Month: May 2023

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When Will My Labradoodle Go Into Heat? Vet Reviewed Facts & FAQs

Adopting a new dog is always fun and exciting, but it also means taking the time to learn more about your new companion. In the case of female dogs, this includes knowing when yours will go into heat. The age a dog goes into heat won’t always be the same for different breeds, so you need to figure out when your dog breed will experience one so you’re prepared.

If you have a Labradoodle, you can expect your dog’s first heat to happen between 6 and 9 months of age (although some dogs don’t have a first heat until between 12 and 14 months).1 What can you expect when this happens? Keep reading to find out!

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A Labradoodle’s Heat Cycle Explained

What exactly is a heat cycle? Well, heat (sometimes referred to as “in season”) is the phase of the reproductive cycle when female dogs are fertile, receptive, and able to get pregnant. The heat cycle is how long a heat lasts and varies by dog.

For a Labradoodle, the first heat usually occurs around 6 to 9 months. Heats typically happen twice a year and last approximately 2 to 4 weeks. So, there are 6 to 7 months between each of a Labradoodle’s heat cycles. Of course, the length of a heat cycle can vary by canine—your pet’s cycle may only last 7 days or end up being a day or two longer than average.

labradoodle sitting in grass
Image Credit: Josh Borup, Pixabay

What Occurs When a Labradoodle Is in Heat?

A dog’s heat happens during the part of the female reproductive cycle known as estrous, when eggs are produced that are ready for fertilization. When a heat hits, your Labradoodle will show behavioral and physical changes that indicate what’s happening. Some of the signs your Labradoodle is experiencing heat include:

  • The vulva will appear swollen.

  • Discharge and blood from the vulva will likely appear.

  • Your dog may be more affectionate than normal or could go the other way and be more distant than is typical.

  • There may be more licking of the genitals.

  • If there are male dogs in the home, the female will pay more attention to them.

  • Your pet may lack energy.

Cream Labradoodle
Image Credit: Justin Sienkiewicz, Shutterstock

Caring for a Labradoodle in Heat

The most important thing to remember when caring for a Labradoodle in heat is that if you aren’t looking to have puppies, you must keep your Labradoodle away from male dogs! Other than keeping your pet separate from males during this time, keep feeding your dog its regular diet along with lots of fresh water. Also, ensure your Labradoodle is still getting enough daily exercise, so you can help ease stress.

One other note on caring for a Labradoodle in heat—there is an issue known as pyometra, or uterine infection, that can happen if your dog goes into heat too often. That’s something to keep an eye on; however, you can avoid this and unwanted pregnancy by having your pet spayed before its first heat.

Labradoodle eating on elevated dog feeder
Image Credit: sophiecat, Shutterstock

The Importance of Spaying

There are many benefits to having your dog spayed other than avoiding pregnancy. There are also a few risks, but the benefits far outweigh them. Take a look below to find out both!

Benefits

  • Less risk of ovarian, breast, and uterine cancers

  • Less risk of developing endocrine disorders (like diabetes)

  • Not contributing to canine overpopulation

  • Eliminating heat cycles and all the behaviors that come along with them, like false pregnancy

Risks

  • Inflammation or infection of the incision site after surgery

  • Complications such as hemorrhage

  • Problems with anesthesia (more likely to happen in dogs with underlying medical issues or older canines)

  • Surgical incision reopening

The good news about these risks is that there’s only a small chance of them happening. You can also avoid some of these risks by keeping your dog from licking or chewing at the incision site after surgery. If you have any worries about spaying your Labradoodle, though, speak to your vet about the process so you can learn more.

neutering dog
Image Credit: Simon Kadula, Shutterstock

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Final Thoughts

Female Labradoodles typically go into heat between 6 and 9 months of age, though some do not until between 12 and 14 months. A Labradoodle’s heat usually lasts around 2 to 4 weeks and happens twice a year. You’ll be able to tell if your Labradoodle is in heat when it begins experiencing physical and behavioral changes.

You can avoid your Labradoodle going into heat, though, by having your pet spayed. This prevents unwanted pregnancy and reduces the risk of several diseases occurring later! Speak to your vet about when best to have your dog spayed.

