Possible Complications in Female from Forced Separation

Question
Hi Renee,

I'm very worried about my Red Heeler mix - she is about 10 years old and, to my knowledge, had never mated before.  About a month ago she went into heat and tied with a younger male dog, also a mix but significantly larger. (I think he is part lab, part pit). While they were tied end-to-end she was apparently in a good deal of pain, yelping and crying.  He dragged her backwards, still yelping loudly, into the bushes and emerged about a minute later.

We kept them apart after that and a few days later she began to bleed - several large spots as well as some coagulated "chunks" and, once, a white, slightly foamy discharge that could have been oral or anal, I'm not sure.  This continued for several days but a friend told me it was normal for female dogs to bleed post-heat, so I left her alone.

It's now been about two weeks since she stopped bleeding but she is completely lethargic - she appears to have lost a good deal of weight, has difficulty breathing, and now longer moves around or responds with the energy she used to.

Is it possible she was injured during the mating process?  She is so small I'm worried he tore something inside her.  What can I do?  Should I just wait for her to heal or take her to a vet...?

Thank you for any help!!!!

Answer
Hi Ali. I would defintitely take her to the vet. Anytime a dog loses weight, interest in food, just acts off, or has difficutly breathing, it's best to get them to the vet. That's the best advice I can give you here. Somethings definitely not right here, let a vet figure it out. Good luck!