On heat on holiday....

[Tirnanogg]

Our dog is a year old now, and still hasn't had her first heat. I've checked with the vet, and they've said it's not unusual for a dog her size (she's a slender border collie) and that we can bring her in to be spayed anyway if she hasn't come on heat in a couple of months.

The issue is we're going away for a couple of weeks in August - staying with family in a place where there are going to be a lot of dogs around, some of which may not have been fixed. What happens if she goes on heat while we're there? Can we take her if she's on heat already (we're going by ferry; again it's likely there will be quite a few dogs on board)? Should we try to book her op before we go, or will she just be miserable travelling if she's not fully recovered? Am I making a mountain out of a molehill?

Any advice would be much appreciated! I've been looking forward to taking her on her first holiday with us, and now I'm getting anxious about it!

You're not making a mountain out of a molehill - there is no way I would want to deal with an in-season bitch on holiday!

For starters, you can't have her around other dogs if she's in season - she shouldn't even be going on walks really, though some owners do take their in-heat bitches out at silly times (think 5am and 11pm). She'll need to be on-lead only throughout her season as well, and ideally kept at home and in her garden.

If she's due on heat or likely to be on heat then I hate to say it, but I wouldn't take her - it will ruin your holiday as you'll basically be stuck in the holiday cottage/house for the entire time. She'll potentially bleed on things and be grumpy, miserable and clingy.

Sorry to be the harbinger of doom!

Mm tricky one.

I think the ferry journey could be a challenge if she is on heat in a confined space. You will have every single dog coming at her and barking their heads off. Can you maybe swap to the Eurotunnel? That would be better.

I would not take an in heat dog to eg a campsite. But potentially if the accommodation is standalone and has VERY secure fencing that would be ok....

They can't be let off lead at all when in heat.

I don't think I'd book surgery before a holiday.

Plus it is not usually recommended to get females neutered before sex hormones have closed their growth plates.

My dog wasn't any of the negative things I have to say. She was really affectionate, very sleepy, didn't bleed loads, and certainly not aggressive. But I think this is very dog specific.

Oh please don’t take her if she’s in season.

Some complete arse took an in season bitch to a campsite in Keswick of all places last year. Total carnage!

That's beyond selfish. What dickheads! And why would you do that as it won't even be bearable for the campers with the in heat bitch??

That's horrendous! What is wrong with people?!

We had an in-season bitch nearby once - she was just in her own garden, but my GOD our boy went mental. We had to keep him on the lead every time he went out to use the garden as he was hurting himself trying to leap six foot fences to get to her!

I can't imagine dealing with that on a campsite.

Don’t take her. You’ll ruin the holidays of everyone else with dogs. An in season bitch doesn’t just upset intact males, but neutered males and other bitches can get upset too.
get a pet sitter to go to your house and stay with her.

Thanks all - I couldn't tell if I was getting myself worried about nothing (I tend to, especially about the dog!) I can't imagine anyone being mad enough to take an in season bitch to a camp site! That must have been awful.

We're staying with family, but in a self-contained house with hard floors, so I'm not too worried about the mess if she starts while we're there (they're doggy people anyway). We could keep our family outings short and local (we're 5 minutes from the beach) and I like walking at unsociable times, so it'll be manageable if not great. Ferry back would be a challenge, but it's a UK island we're going to, and we'd be out on deck the whole time, so we could probably manage it. I'm loath to leave her behind if she's not on heat, since I've been confidently expecting her to start for the last six months!

I'll put plans in place in case she starts before we go - my parents had already offered to have her, and she's stayed with them before, so that should be ok.

Thanks again for all the advice; it's much appreciated!

Sounds doable to me. Knowing what I know now, I'd take mine in a similar situation. It was really no biggie.

Don't underestimate the determination of a male to get near your bitch tho. Theywill jump fences, dig, pay zero heed to fact she is on a.lead etc.

We went on the IOM ferry last year. Generally they only allow four dogs per trip. Got on the boat with 4 dogs in the dog lounge and got off with 8, a Chihuahua gave birth.

First seasons are unpredictable. The fertility period is at the end of the season. You can either put your life on hold for the next year or risk it. Worst case scenario you are standing in the windiest corner of the deck defending your dog.

What ferry are you getting?
The rules are very different and the crossing to the Isle of Wight is probably too short to cause issues.

Why cant she be spayed before you leave? She wont be recovering for weeks and weeks!

Our puppy had her 1st season recently. I bought a packet of baby nappies and cut a tail hole out. They worked out 1/4 of the price of 'dog' nappies and I still have over half the packet left. She normally stays in the garden, but I had to keep her attached on a long line whenever we let her out. Otherwise, she was determined to either jump over, dig under or push around the fence! A holiday somewhere would have been a nightmare!

@PestorPeston Scillonian - about a 3 hour trip. It's a big enough boat that we should be able to find some space to ourselves, even in peak summer holiday time. The chihuahua situation sounds like an interesting journey!

@MarmiteCoriander I'd been delaying it until she'd had her first season, and not sure if I've left it a bit late to organise anyway now, as we're going in a couple of weeks.

Thanks again for all the advice - I talked to DH about it last night, and he definitely thinks I'm overthinking things. Apparently his family dog was never spayed and her heats didn't cause any trouble at all...