Puppies first heat, help Questions

My almost 7 months old Akita, Katie Mae, is in heat, day 17. She is still bleeding some and last night pee’d where she was laying down in the house, she got up and moved.. today she slept late and didn’t want to go outside until I took her out, around 3pm (usually she wants out shortly after first light), and walked her back to the area where the dogs do their business. She had a pee and a poo. This morning she didn’t want to eat. After I picked up her food bowl my almost 21 month old male Akita (altered) came inside and had a sniff of her backside, which she didn’t like, and gave him a pretty good growl and seemed like they might have a non-play fight, which has never happened. I sent him out, comforted her and did same outside with my male, Bandit. She followed me out a few minutes ago and had another pee. She’s mostly been sleeping and staying close to me. Does any of this sound familiar to anyone? This is first female I’ve had in many years and first time I’ve let a girl go through a heat, so this is new to me. Might she have an infection, or is this normal. I may take her to vets tomorrow but didn’t feel I needed to go to emergency vet, as mine is closed Sunday and emergency vet charges $100 just to walk in the door. I need some heartworm pills, or maybe a heartworm shot for my male anyways so maybe they can take a quick peek at her too. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks in advance, Marc

This is what she’s been doing all day

Hi Marc
I can’t help I’m afraid, I hope some can put you mind at rest
I’m glad to here you are at the vets today with her and I’m looking forward to hearing how you get on

Hi Philippa,
She didn’t eat again tonight and seems a bit restless, has been getting up and moving to different spots. She did lay outside for a few hours tonight. It was hot here the last 2 days.. She is now sleeping on one of their beds. I’ll call vets in the morning and see what they think. I want to keep my eye on her but don’t feel it’s an emergency, but she is very subdued.

Marc, Katie Mae is showing signs similar to human females, especially those who start menstruating when they are younger than normal. They do not understand what their hormones are doing to them and get confused and Katie Mae came into season at a very young age for her breed and size.

You say she is restless and keeps moving to different places and that it has been hot where you are. It is quite common for human females feel hotter/feel heat more when they are menstruating so I would think that it is possible also with dogs. I am not an expert in canine oestrus although I have owned many bitches, especially when I used to breed Griffons, but I did learn that all of them were different in their reactions and behaviors.

Katie Mae is peeing, pooing - even if she is not interested in food is she drinking OK?

Check this with your vet of course, but it does not sound like an infection to me and I would not start to panic yet unless she shows signs of being ill.

Juli, Thank you for your response. That makes sense. I was surprised she came into season so young. Tonight she’d kept going and looking at her food and walking away, seemed like at one point it was making her nauseous. Poor little girl. She has been drinking water, not as much as normal but she is drinking. She played with bandit yesterday but not today. Bandit has eaten less the last few days too. I’ll sleep a little better now.

Marc, do not offer Katie Mae any food for a day or two, just make sure she has fresh water down. She will tell you when she is hungry and she will not starve. And do not offer her any treats in the hope she will eat. When she decides to want food it is proper food she should have, not treats.

The fact that Bandit has also eaten less the last few days is probably because of the weather, and with Katie it is combination of the weather and her inner core temperature having risen due to being in season.

And however sorry you might feel for her, please just treat her as she normally is, not try to comfort her. I know that might sound harsh but she is in season which is a normal occurrence, not an illness.

Great advice Juli
Marc must feel so much better, I know I would
P x

I fed her this morning as she was asking for food when I fed Bandit. She was hungry and ate every last kibble in her bowl. Has been out a few times to take care of business but wanted to come back in and hang out with me, and maybe to get away from Bandit. She still doesn’t want to play with Bandit.. I hope that once thru this they will go back to playing as they played for hours a day, play fighting, chasing each other, tug-o-war etc. She has become Velcro dog, often at/on my feet, wanting lots of pets/scratches/belly rubs. It has cooled off quite a bit, we are all happy about that. Thanks again for your advice

I did and do feel much better, plus I took off work today to be here for KM

I noticed with my Akita as he got older his personality changed and we changed with him, when I say that I mean we changed our training regime. Just as you think all is well, wham....think again
I th8nk it’s best described as “ working progress “
I’m loving your posts by the way !

I am glad I was able to help Marc, give Katie Mae another few days until this season is over and done with and her hormones are back to normal, and she will no doubt go back to playing with Bandit again as if nothing had ever happened.

