My dog is in heat, uncomfortable, and won't eat. What helps?

She may have a uterine or vaginal infection that is making her feel bad or this maybe unrelated to the cycle. a decrease in appetite can be from eating something she should not have or an infection. You can try boiled chicken and rice and if no luck then I would have her seen by a vet since it has been 2 days and I would worry about her getting dehydrated

Poor girl. Some dogs have a tougher time than others when it comes to their first heat cycle. However she does seem to bra late bloomer as most dogs have their first heat cycle around 6-10 months. If she is this ill I would recommend having her to examined by your vet to make sure she isn't having any complications or other underlying illness that's causing this. If she is found to have a ln abnormally intense heat cycle, then the vet can prescribe some safe pet friendly pain medicaiton for her to get for the next few days until the brunt of her menstrual cycle has passed. In the meantime I try placing a warm compress on her belly for a few minutes (be very careful not to leave on too long or you can easily burn your pets skin) to help ease some of the discomfort. hope she feels better soon!

These behavioral changes in Brownie will be related to her being in heat. She doesn't want to come inside and keeps scratching the door because she wants to go outside to find males with which she can mate. She is likely whining as well because she wants to be outside to roam. Her appetite may be decreased due to her interest elsewhere. Pretty much she is focused on mating at this point. The only want to stop this behavior is to have her spayed once her heat is over. This will keep her from having these behavioral changes, and will also have many health benefits as well, including a significant reduction in the risk of developing mammary tumors and eliminating the chance she develops a pyometra (a life threatening infection of the uterus). Otherwise, you are just going to have to wait it out until her heat is done. You may have to carry her back inside, and I'd keep her in a room away from the front door to keep her from scratching at it. You can try tempting her to eat by mixing in some boiled white meat chicken (no bones) with her dog food, or you can soak her dry food in low sodium chicken broth. I hope this helps!

It's possible, if she is in heat and was outside, that a male dog came into contact with her. If she is now acting very ill or lethargic, it would be best to seek out veterinary care to make sure there isn't another underlying cause, injury, or illness causing her symptoms.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Lexi! I do not think this is normal and I am worried too! I am concerned that Lexi may have an infected uterus (pyometra). This is a surgical emergency. Dogs can become very sick from this and it is life threatening. It could be something else but it is best to have her examined by your Vet and have a belly X-ray done to see if her uterus is dilated. I hope this helps and I wish Lexi the very best!

These are not normal symptoms associated with being in heat, so I would be concerned about some other illness. If she hasn't eaten in several days and is still vomiting, I would recommend taking her to the emergency vet. She is likely very dehydrated at this point, and we need to figure out what is causing the nausea.

It is possible but since Piper can’t talk, and I can’t preform a physical exam, I can’t say for sure. Back pain, gut pain or a bladder infection are all possible. I recommend to be safe and have her seen by her veterinarian. If she checks out normally, a heating pad applied to her lower abdomen may help-make sure it’s not too hot though, pets can get burned! The doctor can also prescribe pain medication safe for dogs. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.