Hi everyone, rosie my westie who is just 8 months old, has come into season this morning , its her first 1... she started swelling down below about a week or so ago, i kept a close eye on her ....
she is whinning to go out , her mood has changed , she is barking at anything , drinking alot more water than usual... picky with her food .... What i need to know is there anything i should look out for or do anything different while she is in season ????   plus how long will she bleed for ??? and how long is she fertile because under no circumstances do i want pups ... the vet said to wait for the op till she has had her first season .... i would be grateful for any advice...
thanks
bev and rosie

Hi,
Rosie is likely to bleed for about 21 days, and will most likely be fertile between 11 - 15 days BUT successful matings (resulting in pups) have been known as early as Day 2 and as late as Day 22! So for about 3 weeks don't let her outside unattended, not even in your own garden, and don't let her off the lead when there are any other dogs in the vicinity. It is sensible when you take her for walks to drive her to a different (quiet, dog-fee) place, and drive her home again so that she doesn't leave a treasure trail for all the local Romeos!
Hope this helps!
:)

And if she's very large and swollen behind ;) she might appreciate a wipe down with a clean, cool, wet cloth occasionally ;)