My dog's first heat bleeding stopped and restarted. Is this normal?

Question

Lina was swollen and odorous for two weeks then started bleeding on April 1st. She bled 7 days and then everything went back to normal (no swelling or bleeding since 4/8. Today would be 23 days into the bleeding cycle and she started bleeding again. Is this the tail end or a new cycle all together? This is her first heat. Pet's info: Dog | English Mastiff | Female | spayed | 11 months and 1 day old | 150 lbs

Anna M., DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello, and thanks for your question. Either is possible! A dog's heat cycle tends to last between 2-4 weeks, so she may just have a slightly longer than average cycle. However, they can also have a split heat, where they start their heat, stop it, and then restart it again and finish the cycle. From your description, if she had been "normal" for up to a week, this may be the case with Lina. This doesn't mean Lina will *always* have a split heat - it can be random and may just be a function of her still-developing hormones. The best way to know for sure what's going on with a dog's heat cycle would be to perform cytology, which involves using a sterile swab to look at some of the vaginal cells under a microscope. The appearance of those cells changes throughout the heat cycle. Many breeders make frequent trips to the vet for this cytology analysis to determine exactly when their dog should be bred! Here's some more information on a dog's normal cycling: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/estrus-cycles-in-dogs Hope this helps!

My dog's first heat bleeding stopped and restarted. Is this normal?

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