Seasons and Neutering
This topic provides lots of questions amongst dog owners so we have tried to produce an easy and helpful overview.
Seasons (females)
What is a season and when can it start?
A dog's season, or being 'in heat', is a part of a female's reproductive cycle that allows her to become pregnant. A Bernese bitch can come into season anytime from as early as 6 months or as late as 18/20 months, but the often it is around the 10 to 13 month age. Sometimes you may see some behaviour changes in the run up to season starting, some become more clingy/needy, possibly seem less confident in situations they have previously been okay with, urinating more frequently, often lots of little wees rather than one big one, cleaning themselves more. But each dog is individual, and in some there are no signs at all. It’s always good to regularly check your girl, some people do this by dabbing her vulva with a tissue daily, or checking while they are having tummy tickles etc.
What happens during a season?
It is really important to make a note in your calendar of the first day of your dogs season. Each dog’s cycle varies, but in general the first week they bleed red blood and the vulva swells significantly, the second week it turns lighter paler pink, and can even stop bleeding, it’s important to remember that this (whether there is blood or not) is often the most fertile period. The season is usually accompanied by a very strong smell which is the perfect signal for the male, this is usually between day 9 and day 16, but can be as early as day 7 and I as late as day 20, so best advice is but to keep your bitch away from males for the whole period until day 25.
Exercising girls in season
Firstly she will need to be kept away from entire males or recently castrated males (even after a male has been neutered he can still produce active sperm to result in pregnancy for up to 3 months). However well behaved your dog is always watch them when in the garden as an in season bitch will get over, under, through any fence when the time is right. Likewise when the time is right a male can easily scale a 5/6ft fence if he wishes to do so , so it is important to always have a close eye on her.
It doesn’t hurt them to be restricted to the garden for 3 weeks but if you really must walk her its best to drive somewhere and maybe walk early or/and late when your less likely to meet other dogs as whilst she will be on a lead the male in the park might not be.
Managing males and females in the home
If you have an unneutered male at home the best and fairest way to manage this is for one of them to live with someone else for a few weeks, the obvious choice would be for the male to go somewhere else as the female is your responsibility to manage effectively. Obviously longer term the easiest solution is to get one of them neutered. It is important to understand the effect an in season female can have on a male at home. Males often go completely off their food for weeks, and can cause both you and neighbours problems when the howling and crying begins. Dogs have been reported to destroy and reck houses to get to the female and it’s not their fault, it is totally normal, natural behaviour and you have put them in that situation. Please give thought to your boy.
It is important to remember even neutered males can still want to mate an in season female, this is dangerous if they are being left together. When dogs mate after a bit of thrusting the bitch ‘ties’ to the dog meaning they are stuck together, this is often between 5 - 30 minutes. If either the male or female is uncomfortable and attempts to pull away this can do can serious harm as until the tie is broken they are unable to part. When we do matings there are always two experienced people present for the safety of both dogs in case of difficulties.
Season pants
Some females are very clean and you do not see a lot of blood, others can be very messy and leave blood everywhere and many families don’t like the idea of their flooring and furniture being covered in blood. Whilst the use of well fitting season pants is okay it is important she has time without the pants on to clean herself frequently. We personally have used the Glendarcy range of season pants and put a sanitary towel in them when we were staying away in a hotel, at home we have hard floors and leather sofas so it is easy to clean any mess.
What to do at the end of a season and Phantom pregnancies
First thing is a good bath, whether you do this at home or send them to the groomers just something to freshen them up.
The next season is usually around 6 months later but can be anytime from about 5 months to 8 or 9 months.
Many females have phantom pregnancies, this is quite normal and not something you should worry about, it often happens around 11 weeks after the first day of her season. During a phantom pregnancy they can stop eating or go picky with food, her boobs may become slightly swollen and teats may even produce milk, she may nest build and decide a place where she is going to have her imaginary puppies, she may collect toys into her nest and become clingy. This whilst not desirable is natural and she will generally work her way through this herself, my general advice would be too just to carry on with her normal routine, walks, play, cuddles etc. There are natural alternative remedies that can help at this time. If she has had a phantom pregnancy it is highly likely this will repeat each time she has a season but neutering can sort this.
Pyometra
What is Pyometra(Pyo)?
Pyometra can happen in female dog is where the uterus becomes infected, if not treated quickly it can become life threatening. There are two types of Pyometra: Open and Closed. An Open Pyo is where there is a discharge out of the vulva, and a Closed Pyo is where there is no discharge and the infection is just filling up in the uterus. Most common time for this is 2 to 8 weeks after a season, but it is also something to be aware of all the time.
What are the symptoms?
Some of the early symptoms can be similar to the of phantom pregnancy, but if you are at all concerned please seek veterinary attention.
The symptoms for an Open Pyo include:
Excessive licking after the heat cycle
Temperature
White, yellowish, or green discharge, but can be clear at first (this can often be very smelly but sometimes there is no smell to start with and in some cases they can look permanently wet on the back end.)
Changes in behavior
Depression
Increased thirst
Increased urination
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Lack of appetite
Lack of energy
The symptoms of a Close Pyo include;
Bloated or swollen abdomen
No discharge
Collapse
Anorexia
Excessive panting
Temperature
Pyometra treatment
There are several different treatment routes depending on the type and severity of the infectionranging from antibiotics to neutering but it is best to take the advice of your vet.
Neutering Females
When is the best time to neuter my female?
If you decide to neuter your female then the most important thing is to make sure she is skeletally mature or you could affect her growth and possibly cause long term problems if neutered too early. There isn’t an exact time frame or date as it all depends on when her first season is. Ideally you would wait until at least 18-24 months and have allowed her at least two seasons. The best time to neuter is three months after a season when the hormones are most settled.
Neutering Males
When is the best time to neuter my male?
In our opinion it is best not to neuter your male unless there is a medical reason to do so. It is thought that castration fixes behaviour issues but in reality this is rarely the case and behaviour issues are often best fixed with correct training.
Effects of Neutering
Things to consider before neutering your dog
Just like everything in life, there are lots of important things to consider before making a such a big, irreversible decision, here are a few key areas of consideration:
Anaesthetic risk - obviously with any surgery this is a risk that should be evaluated.
Possible future health risks - in the links below there is some information relating to the new(ish) research that has been published looking at the effects of neutering and health conditions. For example the research shows thats neutering increases the risk of osteosarcoma, cranial cruciate ligament disease, hypothyroidism to name a few.
Weight management - often dogs who are neutered can gain weight very quickly and easily and care needs to be taken to adjust the diet accordingly to ensure they maintain the correct weight. If your dog is overweight before neutering, we highly recommend getting them to the correct weight before undergoing surgery.
Grooming and coat growth - typically neutered Bernese can grow a very long, think, wooly coat that needs a lot more care and attention to a typical un-neutered dog. Likewise, further consideration is needed hot weather to avoid heat stroke.
Further Information and Useful Links
There is some excellent information on the internet covering this topic, below are some websites we recommend reading through whilst doing your own research.
www.thedogplace.org/Spay-Neuter/considerations-canine-athelete_zink.asp
https://bmcvetres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12917-016-0911-5
https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/three-reasons-to-reconsider-spayneuter/
