Hi, I know i have talked about heat recently but really have had to fend for my self becasue I was getting so much different information.

First off, when I though she might be going into heat I called my vet and she said it was virtually impossible at 5.2 months.

I explained that she was peeing alot---boys were going after her and she was a bit pesky, but not bad enough to annoy me--I like it when she is a bit wired, i think it is cute

She also said that the bleeding comes at the end.  So when I asked if I could come in and see if she was in heat, she said she could not test in any way and it was a waste.  She thought I was over-reacting.

Any way Nora was molesting females like mad and I kept her away from boys to be sure.

that night she sits on a towel and when i went to put it in the laundry it seemed to have small specks of what looked like blood. 

Nothing like I have seem before.

her tummy and and inner thighs were pink and he tiny nipples might have be more prominent, but they are tiny as well as her private area, so if it was engored i was not sure, but she was pink all around.

Well she did not bleed again, if that was even her and now she is not peeing alot and is not being pestered that much by the boys, even though most are fixed.

I think Mitsy's mom or some one said it could come before 6 months and that was the thing that shored me up to think that maybe she really was in heat.

I want to know, has anyone had this experience? Early heat?  And with mild symtoms?

I am getting a new vet, this one seems a bit green and to by the book to have any instincts about stuff.

Even if I was gonna spay this cycle, it came so fast!!

mel

Mel, the common age for heat cycles to begin is 6 months however many dogs (especially small ones) begin earlier.  We've had several members just on this forum have their dogs come in heat at 5 months.  From your description I'd be looking for another vet...to totally blow you off and say she couldn't be in heat is just wrong.  And I think hormone levels can be tested...maybe some of the breeders here can answer that but just a quick Google search showed that they could be.  Doesn't sound necessary though....just sounds like she is in heat.

It sounds to me like maybe a male dog has had his way with Miss Nora.  Is there any way she could have been alone with another dog for a little while?  The redness on her belly and thighs would come from a male holding on with his front paws.  If she is still small in the privates, he may not have been able to get in, but if he did there may be just a little blood.

There is such a thing as a "silent heat".  I don't know much about it, but google "silent heat" and I'm sure you'll get some info.  As far as real full blown heat...She would get swollen in her privates and there is definitely blood.  Check her bedding...if she is bleeding just a little, she might be able to lick it up as it comes, but usually when they sleep you will see spotting.  I sometimes would blot Tinkerbelle with a white tissue if she was sitting somewhere too long.  There is generally about 3 weeks of bleeding...on days 9-10 it becomes a little bit lighter...straw colored...that is when she is ovulating and her progesterone level drops about a day before...so this would be a hard thing to tell on a blood test if you are totally unsure of when the heat started.  She will stand for the male during this ovulation time on about days 12-15.  Her bottom will be very swollen which makes it easier for the male to get in there.  Then she will continue bleeding for the next week or so.

A blood test will not tell you if she is pregant at  this time because unlike humans, their hormone levels do kind of remain the same until the end of pregnancy.  The gestation is 63 days and at about day 25-26 an ultrasound can be done to confirm pregnancy.  There is really not much sign of pregnancy until then.  But, after those dates, her belly starts to swell, teats become pink, hard and huge.  I took pictures of Tinkerbelle on day 44 and you could definitely see her swollen belly by then. 

So, I would find a new vet, but she was not really lying about the blood test not really being an accurate indicator.   I would find out about "silent heat" and I would keep her away from all males.  It could be she is just about to come into heat and so she has been humping all her friends and a male finally gave her a little hump, but if she wasn't ovulating...you should be safe....and Nora probably screamed in pain if he tried to get it in her little parts.  Usually if a female is not receptive, she will turn around and bite the male or sit down.

Hope this helps!  Good Luck!

Yea, when the male first mounts, he is trying to hold on and can scratch her thighs and tummy while he tries to aim for the spot.  But when they are tied, he turns around and she's not getting scratched anymore.  It's a crazy thing to watch!

I misspoke about the progesterone levels. They don't drop before ovultion, they peak.  Anyway, that's how they can tell about ovulation...there is a change 24 hours before ovulation.

I think I was thinking about the temp drops 24 hours before whelping.....I have too much info in my brain...trying to master this breeding stuff.

I miss edit button.  I can't even correct my spelling.  Sorry

I don't have much info for ya but yes it takes more than 5 sec

I would think it would take more than 5 seconds for the boy to get it in there and then be able to ejaculate, but I have read that the sperm swim in the early part and that when the dogs are tied it is sperm mixed with other fluid that helps it to swim, but that females actually can get pregnant before the "tie".  So, if it was really 5 seconds, you probably don't need to worry.  5 minutes would definitely be long enough though.  I bet she is having pre-heat symptoms and hasn't really come into it.  But, i guess she could have had a silent heat.  You could still get her spayed now and that would terminate anything that may or may not be there.  Some breeders are spaying their dogs before they even adopt them, so they can do it pretty early.  They can do kittens now when they are just a few weeks old.

Mel, if there's any question of pregnancy you can go ahead and have her spayed now....before it goes any further.  Dogs can be spayed while in heat, too, it just may cost more (the vet has to take more precautions because of the increased risk of bleeding).  So either way, that would take care of the problem.  She's too young for puppies so spaying, even if a pregnancy has begun, sounds like a logical choice.