Help!!

[dujdhlfe]

I need some advice/hopefully reassurance.

I’m absolutely mortified about this situation.
4 months ago, my 14 month old Havanese had her first heat cycle. It was short - about a week long - and uneventful. I put her in diapers and kept her inside/away from other dogs.

Well, today, I took her and my larger dog to the dog park for a treat. My kids (7 years old) took the Havanese to the small dog side, and I took my mastiff mix to the large dog side. I say this because I was NOT watching what was going on on the small dog side other than a glance here or there to make sure my kids were paying attention to the dog. She was surrounded by the other dogs the whole time/playing and bouncing around like normal.

We got home, and I was cleaning up the dogs from getting muddy and MY HAVANESE IS IN HEAT AGAIN. I saw zero signs before we left for the dog park but she’s for sure swollen and bleeding since being there this morning. I’m mortified. I have no idea if she was around other unaltered dogs and obviously have no idea of any of them managed to tie. I asked my daughter and she told me that “that white dog kept wrestling with Poppy and I didn’t like it.”

I’m obviously going to keep her in for the rest of her cycle but can anyone tell me a.) if it’s her first day of heat, what are the chances she gets bred if she did tie with another dog?! b.) is there anything I can do to prevent a pregnancy (she’s only a baby and I worry about her health!) and c.) how long before I would know one way or the other???

Note: she’s not spayed yet because I am low income and “waiting” my turn for a local spay clinic that is very busy. She was estimated to get into either the June or July clinic.

I have zero knowledge on dog breeding and obviously no intention of breeding her. I’m so worried about her and just need some peace of mind (if that’s even possible). Help!

 

[moniquetrenchfield]

@dujdhlfe Heat cycles can be anything from 3-12 months, usually they are more frequent in smaller breeds. It's perfectly possible to breed without a full tie, it's called a slip mating and while it's less likely to result in pregnancy, it can and does happen. It's also possible you haven't noticed your dog's discharge straight away and this isn't the first day of her cycle so don't assume dates.

Ring your vet, they can give medication to stop a pregnancy if there's any chance she has been mated.

Get your dog spayed asap and in the meantime bear in mind that keeping her in for a week is nowhere near sufficient. She needs to be out of bounds as far as other dogs go for around three weeks to be safe. The danger period is not just when they are bleeding but in the following days as this is when they are most fertile. Sperm can survive several days and ovulation usually occurs after the bleeding phase.

 

[dvm0071]

@moniquetrenchfield A spay-abort sounds like the best option

 

[moniquetrenchfield]

@dvm0071 Greater risk to the bitch spaying in heat/pregnancy though. Personally I'd ask for the termination injections and then spay her at the correct point midway though the cycle as this will pretty much coincide with OPs original spay timetable.

 

[roundspheal01]

@moniquetrenchfield The mismate shot has risks as well and many vets don’t offer it anymore

 

[dvm0071]

@moniquetrenchfield I didn’t realize that was an option! Thank you!!

 

[moniquetrenchfield]

To add, you can ultrasound a bitch around four weeks into the pregnancy for confirmation. But you really don't want to be producing a mixed breed litter off a 14m bitch.

 

[dujdhlfe]

@moniquetrenchfield Thank you so much for your kind/knowledgeable comment. I will call the vet on Monday.

She doesn’t go outside without me in general, I just calculated her last cycle for my own knowledge knowing it was a wait until her spay. It was 7 days from when she became swollen and then only 4 days of bleeding, and then a couple of days of still swollen/discharge before she didn’t need diapers anymore. She’s very much an inside dog and only goes out in our fenced yard with me to potty. We live in the country so I worry about hawks/eagles/owls more than anything! Lol

The dog park is RARE and more for my other dog because he’s a social butterfly. I never even bring her to the dog park because she typically doesn’t care for it. We went for pup cups at the Starbucks next door and it was nice out so I spontaneously decided to take them. dumb.

 

[esmerelda]

@dujdhlfe Hi I have an intact female who is 3 years old. No accidents here. I actually also have an intact male now who is 10 months old. My female is currently in heat. Its not actually during the active bleeding where they are the most fertile.

When my girl started bleeding my boy was curious. A week after the bleeding started is when he got CRAZY.

