How old should a bitch have her first season?

Hi,

we have just been petting Missy who was six months old on the 6th and have noticed some spots of blood on her lady bits - is this too early for her to have her first season?
Our vet does a six-month check which she is having on Monday (if I can get there) and we will be talking about spaying her - I just assumed we would have the discussion in plenty of time before she had her first season to give us the choice of whether she should have one (a season) or not before she is spayed.

That is on the early side. How big is she? I think the smaller the dog the earlier it matures.

Going to the vet Monday sounds like a good plan. Unfortunately if she has started into her season, the vet may insist in waiting until she is done, forcing you to go through with her. Contrary to what some here think, it can be a big hassle for the unprepared. The second and third weeks are when the most risk of accidental breeding is. Don't take this lightly. She will do anything to get loose and get to a male. Once loose, an accidental breeding and an unwanted litter is far from the worst that can happen. Such breedings can also result in fatal infections. She can get killed when she dashes heedlessly across the road in front of a car. Other dogs may kill her. Just because some people don't have too much trouble, is no reason not to be prepared.

You can buy doggy sanitary garmets, if you have to go through it. As long as you plan to spay her as soon as you can, you might try to get through the one time with children's training pants.

its perfectly normal, if i remember correctly kira was 6 and a half months when she had hers.

dont worry too much, its not that bad. we just treated kira like normal, normal walks and everything, but kira is always on lead, so i'd recommend keeping your bitch on lead throughout her season if you dont already. that way you can keep her from other dogs. If i saw someone walking a dog i'd just cross over the road, not a problem.

theres a bit of cleaning up to do but if you have nice light carpets try putting a pair of mens or boys boxer shorts on her, backward so the tail can stick out through the button bit. Obviously some dogs wont tolerate this and you'd have to take them off before she goes to the loo but its better than having to get down and scrub your carpet once or twice a day lol. and its so much cheaper and easier than the bitch pads you can by....

i would really recommend waiting until after her 2nd season to get her spayed as this will give her time to fully develop both physically and mentally, it has been proved that this is much better long term for bitches, especially bitches of missys size (she'd be about the same as kira)

Hi,

Only 6 months does seem a little bit early but the first season can happen anywahere from 6-18 months depending on bitch itself, breeding, genetics, environment etc. SO please don't worry. Take her to the vet as planned and takea list of questions with you to put your mind at ease.

I was intending to have Ellie speyed at 6 months beofre her first season initially until I had advice from people here and the vet told me the pros and cons of an early spey so I decided to leave it until after her first and possibly after her second season. Ellie was very unwell dring the first week of her first season last January so I had her speyed at the end of April last year (the day before her 1st birthday!). I couldn't put her through a second season as there was no reason for it. She's a x-breed for starters so IMO had to be removed from the gene pool and aside from that, it's so much more convenient for everyone, Ellie included.

I don't believe it stopped her developing or maturing at all as she's continued to do so. Although maybe it's different for some dogs.

As I said though - pleased don't worry. It's perfectly normal for some dogs. You now just need to decide if you're intending to allow her to have a second season in approx 5 months time or if you're having her speyed before then.

Laura xx

Hi seaunicorn many bitches come in season at six months old, it is perfectly normal .
I have known one bitch come in at five months but it can be anything up to 18 months normally , it varies slightly from dog to dog and breed to breed .

I wouldn't take much notice of Labmans scaremongering. When your bitch is in season as long as you keep her away from other dogs (preferably for 28 days to be on the safe side) you will be fine.

I am sure you don't need it explaining to you that this means not allowing your bitch off the lead or out alone when in season.

I would talk to your vet about when to spay, many prefer three months from the start of a season (midway between seasons) when hormones and reproductive organs have had a chance to settle down following the season

It sounds pretty normal to me - 6 months to a year, I thought? I had one come in season at 6 months.

It is really a shame anybody would discourage people from taking careful precautions with a female in season. We slaughter many dogs from accidental breeding when the owners though they were being careful enough. Also, some dogs get loose and get killed. Don't risk your heart.

Hi
Bitches are spayed mid-season because the womb is smallest then so there is less risk of blood loss - the womb shrinks between seasons. If your girl has started I very much doubt your vet will risk it.
There is a good book called The Book of the Bitch which gives you all the facts.
I`ve never found it difficult to `contain` my in-season bitches - you just have to use common sense. Check your garden is secure and keep your girl on the lead till other dogs stop getting interested (which can be after the discharge stops so don`t take that as being safe)
If the worst happens, there is an injection to abort, but this is not to be taken lightly.
The bitch usually cleans herself up. I personally would never put nappies on a dog. It`s unhygenic (for the dog). If she`s a messy girl you can put an old towel where she sleeps and change it as needed.

Thank you all for your advice, she has been to the vet today for her six month check and we have not seen any more spotting - he does not think she is in a proper season, and says that her body is probably just starting to secrete the sex hormones so we shouldn't have any problems with getting her spayed at the end of February, but just to let him know if there are any more signs.

six months is perfectly normal, mia had her first at 5 months old, teagan and holly both had there first at six months old,