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Pain on Season

GCon

Active member
Hi all

^ Our little Connie here is on her first season. She's in her third/fourth week and today showed signs of being in pain when urinating on her daily walk. It was evident that she didn't have any discomfort when she initially emptied her bladder but it looked like she was then 'straining' (to mark/scent maybe?). Each time she did this, she whimpered quite loudly for five seconds or so.

Hopefully, we needn't be concerned over this as we're assuming this is typical behaviour/symptoms of being on season. Generally, she's in good health but is a bit 'out of character/quiet' in the evenings.

If we should be concerned, can someone please let us know so we can take her to the vet? :blabla:

Thanks. :)
 
If a dog is possibly showing pain, IMHO you should always at least ring your vet and ask them whether they should see the dog. (y) I have never heard of a female whimpering in pain when urinating while in heat. Because bitches can get pyometra, which can be fatal, after being in heat I'd not ignore any off signs or indications of pain. Cavaliers have a very high lifetime risk (over 45%) of this when unspayed. The out-of-sorts behaviour may just be the fact that she has been in heat but I'd never risk leaving a dog in pain -- and your vets are the right people to ask. I always check in with mine to see if they feel I should bring any of mine in, when I am uncertain.
 
Thank you Karlin - we'll ring them first thing tomorrow. :) For future reference, do any vets frequent the boards? Not that we'll use that as a fall-back of course. :)
 
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My girl just finished her first season and she found it mildly interesting. Didn't seem to upset her routine much at all (except for the silly fancy pants we made her wear when she was in the house.) There was never an indication of pain or issues with daily urination or bowel movements. Not sure if this is a medical problem for your pup but would mention it to the vet just to make sure.
 
Are you sure it is a season and not a urine /bladder infection they can pass blood from this also it sounds more like an infection to me .Is her vulva very swollen that would indicate a season if not then she has a nasty infecton that needs a vet that would also acount for her being Off/ quiet .Hope she's feeling better soon
 
No one that is active with vet background. In my experience medical people are very reluctant to do more than say, "Go see your vet/doctor" anyway. :) It is hard to generalise advice for specific cases.
 
Hope she's feeling better soon. :flwr:

The symptoms you're describing sound like a UTI to me. One of my female cavaliers has had UTIs in the past, and we've found a 'sanitary trim' at the groomers keeps her healthy, after veterinary treatment with antibiotics.
 
Can only echo what others have said already get her in for a check up, it sounds like she might have a UTI to me.
 
We spoke to the vet today and he's of the opinion that whilst the pain may be 'just period pain' (as in humans) it would be advisable to bring her in to rule out anything else. So, she'll be there tomorrow. :)

Thanks all. :)
 
Glad to hear you're bringing her in. With all the seasons we have been through over the years, we have never had a girl show any signs of being in pain. Let us know what the vet says. Good luck and hope she's doing better.
 
'Period pain'! I am wondering if this is a male vet...? :lol: Being in heat is NOT like a human having a period and cramps (especially not at the very end of a heat cycle!). The blood they discharge is not like the full clearing of the womb of the unused lining in women when they do not become pregnant during their cycle -- this wholesale ejection of the womb lining is what brings on the period pain cramps that some women get. On the contrary in a dog, the bleeding is very slight, has pheromones to attract male dogs and dogs can mount and impregnate a bitch while she is still spotting blood.
 
Hello
How long would a first season last ?, i think Rosie is near the end of her third week and how long after the end of her discharge would she still attract attention ,she still attempts to mount poor Poppy but for some unknown reason not Daisy. I originally planned to get her spayed first week June as we take them away for a week end June so i think now we shall wait till after we get back.
 
Dixie never seemed to have any pain during her first season. It didn't slow her down a bit..... I would definitely have her checked out for a UTI. Good luck. Hope you get an answer tomorrow. judy and dixie
 
Brian, most times heats las 4 weeks and you must keep any female inside and totally isolated from other males during that time -- no walks, and extreme caution even in a back garden as males can and will scale even a 6 foot fence (larger dogs especially) to get at a female in heat. hey can smell a female in hat from up to two miles away!

Females are ertile after the bleeding and discharge stops so this is not an indication that it is safe to take a dog out -- you need to wait another two weeks or so after the discharge.

If you ring your vet I am sure s/he will give you a detailed explanation.

If you are spaying you should wait until about three months after the heat ends so that she is mid-cylce. (y)

This is a good explanation from a vet's blog:

http://www.yourpetsbestfriend.com/your_pets_best_friend/2007/02/dog_heat_cycle_.html

FEBRUARY 23, 2007

Dog "Heat" Cycle Basics

"But... but... I just let her outside for a minute!" "Didn't have your shoes on, did ya?"

There is no telling how many times that little conversation has played out. They knew the dog was in "heat" (estrum), but they underestimated the sex drive, which is a mistake. If the boys don't dig in, the girls may dig out. [It's a powerful force in nature. If Bill Clinton couldn't resist it, how do you expect the dogs to show more self-control than a President?]

Of course, there are definitely folks who just don't understand what's going on in the first place. Maybe you're one of them. If so, stay tuned.

Most female dogs have two estrous cycles yearly. That might make you think their cycles are six months long, but they're not. They have two cycles that last about a month, about six months apart. For ten months out of the year, the average female dog's ovaries are pretty much shut down. As far as female hormones go, they aren't producing any more than a neutered male dog during these quite periods. That's why dogs who have had complete ovario-hysterectomies (complete removal of ovaries and uterus) are not likely to need hormone replacment therapy.

Each cycle consists of three parts: the "coming-in", the "being-in", and the "going-out", also known as pro-estrus, estrus and metestrus. Each part lasts about seven to nine days on average. The female is fertile and receptive to the male only during the middle part or estrus, despite the fact that she is attractive to the male throughout the entire cycle. Boy, is she attractive. They can smell her pheromones (hormone-like scent chemicals) for miles -- literally. You may see a motley crowd of mutts assembling, even if your nearest neighbor is in the next county.

During pro-estrus, the vulva (outside female parts) begins to swell, and a bloody discharge develops. The males are surely getting interested at this point, but the female is far from ready. Unfortunately, many inexperienced owners equate this bloody discharge phase with the entire cycle. They mistakenly assume that once the bleeding stops the cycle is over and it's safe to let the dogs return to their normal living arrangements. Whoops! That's the time when the female is becoming receptive and fertile, so this is the best time to get pregnant.

If day 1 is the first day of bloody discharge ("showing color", as the breeders say), then day 9 is the day to get prospective parents together. If you don't want to raise puppies, this is the time to keep the possible parents separated. Better yet, keep them separated for an additional two weeks.

The whole business is going to take three or four weeks. Maintain constant vigilance. Don't under-estimate the sex drive. Don't let her out unless you've got your shoes on and are ready to defend her honor.
 
I am glad you are taking her to the vets because I think pain on urination certainly needs investigating.

My Boxer girls used to get the miseries during their heats. I was never sure if they were in pain but they certainly did not look happy.
 
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