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Is it normal for my dog to obsessively lick her swollen vulva in heat?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Female | unspayed | 9 months and 6 days old | 18 lbs

My dog is 4 days into her period and a couple hours ago she started obsessively licking her vagina, she will lick for a long time and then stop and start to do something and a couple second later, jump and start licking again. He vagina is red and swollen but I’m not sure if t is because of her licking so much or something else.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Amy S. Eutsey, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on May 4th, 2018

It is normal during a heat cycle for the vulva to become very swollen. She is probably licking constantly to clean off and remove the bloody discharge that is coming out. She is just trying to keep herself clean. They can bleed pretty heavily for part of the heat cycle.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

    Veterinarian

    Published on January 3rd, 2019

    The signs you describe for Cedar sound very normal. She will bleed for up to 2 weeks and you will need to supervise her constantly as male dogs may try to get to her. The total heat cycle is about 3 weeks long. If you do not plan on breeding her, I recommend to discuss having her spayed with her veterinarian as there are health benefits to the procedure. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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