Any quick tips for a foster in heat?

[Clifford, Cloud, Jake..and Kim]

I'll be picking up a foster this afternoon (more on that later) and the shelter told me last night she might be going into heat. I've never even owned a female dog so this should be quite an adventure! Anyone have any quick tips about caring for a doodle in heat? What to buy, what to do, etc...

[Nina, Phil, Harlow & Lacey]

You will have to keep her locked away from any unaltered males. So no walks, parks, etc. There are doggie diapers that you can buy. I think Petsmart, Petco and like stores carry them. A typical heat cycle is 21 days. Most vets will charge you extra to have a female spayed while she is in heat. I would take her to your vet today if possible to confirm and see if they could spay her before she comes in.

[Ginny Nightingale]

Also buy maxi pads (human ones!) and minipads to adhere to the inside of the doggie diaper so that you don't have to wash it constantly. I put either a mini or a maxi pad in depending on the flow. It certainly saves me from washing them so much, but I would still buy tow so that one can be washed while the other is worn. The entire cycle of diaper wearing is three weeks or so and the diaper needs to be changed a few times a day. When I was working, I had to ask my retired hubby to check the pad--oh, boy--he loved that (not!)

[Clifford, Cloud, Jake..and Kim]

We got supremely lucky - apparently the shelter was wrong. Latte has been here since yesterday and there is absolutely no sign she is in heat. She's scheduled to be spayed on Monday. Whew! We dodged that challenge.

[Adrianne Matzkin]

You certainly did!
How is everything going with Clifford and the 'F' word???

[Clifford, Cloud, Jake..and Kim]

Clifford is accepting the change in homelife pretty well. They play together and nap together. Right now they are in different rooms napping - Latte right next to me and Clifford off by himself. This is definitely not normal for him to go off on his own so I think he's a little jealous but we'll see how things progress.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Thank goodness you aren't going to have to manage that! Great news....

[Clifford, Cloud, Jake..and Kim]

My anxiety level dropped to near zero once I realized the shelter wasn't right about the situation! Woohoo!!