I keep her away from dogs for at least two weeks AFTER she has stopped bleeding.

This system has worked for me so far. No accidents, even with a young intact male in the house.

 

[moniquetrenchfield]

@dujdhlfe Eh, don't beat yourself up, it happens and, especially with young bitches who clean themselves well, heats can be hard to spot. My own bitch is 2.5 and rarely shows any outward signs of heat unless you actually grab her tail and get a good look at her lady bits! Hopefully no harm done and if the worst has happened, you can get it sorted without too much hassle.

 

[smilerman312]

@dujdhlfe Other people would have noticed a tie, they would have been locked together.

 

[dujdhlfe]

@smilerman312 There was one older gentleman on that side with all the dogs, he was reading a book and not watching. The other dogs were all with their children (ranging from 7-10 maybe at the oldest). No other adults in the pen so it’s really unknown. I asked how the dogs were playing and my daughter stated “the white one (Westie) kept touching her butt with his butt! It was gross.” So I’m EXTRA concerned they tied as I think this is how a kid would view it. I don’t know!

 

[joymatt]

@dujdhlfe i have no advice but i just want to say it’s lowkey scary that there was only one adult in that section of the dog park and a bunch of children and dogs. what happens if a dog fight breaks out? or one of the kids gets bit? that’s so unsafe

 

[alexhunting]

@joymatt Super irresponsible dog owner ship.

 

[dujdhlfe]

@joymatt lol small town, small dog park… I used to be worried about it too, but honestly have never seen a fight break out in the small dog pen, and kids are much better about watching their dogs/cleaning up after them than the adults (shockingly). It would never happen in the large dog side. You’d be surprised how responsible kids are once you let them have that responsibility. As far as bites go, I’ve never seen that happen either. If someone knows their dog is a nipper, they’re probably not going to send them into a pen with kids. Is there a risk? Sure, but in the 7 or so years the dog park has been open there’s never been an incident on the small dog side. (Lots of dog fights/people fights on the large dog side tho lol)

Part of why it’s kid-heavy is there is obstacle course equipment that a lot of kids use for their 4H dogs. It’s well known that that’s where kids practice and play so I’m pretty sure the majority of use is for that/really kid-friendly/family dogs. The more aggressive little dogs are often on the large dog side.

 

[roundspheal01]

@dujdhlfe How long were you not looking? Dogs breeding generally isn’t quick

 

[gabriel123]

@dujdhlfe If you’re sure that her heat just started then it’s very doubtful.

 

[613jono]

@dujdhlfe Hi. Havanese breeder here.

Step one: go to your vet asap and run a progesterone test. What it is will tell you where in her season she is and if you even have anything to worry about.

My repro vet refuses to give the mis mate shot because it is unsafe. Please do not use it.

IF she is pregnant, it’s not ideal, but she will be fine. As someone else said, you can ultrasound at 28 days.

But start with progesterone. It’s ~$150 depending on where you are, and is the least invasive option.

If she’s not pregnant, spay her as soon as she’s finished with her season.
If she is pregnant, call your breeder and prep for puppies. She’ll be upset id imagine, but hopefully help you with the litter (if you want to DM who your breeder is I’ll see if I can help, if she reputable I’ll know her)

A spay abort is an option but a 14 month old Havanese will do fine whelping puppies, and there’s always homes for them. Just spay her once they’re weaned

All that said, it’s VERY unlikely they bred. Even someone not paying attention would have their attention gotten by a breeding.

 

[dujdhlfe]

@613jono Thank you! My vet also recommended the progesterone check. The dog that potentially got to her was a small West Highland Terrier, so my vet is not concerned about size if she is pregnant and advised she’s physically mature enough to handle it which is a relief. I’ll know more when the tests come back.

She was a rescue from a puppy mill situation. I was volunteering to help collect dogs from it, and her mom was found deceased in her crate with 2 pups that needed bottle fed. Her brother passed the first night, but I fostered, bottle fed her for 3 weeks, got attached, and here we are. I’ve never had a Havanese before but she’s so silly and perfect!

Part of the adoption process was getting her spayed, but the rescue is the one that set me up with the spay clinic and we’ve just been patiently waiting. I’ve contacted them and they were so sweet and understanding and will help me find good homes for any oopses that might come along before her spay.

Glad to have a plan.