my coondog gyp....wont come inheat!

Question
QUESTION: I have a 5 year old Plott coondog female( Dawn). She has raised 3 healthy litters of puppies in her life, and has always came in-heat regularly (once every 6 months).When she came off her last litter (september 2007) she came inheat in february 2008. This past September (september 2008) she was due to come in-heat. We have a female that comes in the same time as her. the other female came in-heat and Dawn never came in-heat.I put her in-between two females we had that were in-heat, hoping that would bring her in. It never did. I was hunting her a lot and running her almost every single night for almost 4  months. She was "in shape" she had a very healthy coat and skin and she was super musccular and very lean. She burns the fat as you put it on her. I asked the man I own her with and he said when she was that lean mother nature would not allow her to come in-heat naturally.I want to have a litter of pups off of her and my old male coondog, and we arent sure how much time he has left. it is now december and she still hasnt came inehat. She is due to come in February '09. I put her under a full spectrum light all day yesterday and all day today to hopefully bring her in sooner. I was just wondering how long it would take for her to come in-heat now that she is being put under this light. I have been giving her 6-7 cups a day of high energy food and she looks good, not too thin nor too heavy. she is very active and seems great. she has also been performing magnificiently for me in the timber. I saw where you answered some one else's question and you told them full spectrum lighting was the quickest way to bring her in-heat. I was just wondering how long it would take!
Thanks so much for any help!


ANSWER: Hi Kellie

I agree with your co-owner, too fit or too heavy, will affect a females' cycle.  

Leave the light on her for a few weeks, a couple of days won't make a difference.  Give her a supplement of fish oils and vitamins to boost her system and cut back just a bit on the exercise.  Not too much because a fit and healthy dog has easier time whelping.  Also keep in mind her age, she is getting to the age where "menopause" kicks in and her body changes.

Good luck

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


Dawn   QUESTION: Thanks very much for the reply. I put her in the last hunt for a while on saturday. Since then I have been putting her under the light at night and out in the kennel in the day. I have been feeding her about 5-6 cups + some thanks giving leftovers. She has put on weight good, she is not too thin or fat now. you can see about 3 ribs and she is very shiny and soft. She is acting really good. I was just wondering so I had a small idea about how long it would take.That helps a lot...I am going to try kenneling her beside another female in-heat and see if maybe I out her beside them during the day and then under the light at night that might speed it up a little bit. I don't think she has hit "menapause" because she has came in-heat regualarly even when she was 4. She is in her prime. All of our females have came in-heat regularly till the day they die, I hope the same will go for her. I have talked to a few peole that after their females turn a certain age they only come in once a year. I think she jsut skipped a cycle because she was so "fit" and thin, and active, sorta like the girls in the olimpics. So, Thanks a lot for your reply, it helped out a lot!
take care
Kellie
here is a pic of her the middle of this summer....after a coonchase! you can see how tiny she looks. I will maybe sen a pic of her now....

Answer
She is beautiful!

Remember that each female is different.  Just because "all your females" have had certain cycles doesn't mean that they all will.

It makes sense that she skipped because of her condition, and you are doing everything else right, with keeping her under the light and housing her with females in heat.