ABOUT ESTRUS CYCLE

FOUR STAGES OF CANINNE ESTRUS CYCLE


Proestrus: vaginal discharge, males attracted to females, females unwilling to mate. Length: 4-20 days.

Estrus: swollen vulva, yellowish vaginal discharge, mating occurs during this phase. Length: 5-13 days.

Metestrus (or Diestrus): period after estrus or mating. Length: 60-90 days. If pregnant, pregnancy lasts between 60-64 days in the dog.

Anestrus: period of inactivity (sexual and hormonal) between estrus phases. Length: 2-3 months.

Some general "rules of thumb" for canine estrus:

* The first estrus cycle usually occurs by age 6-12 months; for some small breeds, as early as 5 months, and for some large and giant breeds, the first cycle may not occur until 14 months of age or older.
* On average, dogs have two cycles a year.
* The estrus cycle lasts on average 12-21 days, but maybe be as short as a few days to four weeks. The estrus period length varies widely between breeds and individual dogs.
* The length of a cycle varies widely, even for dogs of the same breed. If in doubt, assume the longer end of the range for the cycle length.
* Bleeding occurs prior to a female being receptive to a male (allowing mounting by the male), but male dogs will be very attracted to the female in the proestrus stage.
* Dogs can get pregnant during their first heat cycle, but this is not advisable as a 6-month old dog is not yet fully grown/mature, and complications for the mother and the puppies are more likely.

For dogs that will be pets, it is recommended to spay them before the first heat, eliminating the risk of accidental pregnancy and reproductive diseases later on in life. Dogs may be spayed while in heat (or pregnant), but there is additional risk due to the engorged vessels and tissue of the reproductive tract -- a higher chance of bleeding during surgery or other complications. The cost of surgery while in heat or pregnant is often higher as well.


HOW LONG IS THE GESTATION PERIOD FOR DOGS ?


Pregnancy in the dog (all breeds) lasts about 2 months: 60-64 days.

The canine reproductive life varies greatly from breed to breed with regard to onset of puberty, however. Small breed dogs typically start having estrus (heat) cycles earlier, at 4-6 months of age, and large breeds typically start later, at 12 to 24 months of age. The estrus cycles vary between each individual dog, average of 6 to 12 days. Some dogs as few as 2 days, some dogs cycle as long as 21 days.1

Female dogs cycle throughout their life, they do not experience menopause (reproductive cycles ceasing with age) as human females do. Please see the canine estrus FAQ for more information about reproductive cycles in the dog.

Female dogs that are spayed eliminate the chance of uterine infection (a condition called pyometra), uterine cancer, and ovarian cancer, since the uterus and ovaries are removed during the spay surgery. Additionally, the chance of breast cancer is greatly reduced, especially if the dog is spayed before the first heat cycle. The earlier that the dog is spayed, the better the chance for reducing or eliminating all of these reproductive diseases mentioned above.