Standard Poodle puppy on heat?

Question
Hi there,

I have a brown standard poodle puppy called Peppa who's 7 months.  Two days ago, there were about 7 spots of blood on the kitchen floor at various times during the day but there has been nothing since.  At the time, I checked her wee wee area and there was blood on the hair all around it.  However, there is nothing now except a bit of dried blood, it's all clean.  She hasn't been licking the area either.  

She's been off her food for about ten days now, although still eats a good meal a day.  Also, when we were out about 3 days ago, there was a male dog who tried to hump her although he'd been neutered and the owner was surprised by this as he didn't usually do this.  

So is Peppa on heat or is this something else and can I take her to the parks, etc, at the moment?  My intention was to spay her after her first cycle.

Answer
Hello Carole,
It sounds to me like your Peppa is starting her heat cycle.  A dog can come into heat as early as 6 months in some females and as late as 1.5 years, (though that late is rare).  
You will see a little blood during the first couple of days that increases until around day 12 or so.  Sometimes the bleeding is lighter during the first few heats.  Even if you don't see her licking, just a few licks will remove light bleeding and you won't be able to see it.  If you aren't sure if she is bleeding, put an infant diaper on her (cut a tail whole for her tail) and leave it for a few hours.  You should see some blood in it when you remove it for her to go potty.
Around day 9 after you first see Blood, your dog will be in her Standing Heat, which is when she can first be bred.  You will want to keep her away from males for at least 2 weeks after that 9 day period and even for a few days before that 9 days is up.  
Use the above mentioned infant diapers so the blood doesn't get on the carpet or floors, or they sell Heat Pants for girl dogs.  Type it into your browser for the best prices.  Also, be sure to provide plenty of fresh water daily and encourage her to drink (using ice or even a tsp. of chicken broth in her water dish) when she is going through her cycle because she is losing fluids and blood more than normal.

I would give her body about a week to return to normal after her heat cycle before getting her spayed.  You want to give her hormone levels a change to drop back to regular before going through the surgery.

I hope this helps you some.  If you have other questions for me, please feel free to ask me.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim