A Breeder's perspective on how to navigate the first three weeks of your female whippet's first season.
Hopefully you've had a chance to read through our post on "When to Spay and Neuter" your dog. If not, please read that post first to better appreciate the perspective we have at Aureate. You'll understand that any reputable Breeder will not want, nor will they permit any of their dogs to be sold to a home who will sterilize it before permitted in their contract. Some Breeders might even have a clause voiding their health guarantee if you sterilize your dog beforehand!
So it's safe to say in the vast majority of cases if you're getting a whippet, a female specifically, they will go through one season before they are spayed. Please keep in mind to work with a vet that is understanding of this. The vast majority of vets are educated to push for an early spay and neuter. They may even go so far as to say that allowing your bitch to go through one season will increase her odds of mammary cancer by 50%. Keep in mind, mammary cancer in dogs is not the same disease as breast cancer in people. First of all your dog's baseline risk of mammary cancer is 0.5-1% throughout their life. Letting her go through one season will only change that risk to 1-2%. That is a 50% increase in risk, but because the baseline population risk is very low, the doubling is actually inconsequential.
Additionally, if you have ongoing concerns you need to discuss them with your prospective breeder BEFORE you sign their contract.
Now let's talk about how you'll manage that first season. First off our female whippets at Aureate tend to go through their first season anytime between the age of 11 months and older. Some may go through at 9 months while others after a year. What we have noticed beforehand is an increase in urinary frequency. This should not result in accidents in the house. If that is happening you need to seek medical attention from your vet as a urinary tract infection may be present. In the days before, she may seem a bit more subdued and mopey in some cases. If there are other dogs at home, they may start sniffing her genital area or her pee. It's imperative that you do not have intact (non-neutered) males at home during your female's season. If you do, you should have worked out a plan with your breeder on how you will manage this BEFORE your female goes into season. We recommend 4 on the Floor dogwear for female panties and using a very thin pantyliner. We keep our girls covered during the day in their panties and anytime they are crated and overnight they are removed to give them a chance to clean themselves.

Comments