New dog. Need a few questions answered please.

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We adopted a dog on Tuesday from a lovely home whose circumstances changed. She is perfect . I need some advice though please.

1. She is due to come into season within the next month. I've never experienced this before. Will I know right away? What can I do to stop any mess on the carpet? Or what is best to clean mess up with?

Am I right that it is best to wait 2-3 months from a season before getting Hey spayed?

1. She was being fed Pets At Home own brand food which she gobbles down. I'm gradually moving her onto James Wellbeloved. She is not keen. What's best to do? Persevere? Try a different food (I think it might be the size of the kibble she doesn't like)? Add some wet food or tuna to tempt her?

She is a little on the lean side so I think she do with carrying a little more weight.

Thank you

All bitches are different when it comes to seasons; my last bitch went moody, snappy and generally grumpy and the house looked like something off a horror slash-em-up film! My current bitch has no changes in behaviour and I barely even notice any blood.

My vet advised me to wait 3 months from a season to spay so as she is in the middle of her cycle.

Food wise, from experience, if you start adding tuna etc now, you will be doing it for ever! Maybe try different brands? Mine never took to JW but is now on Applaws and loves it.

No advice on spaying as I've just had my first girly dog so I'll be watching with interest!

Why don't you keep her on the food from pets at home if she gobbles it down?

Another one who wonders why not keep her on the PAH food? Isn't PAH food also Wainwright's? JWB is Mars and I wouldn't feed my children on a diet of Mars products.

We had to take all of ours off JW when they changed.

Tbh I would say it's only worth changing her food to something with better, animal derived, protein and less filler otherwise you are paying for the same quality food just in a prettier bag, but have no idea what the PAH own brand is and am out of the loop with current foods as we feed raw.

This feeding malarky is so confusing isn't it?
I'm half considering going raw if I can afford the patties. Not confident enough to do it myself.

Any advice on containing mess when she's in season?

I have always fed our labs on James Wellbeloved and find it suits them very well. It is particularly good for our older girl who has a sensitive tummy.

If you wish to change to the JW, could you try the addition of a small amount of tinned sardines (in tomato sauce)? It mixes really well into the biscuits and my dogs love it as an occasional treat. The oily fish is very good for a dog's coat. Fishy breath is the only downside!

I always damp the JW with a bit of water as well to make it more palatable.

Yes it will be 2-3 months after her season before you can get your dog spayed. I find that our lab is very clean in the house and we very rarely notice the occasional spot on the carpet. I cover her bed with an old towel, but that is the only adjustment we make. She is not allowed on the sofa or beds.

She is normally very obedient but when she is in season tends to ignore all my commands, so I have to be very careful if I ever take her out. I do walk her whilst in season, normally at the end of the day and on a lead. We live in a rural location. Just be aware that your dog will be most fertile when the bleeding stops!

So I think she's is season now. Her lady parts are swollen and there's a tiny bit of blood. She's also a bit subdued. I'm putting the ambivalence to the food down to the season. Thanks for your help.

We use lots of old sheets, chuck on on the sofa and pop one on the floor although at this stage many bitches will keep themselves quite clean. Tbh you may only find a couple of tiny spots around but putting an old towel or something easier to whip out and wash every day than her whole bed on top of her bed I find helps. Wherever they are the most and where the sleep are the main areas of splotches.
I would take care walking her if you live somewhere you walk in a communal area. First stage she will be decidedly unhappy about attention and may get snappy, clingy and miserable, second she will flirt up a storm and you will be invisible she will then usually snap and snarl at trying to be mounted, lastly she will be out for anything she can get and will stand - the problem is you cease to exist and even if you keep her on a lead it's distressing for the dogs and for your bitch up until she's hot to trot, and then it's time for you to practice parenting teens because once she's good - wherever there's a willy there's a way. Which is why in our rescue we had Rottie x Chihuahuas. I would really stick to quiet times and road walks tbh especially if she's feeling a bit rough. I don't walk mine at all but appreciate I'm able to wear them out in the space we have.

She may just want to snuggle up to you, my bitches have been split between no different when in season or clingy and miserable. She may want a bit more reassurance or stick to you like glue, it all passes. Her appetite changes are quite usual and I would be careful about adding tempting things as tummies can be more sensitive during a season or she may eat it all and then be sick.
There are drugs to stop pregnancy if she gets mounted but due to how they work it's better to prevent rather than cure.
The only other thing is to stay vigilant about signs of pseudopregnancy - nesting, appetite changes, mammary filling- the vet will check this before they admit her to be spayed and may send you home or prescribe galastop, depending on a few factors. So if you see anything that makes you suspect it have a chat to them and they can work with you to spay her at an appropriate time.
And you'll never have to put up with it again .

Yes, be careful switching food while she's in season. Their immunity goes down, it's natures way of stopping their immune system from rejecting a fertilised egg, so her tummy could get upset. A good reason too for not taking her out unnecessarily during the second, fertile half of her season, apart from having every loose male dog in the neighbourhood following you.
Why do you want to change her food? If she's happy on it I'd be inclined to stick to it. My four are all on different things for one reason or another.
Your vet will only spay her half way between seasons as that's when her hormone levels are at their lowest. Spaying her when they're high can trigger a false pregnancy.
I mostly hardly notice when mine are in season as they keep themselves very clean. I do notice when they reach the willing to stand stage though as my one little male, neutered since he was just 11 months, turns into Casanova reincarnated, mounting them all

It is usual that she will be licking herself clean continually. 10 days from now she should begin to ovulate and be in heat for a week at least.
Mine humped her favourite toy doggy friend. The bleeding will lessen when she is ovulating, but I didn't see any as she never stopped licking herself.
3 months later I had her spayed which was 6 weeks ago.

I can't thank you all enough for taking the time to share such knowledge. Aquelven I wanted to change her on to a better food I suppose. I was quite snobby about a Pets At Home own brand food. The feeding threads on here make my head spin.

I feel so sorry for her that she moved to a new home and came into season within a few days. We are a lovely home but it still must be stressful for her. She has been really clingy and just wants to snuggle with me but I feel this means we have bonded really well.

Totally, she's not looking for a big walk and is content to bobble about the garden. I'm hoping we'll be fine doing that. My parents and in laws both have very large enclosed gardens so we'll visit there.

So in terms of length of season, she started the licking 2 days ago is it likely to be 21 - 28 days from then? How will I know when she is done and safe to go out again?

Usually the season lasts a total of three weeks, with the most fertile period being between day eight and day fifteen (when she will be actively seeking a mating). You should see the change from blood to straw coloured fluid as she nears her fertile period, a season ends fairly shortly after ovulation but it's not exact or the same in all bitches. You will probably see a marked reduction in the size of her vulva (although it will often remain larger than pre-season due to her sexual maturity) and it's sponginess alongside cessation of discharge. If you give her a scratch at the base of her tail it will prompt her to swing her tail to the side to aid mating, this should stop along with other overt posturing (not including normal social, not sexual, responses to mounting). Her behaviour and appetite should return to normal.

If she has fluffy bloomers I would give her a good bath before you take her out. She will still be hassled out of season if she has collected any fluid in her trousers she hasn't been able to clean off and most do not appreciate this persistence one bit!