As for becoming a Velcro dog, she is looking to you for reassurance - hormones can be really confusing and she does not know why she has/is feeling strange. So reassure her that she is OK, but do not over-do the attention/petting etc just in case she decides that she wants it all the time!

I do not know where you are as I cannot access your profile, but I hope it is not as hot where you are as it is here - and we have got months of it to come yet - SIGH.

Santa Cruz, California on the open profile.

I would just like to add a note of caution. Because a bitches season is supposed to last 21 days, doesn't mean that it always does, and especially a first season. Bitches have usually stopped showing blood when they are ready to stand for a dog, so do be careful in allowing them to play, or spend time together. She is far too young to risk getting accidentally caught.

I live in the coastal mountain range near Santa Cruz California. Weather App had said it would only be 78 today but it is currently 83 outside but only 73 inside. The past 2 days it pushed close to 90, which is hot for a double coated dog. My house heats up more later in the afternoon. I think we will head up to the vets after I eat lunch and than drive down to the beach where it will be cooler. Just looked and it is only 70 by the beach. No where near as hot as where you live.

PS. My fathers grandparents migrated to the US from England after moving there from Germany, I think it was in late 1800’s. I will ask him when that was.

My male is altered, and also her 1/2 brother, so no puppies will be had. I’m planning on spaying her before her next season. I’ll leave breeding to those who know more and are better set up for it.

Thank you all for your responses, they are helpful and reassuring, the breeder I got her from has been MIA for past few weeks, I hope she is ok. She is usually better about responding to texts.

I still can’t get use to calling her a bitch..

I wish there was more Akita owners on here but the general overall dog knowledge being shared is very helpful. Was curious what led you to decide to get an Akita and what breed/s you’ve had previously.

Thank you Carole for reminding me both about the open profile and also for posting about when a bitch is ready to stand - I always used the two stud dogs belonging to my mentor when I bred my Griffons - they were both from her breeding although from different lines, and more than once I missed one of my girls at the right time.

Ha ha! The B - word comment has come up before now! In the show world we never give it a second thought - it is how we describe the breed classification.
I'm ever so sorry that I had missed the fact that your male is neutered, but maybe still worth mentioning that her heat may go on for a little longer than the norm.

My ancient bungalow is like an oven in the summer and an icebox in the winter!

My paternal grandfather [who I never knew] was from Latvia, I think - somehow arrived in England in the late 1800's - met my paternal grandmother in England - somehow arrived in England from a little shtetl somewhere in Poland. They met and were engaged when he was 19 and she was 17. He fought in the British army in WWI. I know that all of the families they left behind perished in the Holocaust.

My maternal grandfather was also from somewhere in Poland, and he also fought in the British army in WWI but the family of my maternal grandmother [who I also never knew] had been in England for a couple of centuries. I have no idea where they originally came from and of course there is nobody left that knows.

I love talking with people that have been Akita owners or have one now, it’s like a private club and unless you have/had one people don’t just quite understand how difficult it can be.
My hubby had had 2 bitches, they were sisters from different dogs and apparently they lived in harmony, un heard of by many, when we decided to get a dog he wanted another. I heard all about there character and obviously once I saw photos I was smitten !
They are certainly a complex breed and all the traits described in any research are strong and true traits
He is 16 months now and I know we still have a long way to go, but, I feel as if we have turned a corner, he is confident and mostly obedient which allows him to trust us in certain situations, don’t get me wrong he has had me upset, angry and disappointed so many times, along with tears, I also went through a stage when I wondered if he should be muzzled, we worked through that phase and decided not to muzzle him.
Taking him for a walk isn’t like taking a “ regular “ dog out, it’s like a military operation, easier when it’s my hubby and I we are always on the look out for anything that we need to be aware of, we always keep an eye on his body language and behaviour
I have seen pictures of parents doing the “ school run “ with another child in a buggy an Akita on a short lead, it always amazes me how they do it.
I’m also a member of an Akita rescue site, everyday new Akitas come in at such a young age, I know all breeds have this problem for different reasons, but, I can understand why Akitas are sent there at such a young age, Akitas are not for everyone. There was a lady on yesterday that had adopted one, the dog had had 4 homes in 6 months, unbelievable
Sorry if I had rattled on, as I say, I love talking about them
We do feel quite proud of ourselves the way Yoji is turning out