Our rescue is starting her Season - no experience - advice please?

[iHAVEtogetoutofhere]

Any advice welcome.

Rescue basset. Had her 3months.
Was told she'd just finished a season.

She is showing all signs and beginning to spot blood. Vulva enlarged and she is washing it a lot.

Vet says probably too late for an injection
Advice to 'keep her in your own garden for 3 weeks'.
We don't have an enclosed garden so need to do on-lead walks.

Are we in trouble here?

Take her into the garden on her lead and walk her in quiet places at quiet times (in the dark is usually good).

You may attract dogs, but as long as she's on lead and you tell anyone you do meet before their dog approaches then you should be ok...though, you may have to actually block dogs if their owners aren't good at recalling them.

Some bitch owners don't take them for walks at all, but as a dog owner if you keep her on the lead and don't take her anywhere busy that's what I consider enough to make sure my dog isn't at her - anything else is my problem really. (the smell can make dogs a bit, awkward, lol)

thanks, tabulahrasa
H is worried we should get the jab but vet says it wont be totally effective on Monday, if she 'started' on Thurs...

Can I also ask _ can I give her a bath whilst she is in season - she is smelly (was going to bath her anyway!)

We had exactly this problem with our rescue collie - in the end it was fine. All of our flooring and sofas etc are wipe able (2sons!) and I put some cheap throws over bits that weren't. We took her for walks in deserted places and she never attracted any other dogs (think they are all neutered round here). Certainly she enjoyed a bath and we treated her otherwise as normal.

We had four in season last week (we run a dogwalking business). I took them all together on girly purdah walks. If we did encounter other dogs, I would call out that they were a bit hormonal. All was fine.

In the twelve years I've been doing this, I've only once had to capture a dog who'd picked up our scent and decided we were far more interesting than his owner. I put him on a short lead and tied my girls to a tree, rang the owner and stayed put until she arrived and took him away again. We both saw the funny side of it!

This is one of the many reasons I always have a spare slip leash with me.

We do online walks early in the morning / late at night when female dog is in season.

Early walks not online

Fudge sake * short on lead