Hi everyone,

My 8 months old chihuahua entered her first heat cycle a week ago. I haven't seen any bleeding, but her vulva and teats have been swollen. Yesterday, I started to notice some pale yellow discharge. I read that this occurs during the second stage of the heat cycle so I'm surprised there was no noticeable blood discharge first (apart from possibly one tiny little spot on the bed covers, but then again I also read that it can go unnoticed in some dogs?).

Anyway, her belly has also been slightly bloated for 2-3 days and this morning she has vomited 4 times (pale yellow liquid 3 out of 4 times). She doesn't want to eat or drink water. She even refused chicken puppy meat and treats (she was eating normally until this morning btw). She has seemed increasingly unhappy and tired over the last couple of days and right now she seems quite lethargic.

I read that it can make them nauseous, but is it normal for a dog to be this sick during their heat cycle? Or could it be something unrelated to the heat? Should I be worried?

Thanks in advance!

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BTW (before anyone asks me), yes I do intend to have her spayed / I have no intention to breed her. I wanted to have her spayed before, but my vet thought she was too young / too small and advised to wait until after her first heat.

I can't answer your question because Tiki hasn't gotten to that point yet either. But I am interested in the answers for the future because my vet recommended the same. I hope everything tuns out ok and she feels better soon.

My girl has started hers too. She did dirty her sheet a bit but it was not something horrible, she kept clean on her own. Today she is very very clingy and is whining wanting to be held. I reminds me of the days I had my human girl who literally would not let me go to the bathroom. Kalisee sat and whined outside the door. This morning she threw up a little bit but she does that on occasion. I am not sure it has to do with her cycle...she is pretty cold today too. She will play with her ball though and run around, she seems in a good mood otherwise just very clingy. She seems "different" in a way.

Im not sure if your girl is unwell because of her cycle or maybe she is having tummy troubles, but I hope she is better soon.

They are so young to have this so soon, but that is nature!

Aww yeah, Coco has been clingy and whiny too. She wants to be on or near me at all time. She howled at me as if to tell me off for leaving her alone when I walked out of the bathroom yesterday. Funny little things.

Thanks, I hope so too. I managed to make her eat a bit earlier, but she ended up vomiting twice again. She seems a little bit better right now though. She was curled in a ball on my lap, shaking, all day... but she's suddenly become playful, running around with toys, so that's at least that!

That amount of vomiting and lethargy does not sound normal to me. My girl has had a small amount of diarrhea and her brain leaves her a bit (her competition agility and obedience goes out the window for a week or two) but she does not get lethargic and refuse to move, vomit or curl up and shake. I would be worried if she did not drink and continues to act like this. Look up the symptoms for pyometra, it is not common in dogs that young or during a first heat cycle but I would still be concerned as it can be a life threatening illness. It is one of the reasons that spaying is a good idea in dogs that are not showing or breed-worthy.

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This does not sound good to me. I think you need to get her to the vet. Read up on pyometra and endometritis. I almost lost my Zoey with her first estrus/heat cycle. It can be fatal and spaying is the only to save them. If its caught in time.

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Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lifes whole

I am admittedly uninformed when it comes to female heat cycles (my female dog was spayed by the humane society at 8 weeks), but this doesn't sound normal. I would at least consult the vet and take her in- these symptoms could become severe and may be a sign of something life threatening.

If you are in the USA, I'd try to get her in tomorrow before the long holiday. Otherwise, if something happens, you may be paying emergency room prices.

Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com App

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Thanks for all the responses.

I must say I had already read about Pyometra and I was starting to worry about it.

Thankfully, I managed to make her eat some tuna last night (the only thing she was willing to eat). I mixed it with a bit of water to force her to drink and it worked. After a while her appetite came back. She ate and drank a good amount and was fine afterwards. She got up to eat and drink again in the middle of the night too.
She seems back to normal, happy and playful right now. The bloating has also gone down... but if she restarts feeling unwell today, I'll take her to the vet.

I'm so relieved!