Sources

Featured Image Credit: Olena Yakobchuk, Shutterstock

The post When Will My Labradoodle Go Into Heat? Vet Reviewed Facts & FAQs appeared first on Pet Keen.

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Chronic Hepatitis in Dogs: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment

The post Chronic Hepatitis in Dogs: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment by Dr. Ernie Ward appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

Astra, the 6-year-old Cocker Spaniel exhibited several vague clinical signs like not eating every few days and occasional vomiting. Blood tests showed significantly elevated liver enzymes. Many conditions can cause an increase in these values, but one enzyme caught my attention: ALT. ALT stands for alanine transaminase and is usually part of routine screening blood chemistries. Whenever a dog has a high ALT and no other liver enzyme elevations, it indicates chronic hepatitis could be the cause. Because Astra’s other liver tests were normal, it suggested this could be early in the disease course.

Symptoms of chronic hepatitis in dogs

The clinical signs associated with chronic hepatitis vary widely as a result of the multiple functions of the liver. The most common symptoms include:

  • A mild-to-marked decrease in appetite, often irregular and intermittent
  • Lethargy or being less active
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Increased thirst and urination
  • Distended abdomen that may be filled with fluid (ascites)
  • Pale yellow (jaundiced) tinge to the skin, eyes, ears and gums

In more severe cases, dogs may act strangely or exhibit neurological signs, such as: unresponsiveness, depression, aggression, blindness or staring into space, standing in corners, pressing their heads into walls or corners, and, rarely, loss of consciousness or seizures.

Chronic hepatitis may be detected on routine blood health panels and can be diagnosed before your dog develops illness. Once clinical signs of liver disease develop, the condition is often in a very advanced or late stage.

Tests for dogs to check for chronic hepatitis

In scenarios when a patient has fuzzy symptoms (ones that could come from a variety of issues) and elevated ALT like in Astra’s case, moving quickly is the patient’s best chance of surviving many forms of hepatitis. But, we needed more information to determine if Astra had chronic hepatitis and why. To do that, I needed to have a look at her liver.

While radiographs are useful in many cases, they’re not good at detecting subtle or minor abnormalities, particularly in organs such as the liver. I suspected this could be early chronic hepatitis, and I needed to confirm it quickly to begin treatment. To do that, I needed to use ultrasound.

Fortunately, a radiologist specialist visited our clinic once a week and would be available the following day. I needed to add Astra to her already busy schedule.

The radiologist performed the hepatic ultrasound and agreed that chronic hepatitis was likely. Based on her findings, I recommended Astra have a liver biopsy. Before that, we ran some blood clotting and additional liver-function tests to ensure Astra could undergo the relatively straightforward laparoscopic biopsy. This procedure is done under brief anesthesia through a small, keyhole-like incision in the skin.

How does a dog get chronic hepatitis

While I expected the diagnosis of chronic hepatitis to be confirmed, it’s never easy to accept. The biopsy showed increased liver copper, indicating Astra had a copper storage disorder. This is often a genetic disorder, but we don’t fully understand it yet. There are many causes of chronic hepatitis, but all require an early diagnosis to achieve successful outcomes. Some potential causes of chronic active hepatitis include:

  • certain medications (carprofen, phenobarbital, trimethoprim/sulfa, etc.)
  • infections (canine adenovirus type 1, leptospirosis)
  • genetics
  • autoimmune disorders
  • excess dietary copper
  • certain liver toxins

Most cases of chronic hepatitis are of unknown etiology, and we still don’t fully understand the condition. Even when we identify chronic hepatitis early, many dogs still succumb to this terrible disease.

Treatment for dogs with chronic hepatitis

In Astra’s case, the first step was to remove the excess copper harming her liver through a medical process called chelation. I started her on d-penicillamine (D-Pen) and a low-copper therapeutic diet. The main side effect of this drug is nausea and vomiting, and it needs to be taken on an empty stomach to facilitate absorption and bioavailability. In dogs that experience upset stomach or decreased appetite, anti-nausea meds or a short course of steroids may help. I also advised offering distilled water if copper plumbing contributed to Astra’s condition.

After six months of treatment, Astra’s ALT liver enzyme returned to normal. I suggested we repeat the liver biopsy, but her owner declined. We chose to continue monitoring Astra’s liver tests every three months.

