11 Month Old Female in Heat

[Theresa and Doodle Dagny]

Maybe I should have posted here first:

Please let me know how you got through it.  

What can I do for her?

My heart is breaking for my 11 month-old girl and I think we, both, may be losing our minds right now.  

I've had her kenneled all day since I realized the dark red spots all over my floors is blood from her first heat cycle.  The thought of having to keep her kenneled through this phase is heart-breaking.  

I don't have a fenced yard. To get her energy out we go for long walks, and often play and swim off leash at a dog park. Now, because of this, the dog park is out, and I'm worried about heading out the door for walks because of the risk of encountering an off leash male.

I looked into diapers today and read about dogs who won't keep them on, so I'm thinking they're a waste of money. I've read that others didn't even know their females were in heat because they kept themselves so clean.  Well, I must have a really dirty girl because she's not making any attempt today to clean herself.

How can I support her through this?  I feel like I'm alienating her from the family.  And this could last up to two weeks??

I'd love to hear your tips. And for those wondering, we will have her spayed when she's a little older - advice from a vet we believe in.  So, I may have to deal with this one more time.

 

Thank you doodle friends!

UPDATE to this previous post - I cut a hole out of an old pair of someone's underwear and put them on her :) Works like a charm.  At least she's out of the kennel now, but still looking for any other advice! Maybe this will be no big deal after all?

[Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie]

I'd say if the undies don't bother her than most likely the diapers probably won't either. We used them on our elderly cat. Took her just a few hours to get used to them then she was fine. Sorry no advice on taking her out. Good luck.

[Glenda & Lizzy Lu]

Lizzy just went through her first heat cycle at 11 months old. Yes, it was an ordeal. Everything you mentioned we experienced but we do have a large fenced in yard. We were also advised by our vet to hold off on spaying until after her first heat cycle. We did not take her for neighborhood walks nor to the park for fear of encountering other dogs. Not much else you can do but just get through it. We were more than ready to have her spayed after that was over. That was a another ordeal trying to keep her from licking her stiches...two weeks again of keeping her calm and not allowing jumping and curtailing the exercise until she was healed. But in the end...all worth it! Good luck. It gets better.

[Helga, Nimbus, Sierra, Clooney]

There are several intact females (and males)in my dog's agility class. The girls still come to class in their stylish undies. They can run and jump and everything. The intact males learn to deal with the smell of a female in heat and they are just fine.
You can order them online. Bitches Britches are one but there's lots of different ones.