10:59pm
Phoebe has her first heat....
3 comments
Well the weekend is ending with a bang!
Phoebe has gone into heat. I frantically called up my friend and asked her, "What did you do with your Giant when she went into heat?" My friend said she was told to use boy's underpants (the tail can fit through the slot) but she found girls' panties worked better, with a maxi pad inside.
I tried using my little boys' size 5 underpants first--- because that's what I had at home. Although I could kinda fit Phoebe's tail through the crotch, the whole thing was too tight for her and she was not happy.
So I rushed to Wal-Mart for a last minute run to the girls' panty department.... what size should I get? How many panties do I need? I must have spent 1/2 hr. debating, finally decided on size 8 (fits 50-67 lbs, and Phoebe is a slim 65 lbs) and total of 9 underpants. Ideally this way I won't have to wash them more than once a week, plus I bought the smallest maxi-pads I could find.
So, you may be asking-- am I going to breed her? Absolutely not. I believe that a good breeder takes care of ALL their dogs, and will take their back puppies/dogs if there's ANY problem. I don't have the space or desire to be responsible for more Giant schnauzers.
Some might ask, why didn't I get her spayed yet? With large-breed girls, the estrogen/progesterone cycle that starts with their heat is beneficial to closing the growth plates on their long bones. Research suggests that early spay/neuter might be responsible for the increased amount of knee ligament problems that are seen more frequently with performance events. Because my girl is very VERY athletic AND clumsy, I want to give her knees the best possible chance of surviving! And so the underpants saga begins...
2 months ago
I used a reusable doggie diaper. http://www.petco.com Thats the exact one I got-- looks like size XL would fit your dog! And then I bought cheap, generic brand maxi pads and cut the length down because my dog was wearing a size small diaper. You probably won't even need to cut the length. Another benefit of those is they look less silly should you be out walking your dog or have someone over your house.
That proved to be the easiest solution for us! They tend to start peeing in the diapers. I think being in heat creates a sense of urgency or something, so regular people panties might not cut it-- you'll need something absorbent! Yet, if you go the disposable diaper route, it will end up costing you a lot more, not to mention they can chew them off!
I hope that helps. If you've already done this before then sorry for the rambling. :)
Good luck!
2 months ago
It was funny, my girlfriend got a lab puppy and we discovered our 2 "girls" were both born on the same day. She'd been putting off spaying her lab, but when I told her Phoebe started her heat she called the vet and made an appointment for TOMORROW. She doesn't want to go through this fun experience! (And she doesn't have a fenced yard, she has the Invisible Fence...)
2 months ago