What I have learned from Valentina's First Heat (So far)

I've decided to start counting Valentina's heat from Tuesday.  She started about Monday, but her discharge was slow and mucusy and brown.  Around Tuesday she started with the red-blood discharge. So, we are in the what must be about the 9th day of the heat.  Poor baby!  She is very swollen and now is still bleeding a slightly less red, more watery discharge. Most of the time, she has been very good about wearing her hot pants (diaper).

Here is what I have learned from this experience, so far:
Valentina started her heat in her 10th month.  (It is predicted for the 9th to the 12th month for large dogs. The say the bleeding will last 8 to 10 days.)
The pet store does not have diapers big enough for a Great Dane. If your Great Dane is approaching the predicted time for her Heat, run, don't walk, to your computer, and order online the XXXL size (Yes, three X's!) of the SnuggEase Washable Dog Diaper (2-pack, minimum!). I ordered from Amazon (Sold by Famous Shamus Pet Supplies) The triple X size is for 90 pounds and over. These diapers are nylon on the outside, with a thick, diaper-like material on the inside, covered by a net material.  I ordered the pads (Simple Solution Disposable Liners), but did not use them.  They were simply too narrow. I had gone to the pet stores and had bought the largest size (Large) of doggy diapers. I opened the package, tried one on her, and they were too small. When I discovered that the pads I had ordered were too narrow, I cut away all the surrounding materials from the disposable doggy diapers and had a very absorbent pad that was about 5 or 6 inches wide and also was the perfect length to fit the length of the XXXL Dog diaper. (You want to have a 2-sided, 3/4 inch wide tape ready to fasten the "pad" to the netting.) I had also bought the largest pants at the Pet Store, but they were  too small. (Because they were made of a knit fabric, and stretched, they sufficed while I waited for the 1-day delivery of the XXXL dog diaper.) With the purchase of a 2-pack, I have to wash the diaper every day, so Valentina can have a fresh diaper every morning, so you may want to order more than 2. When she was flowing less, I could use one "pad" per day and one "pad" per night, but as she began to flow more freely, I just make the decision to change it  based on how saturated the "pad" looks when I remove the diaper for her to go outside to go peepee. Be Prepared:  When she is not diapered while outside, she drips like a leaky faucet, and she is VERY swollen. (Poor baby!) So far, she has accepted wearing the diaper.  Sometimes she will move around and make it a little difficult to put it on her, but she has not tried to remove it once it has been put in place.

We are looking forward to the next phase (I think!). She will stop bleeding pop p and the swelling will go down. BUT, she will be pregnable and will easily accept male advances (I've heard they will do anything to get out of the yard, and the interested males will do anything to get into the yard!) -- so we must be careful to keep her inside except for potty trips. By the time this 21-day experience is over, I will have (and Valentina will also have) a serious case of cabin fever. I have left the house a couple of times, with my husband doing the puppy-sitting, and we have both left the house another two times, leaving Valentina inside for a short period of time.

When we finally return to taking Valentina to the dog park, she will be ecstatic.  The only exercise she has gotten has been running the depth of the back yard, back and forth, with two little yippie-dog Yorkeys on the other side of the fence, and circling the perimeter of the back yard.  We have taken her for a drive (avec diaper) a couple of times (her favorite activity) just to avoid too much cabin fever.

So, that's about it for now. So far, we've survived it!

Happy Tenth Month, Valentina!

Valentina turned 10 months old while we were in Mexico. She has now gone into heat, so she is wearing a large doggie diaper around the house. Large breeds typically go into heat the first time between 9 and 12 months, so she is within the normal range. They bleed for about 8-10 days, and after that are impregnable, I believe, up to 21 days from start of heat. The vet told us that to avoid higher risk of mammary cancer, they should be spayed after the first heat, and before the second.