Why is my dog's vulva red and licked excessively while in heat?

Place an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent licking or chewing. Keep the area clean and dry. This may be enough to allow for healing, but since the skin appears broken, she should be physically examined by your veterinarian. She may need antibiotics which are by prescription only.

Sometimes the genitalia can experience hyperpigmentation after a heat cycle. Some sort of infection is also possible and a physical exam is needed to tell the difference. I recommend to call your veterinarian who is most familiar with Zoe. They may recommend an exam. Best of luck.

Biting at the paws or legs is more of an indication of something such as an allergy or irritation and may or may not be related to her heat cycle. If she is also licking or chewing at her vaginal area a lot or you are seeing strange discharge not related to her heat cycle from the vaginal area, then it could indicate irritation, inflammation or a possible infection that should be checked out by your vet. Some inflammation and discharge is normal during the heat cycle, however you are seeing any additional signs of illness or strange symptoms, a vet check is always best to rule out more serious conditions. If she is biting and chewing a lot, an Elizabethan (cone) collar may be useful to stop her from licking and chewing and worsening any irritation until you can get into your vet.

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. This is not normal for a heat cycle. The perivulvar area looks red and inflamed which is most likely from the diaper. The diaper is keeping too much heat and moisture in/around the vulva. You may be keeping the diaper on for too many hours. If you continue with the diaper this area will likely get infected. You will need to leave the diaper off and you can treat the affected area with this: ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/3-oz-3-fl-oz-hot-spot-antimicr-2877113 ) If she is bleeding a lot you will need to keep her in a kennel, bathroom or kitchen area so she does not track blood around your house. As a side note, if you are not using specific dog diapers I suggest you do so. Human products often cause this type of problem. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

I would be concerned she may have an infection causing her pain and discomfort hence the licking and self trauma. It is very early for her to be back in a true heat (although not impossible) and I recommend a full vet check as soon as possible to determine exactly what is going on

Poor girl. The brown staining is saliva staining from her licking. THe vulva also looks to be a bit swollen, likely b/c it is irritated. I would suspect that Aira has some vaginitis here. Visit you vet and they can prescribe some antibiotics to hopefully clear this up. Also if she is peeing more than normal and drinking more water, a urinalysis is warranted to check for a UTI. Until you can get her seen, you can wipe her vaginal area with baby wipes to help remove some of the debris and soothe some of the irritation. I hope that your fur baby Aira resolves her vaginal infection soon. Best wishes and take care.

It is normal during a heat cycle for the vulva to become very swollen. She is probably licking constantly to clean off and remove the bloody discharge that is coming out. She is just trying to keep herself clean. They can bleed pretty heavily for part of the heat cycle.