in heat???

Question
My 10 month cocker just finished her first heat.  It was really easy, but her little breast got very red and swollen.  I thought that was normal, but it has been two weeks that she has stopped the heat and her breast are still swollen and have a blueish under the skin tint.  they do not seem to bother her, or hurt.  is this normal, when will it go away, and is there any thing i should do for them?  thank you very much for any help you can give.  I have one more question.  how whould i find a mate for her when she is old enough to bread?  Her parents were papered, but she was not.  i have had many cockers before, and none have even been close to having her temperment.  she is the best, and we already have a waiting list of over 10 who want one of her pups.  Holly :)

Answer
Hi Holly,
My co-expert Kathy is THE expert on breeding and all its' issues. So I'd ask her about the swelling, etc.

Now..I will offer an opinion on whether or not you should be breeding.
It's complicated and good professional breeders who are truly responsible and love this breed know you have to have a total history on both male & female because cockers are so prone to so many health issues and a TON of that is due to a lack of knowledge.

You sound like a loving & caring owner and the pup sounds like she has a wonderful temperment but you need to be extremely careful who you choose to mate her with and if the male doesn't have a total history from the breeder (which you should check out thoroughly) then I'd be cautious.

And how many times do you plan on breeding her?  There are health issues involved in this for her.  And how is it possible her parents are papered and she is not?

I do love to hear about wonderful temperment in cockers since a ton of questions I get are just the opposite.  They are adorable clowns..but..big BUT...they are a very dominant breed so I'd look into mating possibilities VERY carefully.  And it's more than temperment...it's eye issues (has the mate been CERF'd..skin issues..ear problems..thyroid problems..what's the history there?)

Take your time. Investigate all this.
Delores