Bella is in heat - question?

Bella went into heat on Monday and so far so good however I have one concern - her private area is really really big! About twice the size of what it was before she went into heat. It just looks swollen basically - is this normal? Should it have gotten insanely big or could something be wrong? I could post a picture of it if you think it would help with your feedback but I didn't know if that would be crude...

Yes it is normal. She may have gone into heat earlier though if she is this swollen now? I know swelling is often the first sign however.

Totally normal--she will shrink down, but she will be bigger than she was before this cycle.

Yes, agree totally, very normal, some of mine start swelling a couple of days before hand then I see blood (white tissues test always very handy!) but this is totally normal, terms like "Size of a bucket" and "Black hole of Calcutta" spring to mind here!! icon_blshing

Word of warning, it is when the colour fades to a straw like colour that she will be most fertile/matable, I only mention this as I recently overheard some-one saying how surprised she was that her bitch had gotten pregnant accidently, she had apparantly allowed her back in with the males on the advice of a vet nurse who told her the bitch had finished her season when there was no colour! :sl*p: this is actually the danger period, seasons last a good 3 weeks, I had a bitch who was the result of a 21st day mating

AND semen can possibly live in the female for a whole week-- so if she is even mated early, she can still conceive. I know of someone whose girl was accidentally bred on day 3- she had 3 pups. I have two in season girls now -- one is fertile now (not to be bred) , one will be bred next week. The boys are on alert__lol

Yep that's what happened to Fiona! Hers was seriously about 5 times as big and was noticably...open, lol. I was so shocked I actually looked up a picture online :shock: It was definitely one of the stranger google searches I've ever done....

Curious...how old is Bella???? Dixie is 6 months, so just waiting....

Whew! Thanks for all the replies - I can't believe how big "it" gets but glad its normal! Bella is now 8 months old.