Our cocker is having what we believe to be her 1st season. She's 12 months old and seems to be coping well, she's doesn't seem to have had a mood change or any sort of drastic behavioural change. She seems to be bleeding a fair bit and is very anxiously trying to clean up after herself which I believe is quite normal. My problem is we are due to go on holiday for the week this Saturday and our little girl is coming with us, is this now feasable? How long does the bleeding last? She seems to have been cleaning herself for about a week but we noticed a little last night on the floor and this morning as she was jumping in excitement greeting us it was spotting onto the floor - is it wise to still go away?

Also, we are having her spayed as we are getting a little boy in October, would this best be done 3 months after her season? I've read various opinions on this message board and that seems to be widely supported but our vet actually advised us to do it 5 weeks after her season??

Hi,
Seasons usually last about 3 weeks from start to finish - when did you first notice the bleeding? The 'danger period' regards mating is usually from day 10 till about day 15, but can be earlier or later depending on the bitch - you can get successful matings from day 3 right up to day 20.

Where are you going on holiday?If you take her you are never going to be able to leave her unattended anywhere, even for a minute, and if you take her for long walks you may well find you have attracted all the local Romeos who won't leave......

Spaying midway between seasons is usually best for both bitch and vet.
Hope this helps.
:)

The first time we noticed the blood was last night but she's been cleaning herself for some days now... having said that she always seems to be doing that and trying to hump the little couch we bought her so it's hard to tell when it started really :-s

We're not going far, just to Wales in a Log Cabin. I think we'll go and see how it is, we can always come home if it's a problem.

She'd never be unattended, she's like a second skin *lol*

Cheers for your help :-)

I have heard of a bitch being mated while crossing Oxford Street - it was a shock to the owner when they found themselves stranded in the middle!

She may 'normally' be like a second skin, but when they are in season they act completely out of character and some times make a bolt for the door, so I would be VERY careful!!

Spaying 5 weeks after a season could actually cause problems - this is the time when many bitches show signs of a phantom pregnancy & spaying at this stage can result in a very severe, prolonged phantom. It's much better to wait until 3 months after your bitch's season finishes to get her spayed.

You could actually stop your Cocker's season now with a hormone injection although I would be inclined to let nature take it's course now the season has started. Not sure I would want to take a bitch in season away on holiday but you'll just have to play it by ear :-)

Just a quickie :) Is it 3 months after the start or the finish of the season ?

Thanks - just trying to work out when we can fit our holiday around having our's done :)

Daisy

Edited - Just reread your answer :o Doh :)

Cheers Jane, I thought 5 weeks seemed a little strange after all I'd read on here, I think we may be inclined to find a different vet if that's the kind of advice they give!

To be honest we've agonised over whether to go or not but in the end decided to go and be prepared to come home if there are problems. She'll not be let out of sight and obviously will be on a lead at all times when out and about. I've read on here about a spray you can buy to help throw dogs off the scent so I'm taking a trip to the pet shop this morning before we go and we'll try that also.

The only change in behaviour we've noticed is she was a little quieter for a couple of days but other than that apart from the bloating and licking you wouldn't know she was in season, bless her.

Thanks for all the advice :-)