My dog's first heat: When will she go into heat again if not bred?

Dogs typically go into heat every 6-8 months. If you feel like you can spot the beginning of a heat cycle right away you might be able to wait since she's showing no signs now, but I would definitely keep her separated from the male whenever they are unsupervised. To be safe you could also send her to your sister's since it has been 6 months, but she may not go into heat for another month or more.

Given that Kisses is eight months old, this would be her first heat. Female dogs can go into heat for the first time anytime after six months of age, and they go into heat once every six months. With her age, there would not be time for her to have had one heat already and then gone into a second. I hope this helps!

Most dogs typically go into heat twice a year. The questions to ask yourself are: 1. Has she ever done this before? 2. Does the blood look different? 3. Is she behaving differently? Occasionally, bitches do slow their bleeding and then start up again briefly towards the end, but it is not worth the risk to assume this is the case here. If this is not how her heat cycles normally progress, it is possible that she has [pyometra](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/pyometra/), or an infection of the uterus. Pyometra is common in older, intact female dogs that have recently had a heat cycle. It is a very serious condition that typically requires surgical intervention. Please bring her to your veterinarian or the nearest veterinary ER to be on the safe side. She needs to be seen ASAP, especially if she is lethargic, [feverish](https://www.petcoach.co/article/6-common-signs-your-pet-has-a-fever) or has a tender abdomen.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Dog's heats will last a variable amount of time from animal to animal. Some will last a few days, and some can last up to 3 weeks. Most will be on average around 7 days long. A fair amount of blood coloured fluid will be produced, however dogs are pretty good at cleaning themselves up. About 1 month after she has finished bleeding, I would talk to your vet about getting her desexed to prevent pyometra (pus filled uterus), decrease her risks of mastitis, and many different types of cancers, and prevent unwanted pregnancies. Best of luck with Bella!

I recommend you have Molly seen by your vet to make sure she is okay. Dogs usually go into heat around 6 months of age, but can also go into heat earlier, and often the first heat is not noticeable, as there is not always a lot of visible discharge. She may be pregnant, so speak to your vet about what your options are regarding that as well, and if you want to keep the puppies to term. I recommend having Molly spayed and your other dog neutered to help reduce the risk of unwanted pregnancies, certain undesirable behaviours, and certain diseases. See the link below for more information: https://www.avma.org/public/PetCare/Pages/spay-neuter.aspx

Typically dogs go into heat once every six months, but if she didn't nurse the puppies, it is possible she has gone into heat again; however, that's not a common occurrence. Given that Zeva has abandoned her puppies, it is indicative that she has poor mothering ability. This could be due to her age (it's never recommended to breed a dog on her first heat), or she may simply not have good mother abilities. Based on this, I would not recommend breeding her again, and I would have her spayed. Spaying her will abort a pregnancy now if she is pregnant, and prevent future litters from occurring. There is a shot that can be done to terminate a pregnancy, but it has to be done right after mating. I would take her into a vet now.

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Dogs go into heat once every 6months on average. So she will likely go into heat again in March. However, if you are not planning on breeding Riley it is better for her health to get her spayed. It decreases her chances of developing mammary cancer later and also prevent her from having a spontaneous life threatening condition called pyometra. I hope that your fur baby does well. Take care! : )