Female Chow mix in heat..

Question
Hi Dawn :)

I have a 8 year old female who is currently in heat.  In past years she cleaned herself and we hardly even knew she was in heat.  She stays in the house most of the time and plays in a fenced in yard.

The problem is that this time she seems to be bleeding a lot more and its getting messy.  I'm also getting a little worried too.

How long in the female dog's life do they come in heat?  Do they have a "menopause" like humans do?  Is there any medicine I can give her to slow or stop the bleeding?  Seems like she's passing a few blood clots, should I be worried?

Thank you so much for any information you can provide.


Answer
Hi, Females normally start going out of heat cycles between 7-9 years of age.  If the blood flow seems heavy, you might want to have her checked out by a vet.  She might possibly have a pyometra which is an infected uterus.  They do have medicines to stop heat cycles, but at her age I wouldn't recommend them.  They are more for dogs who are younger.  Hope this helps, and good luck.

Dawn