandandy (Jan 4, 2012)

hey Guys and Girls my labrador puppy is now 23 weeks old i have never had a Bitch b4 what signs should i be looking out for for her first season,
i havnt got the first idea about it,im wanting to get her spayed as soon as i can when shes old enough and her weight is good as advised by my vet. 

past few days shes been off her food and just sleepy i put this down to teething as her teeth have been falling out, she just looks so sad,i moistend ehr food up but she still turns her nose up at it, 2 mornings in a row shes been sick after eating i would say a 1/4 of her food and then shes not botherd going back to eat the sick so we have cleaned it up she just lies down and goes to sleep. she was poo eating from the day we got ehr but thats really settled down now and i said to my parter shes maybe not eating ehr sick back up beacuse it looks like poo and she knows shes not allowed to eat it ?shes active when with my mams DOG and plays like a normal pup she seems to have been nipping him like rough play last few days and geting told off for it because hes too silly so tell her no.

im going to boil up some rice and cook her some chicken as i belive my vet will just advise feeding her that for a few days to see how she gets on,shes drinking plenty still, could this be to do with seasons? and her body changes,do bitches mope about with their period pain like some of us women do lol.she could just be off ehr food feeling under the weather, any advice is a bonus thanks in advance CLAIRE x


----------



## Kivasmum (Aug 4, 2011)

Kiva my GSD has just turned 9 months, and appears to be coming to the end of her first season (yaaaaay ha ha)
She never went off food, or displayed any signs of being 'physically' poorly, i saw subtle changes like when at junior playgroup she would be shy and cautious for the first ten minutes, and for a couple of weeks before she actually came into season she apparently smelled appealing, but honestly the first indication i got from her physically was her bleeding! her lady bits didnt really swell until the day after i noticed the blood.
It sounds more like your pup has an upset tummy? or maybe teething? I know Kiva would go off her food if she had some larger teeth coming through, although she was never vomiting with it. I would say chicken, scrambled egg and rice for a few days and make sure she drinks plenty, but if she doesnt get any better i would be taking her to the vets


----------



## claireandandy (Jan 4, 2012)

thank u kivasmummy.

shes currently tucking into rice chicken and egg with a sprinkle of her food on top she seems to be eating it but not gobbling it up like a typical greedy lab lol.fingers crossed she keeps it down and doesnt turn her nose up.my other thaught was that maybe shes fed up of the same food,our store only sell the 1 flavour in the puppy brand or food, i know another flavour is available i will research were i can et it from i think just to vary her taste buds :confused1: thanks again xx


----------



## Kivasmum (Aug 4, 2011)

you are welcome 

as for the being bored of her food, i would maybe consider that if she wasnt being sick? if she just decided she didnt like that food anymore she just wouldnt eat it  it wouldnt cause her to vomit. as for the rice chicken and egg, thats great but i would leave out the sprinkle of her food  the aim with those foods is that its bland and shouldnt cause any tummy reactions, if you top it with her food it sorta defeats the object


----------



## claireandandy (Jan 4, 2012)

Point noted thank u x


----------



## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

claireandandy said:


> hey Guys and Girls my labrador puppy is now 23 weeks old i have never had a Bitch b4 what signs should i be looking out for for her first season,
> i havnt got the first idea about it,im wanting to get her spayed as soon as i can when shes old enough and her weight is good as advised by my vet.
> 
> past few days shes been off her food and just sleepy i put this down to teething as her teeth have been falling out, she just looks so sad,i moistend ehr food up but she still turns her nose up at it, 2 mornings in a row shes been sick after eating i would say a 1/4 of her food and then shes not botherd going back to eat the sick so we have cleaned it up she just lies down and goes to sleep. she was poo eating from the day we got ehr but thats really settled down now and i said to my parter shes maybe not eating ehr sick back up beacuse it looks like poo and she knows shes not allowed to eat it ?shes active when with my mams DOG and plays like a normal pup she seems to have been nipping him like rough play last few days and geting told off for it because hes too silly so tell her no.
> ...


All bitches vary, one of mine didnt have her first season until 9mths, Ive heard of ones even older and considerably younger too. As a guide line Bitches can really come into season around 6mths onwards. The best and usual time to spay is about 12 weeks after a season. The reason being internally everything as returned to a normal state and all the raised hormone levels have also returned to normal. As an approx guide for the stages of a season see below. As said though it can vary and vary considerably so use this just as a guide.
The bitchs cycle is divided into four periods.
 Proestrus: The bitch attracts males, has a bloody vaginal discharge, and her vulva is swollen. Proestrus lasts approximately nine days; the bitch, however, will not allow breeding at this time.
 Estrus: During this period, which also lasts approximately nine days, the bitch will accept the male and is fertile. Ovulation usually occurs in the first 48 hours; however, this can vary greatly.
 Diestrus: Lasting 60 to 90 days, diestrus is the period when the reproductive tract is under the control of the hormone progesterone. This occurs whether or not the bitch becomes pregnant. False pregnancy, a condition in which the bitch shows symptoms of being pregnant although she has not conceived, is occasionally seen during diestrus.
 Anestrus: No sexual activity takes place. Anestrus lasts between three and four months.

I have never had any females I have had become ill with sickness and/or darrhoea when in season personally. Yours may have just picked up a bit of a bug, maybe bacterial or even something viral.

If she is otherwise well in herself and active and interested and not lethargic
then usually its best to miss a meal probably even two. Then put her on a resting easily digestible diet of chicken boiled or grilled no skin and rice, or you can even use white boiled fish or even scrambeled egg with the rice.
Usually if its nothing to worry about within 24/36hrs you should see an improvement.

If however there is no improvement, it gets worse, and if other symptoms appear too during or after this time, then always consult a vet.


----------



## fiyoung (Sep 20, 2010)

my 10 month old golden retriever has just finished her first season Started around 22nd Feb She bled for 2 weeks She was sick a couple of times at the beginning and also poo'd indoors twice which she had never done before Then went totally off her food and didnt eat for 4 days I was at the point of going to the vets when she started eating again She seemed fine in herself though if a little more clingy (followed me everywhere)
glad its over (thank gawd for laminate flooring)


----------

