Hi,
I'm waiting to breed my first litter after 2 years of research, visiting breeders, shows, talking to everyone possible, watching this forum and having read the book of the bitch inside out and back to front.  I've completed all the health tests and have a full list of what to look out for and when to take her to my stud (a lovely boy owned by an extremely helpful & experienced breeder).

The only problem her season doesn't seem to be going as I'd expect it to!

She was due at the end of May but started bleeding last friday (I was expecting her to be a little early as it's spring), she was bleeding quite heavily but wasn't really swollen.  She now has small amounts of dark residue/ discharge around her vulva but I've not seen any blood for a good 4-5 days!   She is very good at cleaning herself though and is constantly licking at the moment which could be part of the reason mabe why I haven't seen any blood.  I have tried the tissue test but she's not too keen on me touching her vulva at all and there was nothing on the tissue. 

She is now on day 8 and there's still not much swelling, although it is starting to get a little pinker.

How much swelling should i expect?  My IS can swell up like a doughnut but poppy's a lot more discreet

I would appreciate any advice you that people could give me

thanks
susie

The only problem her season doesn't seem to be going as I'd expect it to!

Hey, you and me both!!!!!

Although you've read The Book of the Bitch inside out, has your bitch?! :-)  I've recently discovered that no matter how many books I've read, it is of absolutely no help if the girly hasn't read the same ones. One of my girlies most definitely hasn't read the same books and I think we're soon going to be writing our own!!

I've got two un-spayed bitches, at season time one has just a slight swelling of vulva, the other goes from barely there to looking like the rear end of a baboon - she looks really grosse!  Are you sure she's not ending her season? The time range for bleeding is so huge, my special girl is currently on day 32 of season, and has only in the last week eased off on the blood supply and gone from bright red to dark.

I'm not being any help, but one suggestion.  I've mated my bitch this time around and I've found it invaluable to look back on the records of her season ... each of which have been different times and lengths :-(  But it's really useful to have a 'girly in season' book to put notes down, such as when bleeding started, colour, duration of bleeding, colour, when the boys were sniffing and having their heads ripped off, and when they're sniffing and being invited, etc, etc.  I also include notes of what the coat starts shedding - that generally gives me a 6-8 weeks warning of impending season. Behaviour is another one I note down.

Hope someone will come along and be more helpful :-D

when my bitch came into season this time she had no swelling at all for the first few days but was bleeding but then the swelling came all at once, she is now 4 weeks pregnant.

Hi,

Thanks! Yeah you're so right Poppy's never been a big reader and is a little odd in every other way, so why not season wise as well!
I wish I had kept a record as you suggested then I could see if this had happened before.  She is always very light whereas Holly looked like she'd sat on a doughnut and someone had slaughtered a pig in her bed!

Last season she was standing with her tail to one side rubbing her bottom up against our poor irish setter's face and was just a complete flirt although as I was in the process of moving house and she was with my mum and dad, no-one checked her for swelling or made a note of the day (I know that sounds so stupid to say now considering how much research I'd done, but moving house 2 weeks before christmas was just too much to cope with on its own). 

Poppy was apparently quite heavy last season and she was heavy on the friday (what we think was day 1 of her season this time) but as it was a month early we hadn't been monitoring her really closely.  She is not keen on being touched down there at the moment and is keeping her tail firmly between her legs which at the moment is making me think she's not ready and will tell me when she is.

I'm just so worried about missing her ovulation, I've heard pre-mate tests can be very unreliable and don't really want to go down that route, but just need some advice or reassurance that it doesn't sound like she's gonna be past it.  I know thats a crazy thing to ask 100 bitches are all totally different, but would appreciate as much advice as possible!

I'm hopefully going to get a friend who has bred previously to have a look at her, would anyone recommend letting an un-castrated male dog see her (both on leads of course) and see how they act?
thanks for all your help!

Susie

How were her previous seasons, did she swell much with them?  some bitches do not swell where other look positively painfully swollen...

I had a maiden girl come to one of my boys, and she looked like a baby puppy from behind, she had never swollen on any season (she was now 4 & a maiden) After checking, I found she had loads of room inside and no stricture, so no reason not to try a mating.. we got a 20min outside tie (she was too small to 'catch' my boy).. she stood well, and had a litter of 7 pups.. it is difficult to mate this way, and usually needs a very experienced handler (I called someone else to help me)

For a girl like this, I would prefer to do at least one Idexx test.. and not rely on the normal signs..

ooooo...congratulations I bet your very excited!  I just can't understand the lack of blood and swelling, I've read about dry seasons and seasons where there aren't any visable signs so maybe I should just watch her behaviour and keep tickling her tail

Susie

I know what you mean, my bitch won't read the book either! :-p In the end I forked out for pre-mate blood tests this time round as I was determined to get the ovulation time fixed!

My Kizi's vulva never swelled hardly at all, and to look at her you would not guess her to be in season, as she showed little in the way of blood.

Does she normally swell a lot in season?  If not I would assume she is in season.

On the other hand she could be having a split or false start to her season.

My Lexi who is heavily in whelp, appeared to come in season few days before her daughter and then went right off and didn't come in for another two weeks, was mated at day 15 after the second start, so it wasn't a split, but a false start.

Hi again,

Just spoken to my mum about Poppy's last season and it appears she was very heavy and swollen - this has never happened before though as usually she is very light and there is not much swelling.  This 'season' if it is even her season she has only bled for one day, 7 days ago, there is no swelling - is there such as thing as a phantom season?  She did have a little dark discharge for a day or so after the bleeding and as I said before she is cleaning herself, but other than dark edges to her non-swollen vulva there's nothing else!  

I'm going to give her breeder a call in a bit as she has lots of experience - I'm sure i'm just stressing over nothing, Will it be too late to get a pre-mate test done on Tuesday bearing in mind that'll be at least day 11 if she is in season before the results are back?

Thanks for all the advice and help as I'm driving myself a little mad at the moment
susie :)

She is norm light and but does bleed and does swell a bit.  thank you - makes me feel better, I'm thinking it could be a false start, if she doesn't show me she's ready to go I won't take her to the stud.  I'm hoping she soon starts to bleed prop and then gives me all the signs like she did in December when she was very heavy and kept pushing herself at everything (although she's never been like that before)

For your sanity I would recommend the Idexx blood test :D
If you take her in for a blood test on Tuesday you will get the results on Wednesday, at least then you will know what is going on.
The blood test would tell you if you have missed her or maybe that she is nowhere near ovulation, e.g. having a false start...
Maybe another bitch near by is in season and bringing her in...

I've had bitches with false starts, brought on by other bitches.   And others with split seasons, when the hormones weren't as high as they should have been.

hi, thanks for your advice every1.  going to get her tested on tues, she is a month early so it could well just be a false start my red setter is now spayed so she hasn't come in from her.  my horse is perm in season at the mo, but again can't see it.

Poppy was prob just over excited at the news we got her hip score back (she came on that afternoon)

:)

Poppy was prob just over excited at the news we got her hip score back (she came on that afternoon)

LOL ;)

oh please let me know how you get on im having EXACTLY the same experience as you well not me my bitch she came on last monday and hasnt bled much sinse isnt swollen or anything im suposed to be taking her to the stud next wk end so am thinkng of having her blood tested tomorrow (tues) really do not want to miss this season either! good luck x

Some bitches don't show much colour or swell a lot, and with some it's a blood bath fro a full 4 weeks I have had both.