Jack Russell and Periods

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
I trust you are keeping well.
I have had two jack russell puppies for about 6 months now.
They are both such darlings, i love them quite a bit.
One is a male and the other is a female. I have not neutered them yet, the Vet said i should wait till they reach atleast a year so they have grown up a bit.

The male is quite excitable and likes running around and invading my personal space. I am not sure how i can fix this. I do not condone any form of physical punishment hence, i simply push him off and he will settle down. I take them for walks every day. It is quite nice.

The female puppy is such a darling, i would swear that she is an old soul. She sleeps by my feet whenever i am watching TV or on my bed. My only worry is that a week ago, she started dripping blood (few drops here and there). I assume she has started her first period. I called the vet and asked how long is this likely to last, i got told three weeks.
I would just like to confirm that this is normal and that the vet is not giving me a generic answer.

Thanks for your asisstance,
Regards


ANSWER: Hello Arvind

You are correct, this is her first "heat". When your vet said to wait until they are a year old to spay/neuter, that was WRONG information. The best time to have them spayed/neutered is between 4 and 6 months old. We try to have females spayed BEFORE their first heat.  The blood dripping does not last for 3 weeks, but the heat cycle does.  She will be very FERTILE after the bleeding turns from red to a light yellowish color, this is usually around day 8 (right now for your girl).  She can and will get pregnant between day 8 and day 16 so be diligent in keeping the male away from her.  It's risky and unhealthy to breed a puppy on her first heat. She is still a BABY.

Good luck with your Jacks!  

SPAY AND NEUTER NOW



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi
Thanks for the advice.
I have kept them away from each other for
most of the time I can. I always have them
under surveillance if they are together. I am
concerned that my female may have been
mated by the male. I think my female is still
in heat, is it okay to have her spayed now?

Answer
Sorry to say, "most of the time" isn't good enough. The pull to mate is so strong, nothing can keep the male away.  You say you are worried they might have mated - you can go to the veterinarian and have the pregnancy terminated, but you have to do it now. All vets are different but most would prefer NOT to spay while the female is in heat, but it still can be done. They might charge you a little extra because it's a tiny bit more complicated.  
Whoever sold or gave you the pup should have given you all of this information, and I wouldn't go back to the vet who told you that you should wait and have them spayed at one year old. Bad advice.
Best of luck to that puppy.