About a year later, Astra returned with the same symptoms as before. This time I noticed her eyes were yellowish as soon as I entered the exam room. Blood tests confirmed all her liver enzymes were increased, and she’d lost considerable weight. Sadly, it was time to let her go.

Chronic hepatitis is a disease that isn’t talked about enough in dogs. Even if your dog’s symptoms don’t seem specific for a disease, they’re real. It’s essential for you to be their advocate during the exam and insist on finding an answer. For Astra, her human family was able to spend another 18 months with her before she passed away, and those memories are incredibly precious to them.

The post Chronic Hepatitis in Dogs: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment by Dr. Ernie Ward appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

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Common Beagle Mixes

The post Common Beagle Mixes by Megan Arszman appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

Beagles are easily identified by their black, tan and white short fur, big brown eyes and floppy ears. Not to mention that howl. They’re also one of the smallest members of the Hound group, broken into two categories: measuring either 13 inches (or less) at the shoulder or between 13 to 15 inches. The Beagle’s cuddly temperament, strong sense of smell and hunter demeanor makes for a great, but often unpredictable, mixer with another dog breed’s amped up drive or feisty personality. Beagle mixes can often be the best of both breeds.

Dogster compiled a list of the most common Beagle mixes and what temperament you can expect from each mixed breed, based on the two parent dog breeds. Of course, as with all mixed breeds, there is no guarantee.

Bella is a Beagle Dachshund mix, called a Doxle, Beashchund or Beweenie. © Debbie Downs Delgros

Top Beagle mixes

Pug-Beagle mix (Puggle)

Fun plus snuggles equals the Puggle, or Pug-Beagle mix, who adapts well to smaller living situations. The Pug’s penchant for Brachycephalic syndrome, a breathing condition that affects flat-faced dogs, might not be too severe thanks to the Beagle’s longer nasal genes.

The Pug was bred to be a human companion, so expect extra cuddles and lap time from this mix.

To read more about the Pug dog breed, go to our Pug breed profile.

Beagle-Labrador mix (Beagador)

Think: A Beagle who loves water with an extra shot of energy and affection, and you have this Labrador Retriever-Beagle mix. Based on the sizes of the two parent breeds, this mix will weigh anywhere between 25 and 45 pounds, but has a penchant for becoming overweight, due to a food loving gene combination. Regular exercise is a must.

Read our Labrador Retriever breed profile here.

Beagle-Chihuahua mix (Cheagle)

One of the smallest Beagle mixes, the Cheagle is a very dependent and loyal dog that loves her person, much like the Chihuahua dog breed. Chihuahuas can be oblivious to their tiny size and and act as a watchdog, barking at strangers. The Cheagle measures 8 to 13 inches and weighs up to 20 pounds.

Read our full article on popular Chihuahua mixes.

American Pitbull-Beagle mix (Beaglebull)

Think of this combination as the musclehead Beagle, thanks to the solidly-built American Pit Bull Terrier. The Beaglebull generally measures 18 to 20 inches and weighs 30 to 40 pounds, with a smooth, dense coat, similar to both the Beagle and the Pitbull.

American Pit Bull Terriers are affectionate and loyal if socialized from an early age. Mixed with the loyal Beagle, you may have a muscly cuddlebug on your hands.

Australian Shepherd-Beagle mix (Australian Beagle)

Measuring approximately 13 to 23 inches tall, the Beagle gets a color refresh thanks to the Australian Shepherd’s unique color patterns (Blue merle, black, red merle or red, all with or without white markings and/or tan (copper) points). This Beagle mix is likey to be a hard working and energetic dog, inheritting the intelligence, work ethic, endless energy and knack for dog sports from the Australian Shepherd and the Beagle’s hunting tendencies.

Boxer-Beagle mix (Boggle)

Looking for the fun and sometimes silly personality of the Boxer, but with slightly less energy? The Boggle takes the never-ending energy burst from the Boxer and tones it down with the Beagle’s laidback persona. The Boggle loves learning new tricks and thrives with an active family.

Learn more about the Boxer dog breed.

As with any breeding, do your research by going to the parent dog breeds’ club pages or Dogster’s breed profile pages and speak with the breeders to understand the positives and negatives when mixing two breeds. But most of all, enjoy your pup!

The post Common Beagle Mixes by Megan Arszman appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.