Hi all so I’m new here not sure if I am posting in the Right place .
So I have always had terriers for years and had 2 litters successfully , however I have a 2 year old female cocker spaniel , I only got her yesterday and didn’t realise she was in heat until today . My question here is is it normal for her to be really swollen down below? She is bleeding but not a lot she’s always licking and keeping her self clean , I don’t know how far in heat she is or if she’s coming out I may sound really bizarre but I have no exsperince with this breed what so ever . I’m not looking to breed her I just wanted to get some advice .
So is it normal to be really swollen? And does the swelling start at the beginning of her heat cycle or at the end?

Any advice is apreciated I assumed all dogs cycles are the same but Iv never owned any other breed then a terrier and Iv never had a bitch this swollen

my late weimaraners both had one season each prior to spay and swelled up a lot. sorry cannot remember how long that lasted.
as you have only just had her are you certain her previous home kept her away from entire males?   If you cannot be certain may be good idea to have a chat with your vet else you may be becoming a breeder by default.

Hello Thankyou for your reply :) so I called the previous owner today and they said she was a only dog
But wasn’t aware she was in season which I find abit hard to belive as she’s really swollen. But she’s really clean I wouldn’t of guessed she was unless I saw how swollen
Fingers crossed they have been honest with me .
I know it sounds silly but Iv never had any other breed then terriers and just wasn’t sure if it was normal

I have the same breed and yes they do become very swollen, one of my girls more so then the others.

Yes swelling of the vulva is normal.  Most dogs have seasons roughly every 6 months Lthough some of the more primitive breeds will only have one.
That's the average. My flat cost was different and was totally haphazard having 3  before being spayed at 5 years.
The same as your terriers
She may have been an only dog but given her owners lack of knowledge I would keep a very close eye on her just incase she managed to find a dog when off lead.
Any concerns see your vet .
As u now know she is in season and have only just got her I wo5 be very caredial and keep her away from Male dogs and on lead if u take her out for the next 3 weeks to be sure

Yes totally normal some look really big and yet other hardly at all and silent seasons are a nightmare if not noticed in time, (no swelling or bleeding).

Some bitches and some breeds swell up a lot and as a friend describes hers as having a windsock lol
Mine never swell by much not compared to some breeds

Mine would swell and carrying their tail up (normally) that would be more obvious than with other breeds who don't carry their tails up.

I'd be concerned re this bitch however because if you've only just had her, you really need to make sure she wasn't caught before coming to you - her previous owner didn't know she was in season???   With mine, I tended to see the vulva didn't go back to 'normal' once mated.  Until all that was over (whelping etc.).  

I think I'd book her spay in as soon as your vet will do it (re being in season now).

It's possible that she's just started, you can only hope she hasn't been mated.
My bitches usually swell a bit before bleeding starts about a week then depends on bitch how much bleeding there is some a lot or hardly any but they are large breeds compared to a cocker spaniel.

If the previous owner didn't notice anything, I'd assume that she has just come into heat and mark out 21-28 days in the diary from now, to keep her away from males.  Yes, swelling is very normal.  And a lot or  little blood is also normal.  The first heat is not always like subsequent ones, so don't assume everything will be just the same next time - but she should establish what's normal for her, after a few.

Thankyou everyone for your reply’s I really appreciate it:)
I was told she hadn’t been near any males but who knows we have a trip to the vet tomorrow anyway so I will ask vets advice then ,
She’s bleeding a lot more today so I’m guessing she’s probably only just started .
I was a little worried about the swelling as I stated I have never had a bitch like that before .
So hopefully all goes ok at vet tomorrow xx

It's pretty normal for them to bleed quite a bit at the start, so I think that's another indication you are right at the beginning.