Heat: Do you do anything special? Like supplements?

[elisabeth_00117]

I am curious, I will also ask my breeder (Zefra is co-owned) but do you do anything "special" for a bitch in heat?

Add supplements? If so, which? How much?

I have everything planned for when Zefra goes into heat (she's not even 5 months old yet) except this.

I was just curious as I have never experienced a bitch in heat before as all of our dogs were spayed young or I was too young to remember.

[trudy]

I don't do anything except keep them apart, and try to keep Ty quiet and eating, Truthfully she doesn't act like anything is going on, Gemma is her normal usual self and he is a whiny crying begging bundle of testosterone

[elisabeth_00117]

Hahaha... Yes, I have already mentally prepared myself for Stark's whining.

I have a friend who lives in the building where we live who has offered to keep Stark if he gets too upset. His best buddy lives there and the two girls he adores so he will have a great time and I can go and see him any time, plus care for him such as walks and his classes and such.

[Xeph]

We do nothing special. Just keep everybody separated. Strauss, aside from licking pee spots incessantly, is silent until Mirada is ovulating, and then he whines constantly for 3 days. He may or may not go off food.

[Elana55]

One thing I do NOT do is take her for a walk from the house to anywhere. If I take her for a walk we load into the car and go and then walk. Come home and unload.

In spite of sketchy animal control here where I live, not a single male showed up.

Other than that and keeping her on leash (even in the fenced yard) nothing special was done.

Oh.. I did carry a cattle prod with me when I took her off property to walk (in case any persistant males showed up) but none did.

[lhczth]

Other than the obvious stuff like not turning her out unsupervised or traveling with her and my male, I might give a bit more salmon oil during this time and I won't bike a young female that is in heat. Nothing else changes.

[drosado]

Mia was her usual sunny self. R.D., on the other hand, was whiney and did not want to eat. Worried more about him than her.

[elisabeth_00117]

Thanks everyone.

Lisa, Zefra is already getting 1000mg's of fish oil (salmon) per day, should I increase it or leave it at what it is? I usually increase it anyways in the cooler months (say to about 1500mgs).

[lhczth]

I feed around 4000 per day to the girls before and when in heat, but these are 68-70# adult females. That is around 1000 mg/17.5# of body weight. A bit more than the 1000 mg/20# I feed normally.