My small dog's vulva is very swollen during heat. Is it a prolapse?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. Her swollen vulva and the blood tinged discharge are consist with her heat cycle starting. However, the lesion in the pictures is abnormal. She could have traumatized herself by licking. If there is tissue protruding from her vagina, then I worry about a prolapse. If the area enlarges or seems to bother her, then she will need to see her veterinarian. I hope this information helps!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Athena. Your pictures are a bit fuzzy, but she does appear to have tissue protruding from her vulva. This may be a vaginal prolapse. She will need to see her veterinarian to confirm this suspicion. If this is the case, it will likely repeat with each subsequent heat cycle unless she is spayed. In the meantime, prevent her from licking the area. I hope this information helps!

Yes, swelling of the vulva is normal during a heat, and it can get large especially if Poke already has a relatively large vulva. It can also be caused by an allergic reaction or an infection. It's always good to have it checked out by a vet just to be safe. I hope this helps!

This looks like a vaginal prolapse. That is when the vagina turns inside out. This is very swollen and needs to be lubricated and then manipulated back into place. You can clean it gently with a warm wet cloth, then apply KY Jelly to it or Vaseline to protect the sensitive skin from injury, then I'd bring her in tomorrow morning to get this examined and treated. I'm afraid if you leave this it may not get back to normal. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Piper.

Yes, this is normal to see a swollen vulva during a dog's heat, and in this picture, Stormy's vulva does not look abnormally swollen. Thank you for providing a picture, as it really helped with my answer. So to answer your question, yes this is normal!

Vaginal swelling is itself a sign of estrus/heat even without discharge. If it is the first season it may be that you won't notice any discharge at all. It is actually possible that the estrus is over already and vaginal swelling will go down in the next week time. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

It is not unusual for the vulva to remain swollen for a period of time after the "heat" cycle is over. In dogs, there are [4 stages of estrus](https://www.petcoach.co/article/anatomy-and-function-of-the-reproductive-system-in-dogs). The combination of proestrus and estrus, which is often referred to as "heat" by breeders, lasts approximately 21 days. "Heat" is followed by diestrus and anestrus. During proestrus, the vulva swells and has a bloody discharge. During estrus, the vulva softens and becomes pliable in preparation for mating. It can take several weeks following estrus for the vulva to shrink back down in size, but it will never go back to the size it was before the first heat cycle. The same is true of the mammary glands, which enlarge slightly in preparation for [pregnancy](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/pregnancy/).