dog not going into heat?

illius · 09-13-2009, 03:35 PM

hello, well Ive got a female dog.she is about 5 years maybe more. right now we do not have the money to get her fixed, we will here in a month or so. but this year it seems like she has not gone into heat yet. its ben a ling time, maybe im just being paranoid but is there any reason a dog would not go into heat? she seems happy and nothing seems wrong with her, its just I havnt seen her bleed from her vigina for a while.

Reina · 09-13-2009, 04:11 PM

I looked in my dog owners home vet handbook and here are some things that it said:

Silent heat: Happens when there is minimum vulvar swelling and bleeding. It might be unnoticed if the dog is very clean, and licks herself.

Absent heat: Failure to cycle. Can happen if younger than 2 (which doesn't apply here), if spayed (obviouslly), are treated with androgens or progesterones (won't cycle during or for a while after), if malnourished or debilitated from recent illness, hypothyroidism, inflamation of ovaries, tumors...

Dogs can go into heat every 4 months, but some can be as long a year in between (eg. basenji's and wolf-dog crosses) When was the last time she went into heat?

Basically, I would take your dog to the vet if worried. They can check her for anything abnormal. A vet can do a blood test checking for thyroid problems, or find abnormalities that you didn't notice before.

illius · 10-07-2009, 10:11 PM

sorry for the late reply, and thank you for the info. id say its ben close to a year. its ben a while, Im going to start documenting every 4 months after she goes into heat that way I can keep accurate track of her cycle. She seems happy and vigilent as ever. Ive tryed lightly pushing around the abdomen and stomach area to see if she is in pain for any reason and she seems happy. Ill wait a month or so and if she doesnt go into heat ill take her to the vet. Ive got it planned to get her fixed in a few months, right now cash is tight. but thank you for the info! it helped ease my nerves alot.